Miss the spot in the studio but nail it live?

[havoc]

I am (very late and very fast) becoming a convert to A Perfect Circle.

Listened to their first studio album and it didn't really gel with me, but have now discovered their live album* and feel like I've missed 10 years and all their tours. Live they've got so much more punch and soul than the albums convey...


So the question to all you guys - has anyone else done this? Dismissed a band based on recorded music then completely changed their minds after hearing them live...

I don't care what genre - just interested if there are any other hidden gems out there...




* here if anyone's interested:-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKrGLwvmB64

[Ekona]

Queen. Seriously.

Their recorded stuff I can take or leave, but that Wembley performance I can listen to for days on end.

[StevieBee]

Bruce Springsteen. Years ago my mate was raving about him and I had a few LPs of his but really thought him overhyped. I then went to see him at Wembley for the Born in the USA tour which is still probably the best concert I've ever been to.

[Billsnemesis]

havoc said:

I am (very late and very fast) becoming a convert to A Perfect Circle.

Listened to their first studio album and it didn't really gel with me, but have now discovered their live album* and feel like I've missed 10 years and all their tours. Live they've got so much more punch and soul than the albums convey...


So the question to all you guys - has anyone else done this? Dismissed a band based on recorded music then completely changed their minds after hearing them live...

I don't care what genre - just interested if there are any other hidden gems out there...




* here if anyone's interested:-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKrGLwvmB64

I had a listen to this and by about the fourth song in I was thinking "this doesn't actually sound like a live album" and then "ooh they do like their compression don't they"

Then I picked up on the discussion in the comments about whether and if so to what extent the overall production and especially the vocals had been tweaked and pitch corrected in production.

As ever the discussion involved a degree of name calling but even before I had read the comments my response was that it sounded far too much like a studio album and bearing in mind the title of the thread I am unconvinced that this performance did nail it "live".

I know that a lot of what are described as live recordings can barely justify that description and that this phenomenon predates autotune but in this case I doubt there is any way they could have achieved that sound without a lot of work in production after the event. The choice as to whether some is too much is entirely personal but for me the processing on this one took away the enjoyment of what is supposed to be a live performance.

[Dgr90]

Muse for me. In my opinion the best live show around at the moment. I would much rather listen to a live set than a studio recording.

[FunkyNige]

We saw a rapper (name escapes me at the moment, if it comes to me I'll edit this!) as support for Dan le Sav vs Scroobius Pip a few years back in Norwich, he first came on stage and the whole crowd just stared at him pretty much, but after his first few songs the crowd were really enjoying a decent rapper putting loads of energy rapping over a dubstep type beat.
Checked out his album and it was just another bland rapper over a generic beat, really disappointing.

[havoc]

Billsnemesis said:

I know that a lot of what are described as live recordings can barely justify that description and that this phenomenon predates autotune but in this case I doubt there is any way they could have achieved that sound without a lot of work in production after the event. The choice as to whether some is too much is entirely personal but for me the processing on this one took away the enjoyment of what is supposed to be a live performance.

I get what you're saying (and there is definitely some PP in there), but having seen Maynard Keenan's other band (Tool) live on a few occasions, there is a definite common thread in the live performances between the two bands. In this instance I guess what I was saying is that there's a depth* to the songs on the 'live album' that wasn't there in the album tracks - part of it is probably the live tracks channel a lot more of the emotion that is familiar from Tool but seems slightly absent from APC's studio albums.

(Tool are fantastic live - not as tight or as well-rehearsed as Muse, but one of those rock/metal bands that seem to write everything for live performance then worry about the studio afterwards - they're also quite happy to throw-in a re-mixed or tweaked version of an album classic and generally keep the audience engaged)


Compression - part of it I think is YouTube - there's less evidence in the 256kbps streamed songs.

• 10, 11 and 12 especially for me - from 37 minutes on the link

[AW111]

Do you mean hearing a "live" recording, or hearing a band live?

Back when I used to go to gigs more often, I saw some electrifying performances from bands I hadn't rated very highly before.

Ian Dury at the old Festival Hall (Melbourne) springs to mind as does Springsteen at an outdoor concert / festival.

[Hawmaws]

Dgr90 said:

Muse for me. In my opinion the best live show around at the moment. I would much rather listen to a live set than a studio recording.

Completely agree. I can't listen to their albums, but they are the best live act I've seen for a loooong time. Matt Bellamy is an amazing performer.

[havoc]

AW111 said:

Do you mean hearing a "live" recording, or hearing a band live?

Back when I used to go to gigs more often, I saw some electrifying performances from bands I hadn't rated very highly before.

Ian Dury at the old Festival Hall (Melbourne) springs to mind as does Springsteen at an outdoor concert / festival.

Bit of both, but more the former, I think.

Springsteen mentioned twice...hmm...

[Douglas Quaid]

Most of the time when you watch a band you're pissed which helps you to appreciate them.