What live versions can't beat the studio recording?

[Oregoropa]

Here is a list for me

A Sort of Homecoming
Pride
ISHFWILF
Desire
Lemon
Every Breaking Wave



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[bobsaget77]

Acrobat
Red Hill Mining Town


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[zoopop]

NLOTH (Title Track, though I enjoy the live version)
Magnificent
Pride (IE Tour sounds great though)
If God Will Send His Angels (Only played once but fell short)
Do You Feel Loved
Sort of A Homecoming
Zooropa
Babyface

 

[popacrobat]

Numb should be on everybody's short list.

 

[zoopop]

Numb should be on everybody's short list.

Agree

 

[Oregoropa]

Do You Feel Loved for sure

Mofo is the exact opposite. Sounds 10 times better live


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[Peterrrrr]

Pride
Lemon
IYWTVD
One
NLOTH
Magnificent
MOTD
Numb

 

[bobsaget77]

Pride
ASOH
Sweetest Thing
Discotheque
Wire
Stuck In A Moment
NLOTH
Mothers of the Disappeared


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[Catman]

First thought was Magnificent... I dunno, it just doesn't pack the same punch as on the album; sounds a little soft around the edges (haven't heard the performance this tour, though).

 

[BVS]

Wanderer


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[dan_smee]

Acrobat, Heartland, Red Hill Mining Town, Big Girls Are Best.


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[dan_smee]

Acrobat, Heartland, Red Hill Mining Town, Big Girls Are Best.


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Agh! Damned phone



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[cobl04]

Bad.

And yes, I am completely serious.

 

[dan_smee]

Bad.

And yes, I am completely serious.

I love to geek out on Bad when it shows up, but I have to say, I am 90% with you on this one. Save for three or four mind blowing renditions, Bad can also be a bit sludgy live.


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[cobl04]

I'm more talking about the music. The studio version's main musical component is the guitar, with the sequencer underneath. The live version's main musical component is the sequencer. I prefer the guitar. Both are absolutely transcendent, but I almost consider them different songs. I love both, but musically I prefer the studio version.

 

[bobsaget77]

I love to geek out on Bad when it shows up, but I have to say, I am 90% with you on this one. Save for three or four mind blowing renditions, Bad can also be a bit sludgy live.


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[kabigon]

Still Haven't Found
Sweetest Thing
Numb
Beautiful Day (I wish the live version hit "What you don't have you don't need it now" a bit harder)
Mercy

maybe Pride

 

[Montrose]

Mysterious Ways.

I've yet to hear a live version that achieves the same lift-off as the album. I've heard great live versions, sluggish live versions, but the album wins for me. If there is a live one that's awesome, I'd like a link.. Could be I just haven't listened to enough of them.


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[kabigon]

I'd favour pretty much any live version of Mysterious Ways over studio up until the end of the Vertigo tour.

 

[djerdap]

I will never, ever get that somebody would prefer the original Mysterious Ways over the live versions up until the Vertigo tour. ZooTV Dublin version is perfection. The slide solo, the additional verses and the riff in the last part of the song are essential to the song.

The studio version sounds like a demo to me in comparison.

As for studio recordings that are better:

Pride
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For (with the exception of the Rotterdam 1993-05-11 version)
The First Time
If God Will Send His Angels
Wake Up Dead Man

 

[trainmaniac]

Crystal Ballroom
The Troubles
Magnificent
Staring at the Sun
Zooropa
Numb
Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
Bad
Pride

 

[thavidesco]

Every Breaking Wave

 

[mikal]

Mofo
If You Wear That Velvet Dress
Yahweh
Zooropa
Numb
Electrical Storm
NLOTH
MOS
Mercy
California
With Or Without You
Pride
Wire
Rejoice

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[elevated_u2_fan]

Running To Stand Still on its own I find to be superior on the album, it already has a live feel that I'm not sure they can ever recapture. The combo with Streets on Zoo TV is amazing but if the songs did not lead into each other in such a perfect manner I'm not sure how much I would enjoy the latter.

 

[Babydoll]

First thought was Magnificent... I dunno, it just doesn't pack the same punch as on the album; sounds a little soft around the edges (haven't heard the performance this tour, though).

I respectfully disagree.

It rocked my socks off in Amsterdam.

 

[Kieran McConville]

(doublepost, due to fucking useless forum software)

 

[Kieran McConville]

Nearly all Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby material improved, in some cases massively, live. But there are the odd songs that just have that something in studio... I don't like thinking of U2 as a band where every album is just a bunch of demos (they might think of themselves that way, and it's a shame). With most bands/artists I like, the album version of whatever is more or less the definitive version. Most folks aren't that great live. But U2, yeah ok.

I think Stay, album version, is the definitive version. Never heard them really nail it live. Ditto Wake Up Dead Man. Ditto The Unforgettable Fire. Some might be surprised to hear it, but ditto also In A Little While. That one is a perfect little bit of lightning in a bottle on the album, for what it is. Never worked live. Lemon or Numb I'm on the fence about as they really did do good work with them during the latter Zootv era, but I'd have to call the album version of the former pretty much untouchable.

 

[djerdap]

The Dublin 1993 version of Stay is the definitive one as far as I'm concerned.

 

[elevated_u2_fan]

The Dublin 1993 version of Stay is the definitive one as far as I'm concerned.

It was a fine thing writing some songs and putting out a record while your still on tour but its another thing trying to play the fucking things...

 

[Galeongirl]

Just sayin', if anyone here dares to say Streets they should be insta-banned.