Zero tolerance if the band puts out a crap live album. Don’t waste my time or money if that band can’t deliver something special not found in the studio. With todays road-ready recording gear available and affordable, the quality of the music should be high…and that leaves the onus on the band to give 100%. Oh, and spare me the overdubs in post-production.

James Brown’s “Live at the Apollo” set the high bar for what a live album should have…and it was recorded using only two microphones.