What makes a great live album?

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sal paradise
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What makes a great live album?

Post by sal paradise » Wed May 18, 2022 11:33 pm

In some ways, if you like the band, it has a great set list and decent quality then that’s a good indicator. But not always. There are some live albums that I was in attendance for with bands I still love, and never listen to.

Similarly, sometimes I’m drawn to poor recordings of bands I don’t listen to regularly. Has anyone thought about it… what makes a live album great for you?
I have nothing to offer anybody, except my own confusion?

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Re: What makes a great live album?

Post by stevejamsecono » Thu May 19, 2022 1:46 am

If they capture an electricity absent on the more conservatively done studio recordings. This was what has made The Who's 'Live at Leeds' endure, because it was the only thing to capture the real crunch and power of them properly at the time.

Personal favorites of mine:

Bebop Deluxe "Live in the Air Age"
The Go-Go's 'Live in Philidelphia 1981" (really really good. Would highly recommend to anyone who thinks the studio albums sound wimpy)
SLF 'Hanx"
Thin Lizzy "Live and Dangerous" (questionable how actually live it is, but it sounds awesome.)
Numerous crucial Peel Sessions.
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Re: What makes a great live album?

Post by andy_tchp » Thu May 19, 2022 2:42 am

FACS - In a Present Tense
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Re: What makes a great live album?

Post by soggy mittens » Thu May 19, 2022 3:48 am

Atmosphere, the way the room/venue sounds, if that is captured and also the crowd, the interaction that the crowd has. That feeds into the performance.

It is interesting because my top three favorite live albums are bands that I don't typically listen to regularly or call myself a huge fan of but I can't deny the electricity in the air of the performances and how well that is captured.

The Frames - Set List (2004)
Morrissey - Beethoven Was Deaf (1993)
Iron & Wine - Norfolk 6/20/05 (2009)

Then there is another aspect that I don't think should be added to this point, but still is worth a mention. The actual performance itself, it is interesting how some bands will release an album but then the live versions of the songs will eclipse the album versions and make it hard to listen to the album versions again. I wish I could list a whole bunch of examples but I don't have time right now, but one good example is Melon Collie & The Infinite Sadness, it is funny because both Billy And Jimmy have mentioned the reason they chose to work with Flood was because they felt he captured the emotional intention of the music yet the majority of that album feels so held back and tame compared to the live versions.

To cap off that point I am going to leave you's with this, it is cheating but damn ... if you come to this thread to be floored by live music and all this is tl;dr then----> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ty0mYiJVzR4 *shrugs*
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Re: What makes a great live album?

Post by marqueemoon » Thu May 19, 2022 6:18 am

stevejamsecono wrote:
Thu May 19, 2022 1:46 am
If they capture an electricity absent on the more conservatively done studio recordings.
This is it for me. Not a full live album, but the live tracks on Jawbox’s My Scrapbook Of Fatal Accidents are great for this reason.

Skillful/tasteful editing also helps.

James Brown’s Live At The Apollo is my favorite live recording. Both the band and the crowd are on fire, and each song rolls right into the next. I get sweaty every time I hear it.

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Re: What makes a great live album?

Post by Jonesie » Thu May 19, 2022 12:33 pm

It's definitely an energy thing. I'm actually listening to Springsteen's Live at the Hammersmith Odeon '75 show right now, which is one of the best live shows ever.

However, my vote for the best is Jeff Rosenstock's "Thanks, Sorry!" Just so much energy, it feels like you're there.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQr7Yrc ... tock-Topic

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Re: What makes a great live album?

Post by windmill » Thu May 19, 2022 1:33 pm

It is an interesting one.

Can a performance transfer to a recording ?

Is it the energy that makes a performance or is it the intensity or are they the same thing ?

The interplay between the band members ?

The interplay between the audience and the band ?

Look to hearing other's thoughts and examples.

:)

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Re: What makes a great live album?

Post by Maggieo » Thu May 19, 2022 1:47 pm

The Who- "Live At Leeds" had got to be prototype of the great live album.

"The Name Of This Band Is Talking Heads" is, IMO, the best album of the Head's ovure, with "Stop Making Sense" coming in second. There's a immediacy and power to the live the live versions that the carefully crafted studio records lack, even as great as they are.

Wilco's numerous "Road Case" live recordings have some real gems in them, too. But you really have to dig. I'll go with their "Ashes Of American Flags" album, the soundtrack to the musicdoc picture of the same name.

Oh, and "Television: Live At The Old Waldorf" pushes all my buttons, for obvious reasons.
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Re: What makes a great live album?

Post by marqueemoon » Thu May 19, 2022 2:26 pm

Maggieo wrote:
Thu May 19, 2022 1:47 pm
The Who- "Live At Leeds" had got to be prototype of the great live album.

"The Name Of This Band Is Talking Heads" is, IMO, the best album of the Head's ovure, with "Stop Making Sense" coming in second. There's a immediacy and power to the live the live versions that the carefully crafted studio records lack, even as great as they are.

Wilco's numerous "Road Case" live recordings have some real gems in them, too. But you really have to dig. I'll go with their "Ashes Of American Flags" album, the soundtrack to the musicdoc picture of the same name.

Oh, and "Television: Live At The Old Waldorf" pushes all my buttons, for obvious reasons.
Haven’t heard the Wilco live stuff, but fully endorse the rest of these.

The Name Of This Band is incredible. I was lucky enough to stumble on a very clean vinyl copy.

The Blow-Up (Television) has a few moments, but the sound quality is atrocious. Waldorf is great, and I love how different the guitars sound compared to their studio output. Super fuzzy.

One quality of a good live recording that’s super important is catching the band at a creative peak/when they mastered the material but it hasn’t become old hat. That’s my biggest problem with The Smiths’ Rank. They play well, but are not especially into it and probably already losing steam as a band.

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Re: What makes a great live album?

Post by rank » Thu May 19, 2022 4:22 pm

The Wilco Austin City Limits from 2007 is incredible. Bill Withers Live at Carnegie Hall is an incredible live album. The performance is there & the connection with the audience is there. That's what does it for me. Curtis Mayfield-Curtis Live is another. A lot of Neil Young's 70's live records are great. Performance & connection again. Grant Green's Live at the Lighthouse is another great live album. The Performance shines through. I don't mean pristine, clean performance. I mean when I can tell the performers are enjoying it, sloppy or not.
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Re: What makes a great live album?

Post by Plumerai » Fri May 20, 2022 4:31 am

For me the dynamics can be more extreme & the tempo can swing based on the energy of the performance or audience. Fancy packaging helps too (i.e. Iron Maiden's Live after Death - gatefold w/ a lot of tour photos). My faves are Siouxsie's Nocturne, Tindersticks' Bloomsbury Theatre & Nick Cave's Paradiso.

I do sometimes hate when bands totally change a song live like Air's rock version of Sexy Boy.

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Re: What makes a great live album?

Post by Maggieo » Fri May 20, 2022 10:24 am

Two other things:

KISS ALIVE!
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Re: What makes a great live album?

Post by jakeisjake » Fri May 20, 2022 2:05 pm

In the Grateful Dead movie, Garcia tells how they were really disappointed with a series of shows (in 1971). He said so much so that he got so mad at Phil (bassist) that he pushed him down some stairs.

He went on to say that months later when they went back and listened to those shows they were "crackling with energy"... and they used them on their latest live album (commonly called "Skull and Roses"). In the moment...they felt is was "dead" (pardon the pun); but it ended up being great. Indeed, the Not Fade Away>Going Down the Road Feeling Bad is a classic.
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Re: What makes a great live album?

Post by Larry Mal » Fri May 20, 2022 2:20 pm

Funny, but that "steal your face" live album never sat well with me. Europe '72 is the Dead live highlight for me.

One From the Vault is good also.
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Re: What makes a great live album?

Post by jakeisjake » Fri May 20, 2022 2:50 pm

Larry Mal wrote:
Fri May 20, 2022 2:20 pm
Funny, but that "steal your face" live album never sat well with me. Europe '72 is the Dead live highlight for me.

One From the Vault is good also.
Steal Your Face is largely panned in GD circles...even amongst the band.
If I was a byrd, I'd be mighty sore every time they shut the door and I don't think I'd sing...

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