Live vs. recorded

Allman bros. live at the Beacon Theatre
the Band "last waltz"
these are not that bad

Aren't most 'live' recordings doctored in the studio after the fact? (well can't do it before eh?).
I have a 'skiffle sessions' cd with Van the Man and Lonnie Donegan that was recorded live, it sounds superb, I do not know if it the real thing warts and all or not.

I much prefer live recordings. The Blu-ray of Tom petty at Soundstage is awesome quality - both video and sound is 10 out of 10.

From my perspective, there are no hard and fast rules governing a live recording. For example, my favourite live album is Renaissance's "Carnegie Hall", which I prefer to all their studio albums. That's not to say I don't like the latter - on the contrary, I love all of them from 1972-77. It is beautifully recorded and sounds fantastic. Conversely, my favourite Grand Funk album is the "Live Album" and that is a sonic train-crash, albeit an exiting one!
I suppose it helps if your brain (and ears) are attuned to the dynamics and soundstage of the concert hall. A recording made on the stage will sound vastly different to that of one made in a studio. There will be differences in tonal quality and of soundstage and quite likely some factors that would otherwise be deemed intrusive - building characteristics and audience participation notwithstanding. A lot of those factors will be seen as a positive boon to those that love the concept of the live recording and studio made performances may be seem stilted and contrived. Of course one needs a system that will reproduce, to the listeners satisfaction, and as far as is possible, the sonic signature of the concert hall.
Personally I like a balance, both of studio and live but also of the different sonic characteristics that are presented. I love both the excitement and immediacy of a live recording just as much as a beautifully crafted studio recording.

I'm with Shadorne - maybe because our musical taste overlaps a fair bit. My favorite rock/pop/funk musicians are types that meticulously craft their songs, but manage to add that rock n' roll edge that suggests that it might all fall apart at any moment (think Richard Thompson to Lindsey Buckingham to Kid Creole). That tension is a real trick to pull off and the studio records only hint at the potential of a live performance where (for one thing) solos are extended and song structures break down.

These bands tend to emphasize the potential for chaos when playing live (relative to their studio recordings). For me, the trade-off in SQ is a small price to pay. But I do agree, the SQ is almost always a bummer.

Marty