[rockadanny]

This happened to me lately. While on biz in Rochester, NY, spent an evening at the Dinosaur BBQ (great place BTW!) and heard local blues guy put on a wonderful show. Not like I needed yet another blues CD, but ended up buying his to: 1) enjoy more of the same at home; 2) support terrific non famous performers (I rarely spend $15 for a CD, but did so on this occasion). Unfortunatley, the studio CD pales in comparison to the live performance by about a factor of 100. And since no one outside of the city ever heard of this guy, selling it used has no chance so I am stuck with an expensive lemon. Dammit Janet!

This ever happen to you?
 

[thunderbrick]

Yep!  Some small-time (NOT small talent) bands get a small-time, small-TALENT sound board guy to do their records.  Often can't afford much.

Other small-time performers seem to take great care.  I've also had inconsistent discs from the same groups.  Some are incredible, some only fair.

Worse yet some wonderfully rich acoustic music, such as Andean panpipe and flute groups sound fantastic live, but the damned CD has schmaltzy violins (VIOLINS???) added to dumbed-down tunes for the Branson crowd/geezer market!   

[Chazro]

This happened to me many moons ago (early '70's).  I went to see a band called Winter Consort (great band which begat the equally great 'Oregon' band) at a venue called 'My Father's Place' in Roslyn, Long Island.  It was the middle of the week and the joint was 1/2 empty.  2nd billing was this band from New Jersey that absolutely tore the house down!  One of the greatest live performances I'd ever experienced!  Within 3 months, this band and it's leader were on the cover of Look and Time magazines!  I HAD to own their 1st and only record at the time, and MAN, was it a dissapointment!  IMO it had nothing of what I'd experienced.  Truthfully, I never heard on ANY of their records what I heard that night.  Yeah, I'm talkin' Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, the record; 'Greetings From Asbury Park'!