Live albums created some of pop's defining moments, from Johnny Cash's legendary prison concerts to "Frampton Comes Alive." Now, the impact of live albums is waning in the YouTube era. In another Soundcheck Smackdown, we debate whether the live album is worth saving. Plus: the artist known as Doveman sends up a hit film soundtrack of the 1980s.
Guests:
DovemanLive Albums on Life Support
Back in the swingin’ ‘70s, Peter Frampton won his fanbase on the strength of "Frampton Comes Alive." Today's concert recordings and DVDs don’t pack the same punch -- they often round out "deluxe editions" and pad record contracts. In another Soundcheck Smackdown, we debate the live album format with writer ...
'Footloose' and a Favor
Thomas Bartlett has been a trusty sideman to many major New York artists, including David Byrne, Antony and the Johnsons, Yoko Ono and the National. He's earned acclaim for solo work released under the moniker Doveman. So why on earth would a 26-year-old rising star spend weeks overhauling the cheesy ...
Musical Performance In the Stone Age
New research shows that music may have played an integral part of the enjoyment of pre-historic cave paintings. A French archaeologist, using his voice to vocalize, found that the areas with the densest concentration of paintings were also the most acoustically resonant parts of the caves. Jennifer Viega of Discovery ...
Debating the Appeal of Live Albums
So I’m trying to figure out just what I think of live albums. My initial reaction is: not much. At least, not in rock music. If you like an artist or band enough to go see them live, odds are the recording of that very same event just won’t live ...