Bands that sound much heavier live?

My picks: King Crimson, Uriah Heep, Budgie, ELP, Bad Company.

 

The Who's Live At Leeds was certainly heavier-sounding than any of their previous studio albums.

 

Most of them.

what band doesn't sound heavier live?

 

Interesting call on Bad Co OP, I think you're right about them. They mastered the art of making radio friendly hard rock tunes (that still kick), but live you can hear a lot more of the Free legacy... raw blues rock influenced by the heavy music scene late 60s/early 70s UK. Also Paul played some guitar in the early days but once he stopped doing that live sometimes the best way to fill it up is to turn it up

What a band! Big fan here.

 

Meat Puppets

 

The Magic Numbers - remember seeing and hearing them for the first time in a tent at T In The Park, they really rocked. Was a a bit disappointed when I purchased the album, still good songs but they seemed really weak and weedy in comparison to hearing them full blast live.

 

Mission of Burma from what I've heard of their live stuff.

 

Certainly R.E.M. in the early days. At times, the songs were barely recognizable from the LPs: shorn of all the acoustic guitars, any studio effects and played at a faster tempo.

 

The amazing Steve Marriott!!

 

Mercury Rev

 

Cheap Trick

 

Some gear fetishist stoner doom bands. They have all the time in the world to tinker in the studio and come up with this ridiculously compressed layered sound on their albums, then live they're wimpy/messy. I won't name names...

But yeah, generally the studio sterilizes bands and makes them less heavy.

 

Minor Threat and The Necros both sounded WAY heavier, way more powerful live when I got to see them; not surprising since any good band sounds heavier live, but because their records were recorded so poorly.

Link Wray in '97 made all his classic records sound like they were recorded by tin wire, that sort of thing, with how powerful he was live.

Van Halen, I couldn't believe how Eddie's playing was live - makes the records sound like nothing as well.

The Dictators also blew away their records, particularly the first one, I mean Weekend live was glorious; on record it's just a joke, and fun, but....

and AC/DC is so much heavier loud it can't be put into words.
I guess none of these can...

 

Wings.

 

never got that impression myself

 

I get the faster thing, but I agree that their live sound was not in any way heavy in the early days. But I do think they did sound heavier live in the Document/Green era.

 

Queen

 

The Move. Some of the raw live tracks off the Something Else EP before overdubs are just brutal (e.g. their cover of Eddie Cochran's Something Else). Can be found on the Anthology box set.

 

I would not call Stereolab "heavy"--that would be silly--but live they definitely kept more of that guitar-based motorik drive even after their records went in a more synth-based pop direction.

 

The Ventures. Listen to Live In Japan 1965. That ish is RAW.

 

Status Quo

 

Cowboy Junkies

 

The Cream, of course.

 

Ween

 

The Monkees. Check out Live '67.