BXProject

[Aerodynamica]

Live albums and live recorded tracks are shite

::DISCUSS::

[Vanny]

100% dependant on the artist!

Britney Spears, much better prerecorded, Antony and the Johnsons, better prerecorded BUT you miss a lot of emotional context if you've not seen live versions.

I could probably give 50 examples of where pre recorded is better and maybe 20 where live is better, so i guess prerecorded is generally better imho

[docchevron132]

Genesis Live : The Way we walk was fucking ace beyond belief, but yes, on the whole, unless it's a very good live band with very good recordings, prerecorded is invariably better.

Although Muse live, recorded or actually being there is ALWAYS uber special..

[Aerodynamica]

Aye, but 'RECORDED live' is generally shit (as opposed to seeing live) - when do you ever listen to a live album and go "wow - that's awesome or much better than the studio version" - not often with me anyway.

As a Nine Inch Nails fan, I agree with Trent Reznor when he said the live version is usually a shitty version of the studio version. Oddly though, it's one of NIN's tracks that I really DO like live: 'Hurt' - the live version actually IS better. Also like the Johnny Cash version.

Also like Jim Morrison's live stuff as there was a certain degree of 'ceremony' to the live craziness.

I think what I appreciate the most is the sharp production value of studio recordings and the mastering therein. But then again, I listen to a lot of dance and Techno and a variety of electronica that simply demands to be uninterrupted.

The other exception is classical - this is recorded live but has the purity of studio: guess the auditorium is a 'studio' recording in a way.

Flip side is that something you've been to live that blows you away - you acquire the record only to find that record to be in face -shite- and with loads of fillers and such (this is what I found with Joseph Arthur's album. - saw him at King Tut's before he'd 'made it' and was blown away by his live sampling/mixing set only to find non of this on the album)

Maybe it depends on what you heard first?

[docchevron132]

good points..

The like the emotion you get from live gig's, but it's nearly always better to actually be there than to listen to it on a recording, the recording values seem to be a tad wank usually.

I got the tenth anniversary Everything Must Go set featuring rehearsal live recordings of some of the tracks, they are pretty much unlistenable (if thats an actual word)..

yet Haarp was fucking ace, and some of Moby's live recordings have a really good quality about them, and I do love nothing more than Moby live, but even then, it just isn't as good as actually being stood at the front having your internal organs turned to mush by a giant stack of Marshall's!

[Aerodynamica]

^truth^

[Philhod]

I've heard a lot of dance, trance and techno that demands to be unrecorded

[Aerodynamica]

Love electro

In addition to just about every other thing possible (except Punk which actually IS shite) (Oh, and some of the crap, big hair 80s US rock that makes me sick such as KIss )

Oh and ANYTHING related to Pop idol type stuff

[Philhod]

Anything Rock for me. Yes is my specialty, However, Classical, jazz, SOME dance/trance/Techno, also come within my sphere of admiration

[Bx Bandit]

I've heard a lot of dance, trance and techno that demands to be unrecorded

From Liam aka Gregzee?!


Mostly I rekon live recordings are shite in comparison. However, I rekon Pink Floyds Delicate Sound of Thunder (live album) is awesome and somehow shits on the studio versions.

As you have mentioned, Jim Morrison adds a load of poetic shit to the live recordings, he seemed to thrive (drug induced???!!!) on an audience!

Elvis and Cash are other examples. I just love the Live version of Elvis' are you lonesome tonight

[mat_the_cat]

I actually prefer the Johnny Cash version of Hurt, the video is something special as well.
In terms of music quality and accuracy then studio = best, but for the rawness and energy, IF that comes through on a recording then I'd prefer that.Trouble is, quite a lot of the time that's lost without being at the venue. Although U2's live version of Pride from Rattle and Hum takes some beating.

[jonathan_dyane]

Punk isn't always shit. I really like this for example:

http://store.yanka.lenin.ru/mp3/1988-De ... oracii.mp3

I agree, the live version of NIN and Hurt is breathtaking.

Regardless of live v studio recordings, I have to say it always kills me when you see a band, they blow your mind, but neither the studio nor live recordings come close to touching what you experienced at the gig

I found that with Cat Power.

[smiffy]

I have to say, the Eagles live are at least as good as pre-recorded.
Don Henley in an interview once said that the people who come to concerts want to hear what was on the album, so they should try as hard as they can to reproduce the sound of the album.
After looking at many Eagles performances on youtube, I thing they have generally succeeded.

[Way2go]

I really DO like live: 'Hurt' - the live version actually IS better. Also like the Johnny Cash version.

"Live" really depends on whether the atmospherics or audience interaction between the band and them contribute positively to the recording.

In Johnny Cash's case it could, in for example "Live at San Quentin" as he liked to create a dialogue with the audience and you "sensed" the prison atmosphere.

For most though, Studio will always win as the vibrance and frequency response will be present that is traded away in a reduced channel mix symptomatic of a staged event.

Classical recordings usually originate from a 40+ channel input system that is then balanced and re-mixed to the output format required ie Stereo, 5.1 etc. Rock will also be comprised of many input channels of more than just the main band members and their instuments.

I have some "live" Queen albums too but although Queen would have been fantastic to see (& feel the atmosphere) say at Wembley or Rio etc, the main studio recordings are so perfect that these have to be the sensible choice as the mainstay of a collection.

[smiffy]

I just found this to illustrate my Eagles drivvel...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DUoViaTzX0

Enjoy!!

[Stinkwheel(Matt)]

Im a rock, hard rock, prog rock and ocassional folk kinda guiy and ive got a few bloody good live albums. BUT most are badlt recorded and poorly produced, so its ararity to get something thats sound proper when 'recorded live'


Thats that, no arguing, yaa boo sucks!!!!!