So whenever Cheap Trick's I Want You to Want Me (the LIVE AT BUDOKAN version naturally) comes up in rotation, I wonder about that bit of crowd participation. In the second section Robin sings "didn't I didn't I didn't I see you crying" and the audience screams 'crying, crying, crying' right in rhythm... It's a great rock and roll moment but is it real? Was there a little audio sweetening involved? (and for that matter so what if there was?)
At my first label job I remember when they were prepping a CD release of a live album by a certain well-known 60's folky, someone who had maintained a relatively pure artistic tradition over the years. And I was shocked, shocked to discover that the audience applause got boosted in the remastering process. Heavens, I thought, if they do it for this singer, is nothing sacred? And the answer of course was, get over it, kid. In some ways live rock albums are inherently artificial documents masquerading as 'real,' so I guess we should sit back and let that crazed Budokan love wash over us...
Comments