That's not true at all. If you read the book that came with that compilation, they performed that live and recorded it. They did it to freak out the crowd by feeding back the applause at them from the stage. They've been a very experimental band from the get go, and if they say something is a "song", I'm with them.

I think I'd take Chris Lawrence's word for it in this situation...

from the "an anthology of noise & electronic music/first a-chronology 1921-2001" comp. on sub rosa:

Audience (1983) 6:00
this is a previously unreleased piece found for us in Sonic Youth's archives by Lee Ranaldo. "Audience" is typically Cagian - in the sense that, at the end of a robustly noise-oriented concert (this was the period of "Confusion is Sex" and "Kill yr Idols"), the microphones were turned towards the audience and the musicians modified the sound that came back to them. This piece, characteristic of the spontaneous sound experimentations of the early 1980's, was recorded in Berlin at the Loft in 1983 (and re-created at Echo Canyon, New York, in 2001

Thank you! I don't have the cd book at home, but that proves what I was saying nicely. The sound was manipulated live on stage, and it certainly implies that it probably happened more than once. I will give that the word "re-created" is curious, though it would only follow they'd need to clean up a 1983, probably cassette, recording.

:eek: i would be shocked if cobain would be still there and bring a new album out, with clubsounds techno handclaps synthi drums that wouldn´t be rock´n roll anymore!why should i learn an instrument?i make it on my computer computer waves beats and so on is a part of the very commerical stuff like i don´t know eminem or any teenie girly who can´t play any instrument or hip hop.rock is instrumental you can´t do it on a damm computer.without any passion any power just but some soundfiles together and that´s it. when i take a look (when) at the charts there are no real musicans.no bands like sonic youth pixies or whatever.and i am very glad to have rather ripped. i might say one of the best records ever.the significant oppositte to techno and that stuff
in the way sonic youth use synthi or soundelemends on rather ripped (like neutral if this is the right name)it´s really ok.as a very small element that throws you in the song.but it did´nt make the song


ok there are many good synthi songs like romantic closet (trainspotting) but this is a different kind of music for a differnt kind of artists iggy pop on blah blah that was blah blah ...sorry for that post

i think this refers to when people record a live performance by connecting their mini-disc recorder up to the sound board

I think the phrasing is ambiguous at best. "the microphones were turned towards the audience and the musicians modified the sound that came back to them. This piece, characteristic of the spontaneous sound experimentations of the early 1980's, was recorded in Berlin at the Loft in 1983 (and re-created at Echo Canyon, New York, in 2001)

My impression was always that they just took audience tapes and did the modification/manipulation at Echo Canyon. If it was actually done live on the fly in front of the crowd as you suggest, that's pretty cool -- but I don't think the notes make that 100% clear. A tape of the show is circulating and you'd think it would be apparent. Can anybody confirm?

Someone should post the 'Audience' track, I doubt many people have heard it...

...

not to be crass, but what the fuck are you talking about?

well Kraftwerk have been doing it for over 30 years, its hardly a new wave!

It does sound as if it was cleaned up at Echo Canyon, but every time I read the rest it sounds to me like they were doing it live. I could bold the part that makes my version sound right, but that would prove nothing more either. You are right that a live tape of the whole show would be the best way to know for sure. I'd sure as hell like to hear the whole show regardless.

I saw them during the Ghosts and Flowers tour doing side2side...

Kim's spoken words and phrases from that song were pre-recorded and played back through the speakers in stereo, alternating from stage left to stage right (at first I was thinking it was a kinda lame too-literal interpretation of "side to side" but I was way wrong...lol. As the song slowly built in intensity, the "vocals" kept a nice back and forth ambience, it actually became quite "hypnotic" in a way, as does much of their stuff live, eh?)

Interesting. As long as musicians aren't using recording technology live to sound as much like their hit record as possible, I have no issue with it whatsoever. This is the 21st Century and recording tech has been a viable live musical instrument since the beginnings of the 20th with the Futurists. As long as artists give us something we can't get at home, it'll be worth seeing them in person.

hmm, i always thought (and still think) the modification was done afterwards too... but listen for yourself everyone:
http://download.yousendit.com/941941694F1A656E

i felt exactly the same as peterpuff when first seeing side2side live.

i don't know. just as much as it sounds like it could be live, it could've been done later.

i still think they did it live, though.

Somehow off-topic but James Blonde got to thinking - what is the longest musical piece SY has performed live? That Cage piece from "goodbye..." tour?

Koncertas Stan Brakhage Prisiminimui, I guess...