Tag: Will Turpin

‘Give Me A Word: The Collective Soul Story’ – Documentary Review

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Recently, Collective Soul released on Blu-Ray, their very own documentary entitled ‘Give Me A Word: The Collective Soul Story’ and I finally had a chance to sit down and watch it. And I am so glad I did. One of my all time favorite bands, I feel Collective Soul is one of the most underrated bands out there. They have a unique sound and tone that is all their own. You hear one of the many cool-ass riffs they’ve written and you know in an instant that is Collective Soul. You hear the vocals of lead singer, Ed Roland, and you know it is Collective Soul.

The band hails from Stockbridge, Georgie which is just south of Atlanta and because of that, I consider them a local band for me as I lived just outside of Atlanta myself. Thanks to the college radio station at Georgia State University (where my wife went to college around that time), the world was introduced to the song ‘Shine’ thanks to radio DJ Southside Steve…man, I so remember that station and DJ. Brings back so many fond radio memories. It was because of that little college radio station playing ‘Shine’ that the band drew interest and were signed to Atlantic Records. They released their debut album, ‘Hints, Allegations, and Things Left Unsaid’ which was really only a collection of demos. They felt, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.

The documentary kicks off with the band recording an album at Elvis Presley’s Palm Springs house and shows the band recording as well as talking to them about the history of the band. While they were there recording, Lisa Marie Presley passed away which is a little surreal for them.

We go back to the debut and they walk through their time with Atlantic and then how things fell apart once their contract was up with the label. Ross Childress, lead guitarist, slept with Ed Roland’s wife so he was out of the band. The original drummer, Shane Evans, got in to drugs and was in a really bad place and he left the band. That left Ed, his brother Dean and bass player Will Turpin to carry on, which they did.

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Collective Soul – ‘Blood’ – Album Review

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25 Years!  Wow!  Collective Soul is celebrating 25 years together as a band and as luck would have it, we also get a new record to boot.  The band delivers their 10th Studio Album with ‘Blood’ and they prove there is still life in that blood running through their veins.

With the opening track, “Now’s the Time”, you get that classic Collective Soul guitar sound and Ed’s soaring vocals. The song is high energy and welcomes you to the party with open arms.  The heavy bass line from Will Turpin opens the next song “Over Me” which keeps the energy level pumped up to 10.  The band has a way with catchy riffs and choruses that are simple yet impactful.

“Crushed” is a song that would feel right at home on their 2000 album ‘Blender’.  It is a throwback, yet modern. Then comes “Right as Rain” which the band has been playing live for awhile now so it makes you feel right at home.

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Collective Soul – The Albums Ranked from Worst to First

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For me, this was a local band making it big.  Collective Soul was from Stockbridge, GA which was just outside of Atlanta so for they were a local band since I lived just outside of Atlanta as well…only in a slightly different area.  The band was Ed Roland, brother Dean Roland, Will Turpin, Ross Childress and Shane Evans.  Ed Roland was the driving, creative force behind the band and still is today.

The band started selling numerous copies of their debut album ‘Hints Allegations and Things Left Unsaid’ without a record label’s help.  I think they sold over 10,000 copies.  The record companies took notice and they were snatched up pretty quickly. In 1994, Atlantic Records signed them and basically slapped their label name on the disc and put it out since the album was already made.  Not a bad investment.  The rest is history.

Now we are over 25 years later and the band is getting ready to release their 10th studio album and to celebrate, I thought I would rank all their albums from worst to first.  And let me tell you this was really hard for me.  Collective Soul is a very consistent band.  They have a sound that is consistent throughout all albums.  They don’t venture far from their formula and why should they.  This is amazing considering they have been through 3 lead guitarists over the years, but have kept that same guitar sound.

The hard thing for me is what order as on any given day I can like one album more than the other and then back to liking another one.  There isn’t a bad album in the bunch only some I like more than others.  I stuck with only the Studio albums, no collections, no E.Ps and no live albums so not everything is here on this list.  I hope you enjoy it and maybe discover a band you weren’t all too familiar with.

WORST – AFTERWORDS (2007)

 

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