Do you like live albums?

[Poggle]

Since the music discussion has a lot of room to move forward with a thread every month...

My favorite:

UFO - Strangers in the Night
AC/DC - Live
Cheap Trick - At Budokan
Led Zeppelin - Everything
Black Sabbath - Reunion
Heaven & Hell - Live at Radio City Music Hall
Alice in Chains - Live
Eric Clapton - Unplugged

[dave jenkins]

Peter Hammill is the master of the live album. In fact, most of his studio albums are rather ho-hum affairs, but when he records the same material in a live setting, he can suddenly take the top of your head right off. Best is probably his 1985 LP, The Margin. A very close second, though, has to be There Goes the Daylight (1994). I'm also very fond of Typical, and Room Temperature is also good. Although not an "album", In the Passionskirche, Berlin MCMXCII (available so far only on VHS) is worth seeking out for the live performances it contains. And of course, the recent reunion with Van der Graff Generator has produced this year's best live album, Real Time.

[noodles_leone]

Eric Clapton - Unplugged
Deep Purple - Made in Japan

[moviesceleton]

I really don't own any others than Iron Maiden Live at Donington (plus Metallica S&M burned) . S&M is my favorite. I haven't heard them in their entity but I've also enjoyed Nirvana Unplugged, AC/DC Live and some live record from Rainbow (I don't know which).

[titoli]

Frank Sinatra Live at the Budokan Hall (probably best ever Live by one of his age at the time: he was pushing toward 70)
Elvis On Tour Soundtrack
Led Zeppelin Live in Blueberry Hill (Only for their rendition of Mess Of Blues and Whola Lotta Love)
Kinks Live at Kelvin Hall
Jimi Hendrix J. Plays Monterey
 

[Tuco the ugly]

No, don't like them at all.

[titoli]

No, don't like them at all.

In line of principle, it's a correct pov: if the live recording it's better than the studio one, then something wrong must have happened. The fact is that only few artists (notably the beatles and battisti) had the ability of using the studio to full capacity.

[Tucumcari Bound]

Depends on the band or singer. Some bands are great live, other's are terrible. I own quite a few live albums though.

[Ben Tyreen]

  Audioslave had a great DVD of their performance in Cuba from a few years back.  That was one of the best live performances I've ever seen.  As for albums, I'll agree with some other posts, it depends on the group/singer.  Some group's talent doesn't convert well to live stuff.

[Silenzio]

It depends really.  Some bands' Live efforts blow their studio albums out of the water.  The first that comes to mind is the improvisationary jam band Phish.  KISS' live albums are much more tolerable than their studio sludge.  Eek.  But some bands are a lot worse live.  First that comes to mind would be Milli Vanilli. 


The main reason for me to buy a Live album is because I want to hear the band improvise.  That's why the best live albums are those such as The Allman Brothers' "At Fillmore East" or Wes Montgomery's "Smokin' At The Half Note."  I'm not going to buy a live album just to hear the band try to play a song the exact same way they did it in the studio, plus crowd noise.  Doesn't make sense to me.

[Kurug3n]

But some bands are a lot worse live.  First that comes to mind would be Milli Vanilli. 

 

[Juan Miranda]

ON YOUR FEET OR ON YOUR KNEES. The Blue Oyster Cult. Best live album I think I've ever heard.

SPACE RITUAL. Hawkwind.

DRUNK ON THE POPE'S BLOOD. The Birthday Party. They always sounded better live for me.

As did some tracks by The Jam. The B-side live single version of DOWN IN THE TUBE STATION AT MIDNIGHT was one of the greatest recordings they ever made.

[Groggy]

Not particularly.

[KevinJCBJK]

Some good live albums off the top of my head.

The Who-Live at Leeds

Johnny Cash-At Folsom Prison and At San Quienten

Led Zeppelin-How the West Was Won

Jimi Hendrix-Band of Gypsies

Bob Dylan's Bootleg Series 4 to 6.

[Noodles_SlowStir]

The main reason for me to buy a Live album is because I want to hear the band improvise.  That's why the best live albums are those such as The Allman Brothers' "At Fillmore East" or Wes Montgomery's "Smokin' At The Half Note."  I'm not going to buy a live album just to hear the band try to play a song the exact same way they did it in the studio, plus crowd noise.  Doesn't make sense to me.

Very good point Silenzio and nice pick...Smokin' At The Half Note.  I think what you say, and with jazz, live albums can be very important.  Sometimes live recorded performances are all that may be available on particular musicians playing together.  One of the reasons the recent Monk/Trane Carnegie Hall release was such a great and important find.  There are so few recordings when Trane was with Monk during that time.  I suppose same could be said of some early blues or even rock performances by artists that just jam together for some event.  But there are a lot of essential live jazz recordings.  Bill Evans and trio, Sunday Live At The Village Vanguard another good one.  All those great sounds with occasional clinking of glasses in the background.

I like Gratitude by Earth, Wind & Fire as well.  It has a little more than a half album of studio material.  But that album captures the experience of having seen them live when they were a serious funk band with the latin, jazz, gospel, funk influences in their music.  They were writing their own material.  Later they became popular and the writing seemed to be too much outside the band.