Live and dangerous...

[whoisthespirit]

Due to the picking up of a string of "live" albums recently I've been thinking - if, as it is intended to, the live album captures and distills the true essence of a band, can a case be made that bands do not really exist on record until they have at least one live album to their credit

Comments

[givemelaughter]

i still like erykah badu's live album. it might be Baduizm. it's the one with "call tyrone" on it.

[whoisthespirit]

I'll keep my eye out - though I remember being psyched for Lauren Hill's MTV Unplugged 2.0 and how much of an overall disappointment that was.

[monkeypudding]

There's an old Captain Beefheart/Frank Zappa live album from 77 or so I think and it's pretty fecking brilliant...if you're into their stuff.

A lot of Springsteen's stuff is GOLD. The Last Waltz by The Band. James Brown live is pure sweetness. ACDC If you want blood live is good n messy. I've also got some live Jazz from Europe with artist I don't know that is quite sonically delicious. Johnny Cash Live at Folsom Prison.

These days with so many studio only bands a lot of them can't pull of the live show let alone a live album.

Perhaps DVD's are taking over for live albums.

[whoisthespirit]

James Brown kicks so many asses on Live at the Appollo I sometimes don't know what to do with myself, if only everyone holding onto the moniker Appollo could say that.... (that last bit was for the Klute's benefit).

[ratpackslim]

Elvis Costello and his piano player Steve Nieve put out a box set of 5 EPs of acoustic sets from five different cities. Just brilliant versions of classic songs reinterpreted and new songs brought to the light. My absolute favorite.

Barenaked Ladies "Rock Spectacle" is pretty fierce, but it's pretty straightforward as far as the songs stylings go.

Indigo Girls' "1200 Curfews" and Ani DiFranco's "Living In Clip" are both great double albums that really capture the sass and spark of these artists. They speak to my inner lesbian.

I also nominate Old 97's, Joe Jackson, and BDP for putting out some killer live discs.

[whoisthespirit]

I'm going to keep my eyes peeled for the Old 97's, as I know they power out a live show. I think RC might have a point that DVD's are taking over - but there's something awesome about the primacy of a recording taking over your ears with all the room tones and the amplifiers going over the top. I just think sometimes I feel disconnected watching a show, but as soon as I strip away the image, it soaks through me again, and I start seeing it how I want it to be.

Much appreciated list over all.

[johnstaedler]

huh huh, bands
huh huh, cool

[whoisthespirit]

Didn't we have an understanding that you wouldn't comment on my entries anymore? This is why we can't have nice things.

[elliotharmon]

Live albums seemed a lot more important to me before I moved to San Francisco. Now I can see basically any band I want to see in the course of a year, so I'm more-or-less content with only getting the (usually) more polished studio sound for home listening.

Also: will full concert archives replace live albums? Willie Nelson now sells mp3s of every single concert he plays. So do They Might Be Giants. Lots of concerts end up on archive.org, with the band's blessing. I think I prefer that kind of listening experience to the packaged live album.

Also: do you like Lightspeed Champion? (Maybe I've asked you this before.)

[whoisthespirit]

That's fair. Obviously very little beats the first hand live experience. Though I must say, I do like listening to the live environment without damaging my hearing completely.

I definitely need to look up this archive.org, since I've never encountered it before.

Finally, I don't have any problems with Lightspeed Champion, but I have yet to be blown away by any of his stuff... I don't know, it just hasn't grabbed me ever.