Time to chime in...where to start?

First, I'd like to say that it's unfair that Stuart has been much maligned for his lax syntactic standards when he really should be dirided for championing a 'best' version of 'The Night they Drove Ole' Dixie Down'. All props to The Band and their fans aside, a live version of this track does not excite me. I'm really not a big fan of folsky songs that tell me a story or recount some tragedy. Also, the inclusion of the word 'ole' in the title gets my back up...it's just too hokey.

Second, when pondering Derek's (great, btw) topic, I couldn't come up with one live album that I really liked but was able to think of a lot of crappy live albums. I think this is because it's impossible to replicate the experience of a live show.

To me, Wilco did a far better representation of the tracks on their recent album in concert than they did in the studio, though why they chose to close the encore with the excessively shitty 'Late Greats' is a bit of a mystery. And the Tortoise show earlier this year really kicked ass, sounding even better than their recent albums. But would recorded versions of those shows be just as exciting when I listened to them at home? Probably not. Context is all.

I agree, Marc, that ‘Rattle and Hum’ probably captures what it’s like to be on tour. The problem with that record, for me, is that I don’t care. You got to play with B.B. King? Great. Do I want to hear you jam together? Not really. It seemed a little self-indulgent but I know quite a few people who disagree with me and think it's an awesome record.

Okay, what's more superfluous than a live album? How about a double live album? Or, topping that, a different live album for every show in one year’s tour, something that Pearl Jam foisted on its beloved fan base a few years ago? Can you imagine the type of freak who compares different renditions of ‘Better Man’? “Yeah, the Oakland Coliseum version was good but Eddie’s vocals at Madison Square seem a little tighter. Now the Staples Center show was a joke but the ‘Even Flow’ encore really…”. I picture myself trapped in line somewhere, without my walkman, and overhearing just such a conversation.

Finally, to answer Marc's question: I think it's live if you're witnessing, in real time, the creation of music through any means, music which can never be exactly replicated. It's an awkward and I'm sure wholly inadequate definiation but it's Friday morning and I'm pressed for time. Perhaps a better definition will come to me and I'll correct myself.

I've added a couple of new links to sites that I think are interesting, one of which is a link to the online version of eye weekly's anti-hit list. The other is a link to a Seattle Radio Station, KEXP, that I discoverd there on my last trip there. Enjoy.