Mental Jewelry
Studio album by
Live
ReleasedDecember 31, 1991 (1991-12-31)
Recorded1991 at D.V. Perversion Room, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
GenreAlternative rock, funk rock
Length51:36
LabelRadioactive
ProducerJerry Harrison
Live chronology
Four Songs
(1991) 		Mental Jewelry
(1991) 		Throwing Copper
(1994)
Singles from Mental Jewelry
  1. "Operation Spirit (The Tyranny of Tradition)"
    Released: 1992
  2. "Pain Lies on the Riverside"
    Released: 1992
  3. "The Beauty of Gray"
    Released: 1992
  4. "Mirror Song"
    Released: 1992
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[2]
Spin Alternative Record Guide6/10[3]

Mental Jewelry is the second studio album by the band Live—but their first under this name; they had previously released the album The Death of a Dictionary under the name Public Affection, under which they also released the EP Divided Mind, Divided Planet. Released on December 31, 1991, it is also the band's major label debut.

Many of the songs on Mental Jewelry are based on the writings of Indian philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti.[4] It also showcases their early funk rock leanings, particularly through Patrick Dahlheimer's slap bass playing on songs like "Pain Lies on the Riverside", "Operation Spirit (The Tyranny of Tradition)", and "Waterboy". The album's title comes from a lyric in the track "Mirror Song."[5]

A music video was filmed for "Operation Spirit". The video was filmed when the band were still calling themselves Public Affection.

On June 30, 2017, Live announced a reissue of Mental Jewelry as a two-CD set, with the first CD containing the original album and the three outtakes and the second CD containing a full concert. Cassette and vinyl reissues were also announced.[6]

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Ed Kowalczyk; all music is composed by Live

No.TitleLength
1."Pain Lies on the Riverside"5:11
2."Operation Spirit (The Tyranny of Tradition)"3:18
3."The Beauty of Gray"4:14
4."Brothers Unaware"4:45
5."Tired of 'Me'"3:26
6."Mirror Song"3:38
7."Waterboy"3:07
8."Take My Anthem"4:37
9."You Are the World"4:23
10."Good Pain"5:39
11."Mother Earth Is a Vicious Crowd"4:10
12."10,000 Years (Peace Is Now)"5:08

A track named "Susquehanna" was written during these sessions and often played live during the first few years of Live's career under that name, but not recorded until 1993, during the sessions for the follow-up, Throwing Copper. That version would not be released until the 25th Anniversary reissue edition of that album in 2019, however.

Personnel

Adapted credits from the liner notes of Mental Jewelry.[7]

Live

Technical personnel

Charts

Album

Chart (1992) Peak
US Billboard 200[8] 73

Singles

Single US Modern Rock
(1992)[9]
"Operation Spirit (The Tyranny of Tradition)" 9
"Pain Lies on the Riverside" 24

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[10] Gold 50,000^
Netherlands (NVPI)[11] Gold 50,000^
United States (RIAA)[12] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ AllMusic Review
  2. ^ Brackett, Nathan; Christian Hoard (2004). The Rolling Stone Album Guide. New York City, New York: Simon and Schuster. p. 490. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8. rolling stone live album guide.
  3. ^ Gardner, Elysa (1995). "Live". In Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig (eds.). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. pp. 224–225. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
  4. ^ Jason Ankeny, "Live's allmusic biography". AllMusic.
  5. ^ "Live-mirror-song-lyrics".
  6. ^ "Live's Debut Album, 'Mental Jewelry', Celebrates 25th Anniversary with Deluxe Reissue". 30 June 2017.
  7. ^ "Live - Mental Jewelry", Discogs, 1991, retrieved 2023-09-21
  8. ^ "Mental Jewelry > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums". AllMusic.
  9. ^ "Mental Jewelry > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles" AllMusic.
  10. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Live – Mental Jewelry". Music Canada. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
  11. ^ "Dutch album certifications – Live – Mental Jewelry" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved 28 April 2022. Enter Mental Jewelry in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 2001 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
  12. ^ "American album certifications – Live – Mental Jewelry". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
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