Secret Samadhi

Live | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 18, 1997)
• Original Release Date: February 18, 1997
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Mca
• ASIN: B000003BRW
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (126 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #14,240 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wowzers..., December 18, 2003

By 

Jason Farcone (Mukilteo, Wa United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Secret Samadhi (Audio CD)

This CD is somewhat of an enigma, I must say. For me, the critical backlash it recieved is almost as interesting as the music itself. I read somewhere Live expected the album to do as well as Throwing Copper did, and while after listening to Samadhi several times I have a good understanding why it didn't pull such numbers, I do not, at ALL, understand how the album recieved far-and-wide poor reviews and had such a staggering decline in sales.

Like so many others have stated here, this is no Throwing Copper. It's far rougher around the edges, the guitars are more distorted, the melodies far edgier and the lyrics don't seem to have the same spiritual/emotional touch that TC had. In short, it's a far darker, more brooding album. It's also a much more jagged album; the songs don't blend together seamlessly like Live's previous album, the the whole seems a lot less coherent. All that said, it still makes for quite a listen.

OK... The first time I listened to Samadhi, my mind shouted "What is THIS?!". A total shock to my system, musically yes, but all that stood out on the initial listen was the lyrics. They sounded trite, ridiculous, unbelievably awful. I'll just say this -- they still do little for me, and where as I find myself understanding and connecting with much of Ed's lyrics on TC, I'm pretty much wholly disconnected from the lyrical nature of Samadhi. So be it.

Musically is where this album shines. "Lakini's Juice" drives harder than any song on TC; likewise "Turn My Head" -- a GORGEOUS, HAUNTING song (note the capitals are there for a reason) that will stand the test of time -- makes the album worth owning by its lone self. Rattlesnake is a hard-edged opener that starts the album off with a bang, while Ghost provides some beautiful textures and female vocals that come as a great change of pace. Really, virtually every song on here is a winner, but they are also songs that won't immediately grab you like TC's did -- ya' gotta give this album time to find a way to your soul.

If you're a fan of Live or alternative music, I find it hard to believe you'd be genuinely disappointed with Secret Samadhi like so many seemed to be. It's far better than you probably think.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars What a find!, September 26, 2006

By 

John Jackson (los angeles) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Secret Samadhi (Audio CD)

I loved a couple songs off of Live's first album, and was then completely blown away by Throwing Copper. Unfortunately TC was SUCH a big success, that nowadays, I can't really listen to Selling The Drama, Lightning Crashes and All Over You, since the unrelenting radio-play pretty much ruined these songs for me. But I still love jamming out to I Alone, Iris, Dam at Otter Creek and (the highlight of the album IMHO) White Discussion.

I remember hearing Lakini's Juice on the radio a few times, and Freaks too, but I never really got around to buying "Secret Samadhi". Just yesterday I finally downloaded all the tracks and gave it a listen and am surprised at what a tremendous album it is.

I won't go into the song breakdown but I will agree with many of the previous reviewers that this is a DARK album. But to me, that is simply picking up where White Discussion left off. Personally, I like the fact that there are no REALLY radio-friendly tunes on this album. And besides DARK can be good. TOOL's album "Undertow" is one of the best albums ever and that thing is dark and creepy as hell.

I also agree that Live was not a "grunge" band per se. They just sounded heavy at a time when sounding heavy meant you were lumped into a ridiculous label of being "grunge". After all if you listen to Soungarden's "Louder than Love", Alice In Chain's "Sap", and Nirvana's "Nevermind", they are all very different. And then are the Smashing Pumpkins "grunge?" What about Bush? What about Tool? The whole "grunge" category is terribly simplistic.

I have always felt that some bands defy category. Live is definitely one of them, and that's what makes them great.

As far as preachiness, I've never considered Ed's lyrics to be preachy. They're obviously very personal to him (is there any better source) but I've never felt that any kindof message was being pushed on me. Perhaps he's just urging the listener to think a little bit more (or in a different way) than usual.

So the long/short of it is, if you loved Throwing Copper because of the radio singles, you probably won't get "Secret Samadhi". But if you dug the darker tunes like Iris, Dam or White Discussion (although that got pretty significant airplay too) then you should check out this album.

One other thing that appeals to me about Live personally, is that they somehow capture the essence of Southeast Pensylvania. Maybe it's simply because I lived around Delaware/Philly when they were at their biggest, but their songs always remind me of the woods and the fields and the sticky summer nights. Probably just because that's where I usually was when listening to them, but it's still pretty cool.

PS- I've also always felt that Ed has one of the most unique (and cool) voices in music. The drummer is great too. Go see them live.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If I could give this 10 stars, I would, April 11, 2005

By 

Mary (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Secret Samadhi (Audio CD)

I own every +Live+ cd and count them among my top three all-time favorite bands. I listen to at least one of their cds just about every day while in my car and think all but one (V) are masterpieces. Secret Samadhi was the first Live cd I bought and remains the jewel in their crown. The first time I heard the cd I was happily stunned. It wasn't like anything I'd ever heard before. The energy and passion in lead singer Ed Kowalczyk's vocals wowed me. The lyrics were intriguing, even weird in parts (I can't believe anyone would call them 'trite' -- trite is Mariah Carey's lyrics, people, not Ed Kowalcyzk's!) and the music was balls-out rocking. This quickly became my favorite cd and remains so, eight years later. You either 'get' this kind of intensity or you don't, and frankly I feel a little bad for those who don't.