Lives vs. Albums

[fluffiethesock]

Mmmm, that is a beautiful one. And the video is actually one of my favorites.

[Joe-Chan]

Originally Posted by justriiingo

The best thing about being an SR/TJ fan is that there are always new arrangements of familiar songs to look forward to, lot of which actually are radically different from the original versions.

My one definitive favourite song (among many) is Kurumaya-san. It's not a TJ original, but their interpretation of it is pure gold. (Do you even realise it's one of the rare SR/TJ songs that's actually... groovy?) Plus, Shiina making love to the pianica... need I say more .

Agreed on both points xD It's so much more exciting if you go to a concert not knowing how they'll play your favorite song. And Kurumaya-san is wonderful. I love how she plays that Pianica~ I also liked If You Can Touch It. I've always thought of Hirama's solo version as... just a tad bit boring.

[justriiingo]

Kurumaya-san doesn't get as much love and attention as it should, and that makes me sad. If you look at the "Make your SR/TJ best 15" thread I'm maybe the only person who included Kurumaya-san in the list. And then a song like Superstar *yaaawwn* gets more attention. It's a hopeless case. I'm glad you love it too.

[frecklegirl]

hell yeah, Kurumaya-san! Kokoro is also under-appreciated, I think.

[freshevryday]

I like shiina's live performances better, especially when i get to see the video. i also think there has been a sort of a trade off. shiina's earlier performances were more entertaining to watch but not as great to listen to. Her new stuff sound much better but it can be boring to watch. no more jumping around ㅠ_ㅠ

[ChickShhh]

let me see: Dynamite Out!

Live Wins
Album Wins

Ringo no Uta
Jusui Negai
Sounan
Dynamite
Kokode Kiss Shite
Kao
If you can touch it
Bokoku Jousho
Kurumaya-San
Tsuki ni Makeinu
Onaji Yoru
Genjitsu ni Ote
Genjitsu wo Warau
I'm gonna knock on your door
Superstar
Toumei Ningen
Ekimae
Sigma-Crawl
Marunouchi Sadistic
The Lady is a Tramp
Omatsuri Sawagi
Service
Gunjou Biyori
Kokoro
Yume no Ato

[HEDOfloe]

I actually prefer all the studio versions just because of the sound quality and the fact that there are little things that you get in the studio version that you don't get in lives (like their clapping). As far as arrangements go, I usually prefer the studio ver. also, or just like them equally. There are things that they just make sound different on live without really changing the arrangement which is why I prefer the studio versions. For example, Hirama's intro in Sounan. I adore that intro in the studio version, it sounds so cool, but in live it doesn't sound the same, it just sounds good. It's little things like that which make me prefer the album version of the songs.

[fluffiethesock]

I can rarely get past the echoey sound of live stuff. Or any noise that the audience makes. I can never listen to a live version of a song and be perfectly content.

I think Tokyo Jihen (maybe Muse too) is the only band I've ever actually enjoyed live at all, but I still definitely prefer listening to their albums more. I don't enjoy most of Dynamite Out, and I can't really watch any of Shiina Ringo's solo concerts without missing the current band. So basically, Just Can't Help It and parts of Domestic! Virgin Line and Dynamite Out are pleasing to my ears, but that's about it. I guess JCHI is my favorite because it's based from my favorite album... and compared to DVL, most of the performances are much stronger.

[Tokyo Jihad]

Did anyone see the movie School of Rock with Jack Black? Whenever I'm on this board, I always feel the need to say something in the vein of his character in the movie.

The thing about why sometimes live performances are superior to the studio takes is that the live renditions sometimes have more power, more oomph, more emotion. In the studio, everything is clean, sterile, "perfect." But live, the band is all there, playing to eachother, the instruments bleeding into another, feeding of other band member's, or the crowd's energy. Rocks not about being perfect. Oh sure the solo in Gunjo might sound better on record than it did in DO, but frankly I don't understand how Chickshh thinks the studio take is better. There's so much "everything" in the live performance. You can feel the band playing together. That's why, at least I, praise smething like Dynamite Out so heavily. The emotion, the power, the repoire of the band remarkable, even if the songs I don't necessarily like so much (Service, Gomatsuri) were sold well and songs that were pretty weak in the studio (Jyusui Negai, Crawl) were made infinitely better.

(Granted, i'm not saying this is the case for every live performance. JCHI was by far and away inferior to Adult. Just saying there are indeed instances where thelive is favorable, and I do thinkthe reason JCHI does falter is due to the lack of emotion and repoire that made DO such a success (even if cult now))

Kokoro, I think, is the sole song to be weaker in DO. Rakujitsu is the sole song to be improved in JCHI (tho why does it sound like Shiina had a frog in her throat?)

[HEDOfloe]

Originally Posted by fluffiethesock

I can rarely get past the echoey sound of live stuff. Or any noise that the audience makes. I can never listen to a live version of a song and be perfectly content.

and compared to DVL, most of the performances are much stronger.

Originally Posted by Tokyo Jihad

The thing about why sometimes live performances are superior to the studio takes is that the live renditions sometimes have more power, more oomph, more emotion. In the studio, everything is clean, sterile, "perfect." But live, the band is all there, playing to eachother, the instruments bleeding into another, feeding of other band member's, or the crowd's energy. Rocks not about being perfect. Oh sure the solo in Gunjo might sound better on record than it did in DO, but frankly I don't understand how Chickshh thinks the studio take is better. There's so much "everything" in the live performance. You can feel the band playing together. That's why, at least I, praise smething like Dynamite Out so heavily. The emotion, the power, the repoire of the band remarkable, even if the songs I don't necessarily like so much (Service, Gomatsuri) were sold well and songs that were pretty weak in the studio (Jyusui Negai, Crawl) were made infinitely better.

I totally get what you're saying Jihad, that's what I love the most about lives, just the energy. It's so entertaining to listen to, when the crowd goes wild and the band is playing such powerful music, it's amazing. But, I do prefer the solo's to be perfect as they are in the recordings because I fell in love with the songs from recordings first and there are parts that I'd prefer if they sounded just like the recordings, like the Sounan intro. The thing that I appreciate the most about their lives is new arrangements. But in regards to exact or similar arrangements to the recordings, I'd rather hear the recording in that case.

Also, speaking of DVL, I think I would have been a bit disappointed if I went to that concert. I love the new arrangements, but if I get one chance to seem them live and they completely change most of the songs, I don't know how I'd feel. I guess since I really like them its ok, and they kept some with similar arrangements to the studio, but they were pretty relaxed songs and I'd probably want that rock in your face like they originally were (see Gunjou Biyori).