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Better live than recorded

There are some artists whose CDs I don't connect with but who blow me away in concert. I've never really enjoyed M. Ward's CDs, but I saw him on Austin City Limits last night and thought he was awesome. As I write this, I'm listening to his last CD, Hold Time, and, while I have a somewhat heightened appreciation for it, I still don't think it's nearly as strong as his live performance.

I've long had the same response to Wilco -- their CDs have never done anything for me, but in concert they are awesome. So … are there any performers you feel the same way about -- great in concert but less-than-great on CD? Or vice-versa -- great on CD but not so great in concert?

Tags: M, Ward, Wilco

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Permalink Reply by Stu Reid on November 22, 2009 at 11:52am

Vance Gilbert, Martin Sexton and Hawksley Workman. Brilliant performers all, their records... meh.

Hawksley in particular should just drop the whole music thing. Go headfirst into that highly lucrative spoken word market. Do nothing but talk, stream of consciousness style. I'd get behind that in a big way.

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Permalink Reply by T Hanssen on November 22, 2009 at 12:55pm

My Morning Jacket never connected with me much until I saw them on Austin City Limits and I think Okonokos is their best recording.

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Permalink Reply by declan culliton on November 23, 2009 at 1:13am

The Sadies..... incredible live. Albums are good but their live shows are in a different league!

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Permalink Reply by David Haskin on November 23, 2009 at 4:40am

Good to know. I've never fallen in love with a Sadies album even though they have a lot of fans. I'll try to catch them live if they ever come my way.

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Permalink Reply by Jim Werkmeister on November 23, 2009 at 8:26am

The Grateful Dead, BB King, Junior Brown, and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Some of the best live shows I've seen, but I very rarely listen to their CDs.

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Permalink Reply by Jim Morrison on November 23, 2009 at 10:18am

David Olney is good on record, but unbelieveable live.

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Permalink Reply by Mike Doll on November 24, 2009 at 6:32am

Avett Brothers.

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Permalink Reply by Jack on November 24, 2009 at 7:12am

Los Lobos - studio sound is usually just ok, concerts are incredible. Always said if ever a band should put out a live record, this is the band. They finally put out a live record and it has...wildly uneven sound. Go figure.

Pat McLaughlin, ok on record, dynamite live.

Chuck Prophet does a better job than most capturing live sound and feel on record AND his live shows are killer.

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Permalink Reply by declan culliton on November 25, 2009 at 8:34am

Chuck Prophet ...... brilliant live, brilliant in the studio, brilliant producer!!

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Permalink Reply by Mark A. Jay - Immersifi on November 24, 2009 at 7:24am

You make a good point. I can think of several bands over the years whose records did little to 'move' me or to make me want to sing a band's praises - until I had seen them perform live (though decidedly not a Roots band, the J. Geils Band is one such example...I have to say that from an enthusiasm, energy, and effort point of view, they were one of the best acts I've seen live - and I had never bought a CD or LP of theirs prior to attending the show).

I suppose that some bands are simply more about the audience-band feedback loop and the actual performance than they are about making music in the studio, and so on-stage, they feel more in their element and the parts come together better than they would in-studio, but yes, the converse is certainly possible.

Of course, for me, a very good recording of a live performance is the next best thing to being there, and in my case, 'very good' is a balance between the sound of the performance and its authenticity. I tend to be drawn to 'real-sounding' live recordings and the process (i.e. non multi-track and non-over dubbed) as I appreciate the realism and what the band is doing in the performance - warts and all.