Applause: Bummer

If the applause sounds right, there's something wrong with your system. In live recordings, generally the performers are closely miked, with one or two mikes on the stage for ambience perhaps, hardly ever there are mikes over the audience, I would assume. Just my 2 cents...

Dekay, "that guy" is Bryan Ferry.

Dekay, that would be Bryan Ferry. Roxy Music is touring as we speak, BTW. As for live recordings, they vary much like studio recordings do. For the most part, there tends to be more energy conveyed and even the mistakes the musicians make add to the experience. Personally, I prefer live over studio, and having electrostatics that reveal everything, I've learned to ignore the applause (it's usually only prevalent in the opening and closing of the songs anyway).

BMP & Jeff: Yes, it was Ferry, thanks. My CD vendor at the flea market smiled and nodded his head when I asked him if I could exchange it, he apparently felt the same way about this particular recording. In regard to noise (not necessarily audience noise) in recordings, I find that sometimes the music itself and the performance over power the annoyance of such noise. One example of this is the two CD set issued by Pearl of Gershwin Plays Gershwin (I just picked it up yesterday at the flea and compared it to another issue that I have). Lots of pops, cracks and static, but the material and performance is so good that I only notice it at the beginning and at the end of the songs. I used to have a vinyl copy of Louis Armstrong that was transferred over from cylinders/tubes (that preceded flat records, I believe) and the same was true of this album that I used to listen to all the time. I also love live recordings when they are done well, some of which include "Hell" mentioned above, various Cowboy Junkies cuts and Pink Floyd (PF needs to be played rather loud for some reason). My wife will occasionally borrow my cigarette lighter when I am listening to the Pink Floyd CD, stand in the middle of the living room and ignite the lighter over her head (which is her polite way of asking me to turn it down a little).

In response to Sugarbrie, I nominate the applause track from the Stakatto disc from way back (the one with various instruments and, my favorite, the crystal glassware being thrown against the wall). A couple of minutes of a huge ovation--just what you need when you're feeling beaten down at the end of the day!