Secret Samadhi

Secret Samadhi
Studio album by
Live
ReleasedFebruary 18, 1997 (1997-02-18)
Recorded1996
StudiosThe Hit Factory (New York City)
GenresAlternative rock, post-grunge, hard rock
Length53:18
LabelRadioactive
ProducersJay Healy, Live
Live chronology
Throwing Copper
(1994)		 Secret Samadhi
(1997)		 The Distance to Here
(1999)
Singles from Secret Samadhi
  1. "Lakini's Juice"
    Released: January 20, 1997
  2. "Freaks"
    Released: May 5, 1997
  3. "Turn My Head"
    Released: August 1997
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarHalf star
The Encyclopedia of Popular MusicStarStarStar
Entertainment WeeklyC+
Kerrang!StarStarStarStar
Metal HammerStarStarStarStar
Pitchfork7.5/10
Rolling StoneStarStarStar
The Rolling Stone Album GuideStarStarHalf star
Spin6/10
Wall of Sound83/100

Secret Samadhi is the third studio album by American alternative rock band Live. It debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200 upon its release on February 18, 1997. It includes the singles "Lakini's Juice", "Turn My Head" and "Freaks". The album was certified 2× Platinum by the RIAA on July 8, 1999.

This is the first Live recording to be produced by Jay Healy since their 1990 cassette EP Divided Mind, Divided Planet.

The US release uses HDCD encoding, but the package is not labeled as HDCD.[self-published source]

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Ed Kowalczyk; all music is composed by Live.

No.TitleLength
1."Rattlesnake"4:51
2."Lakini's Juice"4:59
3."Graze"5:39
4."Century"3:22
5."Ghost"6:19
6."Unsheathed"3:36
7."Insomnia and the Hole in the Universe"4:01
8."Turn My Head"3:57
9."Heropsychodreamer"2:48
10."Freaks"4:50
11."Merica"3:21
12."Gas Hed Goes West"5:35

Personnel

Live

Additional musicians

Charts

Singles

Song Peak chart positions
US
Mod.		 AUS AUT NED NZ UK
"Lakini's Juice" 1 21 — 69 37 29
"Freaks" 13 36 — 80 — 60
"Turn My Head" 3 47 36 67 — —
"Rattlesnake" 18 — — — — —
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) 2× Platinum 140,000^
Canada (Music Canada) 2× Platinum 200,000^
Netherlands (NVPI) Platinum 100,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ) Platinum 15,000^
United States (RIAA) 2× Platinum 2,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ↑ "Be on the Lookout". Gavin Report. No. 2138. January 10, 1997. p. 44.
  2. ↑ "Live - Freaks". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  3. ↑ "Live singles".
  4. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Secret Samadhi - Live". Allmusic.
  5. ↑ Larkin, Colin (May 27, 2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. ISBN 9780857125958.
  6. ↑ J. D. Considine (March 7, 1997). "Secret Samadhi Review". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on August 27, 2008. Retrieved May 2, 2012.
  7. ↑ Everley, Dave (March 15, 1997). "Shiny Hippy People | Albums". Kerrang!. No. 639. EMAP. p. 46.
  8. ↑ Berelian, Essi (April 1997). "Under the Hammer". Metal Hammer. UK: Dennis Publishing. p. 64.
  9. ↑ Wisdom, James P. "Live: Secret Samahdi". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on October 24, 2001. Retrieved December 12, 2025.
  10. ↑ Alec Foege (March 4, 1997). "Live: Secret Samadhi : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 16, 2007. Retrieved January 14, 2013.
  11. ↑ Brackett, Nathan; Christian Hoard (2004). The Rolling Stone Album Guide. New York City, New York: Simon and Schuster. p. 490. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  12. ↑ Schone, Mark (April 1997). "Records". Spin. Vol. 13, no. 1. SPIN Media LLC. pp. 154–5.
  13. ↑ Remstein, Bob. "Secret Samadhi". Wall of Sound. Archived from the original on February 10, 2001. Retrieved December 12, 2025.
  14. ↑ "RIAA entry for Secret Samadhi". RIAA.
  15. ↑ "List of HDCD-encoded Compact Discs". Hydrogenaudio. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
  16. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Live – Secret Samadhi". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  17. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Live – Secret Samadhi" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  18. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Live – Secret Samadhi" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  19. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Live – Secret Samadhi" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  20. ↑ "Live Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  21. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Live – Secret Samadhi" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  22. ↑ "Live: Secret Samadhi" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  23. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Live – Secret Samadhi" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  24. ↑ "Charts.nz – Live – Secret Samadhi". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  25. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Live – Secret Samadhi". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  26. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart on 23/3/1997 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  27. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Live – Secret Samadhi". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  28. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Live – Secret Samadhi". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  29. ↑ "Official Albums Chart on 23/3/1997 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  30. ↑ "Live Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  31. ↑ "ARIA Top 100 Albums for 1997". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  32. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten 1997". Ultratop. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  33. ↑ "ALBUMS : Top 100 of 1997". Archived from the original on March 20, 2001. Retrieved January 31, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  34. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1997". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  35. ↑ "Top Selling Albums of 1997". RIANZ. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
  36. ↑ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1997". Billboard. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  37. ↑ "Live - Full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 19, 2016.
  38. ↑ "Ultratop entry for Lakini's Juice". Ultratop.
  39. 1 2 3 4 "Secret Samadhi > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles". AllMusic.
  40. ↑ "Ultratop entry for Freaks". Ultratop.
  41. ↑ "Ultratop entry for Turn My Head". Ultratop.
  42. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1997 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
  43. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Live – Secret Samadhi". Music Canada. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
  44. ↑ "Dutch album certifications – Live – Secret Samadhi" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved November 16, 2021. Enter Secret Samadhi in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 1999 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
  45. ↑ "New Zealand album certifications – Live – Secret Samadhi". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
  46. ↑ "American album certifications – Live – Secret Samhadi". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved November 16, 2021.