One of the primary objectives for a record producer is to make sure all of the songs on an album sound sonically consistent, but some artists choose to do away with this consistency by incorporating a live recording into the otherwise studio-recorded album. Here are eight studio albums that feature a live track.
1. Simon & Garfunkel - Bridge Over Troubled Water (1970)
Simon & Garfunkel's final album Bridge Over Troubled Water features the most sophisticated production of the duo's career, but for the album's penultimate track, they chose to record a cover of the Everly Brothers classic "Bye Bye Love" live at a concert in Iowa.
2. Yes - The Yes Album (1971)
Though Yes is known for its lengthy progressive rock compositions, the band's breakthrough album The Yes Album takes a quick, three-minute detour with "Clap," a live recording of guitarist Steve Howe performing a ragtime-inspired acoustic guitar instrumental.
3 & 4. Neil Young - Harvest/Tonight's The Night (1972/1975)
Neil Young's Harvest is perhaps the slickest album he's ever done in terms of production, and the only track on the album where Young performs unaccompanied is the anti-heroin ballad "The Needle and the Damage Done," which was recorded live in early 1971. Young would again incorporate a live track into one of his albums for 1975's Tonight's The Night, which features a live performance of "Come On Baby Let's Go Downtown," co-written by late Crazy Horse guitarist Danny Whitten.
5. Misfits - Walk Among Us (1982)
Right in the middle of the Misfits' classic debut album Walk Among Us comes one of the band's most famous songs, "Mommy, Can I Go Out and Kill Tonight," which was recorded live at the Ritz in New York, perfectly capturing the band's cacophonous intensity. A studio version was later released as a B-side to the "Die, Die My Darling" single from 1984.
6. Big Black - Atomizer (1986)
After 34 minutes of ear-shredding guitar noise and industrial drum machine beats, Chicago punk band Big Black closes out its debut album Atomizer with a live version of the song "Cables," which was originally recorded for the band's Bulldozer EP from 1983.
7. Beat Happening - Jamboree (1988)
Beat Happening may have been one of the leaders of American twee pop, but they could be pretty abrasive when they wanted to, as shown in the song "The This Many Boyfriends Club," a live recording at the end of the band's 1988 album Jamboree which features nothing but shrieking feedback, some sporadic percussion, and lead vocalist Calvin Johnson singing an off-key nursery-rhyme melody.
8. Johnny Cash - American Recordings (1994)
For his first album in his "American" series with producer Rick Rubin, Johnny Cash recorded most of the songs in his living room with nothing but an acoustic guitar. However, two of the album's tracks were actually recorded live at Johnny Depp's Viper Room nightclub in Los Angeles: "Tennessee Stud" and "The Man Who Couldn't Cry."
What other studio albums feature a live track? Let us know in the comments section!
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