Live — Beauty of Gray
Album: Mental JewelryAvg rating:
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Total ratings: 264
Length: 4:05
Plays (last 30 days): 0
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Ooh shrink rock? 
What a mess.
Hearing this here is for some reason such a surprise. It's a great song, but I never imagined I would hear it anywhere except on the album... funny. Gray is so complicated, but then again, so is life.
I'm shocked at all the hating going on. I find a lot of Live's later stuff sappy, but I've always thought this was a beautiful song (and album). Comparisons to Creed or others must go in reverse -- Live, for better or worse, was one of the instrumental bands in creating a particular 90's (pop) rock sound.
luin wrote:Ooooh Arctic Monkeys...much better!
Terrible song!
Yup!
Hideously disappointing. Have owned Throwing Copper since it cam out and there are some corking tracks on it.
Strangely, however, never inspired to buy anything else by them. Thank the good lord, it would seem
Kinda sounds like a Jethro Tull tune minus the flute.
Terrible song!
ArbiterOfGoodTaste wrote:
Wow, this sucks, doesn't it?
Not in my world.
I was quite happily surprised hearing this. I like it.
staufman wrote:
Do read some of Krishnamurti's (Jiddhu that is) work and you will understand where their lyrics are coming from. Up until that album, Live was big time into Krishnamurti's philosophy. It will give all the nay-sayers and people who comment "corny" some context. Of course, while I like this song, I understand the beauty of gray and value your comments :)
we need to get something positive to the top here. i think all the nay-sayers need to listen to the whole album and remember when alternative actually meant something
Terrible. Blech. Banal lyrics and a lousy singer.
Papa_John wrote:
I'm generally not one to make negative comments, but this song sucks! What were they thinking? Or was it the lack thereof? 
I think they were thinking "who cares if Papa John likes this song or doesn't"
karlaanne wrote:
is this a joke? c'mon seriously. this has to be a joke. no song this trite and horrendous could ever be played on RP right??
Absolutely. This is the most banal, trite crap I've heard since "I Am Woman (Hear Me More)". And at least that was a product of Helen R's time.
"We will all get to a-ppre-cee-a-hey-hey-hate
The Beauty of Gray!"
Spare me.
orpheus wrote:
Scott Sapp? 
that's funny.
shakylegs wrote:
The volume on this song seems to be permantly stuck on "suck." Scott Sapp sings as well as he drinks and acts in pornos, i.e. not well. Not well at all.
Scott Stapp is the singer for Creed, not Live.
I can't stand this or Creed, though.
shakylegs wrote:
The volume on this song seems to be permantly stuck on "suck." Scott Sapp sings as well as he drinks and acts in pornos, i.e. not well. Not well at all.
Scott Sapp?
nick_valensi wrote:
yuk!
If you need to get me out of a building (a la David Koresh) keep playing this and Smashing Punkins. The aggravating voices are bound to get me out. I gave this a 1.
is this a joke? c'mon seriously. this has to be a joke. no song this trite and horrendous could ever be played on RP right??
this totally sucks
Man, I like me some Live, but this is a solid 1.
The colors must swirl? Wow, I know he has a message to get across, but these lyrics suck.
The volume on this song seems to be permantly stuck on "suck." Scott Sapp sings as well as he drinks and acts in pornos, i.e. not well. Not well at all.
yuk!
Great song from a great album! Wasn't expecting to hear this one on RP. Thanks, Bill.
No, not so much.
I don't know about Live, actually I do. My only memory of listening to Live was seeing two skanky longhaired flannel toting grungers leaning up against the juke box at the local pool hall. They just played an entire Live album. BASTARDS!!!
Huh. Like the band. Hate the song.
Wow "Not a black and white world" how original 
Do read some of Krishnamurti's (Jiddhu that is) work and you will understand where their lyrics are coming from. Up until that album, Live was big time into Krishnamurti's philosophy. It will give all the nay-sayers and people who comment "corny" some context. Of course, while I like this song, I understand the beauty of gray and value your comments :)
Just saw them couple of weeks ago, they were great as usual. They didn't do this song though unfortunately.
Baby_M wrote:
I like the tune, but I gotta disagree with the thesis behind the lyrics. As a better writer than me put it:
Ultimately what they believe or we believe is inconsequential.
Spoken like a man with no beliefs ...
--James Lileks
To me this song is not about having no beliefs, but about being able to hold one's beliefs while also being aware that, as fallible human beings with limited knowledge, no one of us ever really has the whole story about anything.
Unfortunately, I don't believe this track is very good!
Heave-ho 
I never caught the spark of this band. It's not that they are bad, they are just...decent. A semi-earned 5. 
I'm generally not one to make negative comments, but this song sucks! What were they thinking? Or was it the lack thereof?
went to give this a 2... lo and behold i'd already given it a 2. maybe i should knock it down a notch.
I like the tune, but I gotta disagree with the thesis behind the lyrics. As a better writer than me put it:
Ultimately what they believe or we believe is inconsequential.
Spoken like a man with no beliefs. Or, more accurately, spoken like someone who thinks that line above demonstrates some sort of intellectual sophistication lost on people who do the whole work-kids-church thing. Trust me, Harry what someone believes is of great consequence. And if your society believes nothing it ends up making its last stand in the Temple of No Particular Belief System with the squiddies hammering on the door, possessed of a terrible certainty: they believe you should die.
--James Lileks
Wow, this sucks, doesn't it?
Uh...no.
palexis wrote:
Is this song about Star Wars III, George W Bush or both?
this song is 13 or 14 years old at this point. i saw them tour supporting this cd in 1992, it was great. as someone below said, it's really too bad they didn't stay on this track....
Live used to produce such excellent, unique music. I despise that they have now become so pop oriented.
This is a 9 in my book.
nice choice...good to hear this album which came out when I was in college. Live's first. I wish they would have stayed on this track. Throwing Copper was great, but I kind of liked the acoustic nature of Mental Jewelry. Thanks.
Fantastic song, great lyrics, great vocals. These guys put on one hell of a show. Makes you appreciate his vocals that much more when they're "live".
stornoway wrote:
call me old fashioned but i reckon rock should have any or all of the following.
tune
rythm
meaning
null points all round for this one
You are either deaf or still in shock from those horrible Jethro Tull and Carbon leaf songs that were played before this
palexis wrote:
Is this song about Star Wars III, George W Bush or both?
it came before both of those......it must be about life in general.....
Is this song about Star Wars III, George W Bush or both?
call me old fashioned but i reckon rock should have any or all of the following.
tune
rythm
meaning
null points all round for this one
Too often, I've been disappointed when listening to an album because I heard and loved a song from it on RP... the natural drawback to picking only the best, I guess.
"Mental Jewelry" is the best exception I can think of. "Beauty of Gray" is perhaps the best from the CD, but the whole album is a work of genius. Bill, all my thanks for making me discover that album!
Mental Jewelry was fantasitic, and more so when you realize that none of the members were even 20 years old when it was recorded.
But, as the posters below state, it all went downhill from there. I 100% blame the MTV influence. I got to see these guys about five or six times during their first two cds & got to see the progression. It is too bad, they could have been very big, and deserved to be.
Too political, too early.
I had no idea that Jack Black is in Live. I learn something new everyday here at RP.
wonderplum wrote:
his voice is really annoying.
No it is not! It is a killer voice.
Yes...barf!
wonderplum wrote:
his voice is really annoying.
I totally agree......................
his voice is really annoying.
This album and the one that followed were their best. Its been downhill for them since I'm afraid - their lyrics have not been this acute for awhile. I used to like the band a lot (still do like the old stuff), but I haven't bought any of their recent albums. Well, at least they've managed to outlast many of the bands from that period (early 90s).
I think what impresses me most about this album, is that it was made when they were so young. I believe they were around 16 and 17 when they wrote this stuff. I certainly wasn't thinking like this when I was that age.
JrzyTmata wrote:
this is one of those albums that I can listen to over and over. Their best in my opinion!
agreed. this will always be my favorite cd.
yikes.
nice sentiment.
CORNY song.
porlapaz wrote:
i remeber when they opened for the counting crows and all these teen boys were singing their hearts out to Live- they could be mistaken for a christian band from their lyrics.
it sounds to me like Live actually have a bit of angst towards Christianity...
some lyrics from Operation Spirit from Mental Jewelry (same album as Beauty of Gray):
Heard alot of talk about this Jesus
A man of love, a man of strength
But what a man was two thousand years ago
Means nothing at all to me today
He could have been telling me about my
Higher self
But he only lives inside my prayer
So what he was may have been beautiful
But the pain is right now
And right here
Have been a follower of Live since the beginning. Not a bad song on this album.
I was just thinking of this song yesterday, as I was going thru the political forums.
thanks Psychic Playlist!! 
Live still rock. Not as raw as this. The first album had wonderfully spiritual lyrics, great melodies, raw playing, some kick ass bass from Pat and driving percussion from Chad. The live of tday is sunny, spiritual, love everyone rock. Not as raw, not as powerful, but just as good IMHO. Good to see the boys are playing Leno on the 18th, and Degeneres and Osbourne on the 22nd, exposure, getting their name back out their. They deserve it. BTW, this song kicks a....
Originally Posted by porlapaz:
i remeber when they opened for the counting crows and all these teen boys were singing their hearts out to Live- they could be mistaken for a christian band from their lyrics.
Not Christian, but "spiritual" is valid. Christians aren't the only ones who believe in God etc.
i remeber when they opened for the counting crows and all these teen boys were singing their hearts out to Live- they could be mistaken for a christian band from their lyrics.
Wow. I thought this was the Violent Femmes at first. Definitely different from the Live I have heard. Nice tune.
Originally Posted by JrzyTmata:
this is one of those albums that I can listen to over and over. Their best in my opinion!
same!! 
this was the song that got me hooked, too.
this is one of those albums that I can listen to over and over. Their best in my opinion!
This is a terrific disc. Haven\'t listened to it in years, though. I always thought the Jerry Harrison production made this one better than the ones that came later...
I'm shocked at all the hating going on. I find a lot of Live's later stuff sappy, but I've always thought this was a beautiful song (and album). Comparisons to Creed or others must go in reverse -- Live, for better or worse, was one of the instrumental bands in creating a particular 90's (pop) rock sound.
i agree with this very much. i think it's probably my fav song of theirs.