Well, I would neither put [UK] up with anything from the classic rock period (nor with AOR music like Asia as some want to see it), not because it does not hold up well but simply because it belongs to a different time and style altogether.
It is important to note that with the declining influence of 60s experimental/progressive aesthetics around mid-70s, many progressively-minded rock artists started to look at fusion as an area of potential development, which had its own audience and market as well as seemed to offer a relatively safe shelter from commercial music formatting. Here are some key live recordings which evidence this stylistic shift:
Isotope - Golden Section '74-75
Caravan - BBC Live in Concert '75
Soft Machine - Floating World Live '75 & British Tour '75 (the former with Allan Holdsworth)
Magma - Live/Hhaï '75
Gong - Live in Sherwood Forest '75
National Health - Missing Pieces '75-76 & Playtime '79 (the former with Bill Bruford)
Brand X - Missing Period '75-76
Frank Zappa - Philly '76 (featuring Eddie Jobson & Terry Bozzio)
Camel - Live Record '77 (first disc)
Jeff Beck - Live '77
I would also throw Colosseum II and Moraz-era Yes into the mix if they had any live document officially released. And that is in my opinion the proper context of UK's formation and its sort of continuation in the form of Bruford (the band). Now add UK's Live in Boston '78 or Night After Night '79 to this list and you will see how naturally they fit in and how well they stand up among their peers. [...]
As for me, if forced to pick only three entries from the list I would go with Magma's Live/Hhaï, UK's Live in Boston and National Health's Playtime. I find the prog-jazz fusion of these three bands the most interesting, organic and unique out of the whole bunch.
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