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General => General Music Discussion => Topic started by: jingle.boy on June 13, 2010, 07:09:20 PM
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Ya know, there are some songs where the live version is just so much better than the studio. Whether it's because I heard the live version first, and then it just made the studio version painful, or whether the live version truly is superior to the studio version.
Witch Hunt (A Show of Hands). I heard this version before I ever heard the studio, and I just love the electronic drum fills Peart lays down.
Closer to the Heart (Different Stages). The jam session at the end puts all other versions to shame.
Freebird (Gold & Platinum). 14 minutes of Freebird > 9 minutes of Freebird
Rock 'n' Roll All Nite (Alive) - The staple in Kiss' extensive live repertoire. The guitar solo is so much better live
There's Only One Way to Rock (Right Here Right Now) - Van Halen makes this so much more rockin than Haggar could by himself
Hollow Years (Live at Budokan). Two words ... Guitar Solo
Octavarium (Score). The studio is a 10/10 for me, but add in an extended intro, orchestra, the Octavarium animation, JLB's awesome scream, and the visual of JP's bear roar at the end of the solo... it's better than perfection.
That's all that come to mind right away, I'm sure I'll come up with more later. What else?
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Rush - Marathon (A Show of Hands vs Power Windows)
As opposed to the fade out, the choir aahs really really make the ending even better than it is
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Iced Earth - A Question of Heaven, The Stormrider Trilogy. Iron Maiden - Sign Of The Cross, Dream Of Mirrors. Blind Guardian - Majesty.
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PT - Buying New Soul
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U2 - "Where the Streets Have No Name" - I doubt I will ever listen to the studio version of this again, except for times I just put on The Joshua Tree from start to finish. Every live version of this I have heard slaughters the studio version (except for maybe the U2360 version on the new DVD, which is hurt by how much Bono's live voice has deteriorated).
Rush - "Red Sector A" - Same thing. The studio version is kind of sterile, especially Lifeson's solo, but it springs to life live.
Peter Gabriel - "Washing of the Water" - The live version of SWL is just amazing; before hearing that, I had never given much time to the studio version from Up.
Judas Priest - "Victim of Changes" - The song is simply much, much better when played faster, as opposed to the somewhat slow studio version (which is good, but just not as kickass).
Muse - "Stockholm Syndrome" - The uneven and compressed production of Absolution does not help this song's cause in the studio. That main riff slays much more live, and the added outro is pure win.
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Iron Maiden - everything
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"Hollow Years" and "Open Car" are the two that really come to mind.
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Pink Floyd - A Saucerful of Secrets
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Guns 'N Roses - Rocket Queen is the first song that came to mind. Funny enough, I can't stand this song on the album; I absolutely hate it, it holds no appeal. But the live version...wow. It makes me 'splode.
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Pink Floyd - Astronomy Domine
There are some live versions of Triangle by dredg which are better than the original only if the quality of the rips were better.
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Dream Theater - Hollow Years
Pink FLoyd - Shine On You Crazy Diamond
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Pain of Salvation - Handful of Nothing
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Coheed - In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth 3
Can't even listen to the studio version after seeing it live.
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Coheed - In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth 3
Can't even listen to the studio version after seeing it live.
:tup Neverender dvd is incredible.
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It's because I heard this version first, but "Hotel California" off of Hell Freezes Over.
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Both Gilmour/Wright/Mason Floyd and Waters both cranked up the awesomeness on some of Floyd songs. Disc 1 of Delicate Sound of Thunder is miles better than the corresponding songs on A Momentary Lapse of Reason to the point where I can barely listen to the studio versions any more. And Gilmour churned out an awesome 'Echoes' on his recent tours.
I much prefer DT's live versions of 'Lines in the Sand' mainly because of the vocals (yes, I dislike the King's X's dude's vocals on the FII cut). Most songs of ToT was well work better live, but I guess that was part of the point of their writing that album.
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Kansas - Song for America
Their live performances of this song just have far more energy. Two for the Show has a particularly strong performance of it.
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Morse-Era Spock's Beard, particularly their classics "The Light" and "The Doorway". Their live cuts of these songs, especially on Don't Try This At Home, are really great, with all the extended jamming and improvisations.
Oh, and Transatlantic's Live In Europe pretty much slays the studio versions of those songs, despite the (few) flubs and mistakes during that show. Next to the Whirlwind, my most listened TA album has to be Live In Europe... which REALLY makes me anxious for the next live album from the Whirld Tour.
-Marc.
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Both Gilmour/Wright/Mason Floyd and Waters both cranked up the awesomeness on some of Floyd songs. Disc 1 of Delicate Sound of Thunder is miles better than the corresponding songs on A Momentary Lapse of Reason to the point where I can barely listen to the studio versions any more. And Gilmour churned out an awesome 'Echoes' on his recent tours.
Echoes from Live in Gdansk is awesome beyond words.
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"Half-Light" by PT on the new DVD is one of the best things ever, but the studio version on the Lazarus Single is rather meh.
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Six Degrees from Score came to mind first. More later.
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Six Degrees from Score came to mind first. More later.
This, its still a hair above the studio one imo.
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"Hallowed be Thy Name" off Live at Donnington
"Fear of the Dark" off Rock in Rio
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
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La Villa Strangiato from Exit... Stage Left
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Alice in Chains - Rooster
Also, the version of Seemann on Live aus Berlin is the best thing Rammstein have ever done.
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Iron Maiden - everything
:tup
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Many songs from Thin Lizzy's Live And Dangerous. I've often found their studio songs being too tame and restricted, but when played live they get a new life. Like Rosalie and Southbound.
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Pink FLoyd - Shine On You Crazy Diamond
Completely forgot about this one.
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Anthrax - Caught in a mosh
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Tool - Pushit from Salival is easily my favourite live performance ever.
Others that are great:
Thin Lizzy - The Cowboy Song
Neil Young - Cowgirl In The Sand
Eric Clapton - Anything of his, but specifically Old Love
John Coltrane - Naima Live From Stockholm
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Tool - Pushit from Salival is easily my favourite live performance ever.
YES!!!!!
:tup
also Third eye from Salival is quite epic
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Fear of the Dark - Iron Maiden
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The one that comes to mind immediately is:
"Eyes of a Stranger" - Queensryche
The album version is awesome, but live, the band tags a reprise of "Anarchy-X" onto the outro of the song, which really rocks and closes the song and story out much better than the studio version.
God I miss the original band.
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hollow years
UFO - never heard the studios, but TAC recommended a number of live songs (that I didn't expect to like), and I am really enjoying them
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I'm really surprised Dave Matthews Band hasn't been mentioned. Basically every single one of their songs are better live, especially Don't Drink The Water.
Fear of the Dark is another one. I can't listen to the studio version anymore after seeing it live.
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rock and roll all nite - kiss alive
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I'm really surprised Dave Matthews Band hasn't been mentioned. Basically every single one of their songs are better live, especially Don't Drink The Water.
I don't think there are a lot of DMB fans here, which is probably why they haven't been mentioned much (or at all prior to your post) in this thread.
And I wouldn't say all of their songs are better live, but some of them are. On the flip side, I know many salivate over the many extended live versions of "Two Step," but the studio version has that awesome intro, and for that alone, I will always prefer it.
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The one that comes to mind immediately is:
"Eyes of a Stranger" - Queensryche
The album version is awesome, but live, the band tags a reprise of "Anarchy-X" onto the outro of the song, which really rocks and closes the song and story out much better than the studio version.
God I miss the original band.
Had to know you'd pull out the QR reference! Also, Revolution Calling. When the band goes silent, and you hear 10,000 people scream 'REVOLUTION CALLING!' Man, chills every time I hear it.
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Oh good lord I forgot
Outlaw Torn (S&M Version) - Metallica. Actually my favourite Metallica performance/song.
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As far as Pink Floyd goes "Money" and "Comfortably Numb" are far superior on Pulse. And I enjoy the "Run Like Hell" version from Is There Anybody Out There with Roger's intro.
DT: Definitely echo "Hollow Years" and "Octavarium", but of course got to give props to the Live Scenes From New York. I can't stand to listen to the studio version of Scenes From A Memory anymore
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Shine On You Crazy Diamond's another good one. I heard the Pulse version first, and when I finally got around to WYWH, I found the studio version unlistenable in comparison. And considering how much of the album it takes up, the album became an instant dud for me.
I'm really surprised Dave Matthews Band hasn't been mentioned. Basically every single one of their songs are better live, especially Don't Drink The Water.
Yeah, that song's awesome live, although sometimes, it bothers me that the live versions tend to lack the subtlety of the studio version. The Live in Chicago version is a nice balance.
And I wouldn't say every song is better live, but most of them are. Although I tend to prefer the studio versions of quite a few tracks on BTCS.
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I just love seeing DMB playing Trippin Billies live. I made my wife wait to go to the bathroom.(She has a tendency to go when my favorite song from a band starts)!
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Pretty much any of Bowie's live versions of 'The Man Who Sold the World'. It's a great song live, but for some reason, I really don't like the studio version.
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I'm really surprised Dave Matthews Band hasn't been mentioned. Basically every single one of their songs are better live, especially Don't Drink The Water.
Yeah, that song's awesome live, although sometimes, it bothers me that the live versions tend to lack the subtlety of the studio version. The Live in Chicago version is a nice balance.
And I wouldn't say every song is better live, but most of them are. Although I tend to prefer the studio versions of quite a few tracks on BTCS.
BTCS is a masterpiece in every way possible, and I think that is one album were just about every song is better in the studio than live. Most of their other albums have tons of songs that almost have a live feel to them anyway, but not BTCS.
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Yeah, the only songs where the live versions really match up to the studio ones are Rapunzel, Pig and DDTW, I'd say. And I don't think I'd call the live version better in any of those cases.
I think the biggest problem they have with recreating the sound of that album live is the prominence of the violin. That's one of the things that makes that album so great. A lot of the songs also have a very unique intimate sound to them that is really hard for them to accurately capture live (like the whole The Stone-Crush-Dreaming Tree run, for example).
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I already loved Sleep Together from PT but the performance on new DVD is absolutely stunning and it's even better than the studio version especially the chorus, it's just so powerful and atmospherical...
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Yeah, the only songs where the live versions really match up to the studio ones are Rapunzel, Pig and DDTW, I'd say. And I don't think I'd call the live version better in any of those cases.
I think the biggest problem they have with recreating the sound of that album live is the prominence of the violin. That's one of the things that makes that album so great. A lot of the songs also have a very unique intimate sound to them that is really hard for them to accurately capture live (like the whole The Stone-Crush-Dreaming Tree run, for example).
I wholeheartedly agree with all of this. :tup :tup
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Too many things to mention that I agree with.
Disagree completely with the Pink Floyd mentions (even though Nick is right about Gilmour's Echoes).
First things that came to mind with me were the entire Jethro Tull and Porcupine Tree catalogs. All of their songs are better live than recorded.
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Disagree completely with the Pink Floyd mentions (even though Nick is right about Gilmour's Echoes).
He was quoting me, so technically it was I who was right :D
Could you articulate why you don't agree with the other Floyd mentions though? I am just curious.
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The one Floyd live song that absolutely obliterates the studio original is "Sorrow." The original version on AMLOR is almost forgettable, but the live versions are stellar, the one from Delicate Sound of Thunder being the one I prefer.
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Disagree completely with the Pink Floyd mentions (even though Nick is right about Gilmour's Echoes).
He was quoting me, so technically it was I who was right :D
Could you articulate why you don't agree with the other Floyd mentions though? I am just curious.
And to be fair, I was referring to the Remember That Night version. :biggrin:
When it comes to the classic 70s era Pink Floyd, you're getting real close to perfection, both from the standpoint of production and musicianship. As much as I love all four guys, I don't think any of them were really good enough at what they did to pull off their material at it's best every night. I'd give anything to be able to go back and see them just jam for 3 hours in the early 70s, but I'd never expect it to have the impact of the studio recordings.
Once they expanded, both as a whole and as PF and RW, it became a different phenomenon. It certainly sounded bigger, which in some cases is better. But at the same time, seeing a 15 man all-star band pull out a nice rendition of Dogs can't compare with hearing what just those 4 guys mustered up in a studio. Plus, it never really turned out the same. I've seen both Gilmour's Pink Floyd and Roger Water's band (x2) play DSotM, and I didn't think either of them pulled off what they had recorded 20-30 years earlier (although the PF presentation was certainly spectacular). Honestly, I think DT did it better than either of them.
I will say that I was probably wrong in my original statement. I hadn't considered the Learning to Fly material. Yeah, probably all of that was better live. At least it would have been watchable if not listenable.
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El Barto makes a lot of good points in that post. I agree with most of it, something about the PF Studio albums is just magical and there are just no ways to reproduce that magic.
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All of Iced Earth's live DVD Alive in Athens is better than all of their studio versions.
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El Barto makes a lot of good points in that post. I agree with most of it, something about the PF Studio albums is just magical and there are just no ways to reproduce that magic.
I'm apparently in the minority as I still find this is the case with Octavarium off of Score. It loses something for me personally live.
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Pain of Salvation - Ending Themes - ! (Foreword)
Pain of Salvation - Ending Themes - Ashes
I love PoS live.
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Fear of the Dark - Iron Maiden
Yep.
Also, Panic attack by Dream Theater. The version on Chaos in motion is so amazing, I just can't listen to the studio version anymore. :D
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lol wrong thread
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All of Iced Earth's live DVD Alive in Athens is better than all of their studio versions.
It's about the same for me. It's great for it's epic set list but I wouldn't say the songs are really that different.
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Hmm.
I think I may prefer the live version (Either AS or Ilosaarirock) of PT's Trains to the studio version.
Maybe Cheating the Polygraph aswell? not sure.
But definitely Master of Puppets from S&M. Hetfield was ON IT that night.
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All of Iced Earth's live DVD Alive in Athens is better than all of their studio versions.
It's about the same for me. It's great for it's epic set list but I wouldn't say the songs are really that different.
The strength in Matt Barlow's voice is more or less the deciding factor for me. He absolutely SLAYS on Alive in Athens. That's not to say he is bad in the studio, but it just sounds so much more powerful.
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I guess I'm backtracking on Floyd again. I've never cared for Comfortably Numb at all. That shit comes on the radio and I change the channel. I've never seen a live version of it that didn't completely knock my on my ass. Whether it's David Gilmour being Gilmour at his very best, or it's Waters's stunt guitarists harmonizing a strat and Snowy's Les Paul beautifully. Always wonderful.
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All of Iced Earth's live DVD Alive in Athens is better than all of their studio versions.
No question. It's the heavy metal version of Frampton Comes Alive..
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But definitely Master of Puppets from S&M. Hetfield was ON IT that night.
To be honest every single S&M performance was superb in terms of the actual band members' performances, some were just marred slightly by odd orchestral arrangements. But I say again, Outlaw Torn from that DVD is GOD.
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But definitely Master of Puppets from S&M. Hetfield was ON IT that night.
To be honest every single S&M performance was superb in terms of the actual band members' performances, some were just marred slightly by odd orchestral arrangements. But I say again, Outlaw Torn from that DVD is GOD.
Maybe because that album was severely " touched up" after the fact. A lot more than the band will tell you..
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But definitely Master of Puppets from S&M. Hetfield was ON IT that night.
To be honest every single S&M performance was superb in terms of the actual band members' performances, some were just marred slightly by odd orchestral arrangements. But I say again, Outlaw Torn from that DVD is GOD.
Maybe because that album was severely " touched up" after the fact. A lot more than the band will tell you..
Yeah that's definitely true, but I don't mind too much if the touching up resulted in recordings significantly better than the studio ones anyway.
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Definitely Hatesong and Trains by PT
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As I'm listening to more and more PT live I agree with the statement that there live material sounds better. Gavin always adds a nice touch to his live performances that really make the shows pop.
The live version of Pushit by Tool is great
PF's Learning To Fly from PULSE is stellar and Gilmour's version on Fat Old Sun on "Remember That Night" is amazing.
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The Dear Hunter's Red Hands is the perfect example. I actually never cared for the studio version the first time I heard it. But live....it's just magic. The way the audience responds to it, the way Casey sings it, it's just fantastic! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LvnxCe5GjI
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Listening to The Root Of All Evil from Score. Very good live version. I also should add Eternal Rest by Avenged Sevenfold. The Lotus Eater by Opeth was awesome to see performed live. I never thought humming would make a crowd so loud.
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Everything This Will Destroy You has ever done.
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Most live songs are better than their studio counterpart. At least the ones I've heard anyway.
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You obviously haven't listened to Chaos in Motion.
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You obviously haven't listened to Chaos in Motion.
I've heard Systematic Chaos.
The live performances of the songs on Systematic Chaos resonate a little more with me than the studio versions. Sure the fidelity of Chaos In Motion may be lacking, but I think the performances of those songs are better live (not just on Chaos In Motion).
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i think everything on the second set of btbam colors dvd is better than whats on the cd's
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i think everything on the second set of btbam colors dvd is better than whats on the cd's
The effect they do at the very beginning of Mordecai on Colors Live always pissed me off immensely.
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i still like it better. i hate the way the mix sounds on btbam's earlier albums
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Sleep Together on Anesthetize > FOABP version
Octavarium and Metropolis on Score > Album versions
Hollow Years live > album
Deep Purple live > Deep Purple studio
Powerslave on Flight 666 > Powerslave studio