If asked, I will always say "Street Fighting Man" is my favorite Rolling Stones song. But boy, does it stink live.
Does the band play it badly? No. Not at all. They just play it differently, and it never works for me.
That song is also an amazing record. The tone of the acoustic guitar. The snap of Charlie's snare. The maracas on the coda. None of this translates live. In concert, "Street Fighting Man" becomes another Stones rocker, albeit a good one, just not the amazing record found on "Beggars Banquet."
And so, I ask of you, what are your favorite songs that did not translate live? That does not mean the concert sucked. I want to know specifically, songs that you love that left you cold in concert.
16 comments:
I first saw Van Morrison 40 years ago and by that point his band and overall sound had shifted from his 1970’s style. Moondance has become a sort of jazz piece that is nowhere near as satisfying as the album version.
- Paul in DK
Joe Bonamassa's second album So, it's Like That was far less of the hard & heavy blues rock album and more straight sounding rock record to me. In particular I really liked the song Mountain Time. When I saw him live a few ties he often included it in the set, but in a slower more bluesy version. It just didn't hit the same for me. The shows he played back then were pretty enjoyable though.
Led Zeppelin - Black Dog, Stairway
Randy
Most of the stuff Dylan does nowadays
I haven't seen Clapton in many years now but I got very tired of how he reinterpreted most of his catalog (e.g: Layla, Crossroads.)
As for the Stones, I have never liked their live version. Re-arranged in a dopey way that to totally misses the power chordy drone and menace of the guitars on the classic studio version.
Live version of Jumpin Jack Flash. Sorry. 😎
Costello and Clubland. A wonderful record that never seems to gel live until the chorus comes around.
Sturgill Simpson - The Promise
Springsteen - Johnny 99. All the live versions seem ridiculously overblown and lose the chill that makse the nriginal so good.
May 26, 1979 ironically my birthday.
Muddy and Clapton, Portland Maine.
I was there to hear Muddy, a legend who passed 4 years later.
Clapton, in the nadir of his alcoholism took the stage - he opened with the song I love to hate - Cocaine. It was unlistenable, I walked ou
Prior to this I saw Cream & Blind Faith when he was at the height of his skills.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions - Temptation
The Kinks never quite pulled off Come Dancing in concert, IMO.
Top of the Pops,1983 is pretty good
Steely Dan - Reelin' in the Years
I once saw Robyn Hitchcock jump onstage to sing an obviously unrehearsed version of Street Fighting Man with Steve Wynn and the Miracle Three. And Springsteen's cover back in the Born in the USA years wasn't very good either. I think it's just a deceptively hard song to pull off live.
Rob, I'm pretty sure that TOTP performance is lip synced to the record.
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