Bands who were better live than in the studio

One band (not a favourite of mine) who I'm told struggled to adequately perform their own music in a live setting were Steely Dan probably because of their use of session musician and overdubs in the recording process?

Top live act I've seen who transcend their recorded material - Ian Dury and the Blockheads
 
It was very expensive to record in the past, particularly if you wanted to do it well. It might be better to try and recapture live sound, in one take, all playing together but even then it would cost the earth to mix it down afterwards. Very few bands could afford to do this properly and would do a quick mix. John Peel sessions could be far higher quality because they had top engineers, top equipment and always using the same studio and also there was a clear deadline and that sharpened the minds etc and got the adrenaline flowing.
A second point would be that analogue sound has to be massively compressed for vinyl and this could often go horribly wrong. What you heard through the studio speakers could end up being nothing like what you heard through your home hi fi.
I also once went to Abbey Road Studios and was present when our half inch tape recordings were cut/transferred towards an acetate for vinyl. I was shocked at a turn of a dial the engineer would fundamentally re-mix the sound. Being present I got the sound I wanted, no one is usually at these sessions and so all you can do is sit at home and wait for the Test Pressings. But if you listen to the Test Pressings and decide this is not my recording it would cost you a fortune to remix it again. It isn't often done.
I had a friend in Europe that did the job of that Abbey Road engineer, he would mix the recordings onto vinyl and he had somehow to work out the optimal sound and balance of the sound. Getting that right must be so, so difficult. I interviewed Mark E Smith once and he told me that he day after day he had listened to the mix of his album, Ersatz GB until he couldn't work out what was good and bad. He finally decided just to draw the line. I told him I thought he had got it right, he thanked me and said he was relieved to hear people liked it.
My mate in Europe actually had a breakdown in the end. He had to go away from his job for several weeks and give his ears and himself a rest in a hospital.
It is really, really hard to recapture live sound or the sound you want on recorded records/CDs, unless you have a lot of money or luck.
 
rob_fmttm said:
It was very expensive to record in the past, particularly if you wanted to do it well. It might be better to try and recapture live sound, in one take, all playing together but even then it would cost the earth to mix it down afterwards. Very few bands could afford to do this properly and would do a quick mix. John Peel sessions could be far higher quality because they had top engineers, top equipment and always using the same studio and also there was a clear deadline and that sharpened the minds etc and got the adrenaline flowing.
A second point would be that analogue sound has to be massively compressed for vinyl and this could often go horribly wrong. What you heard through the studio speakers could end up being nothing like what you heard through your home hi fi.
I also once went to Abbey Road Studios and was present when our half inch tape recordings were cut/transferred towards an acetate for vinyl. I was shocked at a turn of a dial the engineer would fundamentally re-mix the sound. Being present I got the sound I wanted, no one is usually at these sessions and so all you can do is sit at home and wait for the Test Pressings. But if you listen to the Test Pressings and decide this is not my recording it would cost you a fortune to remix it again. It isn't often done.
I had a friend in Europe that did the job of that Abbey Road engineer, he would mix the recordings onto vinyl and he had somehow to work out the optimal sound and balance of the sound. Getting that right must be so, so difficult. I interviewed Mark E Smith once and he told me that he day after day he had listened to the mix of his album, Ersatz GB until he couldn't work out what was good and bad. He finally decided just to draw the line. I told him I thought he had got it right, he thanked me and said he was relieved to hear people liked it.
My mate in Europe actually had a breakdown in the end. He had to go away from his job for several weeks and give his ears and himself a rest in a hospital.
It is really, really hard to recapture live sound or the sound you want on recorded records/CDs, unless you have a lot of money or luck.
Click to expand...
Oh yes, I so recognise this - never got to Abbey Road, like! We used to record, and then mix days later, working with the engineer/producer. You'd listen through the studio speakers, leave thrilled skinny and then get the thing home, play it and.......oh dear. Tin City. Makes me shudder even now, 30 years later.
 
I'll add the Libertines and Arcade Fire to the list. Interpol as well, although I think this is largely around production quality on their studio records.

Radiohead fall into the "equally amazing but very different" category for me.
 
rob_fmttm said:
It might be better to try and recapture live sound, in one take, all playing together but even then it would cost the earth to mix it down afterwards.
Click to expand...
This is how Dylan recorded nearly all of his albums. You hear the odd mistake but each track is a performance.
And then there was the time that the backing band totally missed their cue.

 
I am not and never have been a fan of Prince, but back in the 1980's my girlfriend at the time was. I bought a couple of tickets for us to see him at Wembley Arena in the round; I was not looking forward to it. Holy cow, he was fantastic.

Like I said, I am not a fan at all, but that was probably the best live show I have seen by any band, and the sound was brilliant.


Another vote for Mott The Hoople, mentioned by @NYboro earlier in this thread. They had a fearsome live reputation, but they could not capture it on any of their four albums for Island Records, and Bowie's production of their All The Young Dudes album for CBS is thin and weak.

They came closest on their final LP for Island, Brain Capers. It was recorded live in the studio, with mostly first takes used with no overdubs, and slightly irritating drum stick clicks left untouched.

 
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