Steve Gardner wrote:
> Bands where their best album is the live one:
You left out the greatest of all: The Allman Brothers (Live at the
Fillmore East).
An odd one is Robert Earl Keen, who I have always loved live. Something
is missing on his studio records, but, oddly enough, I like his live
records even less.
> Perhaps this difference also has to do with the fact that most studio
> recordings you hear are actually of a song that was never actually
> played. Unless the band recorded live with no overdubs the version you
> hear of a song on a studio album never actually happened. You'd have to
> be a pretty damn good band to record that way and have the same, or
> more, energy than a live performance. I'd rather have an occasional
> flub, or a sour note, and have it be real.
I've been thinking about this since Joe mentioned the other day that
wrong notes are grating. I find that I dont mind goofs in studio records
that have the live sound. I'm thinking of old Creedence Clearwater
Revival records, for example, which are great records and are full of
mistakes. You dont hear many of those in country music records after
1960, so maybe this is something more tolerable in rock or old-time
music.
Last night we were listening to Willie Nelson's spirit. Once you crank
up that record a little (on our stereo anyway) it has a wonderful
in-your-livingroom sort of feel. I have a feeling that one crisp,
clear screwup in the middle of one of those songs would ruin the entire
record.
Will Miner
Denver, CO
