As with many other music fans, live music is an abiding passion. Every chance I get to see a great band in the flesh I take—even if it involves a seven-hour round trip to get there. The thrill of seeing the music you love recreated in front of you is sufficient reason to make the effort and the transcendence of notable gigs I have seen keeps me ever anticipating the next life-changing experience.

Unfortunately, the tyranny of chronology, geography, and touring-schedules means that I will never see many of the most outstanding live concerts. Thus, the “live” album becomes the next best thing. And it’s rarely quite the same.

There have been great live albums and mediocre live albums but most are merely inessential. While some bands come into their own in the live environment and others reveal their most debilitating weaknesses, many just re-tread their greatest hits or latest album note-for-note. The experience is generally pleasurable, particularly if you like the song choices, but not necessarily worth the purchase price.

So much of the live experience is non-audible: the sense of sharing something with other music fans; the visual spectacle; the non-verbal interactions between band mates. These are things that cannot be committed to disc and are lost in the translation. In the absence of radical re-interpretation and witty between-song banter, there is little on a live album that isn’t already in a band’s studio output.

The tendency of most bands to bypass my town meant that I missed Tennessee rockers My Morning Jacket on their only Australian tour back in March 2004. I hear that their live show is a thing to behold and I have been kicking myself ever since for not blowing off work and driving across the country to see them. So you can imagine my anticipation when I heard that MMJ were following in the steps of their classic-rock idols in releasing a double live album.

The end result, Okonokos, is definitely not mediocre. MMJ are a band with years of experience in tearing up crowds and their adoration is as much a result of hard-earned touring respect as their records. Jim James’ idiosyncratic voice holds up remarkably well without studio tricks, although it sounds slightly bare without the trademark grain-silo reverb.

Nevertheless, it’s hard to argue for Okonokos as an essential purchase. Other critics have observed that the songs, particularly the newer tracks off last year’s Z, sound almost identical to the originals. There’s really little to separate the live “Lay Low” from the studio version, with the exception of a bum note from James.

A more exceptional example of the live album is Spiritualized’s Royal Albert Hall October 10 1997. The gig I saw circa 2002 was everything a live music performance should be—a summation of everything that made the band essential. This live album, from their creative peak a few years earlier, doesn’t capture the x-factor of their concerts but it’s a worthy addition the Spiritualized canon.

For instance, the live version of “Electricity” has an even greater sense of urgency than the stellar version on Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space. Spaceman’s slide-guitar work, the throbbing bass and crashing cymbals—these are the component parts of greatness.

Obviously I’ll take a real live experience over the plastic-cased version any time, but unless you’re a roadie you can’t possibly see your favourite band every day of the week. So sometimes it’s good just to have the reminder of what it’s like standing in the midst of sweaty, beer-soaked fellow obsessives, waving lighters and mouthing the lyrics to the songs that changed your life.

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