Collective Soul
Studio album by
Collective Soul
ReleasedMarch 14, 1995
RecordedOctober - December 1994
StudioCriteria (Miami)
GenrePost-grunge, hard rock, alternative rock
Length46:10
LabelAtlantic
ProducerEd Roland
Matt Serletic
Collective Soul chronology
Hints Allegations and Things Left Unsaid
(1994)		 Collective Soul
(1995)		 Disciplined Breakdown
(1997)
Singles from Collective Soul
  1. "Gel"
    Released: January 1995
  2. "December"
    Released: March 1995
  3. "Smashing Young Man"
    Released: 1995
  4. "The World I Know"
    Released: November 14, 1995
  5. "Where the River Flows"
    Released: March 26, 1996

Collective Soul (sometimes referred to as the Blue Album to differentiate it from the second self-titled album) is the second studio album by Collective Soul. It became the band's highest selling album to date, going Triple-Platinum, and spent 76 weeks on the Billboard 200 charts. The singles "December," "The World I Know" and "Where the River Flows" all reached No. 1 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, while the first two singles also became major pop hits.

Frontman Ed Roland has considered Collective Soul the band's true debut album; Hints Allegations and Things Left Unsaid was intended more as a promotional demo and a means of acquiring a publishing contract for Roland who in 1995 noted, "It's so funny for people to compare the two. It's like comparing one band to another band. This record is our first record, flat out."[1]

Production

Amidst the surprise success of "Shine," taken from the Hints, Allegations, and Things Left Unsaid demo recordings, Collective Soul insisted on remixing the songs for a higher quality re-release. However, they were told the time required for this would drain their momentum. The band were instead convinced they could begin recording a new, sophomore effort immediately after finishing their tour schedule.

The recording and mixing of Collective Soul took five weeks, a strained scheduled due to added concerts in late December 1994 which finished on New Year's Eve. Ed Roland wrote thirty-five songs in 1994 and recorded fifteen of them in the studio. Four more were written in the studio which allowed the band to disregard eight of the previous tracks. Lead guitarist Ross Childress helped write "Simple" and "The World I Know" which was greatly encouraged by Roland who wanted a band effort in the studio.

By the time "Smashing Young Man" was being recorded, drummer Shane Evans was on vacation and unreachable. This forced the band to loop a drum sample of his from a DAT before hiring a second drummer to improve it. After many takes, Roland was also disappointed with the final version of "Bleed" but liked the song too much to remove it from the record.

Mixing was completed in the first week of February 1995; mastering was finished on a Friday with the plants opened and the album delivered the next day. The band then went to New York City for a week of publicity and photo sessions.[1]

Promotion and touring

Collective Soul opened for Van Halen during their Balance Tour which began on March 11, 1995, in Pensacola, Florida, and ended in May 1995. The band then performed at festivals in the United States before taking a break and then continuing with their own solo tour including club shows. Seven songs from the new album were performed on tour with "Shine" being the only played track from their previous release. A new unnamed song was also performed in concert.[1]

The band's self-titled release included five singles: "December," "The World I Know," "Where the River Flows," "Gel" and "Smashing Young Man." The three former tracks reached No. 1 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks charts and the first two became major pop hits. Music videos were also filmed for some singles and aired significantly on MTV.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Entertainment WeeklyB[3]
Rolling Stone[4]

In a feat similar to its predecessor, Collective Soul received positive reviews with praise handed to its strong melodies but also indifference for an alleged lack of musical innovation. Paul Evans of Rolling Stone gave the album 3 out of 5 stars. He noted "Roland's flair for McCartneyesque melodic detail" and summed up with "the band proves it has the goods to continue to shine on brightly."

AllMusic's Tom Demalon chose "The World I Know" and "Gel" as AMG Track Picks. He, too, commended the strong melodies and stated "While not exactly ground-breaking, Collective Soul delivers the goods with a dozen, hook-laden songs for which they were awarded another multi-platinum outing."

Track listing

All songs written by Ed Roland, except where noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Simple"Roland, Ross Childress3:45
2."Untitled" 4:01
3."The World I Know"Roland, Childress4:16
4."Smashing Young Man" 3:45
5."December" 4:45
6."Where the River Flows" 3:35
7."Gel" 3:00
8."She Gathers Rain" 4:31
9."When the Water Falls" 3:40
10."Collection of Goods" 4:14
11."Bleed" 4:03
12."Reunion" 2:35
25th Anniversary Expanded Edition[5][6][7][8][9]
No.TitleLength
13."That's All Right" (Originally Bonus Track For Japan Only)2:09
14."December" (Live)4:06
15."Where the River Flows" (Live)3:41
16."When the Water Falls" (Acoustic Live)3:40
17."Bleed" (Acoustic Live)4:02
18."December" (Acoustic Live)3:25

Personnel

Collective Soul:

Additional musicians:

  • Jackie Johnson – background vocals
  • Bertram Brown – background vocals
  • Becky Russell – background vocals
  • Steven Sigurdson – cello
  • David Chappell – viola
  • Geremy Miller – violin
  • John DiPuccio – violin
  • Janet Clippard – contrabass
  • Luis Enrique – percussion

Production:

  • Matt Serletic – producer
  • Greg Archilla – engineer
  • Malcolm Springer – second engineer
  • Bjorn Thorsrud – second engineer
  • Tom Gordon – assistant engineer
  • Bob Clearmountain – mixing

Charts

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[16] Gold 35,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[17] 8× Platinum 800,000^
United States (RIAA)[18] 3× Platinum 3,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Miller, Gerri No One Hit Wonder, CS Shines With Album #2 Metal Edge (Spring 1995). Retrieved on February 7, 2010.
  2. ↑ Demalon, Tom (March 14, 1995). "Collective Soul – Collective Soul". AllMusic. Retrieved February 10, 2012.
  3. ↑ Jim Farber (March 17, 1995). "Collective Soul Review | Music Reviews and News". EW.com. Retrieved February 10, 2012.
  4. ↑ "Rolling Stone Music | Album Reviews". Rollingstone.com. Archived from the original on August 31, 2009. Retrieved February 10, 2012.
  5. ↑ "Collective Soul – Collective Soul (2020, CD)". Discogs.
  6. ↑ "Collective Soul – Collective Soul (2020, Turquoise Marble, Vinyl)". Discogs.
  7. ↑ "Collective Soul – Collective Soul (2020, Vinyl)". Discogs.
  8. ↑ "Collective Soul – Collective Soul (1995, CD)". Discogs.
  9. ↑ "Craft Recordings Celebrates the 25th Anniversary of Collective Soul with a Deluxe Reissue and Vinyl Pressing". June 16, 2020.
  10. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Collective Soul – Collective Soul". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
  11. ↑ "Charts.nz – Collective Soul – Collective Soul". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 29, 2021.
  12. ↑ "Collective Soul Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 29, 2021.
  13. ↑ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1995". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 9, 2021. Retrieved November 29, 2021.
  14. ↑ "Top Selling Albums of 1996". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  15. ↑ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1996". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 9, 2021. Retrieved November 29, 2021.
  16. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1996 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
  17. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Collective Soul – Collective Soul". Music Canada. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
  18. ↑ "American album certifications – Collective Soul – Collective Soul". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
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