Collective Soul

Following the phenomenal rise of grunge in the early 90s, Collective Soul were picked up by Atlantic Records after their debut album Hints, Allegations, and Things Left Unsaid (1994) performed well locally on an independent label. The record was re-released and went on to platinum success, partly thanks to the single "Shine" which was a Mainstream Rock chart No.1. In 1995 they released a second, self-titled album, which featured more Mainstream Rock chart-toppers in "December", "The World I Know" and "Where the River Flows". The album sold over three million copies, but the band weren't receiving enough royalties and a major dispute grew between the musicians, their management and the label. Eventually the case was settled out of court.

In the meantime, Collective Soul had recorded Disciplined Breakdown, which was released in 1997. It continued their successful streak in the charts, with two further hits, and the album sold another million copies, but it wasn't quite as well regarded as their previous two albums. Dosage (1999) featured "Heavy", which topped the Mainstream Rock chart for a record-breaking 14 weeks, but by this stage Collective Soul's polished post-grunge sound was out of fashion. Blender (2000) saw the band reinvent themselves as a clean-cut pop group, and even featured a collaboration with Elton John. The move wasn't welcomed by fans, and for a while Collective Soul seemed to be suffering from an identity crisis.

In 2004 the group returned with Youth, a straight pop-rock record with less posing that won back many of their fans. They continued to rebuild their reputation with extensive touring, and released seventh studio album Afterwords in 2007.