The Horrible truth of Live Albums
Nothing beats a live album. The essence of a band’s stage performance. The rawness from a cheering crowd. Nothing can top the experience of feeling like you are at the concert right in your bedroom…right?
It’s unfortunate that this isn’t always the case.
It is common sense that your playing ability on a live album should be at par, if not ten times better than what you sound like on your studio album. Unfortunately, fans are becoming more and more disappointed these days, that their favourite musicians can’t live up to their reputation of being good while playing a live show. Ashlee Simpson was booed off the stage of the Orange Bowl when her song “La La” was sung off key and flat. But on her album, she is just as good as the rest. The band Modest Mouse has been deemed by fans as “Worth listening to on CD” but when it comes to their live shows it’s a “never again” opinion.
But it’s not just the newer artists who have a problem delivering. Even the classic greats have had their major flops, causing fans to think, “What the hell is this?”
Eric Clapton’s “Rainbow Concert”, Van Halen’s “Right Here, Right Now”, The Police’s “Live” are all examples of live albums we simply could have done without. This is due to poor sound quality, the fact that they don’t even sound like themselves or the songs sound like the same song being played over and over again.
Case in point, on AC/DC’s “Plug me in” DVD set released last fall; it contains one disc with the Bon Scott years and another disc with the Brian Johnson years. Listening to the songs on the Bon Scott disc, you can’t tell one song from the other. You find yourself asking “Didn’t they JUST play this song?”
Not to say that all live albums are horrible. Look at The Who’s “Live at Leeds”, which took Rolling Stone’s top 25 live albums of all time earlier last week, Led Zeppelin’s “How the West was Won”, The Rolling Stones’ “Get Yer Ya Ya’s Out” and Kiss’ “Alive”. These are classic examples of well done live albums that capture the total essence of the concert. It’s great live albums like these that allow the listener to close their eyes, and picture themselves front row center with a lighter (or a cell phone) in one hand and the sign of rock on the other, rocking out to their favourite music.
And that’s the way it should be! Bands should be so amazing live, you never want to hear them any other way.
