Great Live Albums

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Lancemc

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LemonMelon's thread a couple days back about The Who's Live at Leeds album inspired me to make this. What in your opinions is the best Live Album of all time, or atleast what are some of the greats out there? T

Live At Leeds, as already mentioned is deifnitely one of them, and in that thread I also mentioned Talking Heads' Stop Making Sense. One of my favorite albums in general.

But I forgot the one live album that in my opinion towers over the rest.

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This recording captures Springsteen and the E-Street Band at the pinnacle of their career in one of the most energetic and musically proficient performances these ears have ever heard.

Highlights include:

Thunder Road - This vocal and piano duet is a bare-bones version of the song that I feel amplifies the emotion and beauty of it ten-fold. This is one of the most beautiful things I've ever heard.

The E-Street Shuffle - 12 minute jazzed-up slow burn rendition of the song that blows the mind.

Kitty's Back - 17 minutes of non-stop adrenaline-fueled rock and roll.

Rosalita (Come Out Tonight) - An even more incredible version of my all time favorite Springsteen song. If this doesn't get you dancing around the room like an idiot, nothing will.
 
Cool thread. :drool:

Who - Live At Leeds
Aerosmith - Live! Bootleg
U2 - Under A Blood Red Sky
Led Zeppelin - How The West Was Won
Pink Floyd - PULSE

Those are definitely some of the best I've heard. :yes:
 
xaviMF22 said:
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for the awesome live version of True love waits and dollar and cents :drool:

i second that. not to speak of:

everythiiiiiiing in its riiiiiight place :drool:

idiotheque :drool:


rolling stones: live licks sucks :barf:
 
Led Zeppelin's How the West Was Won takes the cake for me; the acoustic set on disc 1 is transcendent, as are the performances of some of the lesser-known songs (i.e., Bring It On Home, Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp).
Other great live outings include:
Springsteen, Live 1975-85
Pink Floyd, PULSE
U2: Elevation Slane (I'm not sure if this thread is interested in DVDs, but this one warrants mention regardless)
The Eagles, Hell Freezes Over (mostly live)
 
Some of my picks:

Porcupine Tree - Coma Divine (Holy shit, this owns)
Dream Theater - Live At Budokan
U2 - Under A Blood Red Sky

And while I haven't got my hands on a copy yet, everything I've heard about Crowded House's Farewell To The World is overwhelmingly positive.
 
Lancemc said:


This recording captures Springsteen and the E-Street Band at the pinnacle of their career in one of the most energetic and musically proficient performances these ears have ever heard.

This album is my pick as well, but I wouldn't go as far as calling it the pinnacle of their career - in fact, it really was just starting to take off.

For me, Springsteen and the E Street Band's best shows came during the Darkness and River tours. Obviously, bootlegs don't count here, but take a listen to either Live at Winterland or Piece de Resistance, and you'll see how much they dwarf this show. I really, really hope they do the same type of thing next year when it's the 30th anniversary of Darkness On The Edge Of Town. If they release a complete live recording of one of those shows, I'll be one happy camper.

That's not a knock on this live set, however, as it includes many old classics that are just :drool: (like Lost In The Flood). And it's still my favorite official live release along with the box set (75-85) and U2's Under A Blood Red Sky.
 
in the interest of not naming something already named,
i'll go ahead and nominate:

THE BAND: THE LAST WALTZ

kind of the ultimate document of one of the all time greatest concerts ever put on by anybody, anywhere. those fucking dudes could write a tune, and could play anything they wanted. one of the most underrated, and best bands in the history of bands.
add to that the unbelievable list of guest performers coming out to support these dudes, from muddy waters and eric clapton, to neil diamond and van morrison, to dylan and joni mitchell. it's a captivating listen, a great watch (the movie). favorite tracks at the moment include:
"Ophelia", "Tura Lura Lural" with Van Morrison, "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down"....
:drool:
great album, and a fantastic introduction to the band if you don't already know them. check this out....
 
KISS: Alive!

I not only say this JUST because I am a big KISS fan, but also because many artists have said they have been inspired to be a musician after listening to the album...
 
Cheap Trick Live at Budokan!!! Frampton Comes Alive!!!!

I'm just kidding. It was so huge in the 70s, and the funny thing was, no one really knew who the hell Peter Frampton was before that. How does a relative nobody release a double-live album and have it become one of the biggest selling albums of all time?

I don't have many live albums, but I must say I am completely in love with Madonna's new Confessions Tour CD/DVD.
 
I like a lot of the above, but, would like to add Exit Stage Left, a RUSH live album to the list....or, at least, it's on my personal list of favorite live albums.
 
Some of my favourites:

Live At The Rainbow by Focus
Answers? Questions! Questions? Answers! is so good :drool:

Back To The Bars by Todd Rundgren
The live versions of The Last Ride, Don't You Ever Learn? and Initaition are beautiful. :love:

Secret World and Plays Live by Peter Gabriel
The rhythm has my
soooooooouuuuuuuul :bonodrum: :bonodrum: :bonodrum:
 
Lancemc said:

Yes ... it is just so good. I absolutely love the Born to Run album, so the performances of those songs are just stellar, and that is as you said the pinnacle of their performing career. Very few live shows are quite like a Springsteen show, and this is probably their best stuff. These songs are just so good live. And, unlike more of his recent stuff, Bruce actually had (sort of) a voice on this tour. This band in its prime, and it's just exponentially underrated.

I want to get some live Who shows, they're outstanding.

And of course, I have most of U2's stuff (exceptions: Popmart (waiting for DVD), Red Rocks (same), Elevation Boston)
 
Bruce can actually handle his older material very well these days. His voice has changed, and its certainly not as strong as it used to be, but I'm surprised how good he still sounds. His voice on this live album simply blows me away at times though.
 
Wilco - Kicking Television
My Morning Jacket - Okonokos
Damien Rice - Live From The Union Chapel
Death Cab For Cutie - The John Byrd EP
John Mayer Trio - Try
Led Zeppelin - How The West Was Won
Bright Eyes - Motion Sickness
Jeff Tweedy - Sunken Treasure
Pete Yorn - Live From New Jersey


To name a few.


Especially the Wilco live set :drool:
 
Simple Minds - Live In The City Of Light
The Rolling Stones - Get Yer Ya-Yas Out!
U2 - Under A Blood Red Sky
 
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The Cure - Show
The Cult - Live at the Marquee Moon
Alice in Chains - Live
Pearl Jam - Live on Two Legs, Live at the State College, Live in Seattle 2000, Live in Mansfield 2003 and much, much more! :drool:
 
Ziggy Stardust - The Motion Picture, Live At The Hammersmith Odean 1973 - David Bowie
UABRS - U2
Live At Leeds - The Who
Rank - The Smiths
Beethoven Was Deaf - Morrissey
 
Almost forgot,
Viva! - Roxy Music great album all the way through, but the version of, If There Is Something, on this LP is IMO one of the greatest tracks EVER!
 
The Who: Live At Leeds
Thin Lizzy: Live & Dangerous
U2: UABRS
Rammstein: Live aus Berlin (live dvd)
Rammstein: Völkerball (live dvd)
 
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