Live!!
I generally don't like live recordings of musical artists. By "live" I obviously mean an album that has been recorded at a concert venue in front of an audience. In no way am I advocating music that was recorded by people who were not alive and breathing. Zombies are notoriously bad a music, though I suppose Vampires are alright if you are into Goth. So all this to say that I generally prefer studio albums. I must make an exception for Jazz however, because I think it works differently. That being said, I figured I would give you a run down of my top 4 live albums. These are albums that not only are as good as the studio stuff, but in some cases are better. Here we go:
4) Live at Stubbs- Matisyahu
I really like Matisyahu. He is a bit of an odd character, being that he is a hasidic jew that sings/raps reggae. But still, he is really talented and fresh. It is really surprising how well the themes and sounds of jewish mysticism mix and meld with the yearning styles of rastafarianism. But anyway, this album is far better than his studio stuff. Check out the song "king without a crown"
3) Live from Mars- Ben Harper
Here is another guy whose studio stuff is hot. I recommend it. That being said, this album is great for several reasons. For one thing it gives a great overview of his earlier (and stlightly better) work. Also, Ben Harper is a hippy jam band kinda guy, and that is lost on his studio stuff. This album captures that side of him. That being said, it is an album best complimented with his studio work because many of his live versions are best enjoyed in the context of the originals.
2) Unplugged in New York- Nirvana
I don't know when it happened, but suddenly it became uncool to like Nirvana. Nirvana, one of the most influencial and iconoclastic rock groups of the last 20 years suddenly lost its street cred as it gained critical acclaim and legendary status. Well, their loss, because this group is still rockin' years after Cobain became worm food. My choice for this album was a bit tentative, because, quite frankly, their studio stuff is fantastic. Also, this CD does not really, fully represent their noisy grungy style. It is unplugged, mostly acoustic and subdued. That being said, it has some haunting tunes.
1) Live at Sin-e - Jeff Buckley
Ah, jeff. I love thee. If I were to be any musician in history it would be Mr. Buckley (though there are quite a few others whose talents I wouldn't mind having). I think his album "Grace" is one of my most listened-to albums of all time. It is almost and in every way, a perfect musical masterpiece. So why is Live and Sin-e at the top of this list? Because it is mind-numbingly awesome. Also, it is a bit anomalous, because Buckley's other live albums are wretchedly abstract constructions of noise. Sorry Jeff, we both know its true. But this... ah, this is something different. On this album we find Jeff Buckley alone on stage with his guitar. It is in listening to Live at Sin-e that youreally start to realize how talented and versatile a musician he was. He does cover songs, his own songs and a couple ethnic indian tunes, all the while showing a insane coordination of voice and guitar.
4) Live at Stubbs- Matisyahu
I really like Matisyahu. He is a bit of an odd character, being that he is a hasidic jew that sings/raps reggae. But still, he is really talented and fresh. It is really surprising how well the themes and sounds of jewish mysticism mix and meld with the yearning styles of rastafarianism. But anyway, this album is far better than his studio stuff. Check out the song "king without a crown"
3) Live from Mars- Ben Harper
Here is another guy whose studio stuff is hot. I recommend it. That being said, this album is great for several reasons. For one thing it gives a great overview of his earlier (and stlightly better) work. Also, Ben Harper is a hippy jam band kinda guy, and that is lost on his studio stuff. This album captures that side of him. That being said, it is an album best complimented with his studio work because many of his live versions are best enjoyed in the context of the originals.
2) Unplugged in New York- Nirvana
I don't know when it happened, but suddenly it became uncool to like Nirvana. Nirvana, one of the most influencial and iconoclastic rock groups of the last 20 years suddenly lost its street cred as it gained critical acclaim and legendary status. Well, their loss, because this group is still rockin' years after Cobain became worm food. My choice for this album was a bit tentative, because, quite frankly, their studio stuff is fantastic. Also, this CD does not really, fully represent their noisy grungy style. It is unplugged, mostly acoustic and subdued. That being said, it has some haunting tunes.
1) Live at Sin-e - Jeff Buckley
Ah, jeff. I love thee. If I were to be any musician in history it would be Mr. Buckley (though there are quite a few others whose talents I wouldn't mind having). I think his album "Grace" is one of my most listened-to albums of all time. It is almost and in every way, a perfect musical masterpiece. So why is Live and Sin-e at the top of this list? Because it is mind-numbingly awesome. Also, it is a bit anomalous, because Buckley's other live albums are wretchedly abstract constructions of noise. Sorry Jeff, we both know its true. But this... ah, this is something different. On this album we find Jeff Buckley alone on stage with his guitar. It is in listening to Live at Sin-e that youreally start to realize how talented and versatile a musician he was. He does cover songs, his own songs and a couple ethnic indian tunes, all the while showing a insane coordination of voice and guitar.
Comments