# Songs where the live version is sooo much better than the studio version **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 15, 2013, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-where-the-live-version-is-sooo-much-better-than-the-studio-version/650434 "2013-02-15T20:54:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2013, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-where-the-live-version-is-sooo-much-better-than-the-studio-version/650434/21 "2013-02-16T00:37:44Z")
Didn’t Frampton’s studio takes do poorly before they were re-released on _Frampton Comes Alive_ (one of the biggest selling albums of all time, for you kidz)? ---
**Author:** ![typoink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2013, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-where-the-live-version-is-sooo-much-better-than-the-studio-version/650434/22 "2013-02-16T00:44:03Z")
A local radio station was playing the BoDeans’ “Still the Night” recently. Catchy song. I listened to the album recently, and was confused why it wasn’t nearly so catchy and energetic. Next time I heard it on the radio, I realized it was live. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2013, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-where-the-live-version-is-sooo-much-better-than-the-studio-version/650434/23 "2013-02-16T00:56:29Z")
I’ll probably get booed out of here mentioning such pop but… Kelly Clarkson’s “Beautiful Disaster (Live)” is hardly even the same song as the album version. The album version is an absolutely pathetic piece of pop drivel that was completely forgettable and never made into a single or anything. Her Live version is an extremely emotional, perfectly and powerfully sung ballad about… well it’s complex and I don’t even know if I can say what it’s really about, but it’s certainly one of her best songs ever. I always wondered who made the decision to take the backtrack away, allow someone to play a soft piano melody to go along with her vocals, and sing it in a completely different tempo and in a completely different range. Simply amazing, though. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2013, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-where-the-live-version-is-sooo-much-better-than-the-studio-version/650434/24 "2013-02-16T01:07:14Z")
I prefer most of the versions of songs on AC/DC Live to the ones from the studio albums. Especially Highway to Hell (I’m sure some die hard Bon Scott fans just had a heart attack reading that, sorry). ---
**Author:** ![James\_Otto\_Sweet\_Heart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ac8455/32.png) [@James\_Otto\_Sweet\_Heart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/James_Otto_Sweet_Heart)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2013, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-where-the-live-version-is-sooo-much-better-than-the-studio-version/650434/25 "2013-02-16T01:46:49Z")
Go [here](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgIqVAmQAn8) for album copy of “Never Say Good Bye” from my most favorite singer James Otto and [here](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwkXd0waavg) to listen to him sing it live. 🙂 🙂 🙂 God bless you and him always!!! 🙂 🙂 🙂 Holly ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2013, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-where-the-live-version-is-sooo-much-better-than-the-studio-version/650434/26 "2013-02-16T02:20:16Z")
Rock and Roll All Nite - Kiss. Yeah, I’m ancient. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2013, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-where-the-live-version-is-sooo-much-better-than-the-studio-version/650434/27 "2013-02-16T02:31:56Z")
_Tommy_ is a completely different animal onstage than what you hear on the studio version. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2013, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-where-the-live-version-is-sooo-much-better-than-the-studio-version/650434/28 "2013-02-16T02:33:16Z")
Oooo, just thought of another one: Roadhouse Blues - Doors ---
**Author:** ![Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aji_de_gallina/32/260_2.png) [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aji_de_Gallina)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2013, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-where-the-live-version-is-sooo-much-better-than-the-studio-version/650434/29 "2013-02-16T03:05:13Z")
New Year’s Day - U2 …at the least the version on Under a Blood Red Sky. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2013, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-where-the-live-version-is-sooo-much-better-than-the-studio-version/650434/30 "2013-02-16T03:16:33Z")
Allman Brothers: _In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed_ (Fillmore Album) Jefferson Airplane: _Plastic Fantastic Lover_ (Bless Its Pointed Little Head) ---
**Author:** ![Oedipus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Oedipus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oedipus)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2013, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-where-the-live-version-is-sooo-much-better-than-the-studio-version/650434/31 "2013-02-16T03:28:01Z")
i tell ya what…Red Hot Chili Peppers is just one of those bands where EVERY song is absolutely amazing live. They have such energy about them that they feed off each other, like they live to perform these songs live and studio work is a formality. That said, their cover of Hendrix’s Fire at Woodstock '99 is outstanding and there’s just something special about it…maybe it’s Flea’s dong? [rhcp -fire(woodstock 99) - YouTube](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSUjTXSVgjA) ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2013, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-where-the-live-version-is-sooo-much-better-than-the-studio-version/650434/32 "2013-02-16T03:37:21Z")
> [@Baal\_Houtham](#): > > There’s a reason that “Legend” contains a live version of _No Woman No Cry_, rather than using the version from “Natty Dread”. > > I haven’t heard the live version, but _Last Ride_ was my favorite song on “Todd”, so it might not be magnificent but it wasn’t a toss-off. Here is a version close to the Back to the Bars version. I highly recommend picking that album up. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/BGKl8g8tBp8/hqdefault.jpg "Todd Rundgren with Utopia - The Last Ride") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGKl8g8tBp8) ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2013, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-where-the-live-version-is-sooo-much-better-than-the-studio-version/650434/33 "2013-02-16T04:24:47Z")
I always liked the live version of Eric Clapton’s _Cocaine_ much better than the studio version. The guitar solo is better, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![SykoSkotty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c0e974/32.png) [@SykoSkotty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SykoSkotty)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2013, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-where-the-live-version-is-sooo-much-better-than-the-studio-version/650434/34 "2013-02-16T04:32:12Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Rock and Roll All Nite - Kiss. Yeah, I’m ancient. This - along with every track from the KISS Alive! record - all the songs sound better live than the studio cuts. Firehouse, Strutter, Black Diamond, She, Parasite, Deuce…on and on and on. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2013, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-where-the-live-version-is-sooo-much-better-than-the-studio-version/650434/35 "2013-02-16T04:46:35Z")
No mention of Joy Division? I typically am not a fan of live recordings. I _love_ seeing the shows, but the live recordings leave me wanting something. That said, almost anything I’ve heard by Joy Division has sounded so much more impressive to me in the live version. [Transmission](http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=6ZwMs2fLoVE) is a perfect example. ---
**Author:** ![nachtmusick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ac91a4/32.png) [@nachtmusick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nachtmusick)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2013, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-where-the-live-version-is-sooo-much-better-than-the-studio-version/650434/36 "2013-02-16T05:00:59Z")
I’m not sure I have ever heard the studio version of Bruce’s “Rosalita”. I don’t think I want to. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2013, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-where-the-live-version-is-sooo-much-better-than-the-studio-version/650434/37 "2013-02-16T05:25:06Z")
I prefer the live version of Rush’s “Marathon” on A Show of Hands much much more than the studio version. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2013, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-where-the-live-version-is-sooo-much-better-than-the-studio-version/650434/38 "2013-02-16T05:29:29Z")
U2’s Bad (Live) off _Wide Awake in America_ is my favorite song in the universe. Much better than the slower studio version on _The Unforgettable Fire_. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2013, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-where-the-live-version-is-sooo-much-better-than-the-studio-version/650434/39 "2013-02-16T05:45:05Z")
I never like \*Hotel California \*until I heard the live version on _Hell Freezes Over_. Pretty much the entire acoustic part of _Live Across the Wire_ is better than any studio version of the songs (Counting Crows). I was at the concert, too, and was really blown away. And of course Dave Matthews has untold number of great live versions of his songs. The one that I always think of is the opening song, _Seek UP_, which runs longer than 13:00 on _Live at Red Rocks_. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2013, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-where-the-live-version-is-sooo-much-better-than-the-studio-version/650434/40 "2013-02-16T06:10:40Z")
> [@NitroPress](#): > > Didn’t Frampton’s studio takes do poorly before they were re-released on _Frampton Comes Alive_ (one of the biggest selling albums of all time, for you kidz)? I bought a compilation CD of Peter Frampton songs. It was a big disappointment when I played “Show Me the Way,” and I discovered that it wasn’t the live version. I don’t think I’ve listened to that CD in years. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-where-the-live-version-is-sooo-much-better-than-the-studio-version/650434.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-where-the-live-version-is-sooo-much-better-than-the-studio-version/650434.md?page=3)