Five years from now, there will probably be a group of music listeners who’ve never bothered to purchase a live album, and probably won’t understand why anyone would (like “there was a world before there was an internet.”
The old fogey of Blerd Radio (Mike Joseph, Dr. Z and Michael Parr) remember live albums well. So well, in fact, that they spend an hour (roughly) talking about them.
In this latest edition of Blerd Radio, the panel discusses the following:
-The first episode of Blerd Radio actually recorded in 2016, the gang discusses their (relatively adult) New Year’s evenings…well, relatively adult till the vomit shows up.
-The subtle difference between a “live album” and a “concert recording”.
-Blerd Radio Gets Jazzy! The discussion starts back in the pre-rock era, when live albums were commonplace, as large parts of the music buying audience had no way to see or hear their favorite artist live.
-One topic that weaves its way throughout the podcast is the modern era’s dependence on visual spectacle, and how that (combined with easily accessible live video) has contributed to the downfall of the live album.
-How many careers were started via live albums? We think of two: one of them spits fire and has a member with a ridiculously long tongue. The other is Cheap Trick.
-Have any major artists gone their entire career without releasing a live record? The answer may stick you.
-Guess what? Blerd Radio is looking for interns? Actually, they’re not, but a search for a trivia answer leads the panel to consider the idea.
-What are each panelist’s favorite live albums? In an eerie bit of timing, David Bowie’s “David Live” is mentioned and saluted, even though the rock icon hadn’t passed when the episode was recorded.
You can listen to this podcast in the player below. Other options are:
–Stream the podcast from Liberated Syndication (includes access to all other Blerd Radio & Constant Conversations podcasts) or download it directly to your computer.
–Subscribe to Blerd Radio on iTunes. Tim Cook does all the work for you!
1 comment
John says:
Feb 22, 2016
I am WAY behind on these podcasts. One live album that I didn’t hear on the list that I’ve been a fan of is Mary J’s “The Tour,” which did seem to capture the energy of her shows. Having said that, I don’t normally search out live recordings, especially for shows that I’ve already seen. Shows are so spectacle-oriented now that I think you lose the essence of the show in a recording.