Live or studio.

[longedge]

Given the choice do you listen to a studio or a live recording ?

[Corey]

Tough call. Live means pure energy, driven performance, pure art only as it exists for a moment in the artist's mind. Studio means perfection of every note, infused synergy of an entire production team, and sonnic optimization of every single aspect of the piece. Very tough call to choose "between" them. I need both. But I'd pick studio if I was forced to make a choice.

Here's a great way to compare this. Listen to In Your Eyes by Peter Gabriel from the album "So" and then listen to the exact same song from the album "Secret World Live" (Paula Cole and Papa Wembe on backup instead of Yossou N'Dour) and then check out VH1's popular live video of that song featuring Yossou N'Dour. All will be revealed.

[Intrigued]

I rather listen to studio for the most part when thinking about the current "vocal talent" out there. I'm not confident that their raw vocals would impress like those of singers of the past. But, there are exceptions to say the least.

[Corey]

While overall the talent level of singers has increased, there has been a simultaneous sharp decrease in the number of skilled singers willing to subject themselves to the indignity of the music business, so you are left with a steady diet of people who are there only by virtue of their willingness to be subjugated. Singing and the business of singing are not related. It's the same with every aspect of our pop culture today. Mediocrity is the only thing which can fit down the existing mainstream channels, so if you are consuming mainstream media you are getting 98% mediocrity. But if you are looking outside those channels, the level of human talent right now in all the arts is extremely high. In fact it's never been higher in some genres.

[Steven Carr]

I would say i like to listen to both.... as i take it on a case by case basis.

Some live recordings don't do the band justice and you have to wonder if you just got some bootleg.

Others like Rush playing live are so close to the Sudio version that it is just like buying a greatest hits type CD (IMO).

Others like the DVD of David Gilmour In Concert are in a league of thier own as far live recordings compared the studio recordings as is the Scorpions Acoustica DVD/CD.

Also all the "G3" (Joe Satriani, Steve Vai + Friend) DVDs/CDs which are only available as live recordings - and would not work as a studio format...

And when a look at my collection 80-90% are studio recordings which is probably a reflection of the ratio of studio to live recordings.

[Corey]

G3 is the ultimate example of something which is excellent live but would stink if you ever tried to make a studio project out of it.

[longedge]

I asked after listening again to a live album by Runrig. I realised some time ago that I had done a complete about turn in my preferences and I enjoy live recordings more than their studio equivalents because I find that the audience participation that I used to find so annoying actually adds a lot to the performance, I think that music all about performance anyway. A few years back I wouldn't have listened to anything that had extraneous sounds on it - strange how my tastes change

[Corey]

I think that music all about performance anyway

Ultimately I agree with you on that point.

[Steven Carr]

Of course this is when you cannot get to all the gigs and stand in front of the mixing desk.

Not all songs can be done well live however and it is only the studio version that you can get what the artist(s) were trying to archive.

On the otherhand when playing live you do get the songs evolving.

Yes, i am a fence sitter on this one.

[Corey]

A lot of pop artists (particularly in the US) lip-sync live now. For live "in studio" TV appearances they're almost all lip-sync now except for some of the "unplugged" stuff, i.e. see Ashlee Simpson on SNL. That's par for the course these days. If you see someone like Avril Lavigne or Brooke Hogan on TV or live, they're almost certainly lip syncing. It's just as well.

[AXXESS]

A lot of pop artists (particularly in the US) lip-sync live now.

Let's not forget the originators of this... Milli Vanilli! Ever see the Behind the Music on this one?

"Girl you know it's....
Girl you know it's....
Girl you know it's....
Girl you know it's...."

They never even sang on their album...