Collective Soul

小簡介似乎每隔10年就會產生一個代表那個年代的精神指標樂隊，而且樂風一定要走中堅流行搖滾路線，主唱一定要才色兼具，90年代的傳統(tǒng)美式搖滾樂隊Collective Soul就是這樣的樂隊。 來自美國佐治亞的樂隊Collective Soul以主音歌手Ed Roland為中心，另外4位成員分別是：Ross Childress（主音吉他）、Dean Roland（節(jié)奏吉他）、Shane Evans（鼓）以及Will Turpin（貝司）。這支樂隊風格有金屬、另類、民謠等元素，有人稱他們的風格為POST-GRUNGE。像傳統(tǒng)美國樂團一樣，也艱辛的渡過成名前的潛伏時期，直到Atlantic Records慧眼識英雄和他們簽約。
Collective Soul在94年便以雙白金首張專輯《Hints Allegations And Things Left Unsaid》締造出Billboard年度最佳歌曲《Shine》；95年的同名專輯，除了在Billboard停留76周外，還產生了《The World I Know》、《December》、《Gel》等受到排行榜及電臺青睞的歌曲。迄今為止，Collective Soul擁有8首冠軍搖滾單曲，專輯在全球的銷售量已經超過700萬。
by James Christopher MongerWhen Seattle grunge went mainstream, it was only a matter of time before the ripple effect was felt in regions other than the Pacific Northwest. Georgia quintet Collective Soul, along with fellow inheritors of the now commercially lucrative post-grunge landscape like Live, Bush, and Candlebox, developed the genre into a more succinct brand of angst, turning the sonic cacophony of bands like Mudhoney and the Melvins into radio-friendly hard rock. Collective Soul — taken from a line in Ayn Rands book The Fountainhead, were formed in the small town of Stockbridge in the early 90s by principal songwriter Ed Roland (lead vocals/keyboards/guitars), guitarists Dean Roland and Joel Kosche, and rhythm section Will Turpin (bass/percussion) and Shane Evans (drums/percussion). Originally released in 1993 on the Atlanta indie label Rising Storm, Hints Allegations and Things Left Unsaid proved popular enough on the local level that it was picked up the following year by Atlantic. Within months of its release, Shine became a modern rock and MTV staple, and Collective Soul found themselves with a platinum debut, playing everywhere from arenas with Aerosmith to Woodstock 1994. They released the eponymous sophomore effort the following year, which featured the hits World I Know and December, once again going multi-platinum, but their fan base began to wane upon the release of 1997s Disciplined Breakdown. Released in 1999, Dosage was a return to form for the group, yielding the hit singles Run and Heavy, but despite their best efforts, the post-grunge genre was suffering under the weight of the emerging nu-metal scene. In 2000 they released Blender, an image-seeking misfire that saw the group attempting a clean-cut (no facial hair) image and mixing in heavily produced AOR with dance-pop, even performing a duet with Elton John. The following year, fans were treated to 7even Year Itch: Collective Souls Greatest Hits 1994-2001. In 2004, the group returned to their roots, bringing on new guitar player Joel Kosche and releasing the stripped-down and dynamic Youth on their own El Music Group imprint. An eight-song EP (From the Ground Up) arrived the following year. In early 2007 it was announced that the band was teaming with the Target chain of stores. Target was to be the exclusive physical retailer of the bands next album, Afterwards.