Artists that sound better live

cokewithvanilla
cokewithvanilla Posts: 1,777
edited November 2010 in Music & Movies
Personally, I usually prefer a studio recording, but every now and then I find an artist that I either entirely prefer live, or like a number of their live recordings better. Any names come to mind?

For me,

David Byrne (Talking Heads)

and a lot of times Ben Folds.
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  • nooshinjohn
    nooshinjohn Posts: 25,461
    edited November 2010
    Live and in person is always best, unless you are watching the recent version of David Lee Roth. He sucks these days.
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  • cokewithvanilla
    cokewithvanilla Posts: 1,777
    edited November 2010
    Many of the concerts I've been to have been in places with terrible acoustics, so maybe that skews my opinion... but I am really talking about live recordings.
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  • AudioGenics
    AudioGenics Posts: 2,567
    edited November 2010
    kinda a "oxymoron " there

    " live recording "
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  • grimmace19
    grimmace19 Posts: 1,429
    edited November 2010
    I agree with Ben folds.... another personal favorite that seeing live is always a treat is O.A.R. ... studio albums are OK but really nothing special compared to a live show.
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  • cokewithvanilla
    cokewithvanilla Posts: 1,777
    edited November 2010
    jvc wrote: »
    kinda a "oxymoron " there

    " live recording "

    ha. Indeed.
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  • punk-roc
    punk-roc Posts: 1,150
    edited November 2010
    I became a huge fan of Silversun Pickups after seeing them live and hearing a couple different "acoustic" sets they performed... I was only a mediumly-interested fan before.

    Death Cab for Cutie is a lot better live than studio-recorded IMHO too.. they seem to play their stuff at a little faster tempo that i like more.

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  • hoosier21
    hoosier21 Posts: 4,413
    edited November 2010
    it is normal for me to prefer the live show over any recording
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  • falconcry72
    falconcry72 Posts: 3,580
    edited November 2010
    The Grateful Dead.

    Their live performances/recordings are what made/make them special. Pre 1975, that is.
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  • piper
    piper Posts: 41
    edited November 2010
    James Taylor. He gives an incredible live show.
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  • george daniel
    george daniel Posts: 12,096
    edited November 2010
    Johnny Lang
    JC approves....he told me so. (F-1 nut)
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  • Dawgfish
    Dawgfish Posts: 2,554
    edited November 2010
    Rush sounds amazing live!
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  • messiah
    messiah Posts: 1,790
    edited November 2010
    King Crimson, or any variation of their projekcts.
    "They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety."
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    messiah, November 23rd, 2010
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  • zombie boy 2000
    zombie boy 2000 Posts: 6,641
    edited November 2010
    I always have high hopes for these kind of threads whenever they're posted. Unfortunately, they always seem to degrade into simply posting everyone's favorite bands. Some reasons as to "why" they happen to sound better live would be nice.
    I never had it like this where I grew up. But I send my kids here because the fact is you go to one of the best schools in the country: Rushmore. Now, for some of you it doesn't matter. You were born rich and you're going to stay rich. But here's my advice to the rest of you: Take dead aim on the rich boys. Get them in the crosshairs and take them down. Just remember, they can buy anything but they can't buy backbone. Don't let them forget it. Thank you.Herman Blume - Rushmore
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  • messiah
    messiah Posts: 1,790
    edited November 2010
    zombie boy 2000 wrote: »
    I always have high hopes for these kind of threads whenever they're posted. Unfortunately, they always seem to degrade into simply posting everyone's favorite bands. Some reasons as to "why" they happen to sound better live would be nice.

    Ok, I'll go first. I mentioned KC, and while they are one of my favorites, they are simply unbelievable live. They sound every bit as good as their studio recordings, and like to throw in a heavy dose of improvised material as well. They seem to be on hiatus, but if they do tour again you should really check them out. It's just that good!
    "They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety."
    Benjamin Franklin, February 17th, 1775.

    "The day that I have to give up my constitutional rights AND let some dude rub my junk...well, let's just say that it's gonna be a real bad day for the dude trying to rub my junk!!"
    messiah, November 23rd, 2010
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  • zombie boy 2000
    zombie boy 2000 Posts: 6,641
    edited November 2010
    I think that's a good template for any excellent live band. I feel the Flaming Lips accomplish the same thing on top of really connecting with the audience whenever they perform. Not just through the typical interaction and bantering, but by somehow putting a unique spin on their live presentations that allow you to hear a song that maybe you've already heard a million times before but somehow manages to sound new - and maybe even convey a wildly different emotion or meaning.
    I never had it like this where I grew up. But I send my kids here because the fact is you go to one of the best schools in the country: Rushmore. Now, for some of you it doesn't matter. You were born rich and you're going to stay rich. But here's my advice to the rest of you: Take dead aim on the rich boys. Get them in the crosshairs and take them down. Just remember, they can buy anything but they can't buy backbone. Don't let them forget it. Thank you.Herman Blume - Rushmore
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  • jflail2
    jflail2 Posts: 2,868
    edited November 2010
    Radiohead. I LOVE their albums, and went into my first concert thinking "well, there's no way they're going to sound as good live as they do on their albums."

    I couldn't have been more wrong. Somehow they sounded better live than their cd's, and that includes their later, somewhat more electronic sounding stuff.

    The emotion they bring to their performances simply cannot be captured on a cd. There was an additional layer that I could feel at the concert that absolutely blew my mind. That defined a great performance for me.

    Agreed on the Flaming Lips, and I was fortunate to see the Black Keys this year as well. Another great live performance.
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  • falconcry72
    falconcry72 Posts: 3,580
    edited November 2010
    zombie boy 2000 wrote: »
    I always have high hopes for these kind of threads whenever they're posted. Unfortunately, they always seem to degrade into simply posting everyone's favorite bands. Some reasons as to "why" they happen to sound better live would be nice.

    I didn't list the Grateful Dead because they're my favorite band, I listed them because they fit the bill of the OP's question perfectly. Here's why:

    They Grateful Dead were significant to American culture for a wide range of reasons, but musically speaking, they were the first national act to incorporate the avant-garde free-jazz playing styles of some the of cutting edge musicians of the day (late coltrane, pharoah sanders, etc) into a rock and roll setup. From about 1968 to 1974 the Dead always included about a 30min to one hour long free form, balls to the wall, raw improvisational section in the second set of their live shows. These extended "jams" would range from beautiful to terrifying, but were always unique, and were always unpredictable. It was this merging of jazzical improvisation with a rock and roll instrumentation that made them stand out amongst the sea of rock groups at that time.

    The Dead never decided to incorporate any of this part of their act into their studio work, favoring the studio albums to present the songs in a straight-forward manor. Luckilly for us, they have released roughly 100 live albums which chronicle their true musical significance to the time.
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  • Dawgfish
    Dawgfish Posts: 2,554
    edited November 2010
    zombie boy 2000 wrote: »
    I always have high hopes for these kind of threads whenever they're posted. Unfortunately, they always seem to degrade into simply posting everyone's favorite bands. Some reasons as to "why" they happen to sound better live would be nice.

    I've seen a few hundred live shows in my lifetime and I'm also a musician. I know what sounds good and what doesn't. Rush may not sound any better live than they do in the studio but they certainly sound as good. Given the fact that whe're only talking about three band members playing at the level that they are playing at, well that's an amazing feet. Time after time, show after show they "nail it" playing at a level of musicianship that many,many bands can only dream about playing at. Throw in the amazing light shows, back drops, etc and the length of time they play and what you wind up with is one amazing live performance. Don't just take my word for it, pick up a DVD like Rush R30 or Snakes and Arrows Live, or better yet go see a show and see for yourselves.
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  • falconcry72
    falconcry72 Posts: 3,580
    edited November 2010
    The OP is not talking about live performances; they're talking about live recordings...a very different animal.
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  • cokewithvanilla
    cokewithvanilla Posts: 1,777
    edited November 2010
    zombie boy 2000 wrote: »
    I always have high hopes for these kind of threads whenever they're posted. Unfortunately, they always seem to degrade into simply posting everyone's favorite bands. Some reasons as to "why" they happen to sound better live would be nice.

    Sorry, I forgot to mention that.

    Talking heads is far from one of my favorites... I can't stand the studio recordings, most the times they throw in a lot of effects and the vocals seem off. Live, it's the raw music and David Byrne always sings it differently live,, the music seems much more simple and elegant when done live.. check this out:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BG2NL72DhqA

    I've been trying to find that in lossless for years

    Ben Folds. Same thing really, most of his recordings are great, but some of the stuff, especially as Ben Folds Five was too much.. too many effects, too many instruments. When he's live, usually it's a piano and maybe some drums. Some of the songs I can't even stand on the studio recording, but have quickly become some of my favorites live. For example, off his live cd, Best Imitation of Myself, One Down, and Emaline.

    He is amazing on the piano, and it really shows in his live material.
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  • Dawgfish
    Dawgfish Posts: 2,554
    edited November 2010
    falconcry72 wrote: »
    The OP is not talking about live performances; they're talking about live recordings...a very different animal.

    Ditto for live recordings.
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  • reeltrouble1
    reeltrouble1 Posts: 9,312
    edited November 2010
    Alison Union Station Live, especially the sacd....the hall in Ky. is an acoustic dream. Superior musician ship and vocals to die for.

    Heart--Alive in Seattle, sacd.......basically hot chicks (well a few pounds through the years) and Led Zepplin......again nice dynamics, wilson's power on ballads comes across and can stand the hairs on end, the ladies rock and this one likes some gain behind it.

    RT1
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  • zombie boy 2000
    zombie boy 2000 Posts: 6,641
    edited November 2010
    reeltrouble1 wrote: »
    Alison Union Station Live, especially the sacd....the hall in Ky. is an acoustic dream. Superior musician ship and vocals to die for. RT1

    You're referring to the Louisville Palace and excellent acoustics aside, the place is absolutely gorgeous. I highly recommend catching any performance there if you have the chance.

    Ricardo actually played that CD for me a few years back and I wasn't surprised at how spectacular it sounded.

    http://www.louisvillepalace.com/
    I never had it like this where I grew up. But I send my kids here because the fact is you go to one of the best schools in the country: Rushmore. Now, for some of you it doesn't matter. You were born rich and you're going to stay rich. But here's my advice to the rest of you: Take dead aim on the rich boys. Get them in the crosshairs and take them down. Just remember, they can buy anything but they can't buy backbone. Don't let them forget it. Thank you.Herman Blume - Rushmore
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  • Norm Apter
    Norm Apter Posts: 1,036
    edited November 2010
    WILCO!

    Yes, they are one of my favorite bands, however, nothing really prepared me for what I would experience when I caught them at the Wiltern in L.A. in June 2009. I think it really came down to this palpable energy that was dispersed throughout the venue. They didn't so much as start off the set with "Wilco (The Song)" as explode on stage with it. I expected it to be great (based on what others had said) but nothing quite prepared me for that moment. I still love to listen to their albums, but in the back of my mind I can't help think of that live experience and keep hoping they'll make it back here sooner rather than later.

    EDIT: and in the case of live recordings, Wilco's live double-CD Kicking Television, recorded in 2005, kicks ****! But there's still nothing like "being there" (to borrow the name of another Wilco album).
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  • skrol
    skrol Posts: 3,389
    edited November 2010
    It hadn't occurred to my why I like live performances over studio recordings until I was at The National Gallery of Art in London. I saw a painting by Leonardo da Vinci, "The Leonardo Cartoon". The painting appears to be a typical painting until your eye falls upon the foot of the woman which is merely a sketch, appearing incomplete. There it is humanity. The painting is transformed form just art hanging on a wall, into a work of art created by human hand.

    One of the things I like best about live performances is the human factor. Studio recordings are great but they are often polished to technical perfection and that human factor is sterilized out. Not all live performances capture that humanity. Not to pick on Rush; I love their music, have been a fan for many years and have seen several concerts; but unless they have change recently, they kind of stand up there and perform a good show, very polished. They are perfectionists so it is expected.

    I prefer when the artists show their human side; improvising, connecting with the audience, getting them involved, telling story snippets between songs that lead you into the nest song. You get to see a human being pouring his or her heart and energy into the music. It is the human factor.

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  • Rivrrat
    Rivrrat Posts: 2,101
    edited November 2010
    The Killers.

    They're my daughters favorite band, and she'd always play Killers studio songs off her ipod for me. I thought they were ok, until I went and saw them live with her (her first concert), and they blew me away.

    We have the live dvd now, and it gets a lot of play.
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  • cnoat
    cnoat Posts: 315
    edited November 2010
    Three Doors Down sound great
    Judas Priest is fantastic,
    Iron Maiden is just incredible.
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  • skrol
    skrol Posts: 3,389
    edited November 2010
    Dave Mathews - The recordings are mixed very well and you get a presence of being there.

    David Wilcox - Those stories that draw you into the music.
    Stan

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  • Toolfan66
    Toolfan66 Posts: 17,329
    edited November 2010
    Every thing sounds better when you drink a little!! :)
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  • skrol
    skrol Posts: 3,389
    edited November 2010
    It makes a lot of things seem better.
    Stan

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