Collective Soul is a band that has defied the dreaded label "one hit wonder". Being one of the forefront bands of the college rock movement, Collective Soul was deemed a one hit wonder after their song "Shine" drove up the charts. However, as stated before, Collective Soul has shed their "one hit wonder" status and has in fact delivered 7 #1 hits to date.
"Run" is not a #1 hit by the band, but still is one of my favorite songs of theirs. "Run" combines everything that I love about them. A very catchy rhythm that Ed Roland can sing his wide vocal range over. I feel like this band gets lost in the mix a lot when talking about 90's bands and many people do not know of the outstanding catalog these guys really have.
Can Collective Soul be both overrated and underrated at the same time?
ReplyDeleteIn one breath, all of their hits are as minor as they get. They never really had one breakout song. But, you look at the discography as a whole, and they've banged out a lot more songs than you think.
The album sales are pretty average. The self titled went 3x Platinum which is pretty average for that time period.
Really tough band to figure out. The best I can say abut them is they are a poor man's Goo Goo Dolls. Not bad if you ask me, but they are what the are. Nothing amazing, but certainly not irrelevant.
Collective Soul > Goo Goo Dolls. I loved them both at one time, but Goo Goo Dolls don't hold up at all.
ReplyDeleteExcellent point. I can your argument your point as to them being underrated and overrated.
ReplyDeleteI however feel they are completely underrated. They are a forgotten band when talking about 90's rock. Outside of vague remembrances of "Shine" and "The World I Know" most people just brush them off as One Hit Wonders even though both those songs are #1 hits.
The reason most people forget about them is because they really don't have a genre. They were originally classified as college rock then post grunge then alternative rock and then settled into soft rock or easy listening. I think alternative rock best describes them.
I think their entire back catalog is something that should be praised. Every album is very enjoyable and the non-single songs are just as good as the single ones. If you really want to appreciate how awesome they really are check out the DVD Collective Soul: Home. It is a concert album in which they are backed by an orchestra.