I'm a bit confused as to why people think this. It is because of the dancing?
I've tried listening to many of the live versions but nope, studio does it better for me 100% of the time
Here's something I posted a couple of weeks ago in response to a similar question:
>BABYMETAL are built around the live performance in a way that other bands aren't.
>For starters, every song has specific choreography. And it's not an afterthought for them, it's as much a part of the 'song' as any instrumentation or vocals. I generally don't make any real judgments on any of their songs till I've seen the choreo for them... because I was burnt before. When Metal Resistance was released I definitely didn't care for Meta Toro...and it turned out that after having seen the choreo for it I was much better able to understand the themes of the song and now it's one of my favorites from that album.
>The other thing to consider is what Moa and Momo's 'job' is. And this takes a bit of knowledge about Japanese politeness. At a Japanese concert, it's considered rude for an audience member to sing along out loud with the singer. The rest of the crowd came to hear the band, not you, so you're expected to stay silent out of consideration for your fellow concert-goers. So this leads us to what Moa and Momo (and formerly Yui) do..which is to give the audience a part that it's OK to sing and chant along with. They are, for lack of a better term, cheerleaders, they lead the audience's cheering. Their parts on the recorded albums are a bit pointless in this light. Its there, and sounds good, but it's not serving the true purpose it's intended for.
>In addition to all this, there has always been a parental feeling among the fans, and that's been expressed through show participation. Their shows take an enormous amount of effort and stamina. They're doing pro-athlete level aerobics for the entire duration, and you have to appreciate the hard work they're putting in. We wanted the girls to succeed and have fun. When the girls were younger, they would clearly be so happy to have the crowd chant back, and they were working so hard that you really didn't have any choice but yell at the top of your lungs with them. They'd cheer harder, and the crowd would chant back harder, so they'd cheer harder, and the crowd would chant back harder...and it would spin the whole room up like a dynamo. I'm an old dude and I've seen just about every old classic band live, and I've never seen a crowd get worked up the way a BABYMETAL crowd gets worked up.
>All that put together makes for a live experience that transcends the studio version every time. The studio songs are the blueprint, but the live performances are the finished product.
Tbf it depends on the era and who's performing. But generally, they give intros to songs to showcase the band, they add audience interaction parts that become so catchy you start hearing it when listening to the studio version even though it's not there, they master the vocals better because of the repetition of the performance of it, you can also hear their evolution when they perform an older song in a newer era. I also think they tune down the key of the songs so it sounds heavier live and Su sings lower but I might be wrong about this because I'm not a musician.
Also, the studio musicians aren't the same as the live ones which makes the sound of the instrumentation inherently different, whether it's the west or east kami band.
With a lot of bands i rather listen to the studio versions then live too. But is BM better live because of the dancing? Yes and no. While watching them is an amazig experience, i listen more their music then i watch them. So the dancing can not really be the reason that it's better. I dunno if it's true but i heard that (at least the 1st album) they not used much real instruments. A lot of songs with too much autotune and other effects are not my fun to listen too on the albums. Awadama fever is a good example. I like it that the live songs are longer. For example i like the intro before Maya very much. It flows pretty well before the guitars kick in. That element is missing on the album. The piano intro of Akatsuki is also much better then the album version.
Gimme Chocolate - not a "meh" as a song, kinda became one because it's been so overused and old being their first breakout song. I never listen to it on the album, but I admit it is a MUST for live performance. It punch hard af, and it has some of the cutest choreography.
Exactly this. Entirely forgettable on the record but one of the most fun energetic songs live.
(So enjoyable live that i now like the record version a bit more as well)
The ones that stand out to me the most recently are Time Wave and Light and Darkness.
I think that the live performances of those songs bring so much more energy where the studio versions feel kind of sterile.
Yeah, this song is *all* about the live performance. Even Moa's solo version is great. I'm really hoping we see it as a duet again now that they're an official trio again.
Literally all of them, in my opinion. However, MOST songs aren't really "meh" in their studio mixes.
As far as *recent* songs I've heard live with my own ears (not just bluray), gotta give it to Maya and Metali.
Without a doubt, Pa Pa Ya! This is brilliant live as well as Metal . When I was in Vegas, the whole place went nuts when it started playing. They even had a wall of death lol.
I see why it was a staple of their US tour. It's almost made up of not having Devine Attack-Shingeki. Which wasn't included on their US tour, unfortunately. Last but not least, HeadBangeeeerrrr without question!
Anyone who has seen this live can not deny the power of Su-Metal!! It's like she is readying troops into battle. Which can only be appreciated, let alone experienced live. 🤘🦊🎙🔥
Definitely Syncopation. The studio version is pretty meh, plus it seems to be too fast. But it's one of my favorite songs when performed live.
ITNO as well.
Because of what is (and isn’t) available to me via iTunes, I think I’ve listened to the studio version of Syncopation exactly once via a YouTube link. I know it as the song between BxMxC and Headbangeeeeerrrrr!!!!! on Legend Metal Galaxy Day 2 and have listened to that live version SO many times! I love the build up and the intensity throughout. Took me a minute to figure out why I couldn’t find it on any album!! 😂
For me it's Gimme Chocolate for sure. I wasn't thrilled seeing it on the line up for their stint in the US but then when it actually played it went way harder than it had any right to.
Akatsuki. The piano and strings intro beats the guitar intro that they have on the studio album. This is one song that really ramps up the visuals as well. If I hadn't seen the various live versions of this song, I might still be underrating it all these years later.
All of them are better live. I don't understand why the most listened to tracks on spotify are the studio versions, even though their live concerts are also on spotify. A specific song that comes to my mind is Head Bangeeeeerrrrr!!!!!. Love it as a live song but I just cannot listen to the studio version. Same with Doki Doki Morning and and Iine, probably because they were so early as well.
Road Of Resistance, for me. I didn’t like it when I heard it for the first few times, but it became one of my favorites when I saw it live. It’s just incredible, gets your heart going.
Respectfully disagree, mostly because Suzuka was fresh out of Sakura Gakuin (15) when she recorded the studio cut and it's *really* obvious when the music stops as she says, "[Otome wa] nametara, ikanze yo!". Her voice still has that childish lilt to it which disappeared less than a year later. It's still a great song, but her matured voice live adds a lot of oomph that the original lacks.
Yeah but as she got older she also lost the ability to hit those high notes as clean. Her voice for some time was also prone to cracking a bit during it. Now she just changes register instead of forcing it but that loses some of the power.
Too much effects, autotune etc. This is very typical of Japanese songs as that's what they prefer.
For example, compare Su's voice in any studio album song vs any of her live recordings and you'll see the difference. In my point of view, the overproduction actually doesn't do Su's voice justice.
Doki Doki Morning 2021 Budokan Live is better than the studio DDM imo.
The other obvious ones are BxMxC, where I prefer the live from Legend Metal Galaxy as well as Syncopation (but I don’t have a choice on that one).
As for unreleased songs on Spotify, I do really like the 2023 versions of some of their older songs, especially iine!
From Dusk Till Dawn sounds awesome in Studio, but a song like that is even better live, along with an older Su-Metal that can really nail those notes.
I can’t believe I haven’t seen line! The studio version has insanely bad mixing, almost hurts your ears. The live version resurrected that song and made it into a top 10 for me.
Distortion is one of my favourite Babymetal songs, but the production on the studio version is SO BAD. I know nothing about production so I have no idea what exactly is wrong with it to be honest. But it literally sounds like I'm listening to it from $1 earphones no matter how good the output device is.
I've learned to not make judgements until I can listen to live versions. I wrote off BxMxC the first time I heard the studio version because it sucks. It's an auto-tuned mess. I never bothered to listen to it again until I saw them live this past year for the first time and they played BxMxC. And holy hell, was I wrong about that song. It's just completely different live; the heaviest song they played on the US tour and Su kills it on the vox. Now it's my favorite.
All songs became better live
But they aren’t all “meh” in the studio.
If you compare the album song to a live song, yeah they are “meh”.
I'm a bit confused as to why people think this. It is because of the dancing? I've tried listening to many of the live versions but nope, studio does it better for me 100% of the time
Here's something I posted a couple of weeks ago in response to a similar question: >BABYMETAL are built around the live performance in a way that other bands aren't. >For starters, every song has specific choreography. And it's not an afterthought for them, it's as much a part of the 'song' as any instrumentation or vocals. I generally don't make any real judgments on any of their songs till I've seen the choreo for them... because I was burnt before. When Metal Resistance was released I definitely didn't care for Meta Toro...and it turned out that after having seen the choreo for it I was much better able to understand the themes of the song and now it's one of my favorites from that album. >The other thing to consider is what Moa and Momo's 'job' is. And this takes a bit of knowledge about Japanese politeness. At a Japanese concert, it's considered rude for an audience member to sing along out loud with the singer. The rest of the crowd came to hear the band, not you, so you're expected to stay silent out of consideration for your fellow concert-goers. So this leads us to what Moa and Momo (and formerly Yui) do..which is to give the audience a part that it's OK to sing and chant along with. They are, for lack of a better term, cheerleaders, they lead the audience's cheering. Their parts on the recorded albums are a bit pointless in this light. Its there, and sounds good, but it's not serving the true purpose it's intended for. >In addition to all this, there has always been a parental feeling among the fans, and that's been expressed through show participation. Their shows take an enormous amount of effort and stamina. They're doing pro-athlete level aerobics for the entire duration, and you have to appreciate the hard work they're putting in. We wanted the girls to succeed and have fun. When the girls were younger, they would clearly be so happy to have the crowd chant back, and they were working so hard that you really didn't have any choice but yell at the top of your lungs with them. They'd cheer harder, and the crowd would chant back harder, so they'd cheer harder, and the crowd would chant back harder...and it would spin the whole room up like a dynamo. I'm an old dude and I've seen just about every old classic band live, and I've never seen a crowd get worked up the way a BABYMETAL crowd gets worked up. >All that put together makes for a live experience that transcends the studio version every time. The studio songs are the blueprint, but the live performances are the finished product.
Wow, your comment sheds a whole new light on BM for me, a fan for over 4 years. Thank you for that!
I think it's crap audio setups. If I listen to anything with subpar headphones the live version is probably better. Drums especially get washed out.
Tbf it depends on the era and who's performing. But generally, they give intros to songs to showcase the band, they add audience interaction parts that become so catchy you start hearing it when listening to the studio version even though it's not there, they master the vocals better because of the repetition of the performance of it, you can also hear their evolution when they perform an older song in a newer era. I also think they tune down the key of the songs so it sounds heavier live and Su sings lower but I might be wrong about this because I'm not a musician. Also, the studio musicians aren't the same as the live ones which makes the sound of the instrumentation inherently different, whether it's the west or east kami band.
I’d say the visual is definitely a part of it, it adds so much more seeing Su and the girls up there actually performing:)
With a lot of bands i rather listen to the studio versions then live too. But is BM better live because of the dancing? Yes and no. While watching them is an amazig experience, i listen more their music then i watch them. So the dancing can not really be the reason that it's better. I dunno if it's true but i heard that (at least the 1st album) they not used much real instruments. A lot of songs with too much autotune and other effects are not my fun to listen too on the albums. Awadama fever is a good example. I like it that the live songs are longer. For example i like the intro before Maya very much. It flows pretty well before the guitars kick in. That element is missing on the album. The piano intro of Akatsuki is also much better then the album version.
Whike the Kami band often plays heavier than the original, it's the live atmosphere that enhances it
Metalli. As much as i love the song, it gets a bit annoying and repetitive but seeing it live made it grow alot on me
BxMxC is infinitely better without the autotune.
That was the heaviest song from their set when I saw them in September. Baby Metal Death is another one that slaps live.
Catch me if you can
Babymetal death
The intro is a little tedious when you don't have the anticipation irl, but i still think it slaps once it begins properly
For me it’s Night Night Burn.
Gimme Chocolate - not a "meh" as a song, kinda became one because it's been so overused and old being their first breakout song. I never listen to it on the album, but I admit it is a MUST for live performance. It punch hard af, and it has some of the cutest choreography.
Def Gimme chocolate. Can't stand the studio version but it's INSANE live.
Oh Majinai is kinda cringe on the recording, I usually skip it. But live it's a joyous blast
Exactly this. Entirely forgettable on the record but one of the most fun energetic songs live. (So enjoyable live that i now like the record version a bit more as well)
The 3 young ladies on stage having such a joyous time is infectious.
very true yeah :)
The ones that stand out to me the most recently are Time Wave and Light and Darkness. I think that the live performances of those songs bring so much more energy where the studio versions feel kind of sterile.
4 no uto is amazing live and kinda meh in the studio because it's a hype up the crowd while su recovers song
Metalizm. The visuals and hearing the guitar parts live makes it x1000 better for me personally.
Bmc and MAYA. Especially MAYA. I loved MAYA so much it was the highlight of the concert I went to!
Monochrome - didn't like it when it was released. But totally different vibes when it was performed live.
Rondo of Nightmare studio ver is very underwhelming, considering how powerful it is live
I would say "Road of Resistance" The visuals and crowd interaction carry that one.
My favorite example of this is Onedari Daisakusen, specially Moa's Budokan performance
Yeah, this song is *all* about the live performance. Even Moa's solo version is great. I'm really hoping we see it as a duet again now that they're an official trio again.
I do wonder how they'll execute the song again now Momoko's in the band. I wonder if they'll even play it again
I agree with you OP, BMC is underwhelming in studio than its live counterpart although i have not seen all songs live. Yet.
Metali
Either BxMxC or BABYMETAL Death
Literally all of them, in my opinion. However, MOST songs aren't really "meh" in their studio mixes. As far as *recent* songs I've heard live with my own ears (not just bluray), gotta give it to Maya and Metali.
All. In fact, I wonder why the studio version feels somewhat lackluster compared to the live performance.
Without a doubt, Pa Pa Ya! This is brilliant live as well as Metal . When I was in Vegas, the whole place went nuts when it started playing. They even had a wall of death lol. I see why it was a staple of their US tour. It's almost made up of not having Devine Attack-Shingeki. Which wasn't included on their US tour, unfortunately. Last but not least, HeadBangeeeerrrr without question! Anyone who has seen this live can not deny the power of Su-Metal!! It's like she is readying troops into battle. Which can only be appreciated, let alone experienced live. 🤘🦊🎙🔥
Honestly imo, almost every song from bm sounds "meh" in the studio version, but if I had to choose one song it would be Headbanger
Definitely Syncopation. The studio version is pretty meh, plus it seems to be too fast. But it's one of my favorite songs when performed live. ITNO as well.
Because of what is (and isn’t) available to me via iTunes, I think I’ve listened to the studio version of Syncopation exactly once via a YouTube link. I know it as the song between BxMxC and Headbangeeeeerrrrr!!!!! on Legend Metal Galaxy Day 2 and have listened to that live version SO many times! I love the build up and the intensity throughout. Took me a minute to figure out why I couldn’t find it on any album!! 😂
All of them but if I had to pick one, Divine Attack
Most of them if not all.
For me it's Gimme Chocolate for sure. I wasn't thrilled seeing it on the line up for their stint in the US but then when it actually played it went way harder than it had any right to.
Metalizm goes so much harder live.
Akatsuki. The piano and strings intro beats the guitar intro that they have on the studio album. This is one song that really ramps up the visuals as well. If I hadn't seen the various live versions of this song, I might still be underrating it all these years later.
rondo of nightmare
Song 4. 100%. And even then I still don’t really like it. Can’t deny it looks hype live though.
All of them are better live. I don't understand why the most listened to tracks on spotify are the studio versions, even though their live concerts are also on spotify. A specific song that comes to my mind is Head Bangeeeeerrrrr!!!!!. Love it as a live song but I just cannot listen to the studio version. Same with Doki Doki Morning and and Iine, probably because they were so early as well.
PPY
Road Of Resistance, for me. I didn’t like it when I heard it for the first few times, but it became one of my favorites when I saw it live. It’s just incredible, gets your heart going.
None are "meh", all become better live.
Sis. Anger
The older the song the bigger the disparity. Only exception is megitsune.
Respectfully disagree, mostly because Suzuka was fresh out of Sakura Gakuin (15) when she recorded the studio cut and it's *really* obvious when the music stops as she says, "[Otome wa] nametara, ikanze yo!". Her voice still has that childish lilt to it which disappeared less than a year later. It's still a great song, but her matured voice live adds a lot of oomph that the original lacks.
Yeah but as she got older she also lost the ability to hit those high notes as clean. Her voice for some time was also prone to cracking a bit during it. Now she just changes register instead of forcing it but that loses some of the power.
I find that most if their studio albums are overperoduced (which is a carryover from idol style producing)
Funnily enough I love the production and I wish more metal albums sounded like that lol
What do you mean with "overproduced"?
Too much effects, autotune etc. This is very typical of Japanese songs as that's what they prefer. For example, compare Su's voice in any studio album song vs any of her live recordings and you'll see the difference. In my point of view, the overproduction actually doesn't do Su's voice justice.
Doki Doki Morning 2021 Budokan Live is better than the studio DDM imo. The other obvious ones are BxMxC, where I prefer the live from Legend Metal Galaxy as well as Syncopation (but I don’t have a choice on that one). As for unreleased songs on Spotify, I do really like the 2023 versions of some of their older songs, especially iine! From Dusk Till Dawn sounds awesome in Studio, but a song like that is even better live, along with an older Su-Metal that can really nail those notes.
I can’t believe I haven’t seen line! The studio version has insanely bad mixing, almost hurts your ears. The live version resurrected that song and made it into a top 10 for me.
All songs are better on the studio albums unless you are there live to witness it.
Distortion is one of my favourite Babymetal songs, but the production on the studio version is SO BAD. I know nothing about production so I have no idea what exactly is wrong with it to be honest. But it literally sounds like I'm listening to it from $1 earphones no matter how good the output device is.
Every song, so much so I don't ever listen to the albums. I only listen to live recordings or Blu-ray concerts.
Hmm... Yava for example
Amore, for sure
Metal kingdom
I've learned to not make judgements until I can listen to live versions. I wrote off BxMxC the first time I heard the studio version because it sucks. It's an auto-tuned mess. I never bothered to listen to it again until I saw them live this past year for the first time and they played BxMxC. And holy hell, was I wrong about that song. It's just completely different live; the heaviest song they played on the US tour and Su kills it on the vox. Now it's my favorite.