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Review by KCZorroDeFuego "KAC" : If you love LIVE, you NEED this album.

I can't say it any more straightforwardly than that. This album showcases Live at a pinnacle that, try as they might, they have not achieved with any of the 3 albums they put out after this one. Yes, Throwing Copper did spawn several major hit singles and sold millions of copies, but when speaking of pure musical power, it can not hold a candle to this album.In these 12 tracks, the writings of Jiddu Krishnamurti find a deeply moving voice in powerful, superb music. Leading off the set is the mournful (yet uplfiting in its own way), and anthemic "Pain Lies On The Riverside". And as great as "Lightning Crashes", "Turn My Head", and "Run To The Water" (the most easily recognizable of Live's ballads) were, they sound almost flawed in comparison. Not to denounce them, they have their place among Live's better songs, but don't quite live up to the very song I'm referencing here, the heart-wrenching, power-drenched but sensitive and heartfelt "Brothers Unaware". Some might say Live distills too much the writings of Krishnamurti, and translates the message in too weighty, and over-bearing a format. Quite the contrary. For words with such grand scope and meaning, only the most powerful musical statements will suffice.The talent for observations on the world as we see it manifests itself most notably with "The Beauty of Gray", urging listeners to recognize that for every dilemma, there is not simply an absolute right and an absolute wrong, that there is much more to it than that.If this all sounds like too much for what you've come to know as Live's music (or music in general), worry not. These excellent songs stand as both a testament to Edward Kowalczyk's writings and as superb, well written songs which are fully worth listening to. As I said before, if you love Live, you owe it to yourself to hear them at the best they have ever been. Your ears will thank you for doing so. :)

Review by Heropsychodreamer : The best band ever is born

Before i begin i'd like to say that this is not Live's first album, as in the people who make up Live, because they did release an album called "Death of a Dictionary" back in '89 under the name 'Public Affection'. But anyways, back to MJ, it is a great album. The foundation of Live, the beginning of it all. The whole album preached peace and love without being preachy. The Beauty of Gray is one of the best i think. The excellent lyrics and music make a unique sound, and provide the base that Live needed to launch themselves into their musical career. There are some really ingenious lyrics in here. This is an album everyone should have.

Review by Angie (aries412@worldnet.att.net) : On my Top Ten list

I first heard Live on Throwing Copper, and was surprised to see Mental Jewelry at a local used CD shop. I thought they had came out with another album, then checked the dates. This is by far my favorite Live album. It is intense. Words can't explain how good this album is, you simply need to experience it yourself...what are you waiting for?

Review by "hess42" : Proud to own it

There's something cool about knowing about a band before most anyone else does. The members of Live put out an album under a different name before Mental Jewelry, but this disc was the first introduction I or any of my friends had to them, back in 1992. It's one of the few albums I still listen to consistently from that time.From Pain Lies on the Riverside to Operation Spirit to 10,000 Years (Peace is Now), the lyrics hooked me immediately. From a lyrical standpoint I compare Mental Jewelry to early U2--not subtle, occasionally awkward, but no less powerful for all that. It has been interesting to see Live's development through their subsequent albums, but Mental Jewelry will likely always remain at the top of my personal list from them.

Review by Thomas Magnum : Sparkling Jewelry

Mental Jewelry is the debut album from the York, PA quartet, Live. Lead singer and songwriter, Ed Kowalcyzk always wears his heart on his sleeve and the album is full of calls for social awareness and change. Songs like "Operation Spirit", "Brothers Unaware", "10,000 Years (Peace Is Now)" and "Mirror Song" all show the band's socio-political side. "The Beauty Of Gray" is an absolutely great song and quite possibly is the best the band has ever done.

Review by Matt O. "Daffyphack" : a good debut for a great band

Live is one of those bands which no one has heard of, but every one knows at least one of their songs. The York, Pennsylvania quartet of drummer Chad Gracey, bassist Patrick Dahlheimer, guitarist Chad Taylor, and lead singer Ed Kowalczyk is notoriously unsung, and even more notoriously in need of it. And despite recent midsteps (namely the obscenely bad "V"), their impression can't be denied, and this is the first step of their journey.Although this is indeed a good rock album by any standards, those fans who cry that this is their best are, to me, the same ones who think Radiohead's "The Bends" is better than "OK Computer". This is obviously a first album, as much of the album is Live trying desperately to find the sound that suits itself best. The first track is probably the best effort. "Pain Lies on the Riverside" introduces us to everything about Live that his fans love: the simple melody with powerful guitars, the use of a recurring water metaphor, and Ed's voice, which is one of originality and power (a power not fully realized until their third album). "Operation Spirit" is much in the same vein, with a better introduction into the lyrical intensity that Ed is capable of though, as before, it is not fully explored. "Beauty of Gray" is a bit on the corny side, and if it were sung by any other band it would easily manifest some giggles, but it works in the hands of Live. But while the first part of the album is what you expect from a Live just getting on its feet, it too quickly changes pace as the band tries to find a sound. "Tired of Me" is a good song, but the lyrics are extremely repetitive, and after a few minutes, it gets a little, well...tired. After a certain point, it stops sounding so much like Live, and sounds a lot more like a Pearl Jam album (most notably in the "You are the world" lyric in the song of the same name). Not that sounding like Pearl Jam is necessarily a bad thing, but aside from dating the cd horribly, it just doesn't feel like the Live which I and many fans fell in love with on Throwing Copper, Secret Samadhi, or Distance to Here. It does perk up in later points, such as "Mother Earth is a Vicious Crowd" and "10,000 Years", but it is a little hard to come to your senses after you hear Ed doing his Eddie Vedder impression.It really depends on the standards which you view it by. If you're a fan of Live, you're probably going to like it, but not as much as some of their later efforts. If you just want a good rock album, without many strings attached, this is a dang good album for you.