Comments on: Whither The Live Album: The Debate Continues

By: j edward malone

j edward malone — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 18:49:51 +0000

I buy loads of live albums
probably the only ceedees I still buy (as opposed to used vinyl) are live albums
why? because bands like the Grateful Dead, King Crimson and Soft Machine are putting out loads of archival releases
all of these bands did improvisation centred shows so each show was unique, and the archival live releases represent what they were all about better than any studio album
just last weekend I bought what must be at least my three dozenth Grateful Dead live album: Cows Palace New Years Eve 1976

folks above have hit on a good point:
live albums tend to be dvds now rather than cds
most artists do continue to release live albums following each and every tour, to cut into the bootleg market, so theres more than ever before, but these usually come out as dvd first
only occasionally is there an accompanying soundtrack cd of exactly the same show
the dvd captures the live experience better than the cd so why not just get the dvd? if you want to listen to it on the move you can always rip the audio yourself

By: NervousBreakdance

NervousBreakdance — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 11:52:59 +0000

I think Einsturzende Neubauten nailed the future of the live album some years ago - buy a recording of the show you just saw at the merch table afterwards.

Last truly great general release live album IMHO was K'Naan's "The Dusty Foot on the Road". Which, I suspect, is indicative of the fact that for a live album to be taken seriously nowadays, the artist's gotta be doing something radically different to his regular studio sound.

@ Ned Raggett: Yeah, I remember KTS. Great stuff, the top purveyor of quality boots throughout the 90s. People really oughtta spare a thought for the destructive effect downloading has had on the once-flourishing commercial bootlegging industry...

By: FunkyJ

FunkyJ — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 03:11:32 +0000

I don’t see the point in buying live concert CDs unless I was there. It just makes me jealous and angry otherwise.

By: Chris Barrus

Chris Barrus — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 10:53:06 +0000

Last official live album I bought was Robyn Hitchcock's Robyn Sings, but that wasn't a live album in the traditional sense.

By: DrWorm

DrWorm — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 10:07:02 +0000

@JDR & DocStrange:
Another one for Muse's HAARP. And I agree that the setlist for the CD was a disappointment compared to the DVD. Still need to get around to ripping the audio from the DVD....

By: cheesebubble

cheesebubble — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 08:54:27 +0000

I’ve always been a fan of live albums and have collected quite a few, both vinyl and CD, over the years. I’m willing to argue that there are still some great live releases coming out courtesy of today’s artists but I’ll also suggest that too many people have jumped on the live album bandwagon and kind of saturated the genre. There was a time when, years into a band’s tenure, a live album would come out with much anticipation. Now, bands are tossing multiple live releases in a short amount of time. Some are guilty of offering them after only one or two proper albums. For me, the big draw is collecting live relics of classic bands – stuff from Led Zeppelin, The Who, Miles Davis, Ramones, etcetera that I never had the opportunity to witness in person.

By: februarymakeup

februarymakeup — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 06:42:26 +0000

I often prefer live albums–I think that, when they are recorded well, they tend to be more engaging for me. I, too this day, have no love for Signals Calls and Marches (for example), but couldl isten to The Horrible Truth About Burma until the cows came home. Weld is the same way, and the only albums by The Who I have any interest in owning are Live at Leeds and their BBC Sessions. The list goes on and on. If the album is made well enough, I even prefer it to actually seeing the band live.

By: DocStrange

DocStrange — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 06:27:18 +0000

Last live album I bought? "HAARP" by Muse.@JDR:

Yup that was the last one I bought too.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 06:15:45 +0000

Curtis Mayfield's Live album, from the early 70s. It's goregeous.

I have to admit, I can't think of a single contemporary artist whose live work I'm dying to go out and buy. Very strange....

By: dyfl

dyfl — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 06:11:00 +0000

I wouldn’t even necessarily require the “pick it up at the merch table after the show” kind of recording; I agree those are a logistical nightmare. Making the shows available to download or order through the band’s website a week or two after the show seems much more reasonable.

And as far as quality control goes… that’s definitely what prevents most bands, I’m sure, but (a.) for bands that already have the resources to do this and have been performing live forever, how bad is the average “off night” really? And (b.) the people you’re selling these recordings to aren’t impressionable types — they’re die-hards, the people who have already made up their mind to love the band. They’re not going to be all that disappointed; and if they are, hell, you’ve just built a new motivation to get better into how you do business. Time to schedule more rehearsal!