Birds of Pray

Background

Ed Kowalczyk's lyrics on this album return to the spiritual territory of The Distance to Here. Guitarist Chad Taylor explained that the tensions between Kowalczyk and the other three members that eventually caused the band to split from him surfaced in 1999, and had grown worse during the album's recording sessions. "I wasn't sure how our rocker fanbase would feel about the lyrics." He expressed his frustration with the album by adding, "Jim Wirt (producer) worked really hard to fashion a contemporary album, but it never felt like the Live I loved."

Reception

Birds of Pray debuted at number 28 on the Billboard 200, selling over 37,000 copies in its first week of release. By August 2005 it had sold 273,000 copies in the US. The album failed to reach gold status in the US, although it outsold 2001's V. The album received mixed reviews from critics and has a rating of 50 out of 100 on Metacritic.

AllMusic disliked Kowalczyk's lyrics, claiming they were "Either too literal or bewilderingly obtuse" and said that the album was, "Still recognizably Live...big, big guitars, sweeping anthemic choruses, earnest ballads, mildly histrionic vocals...but it's a little more subdued and a little more serious and quite streamlined...The biggest problem with the record is that the eye is on the big picture...to the extent that the individual moments aren't all that memorable, clearly lacking singles as forceful as those that fueled Throwing Copper." AllMusic concluded by claiming that, "Live is growing up and settling down, turning into a solid thirty-something rock band."

Shaking Through described the album's lyrics as, "Self righteous" and "Unintentionally humorous." It claimed that, "the songs are a procession of brittle riffs" and concluded by saying, "Birds of Pray just seems clueless, like a high school kid who doesn't realize that his strident need to seem interesting just makes him a joke."

Track listing

All songs written by Ed Kowalczyk except where noted.

1. "Heaven" – 3:49
2. "She" – 2:40
3. "The Sanctity of Dreams" – 3:33
4. "Run Away" – 3:53
5. "Life Marches On" – 2:53
6. "Like I Do" (Kowalczyk, Patrick Dahlheimer, Chad Taylor) – 4:14
7. "Sweet Release" – 3:02
8. "Everytime I See Your Face" – 3:16
9. "Lighthouse" (Kowalczyk, Taylor) – 3:08
10. "River Town" – 4:09
11. "Out to Dry" – 3:20
12. "Bring the People Together" – 3:02
13. "What Are We Fighting For?" – 3:21

British bonus tracks

14. "Forever May Not Be Long Enough" (Egyptian Dreams Remix) – 4:07
15. "Overcome" (Live from Philadelphia) – 4:23

Special edition bonus DVD

Live tracks recorded during the 2002 Pinkpop Festival in the Netherlands.

1. "Selling the Drama"
2. "Voodoo Lady"
3. "Nobody Knows"
4. "White Discussion"

Personnel

Live

Ed Kowalczyk – lead vocals, rhythm guitar

Chad Taylor – lead guitar

Patrick Dahlheimer – bass

Chad Gracey – drums

Additional musicians

Paul Buckmaster – conductor, string arrangements

Larry Corbett – cello

Joel Derouin – violin

Bruce Dukov – violin

Suzie Katayama – orchestra manager

Patrick Warren – chamberlin

Evan Wilson – viola

Technical personnel

Michael Attardi – assistant engineering

Neil Couser – assistant engineering

CJ Eiriksson – digital editing

Femio Hernández – assistant engineering

John Ikuma – assistant engineer

Ted Jensen – mastering

Phil Kaffel – engineering

Okhee Kim – assistant engineering

Tom Lord-Alge – mixing

Jeff Robinette – assistant engineering

P.J. Smith – assistant engineering

Michael Wilson – photography

Jim Wirt – production, engineering

Jesse Wright – design

Singles

A^ : "Heaven" did not chart on the Flemish Ultratop 50, but peaked at number 6 on the Ultratip chart.