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Smackdown: 'Live' or Let Die?
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.
Live 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 and musician Simon Hardeman and Idolator.com editor Maura Johnston.
Our Blog: John Schaefer weighs in on the appeal of live albums.
Weigh in: Is the live album worth saving? Is there a live album you particularly love or hate?
Simon Hardeman's UK Independent article on live albums
"YouTube's Newest Title: Killer of the Live Album" (Idolator.com)
'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 film soundtrack from 1984's "Footloose"? Bartlett joins us to explain the true meaning of friendship.
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 News explains.
Jennifer Viegas's blog
In Stone Age Caves, Art and Music Mixed
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Go behind the scenes!
Find out what John Schaefer and the Soundcheck staff have to say about recent segments on the show. Plus, watch videos from in-studio performances.
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Introducing our Video Contest
Soundcheck
John Schaefer gives the lowdown on Soundcheck's music video challenge with the Fiery Furnaces.
In Studio: Angel Deradoorian
Soundcheck
The 22-year-old multi-instrumentalist performs live in our studio.
- Comments [7]
Cucu Diamantes Performs Amor Cronico
Soundcheck
Cucu Diamantes went from a tough childhood in Havana, Cuba, to an art school in Rome to underground New York City, where she co-founded the Latin alternative band Yerba Buena.
- Comments [1]
In Studio: Stephanie McKay
Soundcheck
The local singer-songwriter performs "Jackson Avenue," a nostalgic toast to her childhood in the South Bronx.
- Comments [3]
In Studio: The Decemberists
The Portland, Ore., band's latest album, "The Hazards of Love," is a concept album with a mythological flair. They joined Soundcheck to play live for a studio audience in WNYC's Greene Space.
Sound Off
Soundcheck
Throughout May, Soundcheck presents “Sound Off” a Friday series on the many aspects of noise in music and our lives. The series -- which coincides with “Better Hearing and Speech Month” -- looks at issues like New York’s noisiest neighborhoods, the latest research on iPods and hearing loss, and what happens when noise becomes a musical ingredient.
