"The Beauty Of Gray" by Live

Bands like Live helped define the gritty yet melodic sound that characterized much of the 90s. Live's first chart appearance came in 1994 when their sophomore release, "Throwing Copper," shot onto the scene. "Selling The Drama" did quite well, peaking at #43, but it was the ferocious intensity and mesmerizing video of "I Alone" that really started grabbing people's attention. "I Alone" reached #38.

Then the band released a slow-burning ballad that broke through to the mainstream. Bolting to #12, "Lightning Crashes" became their biggest chart hit, and is probably the only top 100 song that contains the word "placenta". While "All Over You" and "White, Discussion" charted at #33 and #71, respectively, this record should have been mined for other strong cuts like "Waitress" and "Top."

The band's ambitious and pretentious follow-up record, "Secret Samadhi," saw them sustaining success for a bit longer, but overall it was not as well-received. Perhaps if they led with the stunning ballad "Turn My Head," which stalled at #45 as a third single, instead of the goofy "Lakini's Juice" (which hit #35 - better than it deserved) and banal "Freaks" (which hit #73).

The band's final chart appearance was "Heaven," which hit #59 in 2003. A good run for a 90s band. The lead singer (Ed Kowalczyk) put out some solo efforts and the boys continue to release music as a band to this day.

"The Beauty Of Gray" goes back to the band's lesser known debut album, "Mental Jewelry," which is brilliant. They were still young kids at this point, which makes the record all the more notable. The band's hunger and energy was most palpable on this record, and the lyrics were strong without being bizarre. Case in point is this song about the dangers of polarization.