10 Songs That Sound Better Live Than On Record

1. The Kinks - Lola

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cli21BtZv3o Onto two more fractious bandmates. Ray and David Davies never shared a particularly harmonious relationship, but together were capable of crafting performances that can rightfully be described as jaw-dropping. Lola has always worked best as a communal singalong, and that is as true today as it was over forty years ago; If you go to any Ray Davies solo gig nowadays, you could quite feasibly see three generations of the same family, eyes clenched, lost in the moment of the song. It's very rare that any two performances of Lola are exactly the same, due to David Davies' tendancy to improvise guitar riffs and lines that are always of an outstanding quality. The above link is to one of the classic performances-the whole song is a lot heavier than on record, and the first roar of 'LOLA' from the crowd as spine-tingling as it always is. That it is from the early 70's is inconsequential- the raw energy of the performance makes it sound like it was recorded about 20 minutes ago. The best live versions of songs reach out to the listener and refuse to let go.The greatest ones lose you within themselves, and transport you to somewhere truly magical. Here were ten of mine, feel to suggest your own.