For some bands, especially in the 1960s and 1970s, a contract may have required 3–4 records, and the hastily released live album was often done to appease the label's contractual agreements and allow the band and label to move on from each other.
Thanks for this... I remember Poi Dog Pondering well enough, including in concert where they were always good fun,and will see if this live album revives my interest in them. My recollection is that they were a difficult band to pigeonhole or categorize and as such it was no great surprise that COlumbia could not sell sufficient albums - though these were the days when majors at least gave it a decent try, with somewhat long-term investment. I do feel the need to point out that grunge really did not happen until 1992, after the initial impact of 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' and Nevermind led to the mass marketing of the sound. That may have proved a death knell for PDP with a major and explain the failure of their third album, but their first two - and I remember their release - came out in an entirely different market. Cheers!
Yeah... live albums are real hit or miss. This gets even more confused by the marketing campaigns by the record companies. I remember, "The Song Remains the Same" by Led Zepplin. It's a pretty average concert for that band actually. Nothing bad, but nothing great either. They'd had better. But career wise they'd (meaning Jimmy Page) decided it was the right moment for a live album and movie. And this particular concert had been filmed and had a good synced audio track. As an added bonus, Page's guitar playing was at its Zep best. So they settled on this one and built a movie around it. Zep being one if the biggest bands in the world at the time, it became a sub-cultural touchstone for a particular cohort of people. Mostly those between 14-24 or thereabouts, give or take... but looking back on it as I watch it today, it is a pretty average spectacle. Just as listening to old Kiss records now sounds like listening to a good garage band. Ahhh... the wisdom that comes with age and experience is a two edged sword.
For some bands, especially in the 1960s and 1970s, a contract may have required 3–4 records, and the hastily released live album was often done to appease the label's contractual agreements and allow the band and label to move on from each other.
Thanks for this... I remember Poi Dog Pondering well enough, including in concert where they were always good fun,and will see if this live album revives my interest in them. My recollection is that they were a difficult band to pigeonhole or categorize and as such it was no great surprise that COlumbia could not sell sufficient albums - though these were the days when majors at least gave it a decent try, with somewhat long-term investment. I do feel the need to point out that grunge really did not happen until 1992, after the initial impact of 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' and Nevermind led to the mass marketing of the sound. That may have proved a death knell for PDP with a major and explain the failure of their third album, but their first two - and I remember their release - came out in an entirely different market. Cheers!
Yeah... live albums are real hit or miss. This gets even more confused by the marketing campaigns by the record companies. I remember, "The Song Remains the Same" by Led Zepplin. It's a pretty average concert for that band actually. Nothing bad, but nothing great either. They'd had better. But career wise they'd (meaning Jimmy Page) decided it was the right moment for a live album and movie. And this particular concert had been filmed and had a good synced audio track. As an added bonus, Page's guitar playing was at its Zep best. So they settled on this one and built a movie around it. Zep being one if the biggest bands in the world at the time, it became a sub-cultural touchstone for a particular cohort of people. Mostly those between 14-24 or thereabouts, give or take... but looking back on it as I watch it today, it is a pretty average spectacle. Just as listening to old Kiss records now sounds like listening to a good garage band. Ahhh... the wisdom that comes with age and experience is a two edged sword.