I was thinking about this other day. It seems like more groups are releasing each concert on a tour as a cd or download. With the advent of cell phones people can record and release a concert bootleg within a matter of a couple hours of its performance. Thus it no longer seems that a traditional Live Album (e.g Ya-Ya's, Leeds,etc) is neccesary.
In the past artists released Live albums for a myriad of reasons: Document a great tour (Ya-Ya's), refocus the music (Leeds), popularity of the live versions of songs (Cheap Trick At Budokon), Soundtracks (Song Remains the Same) or simply to combat bootleg recordings, to name but a few. But with new forms of media and the artists more willingly releasing numerous shows a traditional live album, perhaps tweaked, perhaps pulled from the best show or shows of a tour, is no longer neccessary. Thoughts?

I don't think it's dead. The quality of recordings on YouTube etc are awful compared to a professionally recorded concert.

There aren't live albums like there were in the 80s. There haven't been many live records I truly live nowadays. Either they sound completely manufactured, or they are almost live to an annoying point. Hard to explain, but there isn't the vintage "sound" that live albums used to have. I put on something like Live Licks and it sounds so disingenuous. There's no real feeling to it. I think thats the case with a lot of live albums these days.

IMO my favorite live albums of the past decade have been the official live bootlegs I've gotten from bands like Pearl Jam and Springsteen and others, particularly shows I was at. I'll listen to those way more than when Pearl Jam puts out a live compilation album, which to me is just unnecessary. Cause its good for casual fans, but its not really something the band is pushing and I don't get the sense the band really cares about it. There aren't live albums that "break bands" anymore and thats really sad.

Good question. And I guess the answer is yes. When it comes to the Stones I think there are too many of them now. And many of them are too alike. Especially the Vegas Era ones.
I remember when I discovered the band in the early 80s and was looking for 70s live recordings and found only one (Love You Live)!

I'm sure every concert is being filmed and professionally recorded on multitrack just in case they get a particularly good performance or can piece one together from the multiple shows.

Personally I don't think they are playing quite well enough these days to put out a live record of these songs and they have been released so many times before with excellent performances it just doesn't make sense.

The only one we might see/hear, imo, is the Sticky Fingers performances. They are probably already looking at the footage from Fonda theater and trying to decide whether to do another east coast small theater to try to get more footage or give up on the idea altogether.

My best guess is the only additional new music audio we may get from them would be a the rumored "back to roots" record with some tasty covers and few new original tunes. More deluxe edition re-releases will probably include the last of the vault releases as a companion.

peace

To me, Flashpoint (an album I actually really enjoy) is a live album that is as sterile and lifeless as you can get. Thats the Stones doing songs they've done millions of times and just playing by numbers. And don't get me wrong, I actually enjoy the album. But I think thats mainly due to hearing it so much that its just seeped in and become part of how I know that period. But there's nothing about that album that truly stands out and its the definition, to me, of exactly how far we've come since albums like At Budokan, Alive, Frampton Comes Alive, Get Yer Ya Yas, Strangers In The Night, the list goes on and on.

And the album format itself is pretty much dead in these Spotify streaming days also. Even the concept of buying an album... Those were the days...

I remember buying the 'Ya Yas' vinyl and playing both sides LOUD non stop for weeks, holy moly! Rockn Roll heaven. I didn't know about overdubs in the early seventies on live albums, so I was in awe .....

They are as dead a concept as there ever was in recorded music. The collective yawn that greeted the release of Brussels made that clear to me. Everyone who would care had already heard at least some of the tracks, as well as portions of every other important Stones tour over the last 50 years. Long gone are the days where a murky sounding cassette of Honolulu 73 was a cause for joy.

Waiting for columbus is the best Live album ever

It's fast food now. You can get one on your way from a show, and it often sounds great. It's both a good thing and a bad thing, imo, as some of the magic with live albums disappears..

I think live albums are dead insofar as they are not real/actual live albums – live recordings just provide the basic track that is reworked and overdubbed in the studio before the music is released as a 'live' recording.
Who (any major act) has the guts to release a live (or a big quality audience recording) just as it was recorded/sounded in the venue?

The question is not limited to The Stones, and I think the Original Poster is right
that there is a general lack of interest in Live albums.
Maybe this correlates with the purpose of giving concerts during the last couple of decades.
I think the late 60s up until the early 80s bands used to tour after a new album to
promote their new songs. That live tours themselves were a way to make money was not yet
discovered. Album sales were the main revenue of bands. During the tour the new songs
evoluated. Improvisations and the lack of studio trickery lifted songs a level up.
When the tour was finished there was an urge to share the newly discovered songs with the
world. And as album sales were the main revenues, having a live album out was important
for the income of artists.

From the second half of the 80's on concerts changed into a way to make money, much money.
Focus changed from music towards an overwhelming experience. Some call it the Vegas
years, but we saw this with all bands, not just the Stones. Visuals are at least equally
but with some bands more important than the music. Album sales are hopeless. Giving a
massive show where everybody has a good time brings more money in the pocket.
Since both music and album sales grew less important in the music industry, I think
live albums are following this trend.

Just as long as the guitar plays, let it steal your heart away



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2015-06-03 11:06 by marcovandereijk.

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slewan
I think live albums are dead insofar as they are not real/actual live albums – live recordings just provide the basic track that is reworked and overdubbed in the studio before the music is released as a 'live' recording.
Who (any major act) has the guts to release a live (or a big quality audience recording) just as it was recorded/sounded in the venue?

They never were

One of the supposed best live albums of all time, Thin Lizzy's "Live And Dangerous" is almost clinically free of the original live recordings.

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DandelionPowderman

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slewan
I think live albums are dead insofar as they are not real/actual live albums – live recordings just provide the basic track that is reworked and overdubbed in the studio before the music is released as a 'live' recording.
Who (any major act) has the guts to release a live (or a big quality audience recording) just as it was recorded/sounded in the venue?

They never were

One of the supposed best live albums of all time, Thin Lizzy's "Live And Dangerous" is almost clinically free of the original live recordings.

Great album it is though; famously apparently only the drums are completely live on that Lizzy album.

The live album is dead methinks, when a band releases a live album these days, for the most part, it just sounds like the studio versions with crowd noise tagged on. Ya Ya's is an example of how and why live albums had such an impact in the 60s and 70s - different arrangements on some songs, and some versions were definitive. It sounds as good today, if not even better, than it must have sounded in 1970 on release.

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IrelandCalling4

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DandelionPowderman

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slewan
I think live albums are dead insofar as they are not real/actual live albums – live recordings just provide the basic track that is reworked and overdubbed in the studio before the music is released as a 'live' recording.
Who (any major act) has the guts to release a live (or a big quality audience recording) just as it was recorded/sounded in the venue?

They never were

One of the supposed best live albums of all time, Thin Lizzy's "Live And Dangerous" is almost clinically free of the original live recordings.

Great album it is though; famously apparently only the drums are completely live on that Lizzy album.

The live album is dead methinks, when a band releases a live album these days, for the most part, it just sounds like the studio versions with crowd noise tagged on. Ya Ya's is an example of how and why live albums had such an impact in the 60s and 70s - different arrangements on some songs, and some versions were definitive. It sounds as good today, if not even better, than it must have sounded in 1970 on release.

Live In Texas, without ANY overdubs, must be the ultimate live album, together with the 1971 releases. But I agree, Ya Yas is excellent, even though some of the vocals are overdubbed.

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slewan
Who (any major act) has the guts to release a live (or a big quality audience recording) just as it was recorded/sounded in the venue?

You don't have to like it, but Van Halen did just that.

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slewan
Who (any major act) has the guts to release a live (or a big quality audience recording) just as it was recorded/sounded in the venue?

Supertramp had a live album in 1988 recorded on a two track tape, straight from the soundboard.
Since they're a band that plays their songs live very much like the studio recordings,
it's not really an exiting release. Only the two covers (Hoochie Coochie man and
Don't lie to me) show us some improvisations.

Just as long as the guitar plays, let it steal your heart away

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marcovandereijk

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slewan
Who (any major act) has the guts to release a live (or a big quality audience recording) just as it was recorded/sounded in the venue?

Supertramp had a live album in 1988 recorded on a two track tape, straight from the soundboard.
Since they're a band that plays their songs live very much like the studio recordings,
it's not really an exiting release. Only the two covers (Hoochie Coochie man and
Don't lie to me) show us some improvisations.

Ronnie released The New Barbarians - Buried Alive a few years back. A mediocre audience recording

I agree to Naturalust. There's one important thing you don't know when you don't ever recorded a live gig with your band: You perform much different when you know the concert is going to be released as a recording than normally when you just play to an audience. When you're playing in a rock-band you either can play for the audience or for the recording, but doing both equally good works just with compromises. Most concerts that seem perfect when you are there don't transfer to a good recording. Because on a recording all that counts is how good the band is playing. Of course playing is always important but when you're playing just to an audience (without recording) you're doing more show, you're communicating more with the audience and you don't focus that much on playing.
At both 2013 Hyde Park concerts the band played actually to have a good movie. The stones were very focused and played good (espencially at the 2nd concert) but the overall vibe wasn't as good as usually.

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Happy Jack
In the past artists released Live albums for a myriad of reasons: Document a great tour (Ya-Ya's), refocus the music (Leeds), popularity of the live versions of songs (Cheap Trick At Budokon), Soundtracks (Song Remains the Same) or simply to combat bootleg recordings

I think the main reason Ya-Ya was released was Live'r Than You'll Ever Be bootleg.

Yes, i miss the good ole days(daze) of a great live album.

Many of those listed above (Stones, Little Feat, Cheap Trick, Frampton, etc.) were played to death by myself back in the day. Skynyrd's One More From The Road is certainly a great live (mostly) album.

To the contrary, I think the "live album" is going through a sort of renaissance-like transformation. There has been a huge amount of live material released in recent years-- from the Stones, from Dylan, from loads of other bands... Live archives, new live material, and yes, there are those bands out there releasing every show. Dylan's bootleg series is absolutely brilliant, and the '75 set from that series is one of the best "live albums" I have ever heard. I think what we will be seeing less and less of is the live album that has been tinkered with, overdubs and extra crowd noise, etc, and more performances with blemishes intact. That is not to say the Rolling Stones will not tinker with future live releases, especially those that are from recent tours, but the live recordings we're getting these days are pretty fantastic. The Dead has an 80-disc/ 30-show retrospective coming in Sept! Soon the Stones will have nearly enough official material to assemble a show-from-each-tour box set... and I don't think that is a bad thing. Change is good!

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Tate
To the contrary, I think the "live album" is going through a sort of renaissance-like transformation. There has been a huge amount of live material released in recent years-- from the Stones, from Dylan, from loads of other bands... Live archives, new live material, and yes, there are those bands out there releasing every show. Dylan's bootleg series is absolutely brilliant, and the '75 set from that series is one of the best "live albums" I have ever heard. I think what we will be seeing less and less of is the live album that has been tinkered with, overdubs and extra crowd noise, etc, and more performances with blemishes intact. That is not to say the Rolling Stones will not tinker with future live releases, especially those that are from recent tours, but the live recordings we're getting these days are pretty fantastic. The Dead has an 80-disc/ 30-show retrospective coming in Sept! Soon the Stones will have nearly enough official material to assemble a show-from-each-tour box set... and I don't think that is a bad thing. Change is good!

But these are all archival releases. The Stones aren't going to release a live album in the spirit of Ya-Ya's. The last Stones live album, IMO, that was like Ya-Ya's was No Security and that was because it focused on rarities rather than war horses which made a unique album. Again, NEW liver albums are not being released for the same reasons they once were.

Considering the Stones first live recording contained two fake live tracks, I'd say it's been dead for a while, and we're just starting to smell the rotting...

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Is the Live Album Dead?

of course Yes, for example last joe bonamassa's live album has not got any atmosphere and it's a good album.

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Stoneage
And the album format itself is pretty much dead in these Spotify streaming days also. Even the concept of buying an album... Those were the days...

Not true. Maybe for the masses, but vinyl is actually selling great. Their highest sales since the early nineties. And now the product often is quite unique and special. The vinyl releases of The Stones recent vault releases are superb. Beautiful packaging, artwork, and nice pressings. Take a look at the Ward records page for those glorious Japanese releases. Awesome! I got them to deliver the box set for the live LA release and it is amazing.
So I think live albums will continue and be most exciting as vinyl releases.

A funny thing is that between 1971 and 1991, 20 years!, the band only released 2 live albums, Love You Live and Still Life. Now it's raining official bootlegs and re-releases over us on a yearly basis.
I would have loved some of that rain during the 80s drought on live albums!

IMHO Midnight Rambler from Brussels 1973 is the best live recording of a single Stones song ever. Closely followed by Carol (Ya Ya's), Around and Around (Love You Live), Let It Rock and Sweet Little Sixteen (Some Girls Live). Yes, with the exception of MR, there's a pattern here.

80 CDs of The Grateful Dead coming out in September 2015, by Rhino. I'd say very much alive.