Best (and worst) live albums

[SmackFu]

I'm a huge fan of live albums -- when they are actually good that is. A few of my favorites:

Barenaked Ladies - Rock Spectacle: Great concert band, and this album really captures the experience. Plus the recording quality on some of the songs is most excellent.

Underworld - Everything Everything: Aren't electronica bands supposed to suck live? Some of the songs on this are SO much better than the album versions. Maybe the fact that it's live is incidental (just some cheering at various points), but it's still a great album.

Billy Idol - VH1 Storytellers: The "new" Billy Idol. Mostly acoustic, excellent quality. I didn't even like him the first time around, and this album made me a fan.

So what are your favorites? And on the flipside, how about ones that really suck?

[ElwoodCuse]

Billy Joel's live album is terrible because it's not really live. They cut out a LOT of the New Year's Eve concert (the bootleg is 3 CDs, the release is 2) and because the album was quite obviously engineered in the studio after the actual recording was done.

[taggert]

Eric Clapton, Just One Night

Allman Brothers, Live At The Fillmore East

Grateful Dead, Live Dead


I am so old.

[WavyDavy]

Little Feat - Waiting for Columbus

taggert - you're not the only old one 'round here :cool:

[plnnr]

Best

Live/Dead (Grateful Dead). The first 16 track live recording. Clear as a bell and a high energy set.

Fillmore Concerts (Allman Bros.) The Tom Dowd commentary on the liner notes is a bit self-congratulatory, but this re-working of the material on Live at the Fillmore East is still stunning. "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed" is actually from two different performances but the production and engineering make it flawless.

Live at the Apollo (James Brown) Soul Brother Number 1. The Godfather of Soul. The Hardest Working Man in Show Business. Guaranteed to make you break out in a cold sweat.

Travels (Pat Metheny) "Are You Going With Me?" to open the disc is perfect. Sort of a samba beat to lead things off, then swirling up and up and up.

Worst

Steal Your Money (er...Face) (Grateful Dead) Hands down the worst.

[Ol'Gaffer]

Originally posted by taggert
<snip>

Allman Brothers, Live At The Fillmore East

<snip>


Amen. Preach it Brother/Sister. Preach it.

[ScriptAnalyst]

The Who, Live at Leeds -- great sound, great performances.

[Fibonacci]

I have to agree with
Little Feat Waiting For Colombus, and
Allman Brothers Live At The Fillmore East.

I'd also include The Who Live At Leeds.

Conversely, The Rolling Stones Get Your Ya-Yas Out sounded pretty awful.

I guess the grey in my beard is showing too.

[Alessan]

Dire Straits, Alchemy.

[Oblong]

Bob Seger's Live Bullet

and

Just about any J. Geils live album.

[Coldfire]

Originally posted by Alessan
Dire Straits, Alchemy. Yup, that one's certainly among my favourites.

The absolute number one in my book is Rush's Different Stages. Double live album with an excellent production, a great mix of old and new material, and an extra CD with a 1978 concert at London's Hammersmith that completely knocks you off your feet.

[astorian]

Very few live albums by my favorite bands are terrible- but most of them are unnecessary. Too often, a live album is little more than a Greatest Hits album with clapping between the songs. But hey, if the band is good enough and has enough good songs, that can be enjoyable, too.

The only really LOUSY live album I've ever owned was Led Zeppelin's "The Song Remains the Same." Robert Plant's voice was in very bad form that night, and while John Bonham was a greta drummer in many respects, he was a godawful soloist (which made "Moby Dick" a crashing bore).

*

As for GREAT live albums? Well, my favorites are

The Clancy Brothers Live at Carnegie Hall

Renaissance Live at Carnegie Hall

The Who Live at Leeds (the Who completely reinterpreted their songs for this one; most bands' live albums feature note for note recreations of the studio versions of their songs... which means there's no real reason to buy the live albums!)

Deep Purple's "Made in Japan" (yeah, I know I'm a 70s classic rock dinosaur- wanna make something of it?).

[Avalonian]

Oooh, Alchemy is awesome... good call, guys.

Some of my other favorites are Tangerine Dream's Ricochet, and Joe Satriani's Dreaming #11. Though the latter only has about 25-30 minutes of live concert stuff (along with one studio track), it captures the experience of a Satriani concert perfectly.

Probably the most disappointing live albums I know of are Alanis Morrisette's Unplugged album (yuck), and the surprisingly-bad Police Live! double-CD released in 1995. I've never heard the Police sound worse, honestly.

[Mr. Blue Sky]

Worst? The Rolling Stones Still Life.

It was recorded sometime in 1981 and it sucks hot donkey sack.

[pesch]

I still like Warren Zevon's "Stand in the Fire." Has some of his hits ("Excitable Boy" "Werewolves of London") and some other good tracks, like the Bo Diddly song.

[Dragon Phoenix]

Peter Gabriel plays live (early eighties), hands down the best live album I have ever heard.

[Semp]

Stop Making Sense by the Talking Heads, especially the new longer version, is the best I've heard (and yes, I do mean it's better than The Name Of This Band is The Talking Heads). Second would probably be Curiosity Anomalies by the Cure. Also, the live tracks on the three Satan Live singles by Orbital are quite good. Oh, and Jane's Addiction's self-titled first album also bears mention.

The worst? Um... The Orb's Live '93 disc doesn't do much to improve the album tracks.

[Roadwalker]

Bruce Springstein's live compalation album
the Best.

[koawala]

Blue Oyster Cult - ETL
Iron Maiden - Live After Death
Dead Can Dance - Toward The Within
The Good Rats - Live At Last
I like,like,like,like.

[WSLer]

Semp,

Stop Making Sense is essentially a studio album, what with all of the post-"live" production and overdubbing that went on.

Fibonacci,

One of the funniest record reviews I ever read was for Get Your Ya-Yas Out: "Very muddy tapes of teenagers screaming.

The Best: Bruce Springsteen & The E. Street Band: Live 1975-1985 85-75<-----This was a 2cd bootleg set.


A number of the Pearl Jam "official bootlegs" are excellent.

The decent: Guns N' Roses: Live Era 1987-1991

[Airman Doors, USAF]

I thought the Police live album was great, myself. A great band playing great music. Whether it was their greatest performance or not, to me, is irrelevant.

What gets me, though, is how absolutely NOBODY has mentioned the greatest live album of all time, the album that, according to Wayne Campbell, was "Practically issued" to everyone. I'm talking about the immortal Frampton Comes Alive!

I own it. So do you. Don't deny it. Your lies are unbecoming. ;)

If there has better been a better live performance, it hasn't been recorded. And that counts ANY of the Doors bootlegs and/or authorized live recordings I have.

[PlanMan]

A hearty hear-hear for
The Allman Bros. "Live at Fillmore East" - with the addition of the "live" disc from "Eat a Peach" - the first post-Duane record - Whippin Post from Fillmore segues into Mountain Jam (incredibly, based on the Donovan song)

Also, The Who, "Live at Leeds"

The most uneven - "Woodstock" - some great stuff (Ten Years After Goin Home and Jimi Star Spangled Banner) and some drek - which I mercifully can't recall right now.

[Sam Stone]

A second for Warren Zevon - Stand in the Fire. Great, spontaneous album. Zevon went out and found a bar band doing covers of his songs, and they did a concert together. Great stuff.

[Sassy]

Originally posted by Airman Doors, USAF
What gets me, though, is how absolutely NOBODY has mentioned the greatest live album of all time, the album that, according to Wayne Campbell, was "Practically issued" to everyone. I'm talking about the immortal Frampton Comes Alive!

I own it. So do you. Don't deny it. Your lies are unbecoming. ;)

I had the album in the 70's. I have the CD now. I saw Frampton perform live. It remains one of the greats, and I don't usually like live albums.

[Eonwe]

Ditto on Springsteen's two live albums (the 5 LP one from the mid 80s as well as his more recent 2000 album).

I'll also add:

The Band: Rock of Ages

Simon and Garfunkel: The Concert in Central Park

Two truely awesome albums.

[chief]

i agree with the Allmans and also would like to add:

Derek and the Dominos: Live at the Fillmore

Led Zeppelin: Live at the BBC

Alice in Chains Unplugged

Bob Marley: Babylon by Bus

[tetsusaru]

Another vote for Deep Purple`s Made In Japan: great title, and Child In Time has the all time greatest guitar solo - check out Ian Gillan singing along, matching Ritchie Blackmore note for note. Second vote goes to Cheap Trick, Live At The Budokan. Hey, I live here, OK?

[Edward The Head]

Originally posted by Alessan
Dire Straits, Alchemy.

Yep, that's one for sure. I also like Iron Maiden's Maiden Japan and Golden Earring's Nake Truth 1&2. I'm not much into live albums.

[Annie-Xmas]

Live 2CD Czech Jesus Christ Superstar

Live 2LP Sarah Brightman Song & Dance

Live German Starlight Express 2CD, complete show, hard to find.

The 2LP live Dutch CATS is good, but very rare. Buy it if you see it. It took four people looking for it three years to find a copy at a used record store for $15!

Recently released 2CD live Chess , from the Danish tour, though it's in English. Undoubtably one of the best cast recordings of any show ever made.

[Torgo]

The Replacements' "The Shit Hits the Fans," a testament to their chaotic live shows of the 80s.

[saoirse]

Johnny Thuders, DTK
Cheap Trick, Live at Budokhan
Also, I have about five or six live Springsteen albums. Do they count? Winterland is the best.

[saoirse]

Jeez, sorry about that. When I don't get sleep, my typung sufers.

[Timchik]

Neil Young's great lost album from about 1974 (?) - Time Fades Away
All songs that never appeared on studio albums AFAIK, with some real gems.

[Fiddle Peghead]

Best: Lynyrd Skynyrd, One More From the Road

Worst?: not seeing the Band

[TheRob]

I feel like I've been the first to chime in with Metallica in these types of threads lately, but Metallica? Live Shit Binge and Purge, S&M, Cunning Stunts DVD. And Pantera's 101 Proof live CD is amazing too.

[cleops]

Hey, Get Your Ya-Yas Out was great! Unbeatable grooves on Carol and Little Queenie; same with Honky Tonk Women. You gotta listen hard!

[blindboygrunt]

Bob Dylan Bootleg Series Vol.4:Live At Royal Albert Hall 1966 is a great live album.

[Lorenzo]

James Taylor (Live) If you like his stuff, you will find this an excellent career retrospective.

[hegel]

Alice in Chains--Unplugged.

[brianjedi]

I enjoyed Alice In Chains Unplugged, but I have some problems with it. First off, they hadn't played together live in three years (as they point out) and so they weren't quite as tight as they could have been. Second, no "Man in the Box" or "What the Hell Have I?". Don't get me wrong, I love the album, and I know that Layne wasn't all there because of the drug use, but I just don't think it's quite as good as some of the other albums that have been mentioned.

As far as other live albums, "Eagles Live" was good, and I'll second the Skynyrd album just for "Freebird" and "Tuesday's Gone".

[quarx]

I liked Get Your Ya-Yas Out. But Got Live If You Want It--also by the Stones--blew dogs.

[Michael Fleming]

The Italian band PFM (Premiata Forneria Marconi) has a CD called "il Best" that is, truly, the best songs and the best they have been recorded in their long career. PFM has been a favorite of mine for years. I am often asked if I can understand their lyrics. No, I don't speak Italian but then I can't understand Phil Collins either unless I have the lyrics right in front of me where I can watch them as he ... uhh .. sings? ... (diction, Phil! Diction!)

Back when I was a mere youth - ok, a college student - there was a TV show called "In Concert" and then it became "Don Kirsherner's Rock Concert". This would have been about 1973 when it showed here in Yewstun. There were 2 bands that I just plain old missed on in my predictions about their careers. PFM was a regular visitor for a while. These guys were great! Every member turned in virtuoso performaces every time. Talent just overflowed and oozed all over the stage whenever they were playing. They gave exciting performances! Yes and Jethro Tull were hot acts then and these guys could easily have shared a stage with either of them and come away on top. They were Great! These guys are going to sweep America and be stars! ... well .... has anyone ever heard of them? Well, not you, Giovanni. I know you've heard of them. I mean anyone outside of Italy.

The other band was just a cheap imitation power trio. Oh they were painful to listen to. The guitar player played every cheap lick in the books. The bass player screamed when he sang. The drummer just hit anything in front of him. Every song sounded the same and every song was just godawful mindnumbingly dull. I remember thinking - even saying aloud- that this was a band that was going to wash up dead on the shore some day soon. Who in their right mind would ever want to see or hear Rush?

well .... They got better ....

I think that the worst live album I have heard is Chicago's Live at Carnagie Hall. There's no excuse for releasing a performance like that and especially one recorded like that.

Mike in Yewstun
(no, the other one)

[askol]

I have a few problems with the CD Nine Inch Nails Live: And All That Could Have Been. There are some weird high pitched staticy artifacts on the vocals in some parts. Not that it isn't an excellent release, but it could've been better.

However, the 5.1 audio on the DVD of the same title is absolutely astounding! Yes, it was mixed in a studio, and yes it's material taken from at least five shows on their tour, but damn it's amazing. Trent Reznor produced the audio and visuals on the DVD (not the audio on the CD, however) and the multiple cameras and multiple venues are blended together seamlessly. A friend of mine didn't even notice that Reznor's guitar changed color five or six times in a single song, although the lead guitarist's Disapearing Mohawk is pretty easy to catch.

From the looks of the responses to this thread, it doesn't look as if the DVD is something most of you would enjoy, but at least check it out for the reverb...the crowd noise...oh my! Just thinking about the surround mix makes me wish I had a DVD player and a fancy reciever.

askol

[cleops]

quarx, I agree, although I liked It's Allright because it was simple enough for me play it on the guitar.

[rackensack]

My nominee for best is a release by a band I don't ordinarily have much use for: E.L.O.'s The Night the Light Went On in Long Beach. Recorded in 1974, before they became a big success in the States, it's a really high-energy set by a band not generally thought of as a primo live act.

Honorable mention should go to Graham Parker's Live at the Marble Arch semi-bootleg.

[SteveinSpain]

I have to admit that Frampton Comes Alive came to mind first, not as my favorite though and yes, I do own a vinal copy.

The other big one that comes to mind is that Lynyrd Skynyrd one with the endless version of Free Bird but like that J Geils one, it doesn't stand up to the test of time.

My votes are:

Roxy Music, Heart Still Beating (Frejus, France) (1982)
Marianne Faithfull, Blazing Away (1990)
Peter Grabriel, Secret World Live (1994)

(yikes all English!?)

[Crusoe]

Depeche Mode, 101 (http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=Aygse4j370wae) (1989)

[Typo Negative]

Seconds Out by Genesis is incredible.

Different Stages by Rush is mind boggling.

Bursting out by Jethro Tull is pretty good too.

Journey sounded really good on their live record, but I hated listening to Steve Perry talk to the audience. He didn't connect well.

[plnnr]

Rush got better? Did I miss something?

[wikkidpis]

Has nobody mentioned Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison? That's insane.

I agree that Get yer Ya Yas Out was a great album. I wore that record out, matter of fact. The Rolling Stones have released many, many other live albums, all of which are terrible in their own special way, but that one was a great one.

Anyone remember Mott the Hoople Live? That one was a good one. And all the James Brown Live at the Apollo albums were great.

I'm sorry but Barenaked Ladies and Billy Idol wouldn't know decent music if it walked right up and buggered 'em up the wazoo.

[Khadaji]

I absolutely hated the live Styx. The music was mostly good, but the little talk that they have to do at the beginning of each song was annoying...