Ed Roland Recalls First Two Collective Soul Albums, Discusses Writing the Next One

Ed Roland, front man and co-founder of the rock ‘n’ roll band, Collective Soul, simply loves writing songs. When his band’s first record, Hints Allegations and Things Left Unsaid, rocketed to No. 15 on the US Billboard 200 in 1993, the success didn’t mean Roland would soon be swimming in carnal pleasures. Rather, for the musician, it meant that he could afford to pay his rent and write more songs. Even today, amidst all that 2020 has thrown at the world – including the city of Atlanta, where Roland resides – the artist recently wrote and recorded a new record with his Collective Soul cohorts. He adores the process and that especially shows throughout the band’s first two records (Hints and its self-titled 1995 release), both of which will be reissued by Craft Recordings today, on vinyl for the very first time.

“I grew up in a household of love, music, sports and discipline,” says Roland, with a charming southern accent. “And it was awesome!”

It was these four pillars that bred in Roland a strong work ethic as well as an important sense of self-trust and appreciation for discovery. For Collective Soul’s first album, Roland spent a number of years putting the songs together both painstakingly and with a sense of appreciation and joy. When the album was finally released, it would be the catchy track, “Shine,” that would hit biggest, peaking at number-11 on the Billboard charts.

“Our first record was made over a five-year period in a basement on an eight-track,” Roland says. “What gave me the most satisfaction when it started to take off was that it gave me the ability to write more songs. The success of ‘Shine’ freed me up to do what I wanted to do without the added pressure of having to cut somebody’s lawn at 6am or be a janitor, both of which I’d done plenty.”

Roland, whose father was trained in opera and who later became a church minister, was exposed to music at a very young age. Roland’s father fostered his love of the art form by taking him to concerts at a young age, including Johnny Cash, Valentino Liberace and Elton John. The family listened to other popular music around the house, including Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis. This exposure emblazoned upon Roland a love – or, need – to write. As a young adult, Roland attended the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, but it wasn’t until moving back home and starting a band with both his younger brother and longtime local friends that fame came calling.

“We knew each other our whole lives,” Roland says. “One reason I believe the band sustained – it’s tough jumping on a bus and immersing yourself with other people you don’t know already.”

The band’s tight-knit comradery paid off. To date, the band has earned some 100-million YouTube despite the fact their music came out 20 years before the platform even existed. And, if you ask Roland, he’ll say Collective Soul is better now than it ever was. That, over the years, he’s learned more about songwriting by diving into it hundreds, if not thousands, of times. And, as a result, the band’s songs are stronger, tighter and more nuanced than they’ve ever been. But that’s to be expected. Anything you do so repetitively becomes easier – even, more essential.

“Songwriting is like a puzzle,” Roland says. “But it’s therapy also. It’s a release for me. Instead of going to a therapist once or twice a week, I sit down with myself and a pencil, paper and melody and let it go. Let it flow.”

When recalling Collective Soul’s first two records, Roland remembers the friendships he made along the way during the time of their peak more than the accolades or radio spins. When considering MTV in the mid-90s during the channel’s heyday, the front man thinks of the other popular bands from the era that he’d see regularly in the concert circuit. Bands like Bush and the Goo Goo Dolls. Over 25-years, bonds were forged between the musicians. In fact, Roland still keeps in touch with one of the heads of VH1 to this day.

“It was a fun time,” he says. “MTV brought us together. It let us be seen and heard and sell records.” 

Today, living in Atlanta, Roland recognizes the region for helping him and his band grow, evolve and blossom. Delta Airlines is centralized in the city so Collective Soul had a flight wherever they needed to be, he notes. But more than that, however, Atlanta offered a diverse home base where inclusivity, family and spirituality were prioritized. As a result, unlike many front men from the era, Roland has stayed upright and productive to this day. Perhaps that’s a testament to his love of song or simply to the connective power of Collective Soul’s core.

“I love,” Roland says, “that our music still touches people.”

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