Collective Soul, much like the Goo Goo Dolls and Matchbox 20, is one of those bands that you don’t realize were a huge player in the global music world until you start really digging into their past. Songs like “Shine,” “December” and “The World I Know” were simply unavoidable for about a five-year span of the 1990s if you listened to the radio (and everyone listened to the radio at that time). The Atlanta band managed to dominate pop and college radio and just about every major U.S. city summer music festival held around that time. Their ubiquitousness managed to be both a blessing and a cure, at the height of alternative music’s reign, labels were signing bands like Collective Soul and investing heavily in their blend of melodic pop and post-grunge guitar rock. At the same time, cynicism from music critics was equally powerful, spitting vitriol and snark at anyone they perceived as mainstream. And Collective Soul caught their fair amount of spit at the time, thanks to their inescapable earworms.
But decades later, listening to these songs objectively – without the record label hype and constant promotion from radio playlists, and without the kneejerk disdain from music critics – it’s pretty clear that Collective Soul can write an undeniably infectious pop song. 7Even Year Itch: Greatest Hits, 1994-2001 was initially released on September 18, 2021 (unfortunate timing), but Craft Recordings has finally put the album out on vinyl for the first time. This 14-track record covers the band’s first five albums (but most of these songs are culled from their 1995 self-titled album and 2000’s Blender). Some of the songs come across as a little dated and stale more than two decades on, but just as many of these tracks still hold up remarkably well, including their biggest hits like “Shine,” their syrupy but still memorable ballad “The World I Know” and the Elton John duet “Perfect Day.” The slow buildup of a song like “December,” with its memorable guitar picking, and snare-heavy drumming (and admittedly puzzling lyrics) still hit all the right notes whether you’re hearing it for the first or 1,001st time.
The collection is essentially an assortment of solid pop/guitar rock songs, with a few great moments and a couple of throwaway tracks from a band who will likely never be as big as they were two-and-a-half decades ago but still hold a strong nostalgic hold among many Gen Xers. The vinyl release coincides with the 30th anniversary of their independently released debut. Though the lineup has seen some changes over the years, three-fifths of the original band members are still with Collective Soul and then continue to tour and record (their latest album came out last year).
