Well what bands would you rather listen to their cd's or lp's than watch them live? First band that comes to my mind is Lacuna Coil. In my opinion they sound much better recorded in the studio than live.
Most bands sound better to me in the studio unless they're a "live band" like The Allmans or The Dead......
Practically every band I could think of sounds better to me in the studio.......It's really hard for me to think of a band which I've heard sound better live. Sad I know
When talking about rock, I have to agree with DavidMahler; not one act has sounded better live than in the studio.
In the case of jazz, I think the best sound quality is gotten from seeing live performances in small venues. The few performances I've seen all sounded more pleasing to me than the recordings I've heard.
In the case of classical piano, I'm almost inclined to say that live performances *always* sound better than recordings. The fair number of piano recordings I've heard all have an obnoxiously high noise floor.
And in the case of my true love, electronic music, I'd say it's about 50-50. Artists that emphasize detail and melody (e.g. Ishq, Shpongle, Kettel) tend to sound better in the studio. Artists that emphasize volume and craziness (Amon Tobin, Xanopticon, any jungle DJ) will often sound better live.
I have seen a huge number of live concerts. I always went for the show and the energy of the crowd, not the music. I have yet to hear any band that does not sound better on studio recordings. This makes a lot of sense, since the entire studio recording process exists to achieve great sound!
A few groups (eg The Alan Parsons Project, XTC) never even toured at all, so that their music really only exists on recordings.
Of course from a pure sound quality perspective, most rock albums will sound better than their live shows but that's not the POINT. I see my favorite artists live because it's so much FUN.
Being mere feet away from the musicians that brought me so much joy, being surrounded by hundreds of other people who love this music as much as me, feeling the enormous PA system blasting through my chest, and of course just being able to go crazy and rock out. It's the whole package that makes shows so much more fulfilling.
Often I'll listen to the artists' album after a great show and realize while it sounds cleaner and better mixed, it's missing much of the passion and energy I experienced live.
To stay on topic though, I'd rather listen to a Mogwai album than see them live. Their show was so loud as to the point of becoming indistinguishable noise and the audience was pretty stoic throughout. I ditched that show and saw Xavier Rudd instead and it was a BLAST!
Any pop music. Not only are you paying to go and see someone lipsynch half the time, but the few flavors of the month I've seen (e.g. Franz Ferdinand) are just incompetent musicians who need the whole studio production staff to sound passable.
With good DJs or orchestras, no recording does justice to the experience.
I'm a very big Modest Mouse fan. I saw them in concert this past June and I have to say that I was disappointed. I have come to the conclusion that their sound is more fully realized in the studio. I don't like them any less. I don't feel that they are any less talented. I just feel that their music sounds better with the attention to detail possible in a studio production...
Originally Posted by DLeeWebb /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm a very big Modest Mouse fan.
Glad to meet another Modest Mouse fan! The Moon and Antarctica ranks among my favorite CDs of all time.
If you haven't heard them, I suggest that you also try Dismemberment Plan. They are certainly different from MM, but they should appeal to the same audience.
Originally Posted by intoart /img/forum/go_quote.gif Glad to meet another Modest Mouse fan! The Moon and Antarctica ranks among my favorite CDs of all time.
If you haven't heard them, I suggest that you also try Dismemberment Plan. They are certainly different from MM, but they should appeal to the same audience.
I'll check them out. Another Modest Mouse fan suggested a band called "Figurines" to me in another thread. I haven't heard them yet. Thanks for the heads-up!
Originally Posted by intoart /img/forum/go_quote.gif Glad to meet another Modest Mouse fan! The Moon and Antarctica ranks among my favorite CDs of all time.
If you haven't heard them, I suggest that you also try Dismemberment Plan. They are certainly different from MM, but they should appeal to the same audience.
Would you have a recommendation as to which is Dismemberment Plan's best album?
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