Reader Request: Is the Live Album Dead?
July 3rd, 2008 - by Eddie
What was the last live album you bought? I know, took me a while too. I have some DVDs I’ve gotten and some live tracks that I either got off mixes or “found” on the Internet. But other than that, I really can’t think of the last one I seriously went out of my way to buy.
And that thought made this article in The Independent with the headline “Live Albums are Dead, and Music is the Lose” all the more interesting.
The one album that sticks out for me is AC/DC Live, one of the first CDs I bought for myself. I liked three-chord rock and songs about sex (wait, I still do). But I also liked hearing the crowd chant and hearing them explode when Angus Young started “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap.” It was like another crazy world and I knew I wanted to be a part of it.
After that, the only other live album I can really remember is Nirvana’s Unplugged one that came out a couple of months after Cobain’s suicide. I remember initially taping it off the radio before buying it. (Oh! I also remember that crazy Pearl Jam experiment when they sold live recordings from their national and world tour). And Johnny Cash’s prison albums are still in heavy rotation on the iPod.
So with that, is it true? Is the live album dead? The article blames shoddy live recordings found on Youtube (and even more on Songza) that have led to the live album’s demise.
I hesitate to call the live album dead, especially when iTunes has its iTunes Live sessions (those may just be available in digital format), the most recent one featuring R.E.M. There’s also NPR’s Live in Concert from All Songs Considered, where the public radio station records a concert and posts it as a podcast on its site (the Swell Season one is my favorite so far).
So I really don’t think the live album is dead…it’s just in different forms and I think the article shows just how angry an old man can get when he doesn’t understand technology and long for the days when music only came in a physical form.
Thoughts?
July 3rd, 2008 at 9:02 am
I’ve likewise been enjoying the NPR series (DeVotchKa especially). Likewise for MTV unplugged (Maxwell and (eek!) Counting Crows). But my all time favorite is INXS’ Live Baby Live. Wow, I just named a lot of guilty pleasures here.
July 3rd, 2008 at 5:29 pm
The Allman Brothers Band at Fillmore East is one of the greatest live albums ever recorded and my personal favorite. Second on the list would be Live! by Bob Marley and the Wailers. Some other favorites:
- Frampton Comes Alive (“You know what was a monster? Frampton Comes Alive, 1976! Is there anyone you knew who didn’t have that record?”)
- Is There Anybody Out There (Pink Floyd playing The Wall live)
- The Closing of Winterland (one of many good Grateful Dead live albums, this one notable because it was the last concert at the legendary Winterland Ballroom)
As for newer live albums, how about Okonokos, My Morning Jacket’s live double album?
July 9th, 2008 at 11:21 am
Live music is definitely not dead- seeing music live is a completely different experience from just listening to a studio version that i think is only right for all fans to have access to… I have been listening to a lot of Eric Solomon lately and when I saw him live last week in Calgary, it gave me a newfound respect… i wish i could find a recording!
July 9th, 2008 at 12:31 pm
The live album is definitely NOT dead. It just depends where you’re looking. Take bluegrass for example, artist after artist has proven that the best Bluegrass musicians are just as excellent live as they are in the studio; in fact many artists get better on the stage.
McCoury Music just put out a new album, Moneyland, featuring The Del McCoury Band, Patty Loveless, Chris Knight, and MANY others. You can type in this website to listen to all the songs on the album or even get a free download
http://www.livinginmoneyland.com/free
Do a little research on some of these artists and you’ll find countless live albums that are just as amazing as the studio cut.
Enjoy!
-Erin
August 2nd, 2008 at 1:26 pm
Man I have so many live albums in my collection. In fact I just picked up Widespread Panic’s “Live in the Classic City” the other day. I love live albums, I mean, the way I look at it, a live recording the next best thing to seeing a band live, particularly if its well produced.
For a website devoted to the live music experience, i have to say I’m a little surprised this topic has been brought up.
August 27th, 2008 at 4:34 pm
My Morning Jacket’s 2 disk live album “Okonokos” I think is pretty awesome. Archive.Org has some great live sets, Ryan Adams 9/21/07 is especially good.
May 1st, 2010 at 7:42 pm
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