Friday, March 04, 2011

How Relevant Are Live Albums To You?


There used to be a day when the live album was a nostalgic gem among album collections. Whether you even liked the live album or not, you just had to have it in order for your collection to be complete. Some music fans really dig live albums, while others, like myself, are very choosy when it comes to a live album.

These days it's a lot different in that most people, especially people that only buy or download digital albums, don't really care about live releases.

A live album has to be a very pristine recording for me to really enjoy it. Other people like the raw, bootleg type. Either way, the band has to be at their best. You can't be a stellar band in the studio and sound like complete garbage live. That can ruin a lot of bands for fans. If I pay good money to go see a live show, I better be able to enjoy the music, especially if I have to put up with (other) drunk and sweaty concert-goers.

Most of the big bands of yesterday have released one or more live albums. It almost seems out of the question these days because of the trends and how long they tend to NOT last. Bootleg concerts used to be a big seller and most bands and labels tried to stop the sale of them because it was considered and still may be copyright infringement. So are live albums not as relevant in the music industry as they used to be? If your favorite band put out a live album today, would you go out and buy it, or would you rather have something visual, like a live DVD?

5 comments:

Chicken Awesome said...

I don't know if they are relevant today, but I grew up on live records - Deep Purple's Made in Japan, Maiden's Live After Death, and Kiss Alive II.

One live record I will always cherish is Obituary's Dead. The mix and master on that album made me stand up and pay attention to studio cuts that I previously dismissed as average. They sounded BETTER than the studio albums, which I guess one would want in a live recording.

Rob Liz said...

I usually tend to stay away from live cd's. There are a few that I've owned in the past but since I tend to go to a few shows during the year I get my live fix that way.I'm not sure why that is other then I guess I'm kind of OCD about that kind of stuff.

Like chicken said, Live After Death is a must, Scorpions World Wide Live, and Judas Priest Unleashed in the East were albums I had I my collection. I think the only more recent album I've had was Testament Live at the Fillmore.

Scott said...

Slayer's Decade Of Aggression has always been a favorite of mine.

The Klepto said...

I dunno, there are very few live albums that I enjoy. I like bands to do something different with a live album, whether it's new music only heard live, cover songs, banter with the fans, extended cuts/medleys. There has to be something special to warrant me listening to it (and enjoying it).
AC/DC Live (the pic you have) is a good one, because it has Bon Scott-era songs redone in the new style. It's not metal but I love the Reel Big Fish double live album, they have a few covers, extended tracks, and argue with each other and the crowd. I laugh every time.
Hearing an act pretty much play their studio album as a live album doesn't do it for me. Same with DVDs, there needs to be something extra.

Draeden said...

Not a fan of live CD's though i absolutely love rocking out to a concert DVD/Blu Ray.. :)