# Best Live Album Ever **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 4, 2003, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-live-album-ever/146599 "2003-01-04T13:50:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![greenphan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c37758/32.png) [@greenphan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/greenphan)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2003, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-live-album-ever/146599/21 "2003-01-04T19:05:41Z")
I personally have to say Johnny Cash “Live at San Quentin” ---
**Author:** ![HoldenCaulfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/22d042/32.png) [@HoldenCaulfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoldenCaulfield)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2003, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-live-album-ever/146599/22 "2003-01-04T19:36:27Z")
I might agree with some other albums in this thread, but Rush’s **Exit…Stage Left** certainly deserves a mention. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2003, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-live-album-ever/146599/23 "2003-01-04T19:42:55Z")
_The Concert in Central Park_. Simon and Garfunkel rule! I liked _An Evening with John Denver_ as well. Okay, so call me old-fashioned. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2003, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-live-album-ever/146599/24 "2003-01-04T19:58:24Z")
**Four Way Street** Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young ---
**Author:** ![LoN](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/cab0a1/32.png) [@LoN](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LoN)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2003, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-live-album-ever/146599/25 "2003-01-04T20:29:32Z")
Bob Dylan, “Live at Budokan” ---
**Author:** ![Jerrybear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8c91f0/32.png) [@Jerrybear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jerrybear)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2003, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-live-album-ever/146599/26 "2003-01-04T21:02:51Z")
Another vote for “Live 1966” by the Folksinger Formerly Known as Bob Zimmerman. You get both an acoustic/solo and an electric/full band set, and you get to hear some angry English guy call Bob Dylan “Judas” for daring to play one of those newfangled electric guitar thingies. “Live Dead” by the good ol’ Grateful Dead is also excellent! The classic 20 minute-plus “Dark Star” followed by “St. Stephen” followed by “The Eleven” (so named because the time signature is 11/7). Then you get Pigpen wailing away on “Turn on Your Lovelight,” “Death Don’t Have No Mercy,” some spacey jamming, and an a-capella “We Bid You Goodnight.” An excellent example of the original Dead lineup in their prime. There are also a number of other live Grateful Dead CDs, released under the “Dick’s Picks” banner. (Dick Latvala was the long-time keeper of the band’s tape vault) Of course, it is also possible to get almost any Grateful Dead show on an audience tape, since the band was kind enough to allow Deadheads to record and trade tapes, as long as no money is made off of it. I guess with a name like “Jerrybear,” it was inevitable that I would mention Uncle Jerry’s old band. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2003, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-live-album-ever/146599/27 "2003-01-04T21:12:17Z")
Hmm, I’m willing to concede the possibility that the Allman Brothers **Live at the Fillmore** is worth considering. (You can tell the folks who are on the bus by whether they smile at the cry of “Whipping Post!” or not.) Ditto for the Who **Live at Leeds** (“Maximum R&B”). Some of these other mentions are just odd (um, _Michele,_ we’re talking _live_ albums). ---
**Author:** ![Drastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Drastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drastic)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2003, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-live-album-ever/146599/28 "2003-01-04T21:21:04Z")
Dead Can Dance – Towards the Within ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2003, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-live-album-ever/146599/29 "2003-01-04T21:23:42Z")
Éire Óg, _Live at the Brazen Head_ … probably an acquired taste though. ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2003, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-live-album-ever/146599/30 "2003-01-04T21:46:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by 11811 \* > \*\*B’Boom, by King Crimson > Yessongs by Yes > > Prog and proud > > 11811 \*\* Yo. We gotta talk. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2003, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-live-album-ever/146599/31 "2003-01-04T21:49:00Z")
\*\* 4 Way Street\*\*. Dear me, I forgot about that. This IS troublesome. Small world item: The photography in that album, as with many other CSNY/CSN/CN albums is by Joel Bernstein. His kid sister was my first great love. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Bas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9dc877/32.png) [@Mr.Bas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Bas)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2003, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-live-album-ever/146599/32 "2003-01-04T23:49:22Z")
MC5 - Kick out the jams, anyone? Personally, I think Bad Religion’s Tested is pretty good as well, but the setlist is a bit mediocre for their standards. ---
**Author:** ![11811](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/9d8465/32.png) [@11811](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/11811)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2003, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-live-album-ever/146599/33 "2003-01-05T00:10:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Cartooniverse \* > \*\*Yo. We gotta talk. 🙂 \*\* Yo back atcha 'toon!🆒 While we’re at it, Coast to Coast by BR-549 The Yellow Shark by Ensemble Moderne Live in San Francisco by Tabla Beat Science Okay, not totally prog, but cut my teeth on it.😃 ---
**Author:** ![Kimmom2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Kimmom2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimmom2)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2003, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-live-album-ever/146599/34 "2003-01-05T03:53:46Z")
Frampton Comes Alive! ---
**Author:** ![Michele\_in\_SoCal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Michele\_in\_SoCal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michele_in_SoCal)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2003, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-live-album-ever/146599/35 "2003-01-05T04:23:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Michele in SoCal \* > \*\*Joni Mitchell - Hissing of Summer Lawns > Carole King - Tapestry > Steely Dan - Aja \*\* OOPS! Disregard my answer! I misread the thread topic! ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2003, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-live-album-ever/146599/36 "2003-01-05T04:48:18Z")
I’ll second Nirvana Unplugged in New York. 10,000 Maniacs Unplugged is also great! ---
**Author:** ![Flymaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c4cdca/32.png) [@Flymaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flymaster)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2003, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-live-album-ever/146599/37 "2003-01-05T05:01:33Z")
Guns N Roses **Live Era** , followed very closely by Cheap Trick \*\*At Budokan{/b] ---
**Author:** ![Mudshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Mudshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mudshark)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2003, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-live-album-ever/146599/38 "2003-01-05T05:06:35Z")
**One From the Vault** The Grateful Dead ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2003, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-live-album-ever/146599/39 "2003-01-05T05:41:38Z")
Hard to believe it’s over 30 years old: [Stones - Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000003BF4/qid=1041745118/sr=1-2/ref=sr_1_2/103-5605247-9042260?v=glance&s=music) And, from around the same time: [Hendrix - Band of Gypsys](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000002UVX/qid=1041745396/sr=1-8/ref=sr_1_8/103-5605247-9042260?v=glance&s=music) ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2003, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-live-album-ever/146599/40 "2003-01-05T06:21:53Z")
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