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Live vs Studio

d-ray657

d-ray657

Ain't this boogie a mess
I imagine that this has been covered sometime in AK's history, I just hope it hasn't been too recently. A post in general audio discussion brought up this question: Referring only to recordings, rather than actually seeing a performance, do you prefer recordings of live music over studio recordings or vice versa?

One of my favorite all-time albums is a live album: Van Morrison's Too Late to Stop Now. It has always made me want to see a live performance of his, but the closest I have come is a live DVD. Another live album, which is a "live studio" album is Elton John's 11-17-70, a live performance at a FM radio station studio. IMHO, it's his best album. Finally, another hybrid, was Lee Michaels' self titled album, which was recorded in one day in the studio - lending it a lot of live feeling.

OTOH, as much as I would have enjoyed seeing Pink Floyd, I have not seen tape of a live performance that comes close to the original of DSOTM.

Any opinions, examples?

Regards,

D-Ray
 
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It depends on the artist and the situation. I generally prefer the sound quality of a "studio" recording, but many artists perform better in a live situation in front of an audience.

Some of my favorite albums were "done to death" in the studio (My Bloody Valentine's "Loveless", the last two Talk Talk albums), but I also love 50's Riverside/Blue Note stuff, The Who's "Live At Leeds", etc...

As long as the artist is living up to their creative potential and doing something interesting, that's what matters to me. I'm generally bored by recordings where the artist is playing it safe and every little "mistake" has been fixed.
 
A related question: do you want the concert to sound like the studio album?

My answer is no. Each performance should offer something unique, some improvisation, etd.

In college Peter Frampton was headlining a show at which we had gone to see Santana. This was a year or so after Frampton Comes Alive dominated the airwaves. I was really turned off when an "oh yeah" showed up in the middle of an instrumental passage at the same spot where it had appeared on the album. Of course, the girl I was with liked Frampton, so no chance to bail out.

On the other hand, I can't imagine why anyone would want to see Dylan live now.

Regards,

D-Ray
 
Live sometimes has more of an edge, more guts, emotion. Seldom has the sound quality though.
Now some bands record live in the studio, meaning no overdubs or messing around with the song they just laid down. They may not be happy with the first take, (more cowbell!!!) but it is still unmolested.
I just picked up a live studio Bob Mould CD and really dig it...he covers "Cinnamon Girl" for en encore.
Cool topic...I can see it would depend on your mood what you want at that moment.
 
The best ever live and studio artists... always something different every time they played a song... The Dead.... I get tired of the same version live or the studio..
 
Funny, we saw Frampton's Peter four times, and never saw him as a headliner! Last time I saw him before his major 'sucess' was opening for Santana at a Eastern Michigan University Summer Celebration Concert. I enjoyed each PF concert experience more than any PF album.

We saw Pink Floyd at a crappy Hockey Arena (Olympia) in Detroit in 1975 and I enjoyed it much more than any listening to DSOTM. My Date passed out from the heat, (and low sugar) we were escorted in and after she revived were given preferential seating, the sound system was four way, the special effects freaked us out, the group (dressed in hockey jerseys) played WYWH for the first set, DSOTM for the second, and Echos for the encore.

I will never forget it!

What was you question?

Oh yea, I prefer studio recordings!
 
similost said:
The best ever live and studio artists... always something different every time they played a song... The Dead.... I get tired of the same version live or the studio..
Click to expand...

I sometimes got the impression that studio albums were just an afterthought for the Dead.

Regards,

D-Ray
 
Studio recordings preferred over live nearly all the time. Sound quality on live recordings nearly always suffers to my ears.
 
d-ray657 said:
I sometimes got the impression that studio albums were just an afterthought for the Dead.

Regards,

D-Ray
Click to expand...

Towards the end, yeah. I think that towards the end performing was kind of an afterthought to them, too. I say this as a long-time Deadhead, not meaning to disrespect them, but by the mid to late 80s there wasn't much gas left in the tank IMO.

They did have their fair share of great studio albums.
Anthem of the Sun
Workingman's Dead
American Beauty
Wake of the Flood
Mars Hotel
Terrapin Station

I've only left out a few that to me are just a notch below these. All great, each with a very different sound, each rather different from the way they sounded in concert. The way they sounded in concert also changed and evolved over the years until IMO the '80s when they more or less stagnated.

End of OT post. Sorry.
 
Thinking about it, most of my favorite albums are studio efforts. However, IMO nothing the Allman Bros. did was better than Fillmore East and Lou Reed's "Rock and Roll Animal" is truly exceptional. Rory Gallagher's "Irish Tour" may also be his best effort.

With regard to whether I would like a concert to sound like a studio recording, I have a mixed opinion. If it's a highly complex studio effort, I enjoy seeing artists duplicate it without the benefit of the studio. If it's raw, visceral recorded music, further improvisation/energy is always welcome.
 
d-ray657 said:
I sometimes got the impression that studio albums were just an afterthought for the Dead.

Regards,

D-Ray
Click to expand...

Interesting. Having seen the Dead live 4-5 times back when, I always enjoyed them immensely live - truly an amazing experience. They were justly known as one of the penultimate live acts. That said, IMHO nothing they recorded live compares with American Beauty, their career masterpiece.
 
You would think Seldom Scene was studio till you hear the clapping. Wet Willie, Dripp'n Wet, was a good live one. But I do tend to like studio better.
 
I think that things have changed in the recording and performing world. It started out that recordings were a way to bring artists into one's home to supplement hearing them live. The studio recordings back then were pretty basic, usually done "live" in the studio, and were fairly close to what you could expect in concert if a little more laid back and with cleaner sound. Then artists discovered "The Studio" as another tool in the creative process, and many studio albums were made as stand alone works, not really intended to be replicated live. Soon, artists decided to bring large scale production to the stage, allowing them to match or exceed their creative studio works (Pink Floyd's "The Wall" for example). Where it seems to have gotten to now is that live concerts are often very highly produced affairs with the aim to bring the slick studio production to the concert hall where it can be presented with much fanfare and larger sonics. I see this with performers of all genres now. String sections, horn sections, multiple backup singers, multiple keyboards and guitars, etc. These slickly produced concerts can be impressive and enjoyable, but I prefer the old fashioned spontaneity, improvisation, and honesty of a simple ensemble playing for and interacting with an audience.
 
JonL said:
Towards the end, yeah. I think that towards the end performing was kind of an afterthought to them, too. I say this as a long-time Deadhead, not meaning to disrespect them, but by the mid to late 80s there wasn't much gas left in the tank IMO.

They did have their fair share of great studio albums.
Anthem of the Sun
Workingman's Dead
American Beauty
Wake of the Flood
Mars Hotel
Terrapin Station

I've only left out a few that to me are just a notch below these. All great, each with a very different sound, each rather different from the way they sounded in concert. The way they sounded in concert also changed and evolved over the years until IMO the '80s when they more or less stagnated.

End of OT post. Sorry.
Click to expand...

Not OT at all. I think it's accurate to say that both studio and concert performances can become stale. I'm sure that there are also artists who are more comfortable in the controlled studio environment and others who feel stifled by the same environment. We benefit from hearing their best work no matter where it's done.

Regards,

D-Ray
 
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