It was a quiet day at work.
A number of staff had taken leave in anticipation of the Australia Day
long weekend and so I was able to schedule another productive day at my desk. As
I was about to launch my assault, I scrolled though the listing of albums on my
iPod and I came across a live album I hadn’t played in a while.
The Live Album is, in my view, the ultimate test of any act’s
ability as musicians. When you think
about it, due to the limitations imposed by early recording processes, all of
the earliest records were effectively live performances. This emphasis receded
into the background as recording became more sophisticated and advances such as
one-take session musicians, overdubbing techniques, sinclaviers, samplers, pro
tools and vocal auto tuning were introduced and discarded. The Beatles were at the forefront of
replacing the live performance in the studio with studio perfectionism. But at least when they got to this point, sensing
that they’ll never do justice to their creations in front of a live paying
audience, they had the good sense to retire from live performance.
Yet since then, the Live Album, in many cases is the most
scorned item in an artist’s repertoire and sometimes for good reason. I’ll concede some were released to meet
contractual obligations or simply to overcome a shortage of “product”. I’ll also admit there are some bloated
overlong releases unnecessarily padded with extended guitar, bass and drum
solos. I’m also prepared to concede that some, like Stevie Ray Vaughn’s Live
Alive or Bob Marley’s Babylon By Bus, simply captured an act at the worst
possible moment in otherwise exemplary careers.
And then there’s Led Zeppelin’s The Song Remains The Same which is all
of the above. Fortunately Jimmy Page
redeemed everything with the extraordinary How The West Was Won – even if it
did contain Dazed And Confused and Moby Dick.
But they’re on the same disc to facilitate deliberate avoidance. (Good thinking Jimmy!) I’ll accept the
existence of fake ones out there. Some
James Brown albums in the 1960’s, for example, were studio albums with applause
subsequently dubbed. And yes, the
biggest blight is that the reverse applies; performances so heavily overdubbed
in the studio afterwards that it could qualify as a studio recording although
no one readily admits to it.
And then there are ones that exist to simply fleece fans of
which the quintessential release is Elvis Presley’s Having Fun With Elvis On
Stage. This is a live record without
music, just his between songs patter linked together. Unfortunately, I know it exists because some
friends of my parents played it as background, err, noise at a barbeque to
which the family was dragged.
Fortunately, that was the same evening I saw The Clash’s clip for London
Calling for the first time and so tried to keep that in my head as I physically
tried to restrain myself from going after our otherwise gracious host.
But I think these sort of crappy live albums are in the
minority. There are a number of
brilliant live albums out there, ones that captured acts at the absolute peak
of their powers or which mark significant individual shows. The number of the latter is now on the
increase with the number of what I would term “historical” releases as record companies
scour their tape archives for any shows they may have. In some cases they now attempt to source them
from the public, ironic given their efforts to stop it at the time.
Having said that, I think the era of the Live Album is close
to dead. Its purpose now is largely
twofold; to complete content on 2 disc collector’s edition of albums where no
other outtakes, demos or B-sides exist or via the live DVD. The latter has a number of distinct advantages. Crowd roars make sense. You can see instead of just hearing onstage
actions such as the roar of AC/DC’s cannons during For Those About To Rock (We
Salute You). Even guitar, bass and drum
solos can possibly be enjoyed (or enable trips to the toilet or the fridge) but
you can skip or fast forward them easily enough. Let’s face it there are limits to which you
want your act to prove their ability as musicians.
(77) Little Feat –
Waiting For Columbus (extended version)
If there is only one Little Feat album you must own, it is
this one. This 1977 release is a great example
of a band at its absolute peak and also functions as a virtual “Greatest Hits
Of The Lowell George Era”, impeccably played and augmented on many tracks by
the Tower Of Power horn section, a great live act in its own right. Highlights are many, starting with a backstage
or studio track called Join The Band that morphs into the band intro and the
first proper track, Fat Man In The Bathroom, a brilliant Dixie Chicken/Tripe
Face Boogie and a seamless working of Time Loves A Hero into Day or Night. All this and Willin’ and All That You Dream
too. If there was a problem with the
original album was its front ending of the up tempo tracks, this has been fixed
by the extended edition which adds unreleased outtakes and live tracks that first
appeared on the Hoy! Hoy! Compilation.
This ramps things up a notch although I’ve left off the last three
tracks From my iPod so that it ends with an extended jam on Day At The Dog Races.
(78) The Band – Rock Of
Ages (extended version)
This was the first album by The Band I ever heard, a
Canadian act that I consider to be the founders of Americana. Although this doesn’t have the emotional pull
of The Last Waltz, this too is a great summation of The Band’s first four
albums. It was recorded in late December
1971 and would appear to have captured the start of 1972 when Garth Hudson’s
instrumental showpiece, The Genetic Method (one of the very few solos on a live
album that actually works) breaks into Auld Lang Syme. Like Waiting For Columbus, a horn section
features on many tracks and the bonus tracks add to the original album allowing
for the inclusion of at least two more classic tracks (Up On Cripple Creek and
I Shall Be Released) and a four track encore featuring Bob Dylan, culminating
in (what else?) Like A Rolling Stone.
(79) Bob Marley and
the Wailers – Live!
This is the reason why Babylon By Bus continues to be a disappointment
to me. This album was recorded at the
Lyceum Theatre in London in 1975 and I’ve seen copies of this called Live At
The Lyceum. This is unquestionably the best
live performance of the Wailers that I’ve heard and it’s not just due to the
impassioned performances by all concerned or the canny decision to release this
as a single disc, presumably of highlights. (These include Trenchtown Rock, I
Shot The Sheriff and, of course, Get Up, Stand Up.) It is one of the few live
albums where the audience is a
crucial factor. Their reactions, captured
throughout this recording, give it a celebratory air despite the grim subject
matter of some of the tracks. My copy
has a bonus track – Kinky Reggae – during which Marley introduces everyone on
stage and makes for a fitting conclusion.
But two questions remain; when is the deluxe two disc edition going to
be released and can it possibly improve this. 
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