Drive-By Truckers-“18 Wheels of Love”
Carlos Santana’s Europa.
I was listening to The Who’s BBC Sessions recently and all of the songs, without exception, are head and shoulders above the album tracks. I love the album version of “A Quick One” but it pales in comparison to the live performance on the Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus. Pete’s guitar and Keith’s drums have this controlled chaos that doesn’t always come through on studio tracks. There are also some really nice vocal quirks (mostly Pete’s) that are missing from the album versions.
Any Billy Joel song from Songs in the Attic.
Anything by the Grateful Dead.
One example is “I’m So Afraid” by Fleetwood Mac–a nice song that transforms into a simmering, surging epic on stage. It’s Buckingham’s moment to shine.
I held off on buying the live recording of Pink Floyd’s The Wall (Is There Anybody Out There?) because a live recreation of an already flawless album (production-wise) didn’t interest me. And besides, the live show was largely visual anyway.
I was totally wrong. The live recording is now my preferred version. With the exception of maybe “Comfortably Numb”, every song comes off sounding more vital and less sterile than the studio cut.
I can’t believe that I forgot about this song! To me, both copies are awesome, but the live copy is definitely the stand out. 
God bless you and the Eagles always!!!
Holly
Speaking of Peter Frampton…
Humble Pie Rockin The Fillmore is one of the very best hard rock live sets from the early 1970s.
Ewww… certainly not.
Better live than studio: Peter Gabriel in several songs on PG Plays Live, most notably San Jacinto.
Actually, pretty much every song on the live album is better than the studio version.
I cannot agree more. Even on “Seconds Out”, you could start to see how Collins would take Genesis in a more pop, less-artistic direction.
Definitely. As a 14 year old I played this album to death and loved all three chords of it! Still do actually.
Joe Satriani’s* Dreaming #11 EP* (three live tracks on the A-side, Ice Nine, Memories and Hordes Of Locusts) is a stunningly awesome departure from the studio versions, especially the latter two songs which were recorded on the album before Surfing With The Alien, which was pretty reserved in terms of guitar histrionics.
I came in to say “Electric Co” from the Red Rocks album/video. I’m assuming Red Rocks was an enclosed arena until this version blew the roof off it.
This is obviously just a subjective view, but IMHO the studio recorded ‘Transmission’ came closer to capturing the intensity of Joy Division than any other non-live track.
‘New Dawn Fades’ from the ‘Still’ album is, for me, their best live recorded track.
Exactly what I was thinking.
“I’m So Afraid” - Fleetwood Mac, L. Buckingham guitar
QFT. This is still a staple of their live show and always riveting.
100% agreed. (I mentioned it upthread.)
I invited my brother along to the last FM show I attended in 2009. I was again floored by “I’m So Afraid”. My brother’s reaction? “It was a good show except for when Buckingham played that 10 minute guitar solo.” WTF???
Yeah, maybe “Transmission” wasn’t the best example, but it still works for me. Joy Division almost sounds like a different band live vs. studio. I prefer the studio tracks for listening (due to recording quality, and I like the moodiness of the studio tracks), but I would have loved to have been around to see them perform. The first time I heard a Joy Division live recording I couldn’t believe it was the same band. The live stuff is just so much more immediate, for lack of better word.