Friday, November 05, 2004
dub
On the whole Ashlee Simpson dealie:
Steve Leeds, a former record executive at labels such as Virgin and Universal, offers an explanation: "People want to hear what's on the record. You've got to supply that expectation with whatever's necessary. Studio wizardry is definitely part of a live music show today."
Man, I wanna go to a show where I don't hear it sung 'just like the record'. I can go home and play my CD for that. You go to a show to hear a different iteration of the song, complete with mistakes and improvisation. It adds character and removes the overly produced aspect, this can sometimes be a good thing. Assuming the artist is a good singer and doesn't rely on the overused studio wizardry.
But I have buddies who don't like live albums or performances. "But it doesn't sound like it does on the radio." To each his own. Sticking to the formula would mean no killerwhaletank and that would suck.
I like this (studio-recorded) song. I can sing along with it and tap my hands to the beat. This song (which is actually a collection of frequencies sequenced to make sounds) means something as a object I can desire. This is transgressed by live recordings that hint at other things, or pursue the song (as a loose sonic structure that has infinite explorative possibilities) in a different fashion.
My favorite thing, then, is when people get all kicked on a cover version, and when they hear the orginal don't like it because (I'm convinced) it doesn't sound like the version they are familiar with. Not to say one or the other is better, but just that the intial format has been fetishized with some structural meaning it wasn't necesarily meant to have.
Anyway... [goes back to cataloguing his obscure dance albums]
