3 Classic Songs That Are Best Known for Their Live Versions

In the long history of music, the recorded era is relatively short.

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The earliest recordings captured live performances. However, artists like The Beatles and The Beach Boys later transformed the studio into a tool of expansion and perfection. Multiple takes, multitrack recorders, and studio effects created hi-fi versions of songs.

Next, moving from tape machines to digital recorders and computers has offered musicians endless possibilities. But it also creates a kind of paralysis of perfection. You can fix anything. An errant note, pitch correction for singers, or swap out the drummer’s snare drum for one better suited to the mix.

Sometimes, it’s better when the band can’t fix it. You have one shot to get it right. On good nights, you experience a flow state. The state of mind where you’re not self-conscious. It’s the letting go every creative person aims for.

So, here are three classic songs that are best known for their live versions. Some of these were first released on studio LPs. But those studio originals prove that “perfect” isn’t always better.

“Do You Feel Like We Do” by Peter Frampton from Frampton Comes Alive! (1976)

Listening to the original 1973 studio version, “Do You Feel Like We Do,” sounds sluggish compared to its live cousin. Over a sprawling (nearly) 14 minutes, Frampton’s surprise concert anthem also features his iconic talk-box guitar break. But before the talk box, Bob Mayo shreds an electric piano solo. Frampton then changes the “I” to “we” in the title’s question. He takes a guitar solo. It’s rock and roll’s version of the vocoder. Cosmic, distant. Frampton dials in with blues licks and a Gibson Les Paul Custom. Judging by the crowd’s reaction, the answer to his question is undoubtedly yes.

“Turn the Page” by Bob Seger from ‘Live’ Bullet (1976)

This road anthem first arrived on Bob Seger’s sixth album Back in ’72. But the live version with the Silver Bullet Band, recorded at Cobo Hall in Detroit, remains the definitive one. Probably as it should be, considering “Turn the Page” describes the trudging reality of a touring rock band. Metallica’s 1998 remake adds some heavy metal muscle to the track, but no one sings it quite like Seger.

“Crossroads” by Cream from Wheels of Fire (1968)

Eric Clapton’s arrangement of Robert Johnson’s standard became a touchstone of the 1960s British blues revivalists. Johnson’s “Cross Road Blues” had been a part of Clapton’s repertoire since 1966. But with Cream, “Slowhand” transformed Johnson’s acoustic Delta blues into a sped-up shuffle. The fuzzy riff has inspired countless guitarists, including John Mayer and Joe Bonamassa. Furthermore, the live recording is so perfectly ferocious that any studio tinkering would certainly ruin it.

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