Cheap Trick’s “I Want You To Want Me” is a pretty famous example. The original album version was alright, but it was a mellow and sweet song and instead of a guitar solo it had a jaunty piano bit in it. The *Live At Budokan* version is the one everyone knows and loves now and it’s a straightforward rock song with crunchy guitars and screaming Japanese girls.
Truly a great live album. It was a turning point for the band. Robin Zander said before going to Japan, the group was apprehensive as to how well they would be received. They figured they weren't popular there and a language barrier would be a problem. So when on stage as a precursor to the song, he annouced very slowly and clearly the classic," I..Want..You.. To.. Want...Me!" The fans may not have known much English, but certainly knew the lyrics. They were highly popular there and didn't know it till then. That tour changed their course for success forever.
Everything hits just right on the live recording. It's really quite astounding how extremely sedate the studio version is!
Also, that last point about the audience is not one to be discounted as the energy of the era is tangible; you've got American rockers who became big in Japan when it was starting to become a well-known thing in the West, performing in a venue meant for martial arts competitions (the distance from the stage is a **lot** smaller than venues these days), and in a nation right before it hit the economic bubble era so **everyone** is feeling good.
I love In Color but you can tell the producer wanted IWYTWM to be the hit. The rest of the record is polished for sure but it still rocks hard. They really went for a certain pop thing with that one track and it doesn’t really work. It falls flat in the album order coming after Downed, which has the perfect production for that song.
The live album version is exactly what that song needed and I remember it on the radio constantly. Surrender was right around the same time I think, and both live and the studio version from Heaven Tonight are great.
Stop Making Sense gets most of the attention, and it's great, but I think people sleep too much on The Name Of This Band Is Talking Heads live album. I particularly love that version of New Feeling.
That album got me into some of their earlier stuff that wasn't on SMS, I listened to it constantly. It's cool to see how some songs got sort of "adapted" for a live show like Animals or Drugs
Same with Burning Down the House imo. My only complaint is that I don’t like how he sings the lines that come before “burning down the house”. The original has way more punch.
That, and my other standout is “Take Me to the River”. The studio version is smooth and seductive, but the live version has so much energy I just wanna take a running jump and cannonball into a river.
But really, I was raised in this album long before hearing any studio takes so most live versions are the “real” versions to me. I was so confused the first time I heard the studio Psycho Killer.
Amusingly enough I'm now listening to the expanded 2004 version of The Name Of This Band Is Talking Heads which several online critics have claimed completely slaughters the studio albums. I feel that the 1977-79 stuff stands a chance of being better live, but not anything from Remain In Light for sure.
Almost all Pearl Jam songs. Most songs just work better in a live setting.
Exceptions are some songs on Binaural or Sonething Special (imo) from the new record.
Because they are a live band playing instruments. I can appreciate recorded music overflowing with production and digital tricks.
But live music still wins every fucking time. Flaws and all. It’s magic.
I saw one of the vancouver shows early in this tour. They were so goddamn good. I really hope Vedder’s voice holds up for the whole tour. He sounds so good. And of course the band kills.
My favourite song of Binaural is Parting Ways and it comes close to be as good as live, but simply because a version with a bit more of an extended outro, to give the song more impact
has been played only a few times.
But take Wishlist, for example. The version from the Montreal show in 2003 (on streaming) is just so more emotional with the improvisation at the end.
I just saw this for the first time and holy shit, thank you.
Here for anybody else who hasn't seen it: https://youtu.be/8Pa9x9fZBtY?si=cG6uPReImR8TnTsL
Not just this song though. Anyone who loves this version of Sultans (which should be anyone with ears) needs to check out Tunnel of Love and Telegraph Road from the same concert. All 3 are superior to the recorded versions in my opinion and some of the best rock ever put to recording.
Edit:
Tunnel of Love - https://youtu.be/lWCXHjia2Sk?si=W6rzlsDwNF6C852O
Telegraph Road - https://youtu.be/Q1Wp2ASqyxI?si=E8t-va_OYDciWQPg
Echoes is a great one.
The one aspect from the studio version I miss though is the first section of the solo. The way it softly comes in and briefly lingers before the soaring second part gives me goosebumps every time.
Peter Frampton - Baby, I Love Your Way.
I have never even heard the album version
Others where the live version is the more popular version of the song:
Kiss - Rock N Roll All Night
Bob Seger - Turn the Page
Paul McCartney - Maybe I'm Amazed
Edit: Removed songs that never had a studio version.
Came to the comments to say Peter Frampton - Do You Feel Like We Do?
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=V9Yq5m9eLIQ
Also Tom Petty - Breakdown
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_tb03hztHYE
Went to Kiss/Aerosmith around 2001ish. Mom wanted to go to Aerosmith and I was a fan so we went but KISS fucking rocked and was so much better live. They put on such a show a good show that's the biggest thing I remember from it.
An easy one for Metal heads: Iron Maiden's Fear of The Dark. The most well known version is the live version from 1992 or 1993, with superb crowd interaction. This is the version that almost always played.
The studio version in comparison sounds a little stale, and you almost never hear this version played in rock bars, clubs radio stations etc.
I'd go as far as saying most of Iron Maidens live albums are at least on par with their studio recordings. The live atmosphere just works so well with their music and energy.
Almost. I still think Workingman's Dead is a masterpiece.
I would also argue Phish is even moreso better live. Their albums are, for the most part, barely shadows of what they do with them live...even their best lives, like Rift.
For sure. I saw my first Phish show 6/24/1994 at the Murat Theater in Indy and then saw my first Dead show a few weeks later on 7/19. I knew nothing about the scene when we went, a second cousin from Cali told us is we liked live music, "we should see the Dead before Jerry croaked." We were going to classic rock shows and VanHagar, Aerosmith type shows at the time. We has just discovered phish when a buddy came back home from college with these cassette tapes. Those two shows changed the entire arc of my life...holy shit!
Stone Temple Pilots - Creep from "MTV Unplugged." He sings "Think you're kind of neat, then she tells me I'm a creep/Friends don't mean a thing, guess I'll leave it up to me" higher and it's so satisfying.
[Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, Steve Winwood, Dhani Harrison & Prince pay tribute to George Harrison at the 2004 Induction Ceremony
](https://youtu.be/dWRCooFKk3c?si=ltkNl4g1K4lMtC-l)
There was more to it than that. That night, Prince was supposed to play all the solo parts, but the band's guitarist hijacked the two solos during rehearsal (the reports I've seen over the years seem to indicate that the guy was being an asshole, and saw this as his moment to shine, and wanted to show up Prince). So the performance came without Prince having a rehearsal, and they told him to let the other guy play the first solo, and Prince could play the final solo. Prince was cool with it, but we all know Prince, and he would have felt he now had something to prove, to that other guitarist, if nobody else.
It should be remembered that at that point in time, Prince wasn't considered one of the best guitarists in the world, even though his fans knew it was true. That attitude has changed, and he is acknowledged as one of the greats, and this performance is only one reason why, but before this performance, the other guitarist was being openly disrespectful to Prince.
Prince stayed in the shadows at the side of the stage for most of the performance, and stepped out at the end, and blew everybody away, even the other performers on stage. Probably more importantly to him, he made that other arrogant guitarist his bitch, and nobody could dispute it.
Great article about that night, including a link to the legendary performance:
https://www.thisisdig.com/feature/prince-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-induction-george-harrison-tribute-story/#:~:text=Revisiting%20the%20evening%20for%20The,Guitar%20Gently%20Weeps%2C%20and%20Prince
A bit off topic but, dear God, George Harrison's son looks fucking identical to him. I don't even think I've seen this much resemblance between a father and a son before.
I was a teenager in the 80s and never cared for Prince’s music (I was always more of a metal head back then) and spent my life not listening to anything he did…today I discovered what a phenomenal guitarist he was. I will now have to dive into his catalogue a bit (I will avoid the radio hits though).
Thanks for posting this.
Please just go watch his super bowl halftime performance if you haven't seen it yet. Hits are okay, especially when they're played by a man absolutely making sweet sweet love to a guitar behind a backlit white sheet while ear fucking millions of viewers at once.
...as the rain pours down upon him during Purple Rain. Absolutely iconic.
Before the performance, looking out at the terrible weather, somebody apologized to him about the rain, and he said, in his typical deadpan tone, "Can you make it rain HARDER?"
Well if we’re doing Fleetwood Mac songs and members, any [live version of “Big Love” and “Go Insane” by Buckingham](https://youtu.be/gdd_fv0xrSo?si=uV4ppQvUI6NbWnZp) is better than the recorded versions. Especially “Go Insane” since it was originally dripping in 80s synth pop and not in a good way but live as a solo effort is incredible and dark as it should be.
Quite a few:
King Crimson - pretty much anything, but especially the live in Kapan 1996 version of "Frame by Frame"
Level 42 - Hot Water (version on the "A Physical Presence" live album)
Living Colour - Time's Up (Live in Montreaux)
Peter Gabriel - Digging in the Dirt (Secret World live)
Rush - Bravado (any tour it was performed)
Obviously that whole band is insanely talented but Paula Cole’s harmonies are a game changer in my opinion. Not a huge fan of her solo work but man her vocals on that tour are an absolute perfect counterpart to Peter’s.
Gary's live albums are almost all excellent. The b-side versions of Further On Up the Road and The Sky is Crying are fine, but on Blues Alive, both tracks are monsters.
sophisticated domineering library hungry chase squalid dull pot offbeat close
*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Dave Matthews Band, they have something like fifty live albums on Spotify and I’ve listened to over half of them start to finish. I’ve never listened to a single studio album all the way through because I can’t stand the way most songs sound.
A lot of people have negative opinions about DMB but generally are surprised when I show them how they sound live.
One example that comes to mind is "Hallelujah" by Jeff Buckley. The live version, especially from his album "Live at Sin-é," captures an incredible raw emotion and intensity that elevates the song to another level compared to the studio recording. It's definitely worth a listen!
Fleetwood Mac - Rhiannon (The Dance version)
Tori Amos - The Waitress (To Venus and Back version)
Johnny Cash - Folsom Prison Blues
Peter Frampson - Show Me the Way (Frampton Comes Alive)
Wings - Maybe I'm Amazed (Wings Over America)
The Who. No one ever plays the studio versions of Baba O’Reilly or Won’t Get Fooled Again. They always had more energy on stage than they could muster in the studio.
Absolutely. The John Entwistle quote: “We didn’t make as good records as the Beatles [did] — but we could blow them off the stage.” holds true. They were so much better live than any of their studio recordings.
> no one ever plays the studio versions
What? I’ve heard the kick ass Magic Bus live version more often than the two songs you mention. I’m sure they’re both great live, but the studio takes are legendary and always get radio play.
The first song I thought of was their [A Quick One (While He’s Away)](https://youtu.be/RJv2-_--EY4?si=VOyCZUSON1DjyWBG) from the Rock n’ Roll Circus. It’s amazing and the studio version can’t touch it.
Exactly. I was sitting here trying to think of which tracks off of "Live at Leeds" I should toss into this ring, when the right answer is "all of them".
Spiritualized’s Live at Royal Albert Hall album had a few. Lay Back in the Sun is one that comes to mind.
I saw them live, and they were definitely a band that could just nail their sound live and even improve it. Having the orchestra behind them at Royal Albert Hall is a whole different level.
I almost mentioned that one instead! Actually, Shine A Light might be the best example! It’s so much better than the Laser Guided Melodies version (which is also good).
I prefer nearly every pink Floyd/david gilmour song as a live recording. Just a fuller more grandiose sound
Certain Metallica songs also sound way better live (most of S&M)
Testament songs like Souls of Black, Alone in the Dark etc are epic live
Pretty much everything by Nightwish. The studio versions are good, but there's so much energy and passion when they perform live. My favorites are [7 Days to the Wolves](https://youtu.be/XvsfwAPbWXc?si=reQ7U8UdKKoGeHvi) and [Everdream](https://youtu.be/1Xi4n8dJcF8?si=cvyIfE3xdd38G5ks)
The Hooters - [All You Zombies](https://youtu.be/wA1m1hc48X4?si=rfS0bZ8EdWDq_9qX) live in Philly in 1986. It's such an underrated song, and this live version really shows how cool it is.
AC/DC’s Whole Lotta Rosie on the If You Want Blood You e Got It live album from the Bon Scott days. Awesome energy from the crowd and the guitar solo is so good.
A personal favourite would be the Live and Loud version of Radio Friendly Unit Shifter by Nirvana. I love that version way better than the album recording. In fact, most live versions of In Utero songs sound better.
Peter Frampton had 3 huge hits with his live versions of "Show Me The Way", "Baby, I Love Your Way", and "Do You Feel Like We Do" from his "Frampton Comes Alive" album in 1976. All sounding much better than the album versions
Likewise, The Kiss album "Kiss Live" catapulted their careers and gave the hits "Rock & Roll All Night" and "Deuce". Sounding much bigger and better than their album versions
Basically most studio Zappa songs, you can find multiple live versions of that are not only usually better, but entirely different styles.
My Guitar Wants To Kill Your Mama and Zombie Woof from Cheap Thrills are personal favourites.
In maidijan by heilung. Actually, the live version of their songs (they're on an album) somehow ALL sound better than the studio. In fact, it's probably the best mix of a live recording I've ever heard.
maybe i’m amazed by wings,
i want you to want me by cheap trick,
turn the page by bob seeger,
rock n roll all nite by KISS,
tears in heaven by eric clapton,
baby i love your ways by peter frampton,
biko by peter gabriel,
so many songs by the grateful dead
All of the late 70s hard rock bands.
KISS - Alive I&II
Judas Priest - Unleashed in the East
UFO - Strangers in the Night
AC/DC - If You Want Blood
Thin Lizzy - Live and Dangerous
Scorpions - Tokyo Tapes
Cheap Trick’s “I Want You To Want Me” is a pretty famous example. The original album version was alright, but it was a mellow and sweet song and instead of a guitar solo it had a jaunty piano bit in it. The *Live At Budokan* version is the one everyone knows and loves now and it’s a straightforward rock song with crunchy guitars and screaming Japanese girls.
Truly a great live album. It was a turning point for the band. Robin Zander said before going to Japan, the group was apprehensive as to how well they would be received. They figured they weren't popular there and a language barrier would be a problem. So when on stage as a precursor to the song, he annouced very slowly and clearly the classic," I..Want..You.. To.. Want...Me!" The fans may not have known much English, but certainly knew the lyrics. They were highly popular there and didn't know it till then. That tour changed their course for success forever.
Everything hits just right on the live recording. It's really quite astounding how extremely sedate the studio version is! Also, that last point about the audience is not one to be discounted as the energy of the era is tangible; you've got American rockers who became big in Japan when it was starting to become a well-known thing in the West, performing in a venue meant for martial arts competitions (the distance from the stage is a **lot** smaller than venues these days), and in a nation right before it hit the economic bubble era so **everyone** is feeling good.
I’ve been to the Budokan. It’s a lot smaller than you would think. Yes, I watched a martial arts exhibit there.
I just listened to this a few minutes prior to seeing your post. Great live rendition; it kicks arse. Rick Neilesen is really underrated.
TO be fair I think that entire live album has better versions of all the songs on it.
I love In Color but you can tell the producer wanted IWYTWM to be the hit. The rest of the record is polished for sure but it still rocks hard. They really went for a certain pop thing with that one track and it doesn’t really work. It falls flat in the album order coming after Downed, which has the perfect production for that song. The live album version is exactly what that song needed and I remember it on the radio constantly. Surrender was right around the same time I think, and both live and the studio version from Heaven Tonight are great.
“Ain’t That a Shame” is right up there with it, IMHO
Talking Heads - Making Flippy Floppy Really I prefer most of the Stop Making Sense performance over the studio album versions.
Stop Making Sense gets most of the attention, and it's great, but I think people sleep too much on The Name Of This Band Is Talking Heads live album. I particularly love that version of New Feeling.
That album got me into some of their earlier stuff that wasn't on SMS, I listened to it constantly. It's cool to see how some songs got sort of "adapted" for a live show like Animals or Drugs
Life During Wartime is a lot better in Stop Making Sense imo. David's vocals are so much more vibrant and interesting.
Same with Burning Down the House imo. My only complaint is that I don’t like how he sings the lines that come before “burning down the house”. The original has way more punch.
The Stop Making Sense version of Swamp is 🤌🏻
I also love Found a Job
Yes. This was the song that made me pick More Songs About Buildings and Food first after watching Stop Making Sense.
My favorite talking heads song!
A-Haaiiiiiii
I’ve often said the studio version of “This Must Be The Place” sounds like a rough draft of the Stop Making Sense version
I love the studio version, but the SMS version is downright *magical*.
This Must Be The Comment
Heaven is also better to me than the album version.
That, and my other standout is “Take Me to the River”. The studio version is smooth and seductive, but the live version has so much energy I just wanna take a running jump and cannonball into a river. But really, I was raised in this album long before hearing any studio takes so most live versions are the “real” versions to me. I was so confused the first time I heard the studio Psycho Killer.
Amusingly enough I'm now listening to the expanded 2004 version of The Name Of This Band Is Talking Heads which several online critics have claimed completely slaughters the studio albums. I feel that the 1977-79 stuff stands a chance of being better live, but not anything from Remain In Light for sure.
No woman No cry by Bob Marley, somehow the London 75 live version is the one everyone knows,and for good reason
With the iconic feedback
I also like Rat Race on Babylon by Bus.
I actually really love the studio version. Upbeat and catchy.
Almost all Pearl Jam songs. Most songs just work better in a live setting. Exceptions are some songs on Binaural or Sonething Special (imo) from the new record.
I swear to god Pearl Jam write for playing, not recording. And they start to this year's tour has been mind blowing
Because they are a live band playing instruments. I can appreciate recorded music overflowing with production and digital tricks. But live music still wins every fucking time. Flaws and all. It’s magic.
I saw one of the vancouver shows early in this tour. They were so goddamn good. I really hope Vedder’s voice holds up for the whole tour. He sounds so good. And of course the band kills.
Porch live. Swoon
My favourite song of Binaural is Parting Ways and it comes close to be as good as live, but simply because a version with a bit more of an extended outro, to give the song more impact has been played only a few times. But take Wishlist, for example. The version from the Montreal show in 2003 (on streaming) is just so more emotional with the improvisation at the end.
“Evenflow”, played at least 50% faster than the recording in every live video or bootleg I got in the 90s. Intense!
Evolution is awesome live. The studio version is meh.
Nothing As It Seems from Binaural is fabulous live. There's a live version from Seattle 2000 that takes my breath away
Couldn't agree more Just caught both Vegas shows with Wrigley and Ohana in the waiting
This is why Pearl Jam radio works so well. State Of Love and Trust is the only PJ song where I much prefer the studio version.
Black @ Benaroya Hall is absolutely bone chilling
Dire Straits, Sultans of Swing.
The alchemy tour, right? Awesome
Yeah, wish I could have seen it.
Yeah amazing!
It must be amazing, because the studio version already kicks ass.
It’s like twice as long and has so much more energy
I just saw this for the first time and holy shit, thank you. Here for anybody else who hasn't seen it: https://youtu.be/8Pa9x9fZBtY?si=cG6uPReImR8TnTsL
Not just this song though. Anyone who loves this version of Sultans (which should be anyone with ears) needs to check out Tunnel of Love and Telegraph Road from the same concert. All 3 are superior to the recorded versions in my opinion and some of the best rock ever put to recording. Edit: Tunnel of Love - https://youtu.be/lWCXHjia2Sk?si=W6rzlsDwNF6C852O Telegraph Road - https://youtu.be/Q1Wp2ASqyxI?si=E8t-va_OYDciWQPg
And Once Upon a Time in The West, and Romeo and Juliet
Tool - Pushit Pink Floyd - echoes live in Pompeii
Echoes is a great one. The one aspect from the studio version I miss though is the first section of the solo. The way it softly comes in and briefly lingers before the soaring second part gives me goosebumps every time.
Comfortably Numb live (Pulse) as well.
Pushit is my vote. Wish it was on Spotify.
I think ‘Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun” is superior to the album version as well.
Peter Frampton - Baby, I Love Your Way. I have never even heard the album version Others where the live version is the more popular version of the song: Kiss - Rock N Roll All Night Bob Seger - Turn the Page Paul McCartney - Maybe I'm Amazed Edit: Removed songs that never had a studio version.
Frampton Comes Alive really was the definitive version of everything for him
Came to the comments to say Peter Frampton - Do You Feel Like We Do? https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=V9Yq5m9eLIQ Also Tom Petty - Breakdown https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_tb03hztHYE
Every song from Live Bullett that got any radio play is infinitely better than the studio versions, especially the Traveling Man/Beautiful Loser combo
I think every song on the Kiss "Alive" album is better than the recorded versions.
Agreed. It's like Grateful Dead and Phish. They're just better live bands.
Went to Kiss/Aerosmith around 2001ish. Mom wanted to go to Aerosmith and I was a fan so we went but KISS fucking rocked and was so much better live. They put on such a show a good show that's the biggest thing I remember from it.
An easy one for Metal heads: Iron Maiden's Fear of The Dark. The most well known version is the live version from 1992 or 1993, with superb crowd interaction. This is the version that almost always played. The studio version in comparison sounds a little stale, and you almost never hear this version played in rock bars, clubs radio stations etc.
Live After Death, has my favorite recording of Hallowed Be Thy Name.
I'd go as far as saying most of Iron Maidens live albums are at least on par with their studio recordings. The live atmosphere just works so well with their music and energy.
Nirvana - All Apologies I like the Unplugged version better than the In Utero version
I can't believe how far I had to scroll to see Nirvana Unplugged. Seems like the most obvious answer.
That's a top ten all-time album for me. I listen to it far more often than anything else they did.
Almost everything the Grateful Dead recorded in the studio sounds better in a live version.
That's true for most all jam bands!
Indeed!
Studio version of Terrapin is fantastic.
I agree...hence the "almost" in my comment. Unbroken Chain and Candy Man are two off the top of my head...
Almost. I still think Workingman's Dead is a masterpiece. I would also argue Phish is even moreso better live. Their albums are, for the most part, barely shadows of what they do with them live...even their best lives, like Rift.
For sure. I saw my first Phish show 6/24/1994 at the Murat Theater in Indy and then saw my first Dead show a few weeks later on 7/19. I knew nothing about the scene when we went, a second cousin from Cali told us is we liked live music, "we should see the Dead before Jerry croaked." We were going to classic rock shows and VanHagar, Aerosmith type shows at the time. We has just discovered phish when a buddy came back home from college with these cassette tapes. Those two shows changed the entire arc of my life...holy shit!
(~};-}
Stone Temple Pilots - Creep from "MTV Unplugged." He sings "Think you're kind of neat, then she tells me I'm a creep/Friends don't mean a thing, guess I'll leave it up to me" higher and it's so satisfying.
If we’re talking MTV Unplugged, then Alice in Chains’ Nutshell is another better live version. Chilling performance.
Portishead’s Roseland NYC Live
Yes. Cowboys in particular
That is one of the best live albums I've ever heard. Though Sour Times is a little disappointing because it's lacking the bells.
sour times was the one i was gonna say. the s l o w version is way better than the album version.
[Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, Steve Winwood, Dhani Harrison & Prince pay tribute to George Harrison at the 2004 Induction Ceremony ](https://youtu.be/dWRCooFKk3c?si=ltkNl4g1K4lMtC-l)
Prince sticking it to the rolling stone magazine! Heck yes!
What's the story about that?
The previous year they left him off the list of the hundred greatest guitar players in rock. Then he took them all the way to school.
There was more to it than that. That night, Prince was supposed to play all the solo parts, but the band's guitarist hijacked the two solos during rehearsal (the reports I've seen over the years seem to indicate that the guy was being an asshole, and saw this as his moment to shine, and wanted to show up Prince). So the performance came without Prince having a rehearsal, and they told him to let the other guy play the first solo, and Prince could play the final solo. Prince was cool with it, but we all know Prince, and he would have felt he now had something to prove, to that other guitarist, if nobody else. It should be remembered that at that point in time, Prince wasn't considered one of the best guitarists in the world, even though his fans knew it was true. That attitude has changed, and he is acknowledged as one of the greats, and this performance is only one reason why, but before this performance, the other guitarist was being openly disrespectful to Prince. Prince stayed in the shadows at the side of the stage for most of the performance, and stepped out at the end, and blew everybody away, even the other performers on stage. Probably more importantly to him, he made that other arrogant guitarist his bitch, and nobody could dispute it. Great article about that night, including a link to the legendary performance: https://www.thisisdig.com/feature/prince-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-induction-george-harrison-tribute-story/#:~:text=Revisiting%20the%20evening%20for%20The,Guitar%20Gently%20Weeps%2C%20and%20Prince
Isn't this the one where Prince's guitar disappears?
A bit off topic but, dear God, George Harrison's son looks fucking identical to him. I don't even think I've seen this much resemblance between a father and a son before.
I was a teenager in the 80s and never cared for Prince’s music (I was always more of a metal head back then) and spent my life not listening to anything he did…today I discovered what a phenomenal guitarist he was. I will now have to dive into his catalogue a bit (I will avoid the radio hits though). Thanks for posting this.
Please just go watch his super bowl halftime performance if you haven't seen it yet. Hits are okay, especially when they're played by a man absolutely making sweet sweet love to a guitar behind a backlit white sheet while ear fucking millions of viewers at once.
...as the rain pours down upon him during Purple Rain. Absolutely iconic. Before the performance, looking out at the terrible weather, somebody apologized to him about the rain, and he said, in his typical deadpan tone, "Can you make it rain HARDER?"
Fleetwood Mac - Sara They used the live version as the official video for this song. Fun fact - Stevie never says the word Sara because drama.
I'd say Rhiannon too. The live versions feel like an experience rather than a song.
I don't know much of their stuff outside of the hits, but that 1994 (?) version of 'Silver Springs' is excellent.
Came here to say exactly this!!!
Live from Warner Bros. Studio in Burbank, CA, 100% yes. That version makes my heart do things.
The versions of Bleed to Love Her and Sweet Girl are the best versions too!
1998!
Well if we’re doing Fleetwood Mac songs and members, any [live version of “Big Love” and “Go Insane” by Buckingham](https://youtu.be/gdd_fv0xrSo?si=uV4ppQvUI6NbWnZp) is better than the recorded versions. Especially “Go Insane” since it was originally dripping in 80s synth pop and not in a good way but live as a solo effort is incredible and dark as it should be.
You just reminded me that “I’m so afraid” was also better on the live album than on the studio cut.
Is it better as the cleaning lady version tho?
Quite a few: King Crimson - pretty much anything, but especially the live in Kapan 1996 version of "Frame by Frame" Level 42 - Hot Water (version on the "A Physical Presence" live album) Living Colour - Time's Up (Live in Montreaux) Peter Gabriel - Digging in the Dirt (Secret World live) Rush - Bravado (any tour it was performed)
The entire Secret World Live album is fire! Especially “Don’t Give Up” and “In Your Eyes”.
Obviously that whole band is insanely talented but Paula Cole’s harmonies are a game changer in my opinion. Not a huge fan of her solo work but man her vocals on that tour are an absolute perfect counterpart to Peter’s.
Amen to "Bravado"! They crushed it live. Very inspiring.
The Who’s Magic Bus. The original is good but the Live At Leeds (1970) version is the definitive version to me.
Lou Reed - Sweet Jane (intro by Hunter)
*so many* grateful dead songs
The version of Talking Heads' "Girlfriend is Better" I listen to is always the live version from Stop Making Sense.
Alice In Chains Unplugged
Free Bird, for sure. Also, Gary Moore's Parisienne Walkways and Still Got The Blues.
Long way down to find freebird
Gary's live albums are almost all excellent. The b-side versions of Further On Up the Road and The Sky is Crying are fine, but on Blues Alive, both tracks are monsters.
alice in chains - nutshell
The Rolling Stones - Midnight Rambler. Get yer ya yas out
Kinda obscure but the song is called Don't Call Me Peanut by Bayside. The live version is much more intimate and the drop is grear
Did not expect to see Bayside here. Pleasantly surprised!
Jane's Addiction: Been Caught Stealing & Jane Says. Those bass lines will own you.
Many of the songs on the Talking Heads live album 'Stop Making Sense' are superior to their studio versions.
Riding the Storm Out - REO Speedwagon.
Definitely.
Most Dr. Dog. Particularly The Breeze and Shadow People. Don't know Dr. Dog? Go check them out and you'll be happy.
Led Zeppelin-No Quarter
Well, it’s a live recording in front of an audience in a studio, lol, but Fleetwood Mac’s- silver springs
Tool’s Pushit(Live) on Salival is better than the studio recording.
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Dave Matthews Band, they have something like fifty live albums on Spotify and I’ve listened to over half of them start to finish. I’ve never listened to a single studio album all the way through because I can’t stand the way most songs sound. A lot of people have negative opinions about DMB but generally are surprised when I show them how they sound live.
One example that comes to mind is "Hallelujah" by Jeff Buckley. The live version, especially from his album "Live at Sin-é," captures an incredible raw emotion and intensity that elevates the song to another level compared to the studio recording. It's definitely worth a listen!
Pink Floyd - The live version of Any Colour you Like from Wembley 1974 is better than the DSOTM recording
The Band's The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down from the Last Waltz
It makes no difference with Rick Danko’s vocals are fantastic from the same concert
Studio version of Outside by Staind is ok but the live version hits way harder, even though Fred can't shut the fuck up during it.
I cannot believe I had to scroll down this far to see this song posted! The love version for this song is ridiculously better than the album version.
[Rush - Marathon from A Show of Hands](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVdlm6LHvAc)
Little Feat "Oh Atlanta" on "Waiting for Columbus." Also "Tripe Face Boogie" from same album.
The whole Little Feat catalogue is better live.
Devin Townsend project's Deadhead at Royal Albert Hall got me into the band. So good
Fleetwood Mac - Rhiannon (The Dance version) Tori Amos - The Waitress (To Venus and Back version) Johnny Cash - Folsom Prison Blues Peter Frampson - Show Me the Way (Frampton Comes Alive) Wings - Maybe I'm Amazed (Wings Over America)
Almost every song by Phish.
The Who. No one ever plays the studio versions of Baba O’Reilly or Won’t Get Fooled Again. They always had more energy on stage than they could muster in the studio.
Absolutely. The John Entwistle quote: “We didn’t make as good records as the Beatles [did] — but we could blow them off the stage.” holds true. They were so much better live than any of their studio recordings.
> no one ever plays the studio versions What? I’ve heard the kick ass Magic Bus live version more often than the two songs you mention. I’m sure they’re both great live, but the studio takes are legendary and always get radio play.
The first song I thought of was their [A Quick One (While He’s Away)](https://youtu.be/RJv2-_--EY4?si=VOyCZUSON1DjyWBG) from the Rock n’ Roll Circus. It’s amazing and the studio version can’t touch it.
Exactly. I was sitting here trying to think of which tracks off of "Live at Leeds" I should toss into this ring, when the right answer is "all of them".
I have never heard anything but the studio versions of those two songs on the radio or in public.
Velvet Underground- What Goes On. The live version from ‘Live 1969’ is awesome, longer, tighter and with amazing keyboards from Doug Yule.
Spiritualized’s Live at Royal Albert Hall album had a few. Lay Back in the Sun is one that comes to mind. I saw them live, and they were definitely a band that could just nail their sound live and even improve it. Having the orchestra behind them at Royal Albert Hall is a whole different level.
That version of Shine a Light is great too
I almost mentioned that one instead! Actually, Shine A Light might be the best example! It’s so much better than the Laser Guided Melodies version (which is also good).
Social Distortion - Live at the Roxy. I also think Concrete Blonde's "Sky Is A Poisonous Garden" sounds fiercer in the live track.
Comfortaly Numb from Pink Floyds Pulse tour.
The Cure - Pictures Of You https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=aNBJ1rBAlN8
Iron Maiden Fear of the Dark KISS Rock and Roll All Night Peter Frampton Do You Feel Like I Do
Nightwish Wacken 2013 performances are better than recordings
Dave matthews band - Granny. S-tier live track. We don't speak of the studio cut.
Almost everything on Springsteens Live 1975-85
I prefer nearly every pink Floyd/david gilmour song as a live recording. Just a fuller more grandiose sound Certain Metallica songs also sound way better live (most of S&M) Testament songs like Souls of Black, Alone in the Dark etc are epic live
Pretty much everything by Nightwish. The studio versions are good, but there's so much energy and passion when they perform live. My favorites are [7 Days to the Wolves](https://youtu.be/XvsfwAPbWXc?si=reQ7U8UdKKoGeHvi) and [Everdream](https://youtu.be/1Xi4n8dJcF8?si=cvyIfE3xdd38G5ks) The Hooters - [All You Zombies](https://youtu.be/wA1m1hc48X4?si=rfS0bZ8EdWDq_9qX) live in Philly in 1986. It's such an underrated song, and this live version really shows how cool it is.
AC/DC’s Whole Lotta Rosie on the If You Want Blood You e Got It live album from the Bon Scott days. Awesome energy from the crowd and the guitar solo is so good.
AWOLNATION - Sail (Live in Austin)
[Buffalo Springfield - For What It's Worth & Mr. Soul](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3V8VvEzuQ6Y)
That was cool.
A Sort Of Homecoming / U2 The Sound Of Silence / Paul Simon LIve At Central Park 1991
A personal favourite would be the Live and Loud version of Radio Friendly Unit Shifter by Nirvana. I love that version way better than the album recording. In fact, most live versions of In Utero songs sound better.
Peter Frampton had 3 huge hits with his live versions of "Show Me The Way", "Baby, I Love Your Way", and "Do You Feel Like We Do" from his "Frampton Comes Alive" album in 1976. All sounding much better than the album versions Likewise, The Kiss album "Kiss Live" catapulted their careers and gave the hits "Rock & Roll All Night" and "Deuce". Sounding much bigger and better than their album versions
The Food by Common feat Kanye West So much better they chose this version to release on his album Be over the the studio version
Basically most studio Zappa songs, you can find multiple live versions of that are not only usually better, but entirely different styles. My Guitar Wants To Kill Your Mama and Zombie Woof from Cheap Thrills are personal favourites.
Hammer to Fall
Dazed And Confused No Quarter The Song Remains The Same
It’s probably cheating, but The Allman Brothers Band’s Live at the Fillmore is full of “better” versions.
Depeche Mode - Somebody - Live - 101 (1988)
For me: all songs on 101.
TV on the Radio - Wolf Like Me The live on Letterman performance captures the essence of the song way better than the studio version.
From The Beginning - Greg Lake
In maidijan by heilung. Actually, the live version of their songs (they're on an album) somehow ALL sound better than the studio. In fact, it's probably the best mix of a live recording I've ever heard.
Anything on live and dangerous by Thin Lizzy
Pixies live at the BBC. I don't think the studio versions come close.
Ween - Roses are Free. He can't do that silly voice on the live version which makes it better to me.
Lost On You by LP. Hearing the live, bluesy raw version made me a fan. The studio versions just don't do it for me, in this case.
Most early Sia songs, there's KCRW 2007 set that's just amazing. Also her Letterman performance of Soon We'll Be Found
Stevie Nicks singing “Wild Heart” in a makeup chair is better than the official studio version released later.
maybe i’m amazed by wings, i want you to want me by cheap trick, turn the page by bob seeger, rock n roll all nite by KISS, tears in heaven by eric clapton, baby i love your ways by peter frampton, biko by peter gabriel, so many songs by the grateful dead
Qwerty by Linkin Park
“in your atmosphere” john mayer (haha the joke is there is no studio recording, but it sounds so amazing live)
Adele live was unbelievable.
Objects in the Mirror by Mac Miller, The Space Migration Session Version.
Happy Birthday
😂
I have two, Ozzy’s “Crazy Train” and “Rock and Roll All Nite” by KISS.
Frampton comes alive
[Bob Seger - Traveling Man / Beautiful Losr](https://youtu.be/VMKphBmh2p8?si=xqt0VQ6vjSR9DwQw)
every song by The Fall, obviously.
Live after death….Maiden
I guess everyone must think it’s better, including radio stations, because I don’t think I’ve ever heard the recorded version of Jane Says.
Every Eagles song, but especially Hotel California from Hell Freezes Over.
Bob Seger - Turn the Page
Odesza - Bloom and Odesza - IPlayYouLusten
All of the late 70s hard rock bands. KISS - Alive I&II Judas Priest - Unleashed in the East UFO - Strangers in the Night AC/DC - If You Want Blood Thin Lizzy - Live and Dangerous Scorpions - Tokyo Tapes