There's a huge difference between a live band, listened to live, and the exact same performance recorded, and mixed and mastered, and listened to afterwards. I guarantee, you take even any modern concert by a kick ass band you LIKE (no point comparing to sh*t you hate in the first place, is there? ), the drums will be hugely forward in the mix live compared to a recording of the gig.

And, dig away all you want, Ian, but right now, virtually ALL of my playing is with a live band. I think I'm in a pretty good position to judge whether an arranger mix sounds live or not. And, once again, my job is to move butts, to create excitement, not to provide inaudible background music for diners. I've LONG said, should I ever get a gig playing solo for that kind of crowd, I'd be SERIOUSLY interested in a Yamaha! It would be quite a challenge to make a Roland sound that anemic (or 'polished' if you want to spin it better!)..

But rather than dig out an old CD of a live performance, and base your impression of a mix on that, go out and hear a GOOD live band, live... Bet your ass you don't EVER have to struggle to hear the drummer!