Music. Live or Studio ?

[SlowwHand]

Studio music has all the imperfections edited out.
Live has the energy generated by the audience.

Which do you prefer?

[Nostromo]

Most of the time, if I have to choose between a studio album and a live one, I'll choose the studio album. But sometimes, the live version of a song is either better or different (in a good way) than the studio version. For example, AFAIK, the Peel Sessions were "live" so to speak. The Joy Division Peel Sessions, for example, feature some of the best versions of their songs.

[Stuie]

Originally posted by nostromo
For example, AFAIK, the Peel Sessions were "live" so to speak. The Joy Division Peel Sessions, for example, feature some of the best versions of their songs.

Ditto for The Fall.

[Kataphraktoi]

depends on the music.ussualy i hate having the audience ruining the music with noise,but some songs get boosted alot.i like u2's bloody sunday live alot better than the normal,for example...

[SlowwHand]

I prefer a good Live. The emotion generated by doing a show in front of appreciative fans kicks it up a notch.
Yes, studio is more perfected, and almost clinical in it's presentaton at times.
Just my opinion.

[Zopperoni]

The things I like about live albums is that the song sequence and overall song selection/composition are better. "Stripped" by the Rolling Stones, Clapton's "Unplugged", and "Alchemy" by Dire Straits are some works of art.

Sometimes, a studio album is more a composition of good songs, but the songs don't form a whole.
Then again, some studio albums, like Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" and Bob Dylan's "Desire", are too brilliant to deny.

[SlowwHand]

"Desire". You are the first person I ever heard use that album in reference to Dylan. Of course, I have it.

[Boris Godunov]

For classical, live is nearly always superior. You just can't replicate the huge orchestra sound on a stereo system, and the synergy between audience and performance makes a huge difference.

Imperfections make performances human. Editing them out...well, might as well just have a computer making music. Bleargh.

[Dis]

yeah I like the live classical stuff.

This poll needs clarifications.

Attending a live concert will always be 1000 times better than listening to a CD.

But given the choice between a live cd and a studio cd I usually prefer the studio cd's. Though not in all cases. Sometimes the live version of the song actually sounds better than the studio version. Esp. if they change it up a little. But as I said above, classical sounds great either way.

[SlowwHand]

A Live CD, Dis. Congrats. You're the village idiot.

[Boris Godunov]

Originally posted by SlowwHand
A Live CD, Dis. Congrats. You're the village idiot.

Why? He's referring to recordings of live performances, as opposed to recordings made in the studio. There is indeed a big difference.

[Winston]

With very few exceptions, I prefer studio recordings. I imagine this was how the artists wanted their music to sound and form a whole at the time of its release.

[Berzerker]

Studio - I like listening thru headphones and I like music with intricate riffs, etc. Live performances are fine, but you just dont get the detail because of crowd noise.

[SlowwHand]

yeah I like the live classical stuff.

This poll needs clarifications.

Attending a live concert will always be 1000 times better than listening to a CD.

Ar least he's not alone.

[molly bloom]

I like attending concerts and gigs- sometimes there just comes an occasion when everything gels, and when you get an experience that would be hard to repeat with a studio performance, sans audience- in 1984 Gil Scott Heron played a blistering live show in a small club in Manchester with a stripped down band, at a time of great social strife in the U.K. .

It might be true to say that he was in front of a naturally sympathetic audience, but the atmosphere and the sense of compatibility between band and listeners enhanced the evening for everyone.

Similarly, I went to see Queen perform on their 'Day At The Races' tour in Bingley Hall in 1977. The audience sang 'You'll Never Walk Alone' to the group during a break, and they later mentioned this during radio interviews as being one of the most enjoyable gigs they'd ever played.

I also spoke to someone who was fortunate enough to see Billie Holiday perform live; he'd been to see Portishead play, and said that until then he hadn't really seen a vocalist to comapre with Billie.

But then this is one reason I collect bootleg recordings- I have Bowie's rehearsals for the 'Station To Station' tour from Vancouver, and it's fascinating to hear the band and Bowie working out different versions of songs you know from albums.