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LIve, Dead, Undead, or Canned?
Feb. 4th, 2004 09:28 amMusic, of course.
I strongly prefer live music to studio music, in almost all circumstances. Although studio music gets to be technically perfect, it almost never has the same verve as live music.
I've heard it argued that "classical" music ought to be heard with studio perfection, because it's writted so much more intricately and carefully than modern -- pop, rock, folk, whatever -- music.
To quote Col. Sherman T. Potter, "Horse hockey!"
So-called classical music was, for the most part, popular in its time. (Overlooking, for the moment, the likelihood that it was the music of a privileged class rather than that of the masses.) It deserves to be played with just as much spirit, just as much love, as does "Are You Experienced?", "Behind Gray Walls" or "The Christians and the Pagans."
When looking for a CD release by a band with an extensive back catalog with which I am not too familiar, I almost always look for a concert release, partly because it will have that extra energy, and partly because such releases often provide at least some insight into an arc (greater or lesser) of that artist's career.
And yes, I listen to bootlegs when available, because in many ways they are even more honest representations of an artist's work than the official live releases s/he may sanction. All sorts of stories, patter, noises, errors, flubs, outtakes, and the like make it onto bootlegs, and many (though by no means all) enhance the experience for me, by taking the otherwise isolated music and anchoring it to the (so-called "real") world. The concert experience -- one I enjoy greatly, for the most part -- in my very own office, walkway, or anywhere else I have headphones!
All of this said, I really do wish some artists would learn NOT TO RUSH THE TEMPO WHEN THEY PLAY LIVE!
Sorry about that. I suspect that one reason this particular technical error bothers me so much is that I'm so prone to it.
Gee, music as a mirror of life experience. What a novel concept ;-)
I strongly prefer live music to studio music, in almost all circumstances. Although studio music gets to be technically perfect, it almost never has the same verve as live music.
I've heard it argued that "classical" music ought to be heard with studio perfection, because it's writted so much more intricately and carefully than modern -- pop, rock, folk, whatever -- music.
To quote Col. Sherman T. Potter, "Horse hockey!"
So-called classical music was, for the most part, popular in its time. (Overlooking, for the moment, the likelihood that it was the music of a privileged class rather than that of the masses.) It deserves to be played with just as much spirit, just as much love, as does "Are You Experienced?", "Behind Gray Walls" or "The Christians and the Pagans."
When looking for a CD release by a band with an extensive back catalog with which I am not too familiar, I almost always look for a concert release, partly because it will have that extra energy, and partly because such releases often provide at least some insight into an arc (greater or lesser) of that artist's career.
And yes, I listen to bootlegs when available, because in many ways they are even more honest representations of an artist's work than the official live releases s/he may sanction. All sorts of stories, patter, noises, errors, flubs, outtakes, and the like make it onto bootlegs, and many (though by no means all) enhance the experience for me, by taking the otherwise isolated music and anchoring it to the (so-called "real") world. The concert experience -- one I enjoy greatly, for the most part -- in my very own office, walkway, or anywhere else I have headphones!
All of this said, I really do wish some artists would learn NOT TO RUSH THE TEMPO WHEN THEY PLAY LIVE!
Sorry about that. I suspect that one reason this particular technical error bothers me so much is that I'm so prone to it.
Gee, music as a mirror of life experience. What a novel concept ;-)
