Live albums are rarely fully 'live.' Even before the era of lip-syncing embarrassments like Ashley Simpson on SNL, bands would frequently doctor up their live albums to get rid of mistakes or touch up a bad harmony here and there.One of the most famous examples is KISS' 1975 double album Alive!, thought by many to be one of the best live albums of all time and certainly the first mega-successful one of a long string of live albums in the 70s (followed a close second by Frampton Comes Alive).
But it is now well known that KISS Alive! is not very alive at all, and almost all of the parts outside of the drums were re-done in the studio. Producer Eddie Kramer has been forthcoming about this in recent years and even the band now admits that it's true.
Another seminal 70s live album, Thin Lizzy's Live & Dangerous was also heavily touched up before its release. Along with KISS Alive!, Frampton Comes Alive, UFO's Strangers in the Night, Judas Priest Unleashed in the East and Cheap Trick At Budokan, Live & Dangerous is one of those 70s live albums considered to be one of the best, despite its un-live qualities.
So it's very cool that on March 2, 2009, the band will release Still Dangerous, a live album recorded on the same tour as Live & Dangerous, but without any edits or touch ups. According to MelodicRock.com, the album features tracks that never made the Live & Dangerous release and all cuts are previously unreleased:
The recordings were discovered by accident in an overlooked band lockup - a happy accident for Thin Lizzy fans and music fans in general as it is set to become an essential addition to the legacy of one of rocks greatest ever acts. The album is fully endorsed by Phil Lynott's estate and the band. “Still Dangerous” is the first release on the Thin Lizzy Productions label (distributed by Proper Music Distribution). An audio sample is here.
Now the big question. Will KISS release an unedited version of an Alive! era concert? KISS has released a number of live concerts on DVD from that era and they are riddled with untouched moments but nothing on CD yet. But I am sure once Simmons comes to his senses, they will start a Dead-style "Dick's Picks" live KISS bootleg series to rake in more cash!
What are some other kick-ass live albums you enjoy?
5 comments:
Maiden's "Live After Death" of course.
"Exit...Stage Left" and "Song Remains the Same" both bring back fond memories (but both mixes are legendary in their lousiness).
Good call on "Exit."
I once took my daughter and her friends to see Milli Vanilli and later found out they were lip-syncing.
Yes, it almost begs the question, Will the Strangers release a Concert on CD?
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