Customer Reviews

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5 star:		(61)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

What I really love about this CD is the way that both the band and the orchestra blend; neither competes over the other. So you can really apperecate the tallent of all the artists! I LOVE the arrangment of "December", "Needs"-especially the ending crescendo, it is positively triumphant-also,"Pretty Donna", and "Crown"-you can really tell the feeling that Mr. Ed Roland has for the loss of his Father, to whom the song was dedicated.
The only thing I wasn't as thrilled about was that this recording was mixed ever so slightly different than the DVD. So the CD has a more "closed" or muted sound to it with the highs and lows compressed. Also, Ed's voice was more prominent than the music in this, opposed to the DVD. If you don't really have a "tech guys" kind of hearing ablities, you probably will not notice. But it is still there. So listen to this first...so it doesn't end up bugging you.
Doesn't really matter though; All the guys in Collective Soul, and the Atlyantic Symphony Youth Orchestra, had such energy, tallent and enthusiasm happening for those nights, you can hear it. If this Cd doesn't get you dancing or at lest singing along...nothing will.
So all in all, a great job by some great musicians.

It's not very often that I get totally blown away by a music album these days. I don't even like much music these days, and even the stuff I find mildly appealing doesn't make much of an impression on me. Collective Soul, on the other hand, has been one of my favorite "new" (I loosely use that term for anything from the last 15 or so years) bands since their first album, but I haven't followed them much for the last few years. When I saw this album, however, and saw that it was live (I've seen some of the biggest bands in history live, and none of them had ANYTHING on CS in terms of pure energy) I decided to pick it up. The result was one of the best listening experiences I've had in a very long time-I listened to it over and over and over again, and still wasn't satisfied.

First of all, CS is a phenomenal band live. The band packs so much energy and is so talented, and Ed Roland's spectacular voice holds up very well live, unlike some other bands. This 2 disc set also features the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra, which adds rather than detracts from the performance and at times seems almost a part of the band. This CD is just like their live shows-not much idle chatter, no theatrics, just pure, energetic rock and roll at its finest.

I saw Collective Soul live for the first time in 1995 when they opened for Van Halen. There was electricity in the air, that's how much energy they brought. I've seen them many times since then, and they never disappoint live. I've never understood why the band (or their label) never issued a live album. Well that has finally been corrected!

"Home" (2 CDs; 22 tracks; 97 min.) brings the best of 2 homecoming concerts Collective Soul held in April 2005 in Atlanta. The additional "twist" is the Atlanta Youth Symphony Orchestra. Before you wonder whether this is another one of those forced concoctions (remember Metallica with symphony? or KISS with symphony?), strings always have played an important role in Collective Soul's music, in particular its ballads. And the "Home" album bears this out: on the tracks where a symphonic sound comes natural, it really works very well (check out for example "The World I Know", "December", and "Pretty Donna"). THe inclusion of "Youth" is interesting as that track did not make it onto the album of the same name. Ed Roland is in good form (and humor) throughout. By the time the encore "Shine" comes along, I was surprised how quickly it all passed by.

Collective Soul now has plans to release individual shows from the Fall 2005 tour as well. To which I say: bring it on! We have been without a live album too long, from famine we go to feast. (The fact that the band now self-releases its records surely has a hand in that.) All that aside, "Home" is a thoroughly enjoyable live album, and a must for the serious Collective Soul fan.

I have been to quite a few CS concerts and I always leave happy. I was a little hesitant to buy this cd because I couldn't be at the actual concert and I normally am not a fan of live recordings. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoy this cd and love to play it in my car. For some reason I like the feeling of remembering seeing them in concert. The symphony was a great addition minus a couple songs that didn't really fit. A few of CS songs are made to be played with a symphony like Run, Shine, She Said, Compliment and Home and they delivered well above expectations. If you are a big fan of CS and can visualize them in concert, this cd is a great addition to your collection.

Collective Soul has truly returned to their home for an awesome show! This was an unforgettable show and one I was able to attend. Combining these two musical genres (rock/ochestral) made for a magical evening of talent, emotion and new twists on new and old Collective Soul material. The kids in the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra were the highlight of the show and the special features capture their excitement and enthusiasm.

This is one great performance that should not be missed, it will give you goosebumps as if you were right their in the front row. If you've never seen Collective Soul or an orchestra live, this will make you want to catch a show. Outstanding!

As a Collective Soul fan from the early days, I was thrilled when I found this album by mistake (I haven't followed them much recently). Until now, the only live Collective Soul recording I had was a bootleg of their performance at Woodstock '99, which didn't even have a song make the W'99 album.
The song selection here is remarkable. Not only is it an excellent cross-section of Collective Soul's works across 15 years, but the addition of the orchestra allows for proper performance of songs such as "Needs" and "The World I Know".

Unfortunately, the quality of the two shows that produced this album is somewhat lacking, as it has been since the departure of Ross Childress and Shane Evans. The mixing seems to cover for the mistakes of Joel and Ryan, which at times completely changes the character of a song ("December", for example). Additionally, the orchestral additions at time seem a bit stretched, and come off almost sounding like a Disney soundtrack (the beginning of "Run"). Finally, the discs seem to have some form of copy-protection built in, which makes a completely legitimate and legal transfer to my iPod a headache, to say the least.

Overall, this is a winner for Collective Soul and their fans. Hopefully, CS will decide to continue releasing live performances in the future.

This is THE BEST live performance recording I have ever heard. The acoustics and sound are great. The band performance is close to studio quality. The crowd sounds make you feel like you're right there! If you love Collective Soul, you need to own this cd!!

Since I didn't have any Cd's by CS, I was looking for a greatest hits CD.
Their greatest hits CD was a few years old and came before Youth which had several songs including Better Now which is my favorite song of the year.Home came out at the perfect time.I wasn't sure how CS would sound live but bought it anyways and it just blew me away.The combination of CS
and the Symphony Orchestra was fantastic.I got goose bumps when I heard Better Now with the crowd singing along.I liked the CD so much I bought the DVD so I can really crank it up on my home theater system.

If anyone is a fan of Collective Soul, this is a MUST HAVE!! 'Home' combines a blend of orchestral music with classic Collective Soul hits that creates a powerful sense of awe. The orchestra provides a natural flow throughout the concert that leaves the listener begging for more. Favorites include: December, Compliment, Run, Pretty Donna, and Crown.

Live albums are usually very good or very bad.
Fortunately, Collective Soul is one of those that fits in the former category with their latest release, Home.
At first, I was worried about their use of an orchestra to assist them through the awesome songs they have written over the last 12 to 14 years. However, it was implemented masterfully, seasoning the songs like salt--but not too much to repulse our senses.
The use of the extra musicians added depth and imagination to their hits without distracting or "re-interpretting" Collective Soul's songwriting. Moreover, neither Collective Soul nor the Atlanta Orchestra overpowered the audience presence in the recording.
My personal favorites, Needs, Compliment, Run, and She Said all implement the orchestra wonderfully, adding a wonderful flavor that will likely captivate those with refined taste.
Kudos to Collective Soul on their lyrical poetry and imaginative music. I hope to hear more from them soon.