Guess I have to weigh in on this one. I'm betting I'm going to
be in the minority here, but I MUCH prefer to purchase studio
records over live releases. To me, it's a simple question of
sound *quality*, that is.....I rarely encounter a live release that
is mixed well or acoustically speaking, sounds *right*.
Of course, you have to realize that I'm the one that's a sucker for
overdubs, layered harmonies, slick production and such.
My next statement is even more blasphemous.....I'd rather listen
to my studio recording of an artist than catch them live. I mean this
with a "grain of salt" however. I'm a social animal and would much
rather be out than sitting at home listening. To explain, I do love live
music but it's more of a social/visual thing than a sound thing.
By social, I mean watching the artist create and react.....the
spontaneity and uniqueness of the event. I enjoy briefly conversing with
them (if that's possible). That part of it I enjoy so much more than
muddied vocals, walls of noise, and confounded people talking. In my own
case (and perhaps someone can relate), I have trouble dealing with a
multitude of different sounds. The ol' filtering mechanism isn't the
strongest. So, I find non-acoustic music at most venues really difficult
to listen to. I think if I was hard-wired differently, my appreciation
for live music would increase 1000x.
Despite my natural preferences, I still hit a ton of live shows.
Just a strange thing, I guess.
Jerry
