I just wanted to preface this statement by say that I have alot of repressed hostility towards alot of classic/early rock acts, the greatest of them being Bob Dylan.
Which is why it's absolute bullshit that Dylan gets not only gets double props in this list in the top 20, but he also bags the #1 spot. I acknowledge his very significant contribution to rock/pop music in general, but does these appearance not just ring as Stylus sucking up to him, in light of all the PR he's gotten in the past few month with his new album/documentary/Rolling Stone appearance/etc?
Also, the man is INFAMOUS for his bastardry during live performances, ie just showing up saying hello "hello", playing his set and saying "goodbye".
Once again, I'm totally hostile out-of-the-box to Dylan, so my my view is necessarily biased. But still, two spots in the list and #1?
Leaving off Bowie's famous 1973 farewell concert is inexcusable.
Bowie Raw.
It includes an idiosyncratic version of Lou Reed's White Light/White Heat.
I tend to avoid live albums. Like someone else said, they tend to be sloppy compilations that totally fail to capture the experience of being there. I only own two: The Doors and Ween. But they're not the best I know of. The best live album I've ever heard is "Dry Humping the Cash Cow" by Alice Donut. The anger, the disgust, the rage, the damn fine music...it all comes together. "The Son of a Disgruntled Postal Worker Reflects on His life While Getting Stoned and listening to Mettalica in the Parking Lot of Winn Dixie" is a work of genius that has yet to be paralelled. "Dead River" is a remarkable anti-Gulf War 1 song that works even better now. The cover of Helter-Skelter is fan-freaking-tastic, though I wouldn't go so far as to call it better than the original.
...Dwayne was hoping that he would pay exactly the right amount of attention to Francine's clitoris.
It is finished by Nina Simone is as good as anything she ever recorded, which puts it high among the best albums ever made by anyone. In my opinion of course.
Alot of great picks. I was especially fond of the David Bowie, Tom Waits and Radiohead picks.
Not so much on the dead, allman brothers. I could never get into jam bands.
Although one contradiction on my above comment is that I lament there is no inclusion of Pink Floyd live in Pompeii... although strictly speaking this isn't an album, it's a movie... it's still pretty damn awesome and really the best way to get Pink Floyd onto the list. Let's just admit that Pulse is lame, mmkay?
I'm a fan of Frank Zappa, especially Mothers of Invention era, so I shake my fist at his non-inclusion. But solace to me, I do have a super cool picture vinyl of the MC5's Kick Out the Jams. I also have a purple 180 gram of Joy Division's Les Bains Douches, but I think it sounds like ass. Shows what I know.
So they namecheck Cheap Trick in the blurb but At Budokan doesn't make the list? Lame.
Definitely agree with "How the West Was Won." I think one mark of a great live album is if it makes you like songs that you did not like on the studio album. In this case, I have to say that Zep's performance of "In My Time of Dying," a song which I'd always felt was ponderous and unbelievably dull, absolutely blew me away in the live version. In addition, the acoustic set that's one the Video edition of "How The West Was Won" was absolutely superb. Jimmy Page's playing on "White Summer" is stunning. In fact, there's so much to reccomend this ablum atht it's hard to imagine it not being on anyone's list. The only thing that might count against it is that technically, it's not really a live album, but more a compilation of live performances over the years.
Exit Stage Left: Early Rush live albums are, in some ways, similar to Zeppelin's live stuff, but different in one very important respect: there is an almost slavish fidelity to the studio recording. Yeah, sometimes Alex Lifeson pushes the guitar solo to 11 (i.e. the solo on "La Villa Strangiato") but sometimes it's note for note the same as the solo on the studio album. Nonetheless, there are so many great songs on this disc, that even if it comes accross as something of a "greatest hits" album, as much as a "live" album, it's worth adding to your collection. After all, these are the greatest hits from Rush's greatest era.
Live At Pompeii: Technically this video isn't really "live," since there's no audience. It was filmed on location in the ruins of a Roman auditorium at Pompeii, where Floyd was preparing for a series of live shows. But it is a live show in the sense that it's filmed outdoors, on location, there are no overdubs, no re-takes, and the whole band is playing together at the same time. There are lots of great moments on this one, but my favorites are probably "Meddle" and "A Saucerful of Secrets." In fact, watching the band play "Saucerful" and seeing how they produce the odd sounds on that song is as much a visual treat as an auditory one.
The Last Waltz: If you don't find something to like on this star studded farewell concert (Van Morrison, Neil Diamond, Joni Mitchell, Muddy Waters, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, etc., etc., etc.) then you probably just don't like good music of any pop genre.
Unplugged: Alice in Chains' barebones acoustic album is moody, depressing, melodic, and grungy, but mostly captivatingly beautiful. Listening to the songs on this disc is like sitting in you living room at the window on a cold, cloudy day and watching it rain outside... for hours.
Five Man Acoustical Jam: Tesla's "unplugged" album came out before "unplugged" album's were all the rage. It's not a masterpiece, but its the next best thing to being at a party where the beer and pot flow freely, and where a couple of long-haired guys who also happen to be in your town's best local hard-rock band pick up a couple of acoustig guitars they find lying around and start jamming just for the hell of it. If you've never been at such a prty, then maybe you don't know what I'm talking about. But chanes are you have, and chances are you remember that occasion fondly.
The Dance: Fleetwood Mac's career-capping live album feels, like "Exit Stage Left," much like a greatest hits album. But man, what hits! And some of the subtle changes to longtime favorites are worth buying the album for. Try to listen to the new intro to "Rhiannon" for instance, and not shed a tear reminiscing of a lost love of your own.
In all honesty, I'm not a big fan of live albums, but the above are worth owning, IMHO.
John Renbourn and Stephan Grossman: Live In Concert: Rare is the guitar virtuoso who is also a great singer (ever heard Steve Howe sing the lyrics to Yes songs when he's doing a solo show?). The exception who comes to mind, right now, is Rick Emmet of Triumph. And neither Renbourn nor Grossman does anything to alter this judgment. Listen to Renbourn sing religious songs on this album, and it may lead you to question, rather than reaffirm your faith in God. And Stephan Grossman singing the old blues standards he chooses for his set sounds a bit like the Yale glee club's rendition of "Swing Low Sweet Chariot," very, very, very white and upper-middle-class boys interpreting a negro spiritual about a man who works long hours in the fields but isn't paid enough to clear his dest to the company store. But both Renbourn and Grossman are master pickers of the acoustic guitar, who clearly worship their instrument and the folk tunes (english folk tunes mostly in the car of Renbourn, American blues for Grossman) that bring it to life. They sing on only some of the songs they play here, but even on these, the guitar artistry is such that you can overlook the vocals entirely and with little effort. Listening to these guys play may be more like attending a college course on folk music rather than going down to a shady bar in the seedier part of town to hear it in its element, but who says education is a bad thing? The highlight on this album, for me, is John Renbourn's achingly beautiful rendition of "The Mist Covered Mountain of Home" medley.
I've got to vote for S&M -- turning the world's best metal into the soundtrack for the coolest James Bond picture never made gets a few points in my book.
In addition to the 2 Bob Marley albums that I linked in the w/up, there's another great
live album from the man known as the Tuff Gong: Bob Marley & The Wailers Live At The Roxy. This album was around in bootleg form for a number of years until it got an official release a few years ago. It's got some excellent sonics for a live album recorded in the '70s.
Speaking of the '70s, the wayback machine brings me to another live album that'll always occupy a space in my disc collection even though it's not a particularly groundbreaking live album: Some Enchanted Evening by Blue Oyster Cult. It's a short album - indeed, the run time is under 40 minutes. What it lacks in time and set list variety, it makes up for with some absolutely scorching renditions of Don't Fear The Reaper, R.U. Ready 2 Rock, and Godzilla. It's also got covers of MC5 and Eric Burdon tunes, songs that would come to be staples of BOC's live sets. If you're a BOC fan it's worth picking up, but it's not essential by any means.
Neil Young's Live Rust, which came in at #18 on the list has always been one of my faves. This one's a must-have for Neil Young fans, imo.
Somewhere in my soul, there's always Rock -n- Roll... Joe Strummer
What is wrong with you people? All this talk about this Dylan or that Zappa...blah blah blah.
Why hasn't anyone mentioned what is possibly the GREATEST live album ever?
John Tesh at Red Rocks?
It's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine
Ministry's in case you didn't feel like showing up came out when I was in my early teens. I can remember the anger if not the reasons why.
Sound fidelity and reproduction are not such concerns here but the band was at their very best. I imagine they were in the process of working on Psalm 69 at that time which was their last (and greatest) album, if you'll forgive my selective memory.
I'm not at all upset that it didn't make this list.
Just cause you feel so good, do you have
to drive me out of my head?
