Classic Live Prog albums which outperforms studio versions.

[Mr.Krautman]

Most Live prog albums from the classic period (1970's) are suffering either from poor sound quality, sloppy or inaccurate playing, boring lengthy improvisations or (worse) are just a carbon copy of the studio versions. But there are exceptions where the live version actually outperforms anything the band have previously recorded in the studio, with more power, energy and imagination (sometimes better playing too) which really transcend the original. Which are your favourite classic Live prog albums, and why ?

Here's my "Top Ten List" (not all strictly prog by definition) but there should be many more...

CARAVAN: Live at Fairfield Halls (1974)
CAMEL: A Live Record (1978)
CURVED AIR : Live (1975)
GENTLE GIANT: Playing The Fool
GO (Stomu Yamashta) : Live From Paris
GROBSCHNITT: Solar Music Live (1978)
ISILDURS BANE: Mind Vol.2 Live
QUINTESSENCE: Live at Queen Elizabeth Hall (1971)
TRAFFIC: On The Road
URIAH HEEP: Live (1973)
FRANK ZAPPA: The Best Band You Never Heard In Your Life

Just noticed my top 10 is actually 11, but there are a couple of "intruders", then...

Now it's up to you to complete this list.

[TheLongshot]

A couple come to mind:

Iona- Heaven's Bright Light
After Crying- Struggle For Life


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[Facelift]

The first that came to mind was All The World's a Stage (Rush). I don't even particularly like Rush's first four albums (other than the 2112 suite), but this album can make them appealing, with its rawness and energy.

[Mr.Krautman]

A couple come to mind:

Iona- Heaven's Bright Light
After Crying- Struggle For Life


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That's incredible ! I was just listening AFTER CRYING's Struggle for Life when writing this thread. And I have IONA's Heaven's Bright Sun too. Both are excellent performances and top quality recordings. (especially IONA).

[yamishogun]

Genesis - Three Sides Live

[MJBrady]

Loose Change - Live at the Grainstore (Never heard any other Loose Change albums)
Snarky Puppy - It very difficult to discern between their live and studio work.
Brecker Brothers - Heavy Metal Be-bop(BB's, Bozzio, Finnerty, Neil Jason, etc.)
Jean Luc Ponty - Live 1979 (Jean-Luc Ponty – violin, piano, keyboards/Ralphe Armstrong – fretless bass, bass/Jamie Glaser – guitar/Joaquin Lievano – guitar/Casey Scheuerell – drums, percussion/Allan Zavod – keyboards, synthesizers
Ponty studio material speaks for itself, but this live date featured some fantastic musicians from arguably his best recorded era.
Jethro Tull - Bursting Out, love their other albums, but for live, this is a very good recording.
Kenso, their live sets are equally impressive to their best studio stuff.

[AncientChord]

Genesis Live (1973) IMO all the songs are superior to the originals, especially "The Knife" because of Collins and Hackett. Still a great timeless album.

[proggosaurus]

Loose Change - Live at the Grainstore (Never heard any other Loose Change albums)

that was the only one. it's interesting to note that while Virgil is well known for his composition skills, he only wrote two of the ten tracks on that album. Mark Domoney wrote 4 and Joe Chindamo wrote 3. Chindamo is considered to be one of the world's finest jazz pianists and composers. his career has been nothing short of stellar. Domoney may not have the international recognition of Donati or Chindamo but he's far from being a slouch on the guitar. he's been fairly prolific himself. Stephen Hadley was the bassist/vocalist for Men At Work for a few years in the late 90's. I also find it odd that Virgil is the only one that has this in his discography.

[Jeremy Bender]

I'm actually not a fan of live albums in general, I'll usually take the precision, overdubs and studio trickery of studio albums. However, the stuff on the Allman Brothers Band's various Live at the Fillmore releases for me are superior to the studio versions. I don't really like live versions of the Karn Evil 9 suite but I think the versions of Hoedown and Tarkus on WBMF are better than the studio versions. I love King Crimson's live versions of the Larks Tongues in Aspic material, I've long thought the studio versions were pretty wan and lacking in energy.

[WytchCrypt]

The major ones that come to mind for me...

Gentle Giant - Playing the Fool (the Octopus and Glass House medleys are just fantastic live)
ELP - Welcome Back... (the live version of Tarkus just destroys the studio take)
Crimso - USA (the definitive versions of Exiles, Lark Pt2, & Schizoid Man)
Hawkwind - California Brainstorm (I always prefer the live versions of Hawkwind songs...except for Assault & Battery)
Marillion - The Thieving Magpie (definitely love live Fish over studio...especially the live version of Misplaced Childhood)
Zappa - YCDTOSA Vol 2 The Helsinki Concert
Ted Nugent - Double Live Gonzo - sorry, couldn't resist

[flowerking]

Zappa: Stage II (already listed), Make a Jazz Noise Here, Zappa in NY
Kansas: Two for the Show
Camel: A Live Record (already listed)
Renaissance: Live at Carnegie Hall (I know it has vocal overdubs, but I still prefer the live version of most of these songs to their studio versions)

and not prog but Grateful Dead Live Dead: St. Stephen > The Eleven is as prog as they got and its pretty killer on this set

[Mascodagama]

KC's Great Deceiver, Night Watch and Ladies of the Road (and some of the Collectors Club releases from the same periods) make the studio renditons of the same material basically redundant to me. I pretty much only listen to live recordings of those editions of the band.

[interbellum]

Roxy Music: Viva! Roxy Music (a long time the only RM-album I was satisfied with)
Alquin: On Tour (a long time the only Alquin-album I owned)
Hot Tuna: Hot Tuna (well, actually this was their debut!)
Japan: Oil On Canvas (although I also love their studio-recordings)

[bigjohnwayne]

Caravan-Live at Fairfield Hall
I prefer these performances to the ones on For Girls Who Grow Plump in the Night without exception.

Twelfth Night-Live and Let Live
Geoff Mann's last concerts with the group. Great energy to the show, even if slowing down East of Eden kinda ruins the song

Genesis-Live
Their other live albums where incredible in sections but otherwise a bit too mannered. This one is gutsy and dark.

Any live material by the Wetton-Bruford lineup of King Crimson-Especially The Great Deceiver, The Night Watch, Live in Mainz, and USA
This band was truly frightening live. Check out the Mainz version of "Lament" or the Night Watch version of "The Talking Drum"/"Larks Tongues 2"

[happytheman]

Seconds Out
Yessongs
Welcome Back my Friends
Fillmore East (Allman Bros)
Mothers live at Fillmore East
Frampton Live
Ummagumma
USA
Gong est Mort
Gong Live etc.
If I give it some thought I could come up with a few others..

[Rarebird]

Novalis - Konzerte
Hoelderling - Live Traumstadt (espcially Die Stadt)

[NogbadTheBad]

Surprised no-one has mentioned Pink Floyd - Ummagumma or if we are accepting boots Live At Pompeii, the versions on those are a street ahead of the studio albums. (edit: opps didn't see Happytheman's post)

Caravan - Fairfield
Hawkwind - Space Ritual
Henry Cow - Concerts (first disc)
Magma - Hhai & Londres 74 & probably a stack more, Retrospectiv 1 & 2. etc
King Crimson - Great Deceiver

[Iceman]

Two that spring to mind for me are Camel's 'A Live Record' which not only has a great rendition of the 'Snow Goose' but Mel Collins saxophone playing on the other remaining tracks is just brilliant ('First Light' just rocks).

Although there are probably a million 'live' Yes performances out there the only one to do it for me is the triple vinyl Yessongs, my first introduction to Yes as a teenager. It's one I always seem to return to when I want to listen to any of their live stuff.

[progman1975]

Steve Hillage - Live @BBC. Really made the tunes from Motivation Radio come to life.

[JKL2000]

Maneige's live version of Les Porches is pretty great.

[JKL2000]

Ange - Tome IV

[Gravedigger]

Be-Bop Deluxe... "Live In The Air Age"

[PeterG]

URIAH HEEP: Live (1973)

I'm a huge UH fan, have been for yonks, and I've seen them live, they are fantastic live. That said, IMO, there is no way that their 73 Live album is better
than the preceding 4 studio LPs: Look At Yourself71, Demons & Wizards 72 (those are their 2 best LPs IMO), Magicians Birthday 73, and Sweet Freedom 73. Nor is it better than Wonderworld 74. However, Live was made to fill a gap in lieu of a studio LP. a great album I agree, but not better than the studio albums of the day. I think bands are best appreciated live when you are there seeing them. Never been a huge fan of live albums.

[JAMOOL]

Magma are my first thought here, not only are the performances great, they're often (somehow) better recorded than the studio work!

[Zeuhlmate]

I generally agree about Magma and KC. And as NogbadTheBad mentiones HC: Concerts disc 1