Favorite live-albums by those who regularly don't like live-albums

[Sunhillow]

He he. Of course people here who DO like live-albums may participate. By tread it more like 'You don't like live-albums? Listen to THIS'.

For the main target of this thread: I regarly don't like live-albums for several reasons:

1. Often I prefer the better produced studio-versions
2. The audience is often annoying
3. The material is often played exactly as on the studio-recordings
4. The material is often played way too different as on the studio-recordings
5. I feel no sense of live-atmosphere.

BUT, here are my favorite live-albums:

Gentle Giant - Playing The Fool
Supersister - Supersisterious (this album makes their first three albums useless)
Roxy Music - Live (2003) < stunning
Karnataka - Strange Behaviour
Barclay James Harvest - Live
Gazpacho - London (yet the other live-album Live at Lorely is lackluster)
Santana - Lotus
Stomu Yamash'ta - Go... live

[mogrooves]

Magma ~ Live/Hhai
Grobschnitt ~ Solar Music Live
GG ~ Playing The Fool
Caravan ~ Live At The Fairfield Halls, 1974
Henry Cow ~ Concerts
801 ~ Live
Soft Machine ~ Backwards
Matching Mole ~ On The Radio

[Oreb]

Yes , Yessongs - maybe an obvious pick, but IMO this contains the definitive versions of lots of The Yes Album material and a drum solo in 'Perpetual Change' that is actually listenable (probably because it's pretty short and performed by the greatest drummer of he period...),

Genesis, Seconds Out- yeah, I know it could have been better if they'd included 'Eleventh Earl of Mar' and if they hadn't done so much studio tweaking, but still, this has my favourite versions of 'Supper's Ready' and 'The Cinema Show' on it - can't ask more than that in Progland,

Marillion, Curtain Call / Early Stages / Bootleg Box, Vol. 2- I cant split these: the band has always been at its best live and these show why: 'Misplaced Childhood' and 'Brave' are at their best on these, and - honestly - it's time to forgive 'Grendel'. A really great song IMO,

From non-prog:

Dylan, Bootleg Series, Vol. 4: 'Royal Albert Hall'- since 'Visions of Johanna' is the greatest song of the rock era (and since) and this includes the best ever recording of it, the disc would deserve being on this list. But when you add the other magnificent tracks and the atmosphere...

Springsteen, Boot: Piece de resistance- the best rock recording I have ever heard. If this gets a legit release some day...

[flowerking]

I agree with Yessongs. Perhaps not the best sound quality but you can really hear the band jamming far beyond anything on the studio albums. Here are a few more:

Renaissance - Live at Carnegie Hall. Yes, there are overdubs but this is a beautiful album and we see the band really getting to stretch things out on the side long Ashes are Burning.

Camel - A Live Record, particularly the extended version with all the bonus tracks.

Zappa - Stage II. One of the best bands musicianship-wise at their best. Zappa playing some his best guitar solos in Inca Roads and RDNZL. A combination of challenging jazz, prog, and fun stuff. Also, the band getting to improvise quite a lot.

And here's an odd one I'll toss out there: Ambrosia - Live at the Galaxy. After 25 years, Ambrosia finally releases a live recording showing that they really hadn't lost anything over the years. A nice mix of older prog songs with their more pop oriented tunes.

[Trane]

Magma ~ Live/Hhai
Grobschnitt ~ Solar Music Live

I can't think, as I write now, of two live albums that define a band more. To be honest, this is the best album of both bands

I'll come back later to cite a few more.... if I can find more...

[progman1975]

Steve Hillage - Live Hearld
Uncle Frank - Roxy and Elsewhere

[happytheman]

Springsteen, Boot: Piece de resistance- the best rock recording I have ever heard. If this gets a legit release some day...

Care to elaborate? I've got a whole bunch of Bruce but never heard of this recording.. Dates? Location? Thanks..

[Prog Lives]

Planet X - live from Oz

[Gravedigger]

Rush- All The World's A Stage
I think they find a good balance between:

[QUOTE=Sunhillow;107719]
3. The material is often played exactly as on the studio-recordings
4. The material is often played way too different as on the studio-recordings

[arturs]

You guys have already hit most of my favorite live albums that represent definitive takes of the material: Yessongs, Hillage, Magma, Grobschnitt.

The only ones I can add are:
Pat Metheny Group Travels
Djam Karet Live at Orion (see the Cuneiform thread...)

[No Pride]

Gentle Giant - Playing the Fool
Yes - Yessongs
Scott Henderson - Live
Allan Holdsworth - Then!
Screaming Headless Torsos - Live
Utopia - Redux '92 Live in Japan
Mike Keneally Band - Guitar Therapy Live

[AdventAlan]

Greetings,

The only pick that comes immediately to mind:

RAIZ DE PEDRA - Ao Vivo

Cheers,


Alan

[Hour Candle]

Some live albums I really like: Camel - Never Let Go Camel - Coming Of Age Camel - A Live Record, especially the 2002 remaster with loads of bonus tracks Kraan - Live 1975 Marillion - Brave in Poland 1994 (part of The Official Bootleg Vol 2) Gentle Giant - Playing The Fool Tangerine Dream - Ricochet Tangerine Dream - Encore Saxon - The Eagle Has Landed 1982 (sorry, not prog but a great sounding album)

[emperorken]

Not a fan of live albums, but this one is very good:

Moon Safari- Gettysburg Address

[Vic2012]

1. Often I prefer the better produced studio-versions
3. The material is often played exactly as on the studio-recordings
4. The material is often played way too different as on the studio-recordings

That's pretty much me too. I have my share of live albums because I know I should at least have one live album by all my favorite bands. To be honest, to me live albums are superfluous, but there are exceptions of course. Here's what I think about a few live albums I have:

Made In Japan - Deep Purple: I just don't think it's that good. Ritchie goes on these long, noodlie excursions that don't add anything to the song. I don't get all the praise this album gets. I played it a couple weeks ago on a whim, and now it goes back on the shelf to collect dust for another few years.

Exit Stage Left - Rush: All the songs sound almost exactly like the studio versions. What's the point?

Live And Dangerous - Thin Lizzy: Again, for me the studio versions are more enjoyable. Plus I've read/heard that this album was "sweetened" with overdubs in the studio. Some of the songs are actually sound check performances with audience noise pumped in.

Keys To Ascension 2 (live disk) - Yes: Good performances but superfluous. The studio disk blows it away (imo).

There's a few more I'm forgetting though. None of these albums suck, I just don't find anything exciting about them.

The exception to the rules would be:



BOG is my favorite live album of all time. Pretty much all of Jimi's live performances are great. I especially like Jimi's and Mountain's performances on this album:



And this is my favorite album by The Who:

[BravadoNJ]

that's a tough question for me. i have so many pet peeves about live albums. the band is flat, the audience is flat, songs dubbed together, not enough talk, the sound is off, key songs missing and the infamous "why are they playing that song!?"... Etc....

on a positive side, the CD (or 2CD) live album allows the entire setlist and performance to remain intact.

back to the question... ***Rush, Snakes & Arrows Live***
it's captures the performance, despite all the new songs (which actually sounded great live)
i know i'm a big Rush fan, but actually i don't like most of their live albums because of the way they are edited and mixed.
no on The Time Machine too, i can pop in Retrospect if i wanna hear hits.

[progeezer]

Moon Safari- Gettysburg Address

Agree!

The first live album that popped into my head (maybe because I listened to it yesterday) is Jellyfish-Live at Bogart's - 1991. To my ears, it's recorded, mixed & mastered so well that other than the between song applause it sounds like a studio album.

[presdoug]

Colosseum Live
Bloodrock Live
Brainstorm-Last Smile
Brainstorm-Bremen 1973
Le Orme-In Concerto
Jasper van't Hof-Live in Montreux

[SteveSly]

A few oldies that pop to mind:

UFO - Strangers In The Night (schenker at his best)
Rainbow - On Stage (Dio's at his absolute best)
Foghat - Live (still one of my favorite albums from high school
Head East - Live (THE party album of my first year in college)

Steve Sly

[Reach]

I'm another who really is not a fan of live recordings. I know to some our dislike of live recordings is crazy, and many feel strongly in the opposite direction. I can understand, but it's not my preferred way. To me, the studio and production are another component in the artistic product. Similar to the reasons why I prefer planned-out vs. improvised music. But I too have a few exceptions, for whatever reasons:

Magma - Live/Hhai
Jean-Luc Ponty - Live (1979)
The Allman Brothers - Fillmore, etc.
Kenso - Live '92
Tangerine Dream - Ricochet (if that's a legit 'live' album)
Some moments from King Crimson.

That's pretty much it (I might be missing one or two). All the other classic artists-- Yes, Genesis, GG, Rush, etc...I'll take the studio recording. And even (gasp!) listening to the studio recording through a home headphone system rather than being there live. I know, many will think this preference is nuts, but there you go.

[ronmac]

Dylan, Bootleg Series, Vol. 4: 'Royal Albert Hall'- since 'Visions of Johanna' is the greatest song of the rock era (and since) and this includes the best ever recording of it, the disc would deserve being on this list. But when you add the other magnificent tracks and the atmosphere...

Effing magical!

I'd add, in no particular order:

Dylan Carnegie Hall 1964
Steppenwolf Live
Mountain "Flowers of Evil"
Mountain "The Road Goes Ever On"
Any Live Cream
Rush "Black Forest" (bootleg)
Beatles Live at the BBC
Johnny Winter And Live
Johnny Winter Captured Live
Frank Marino "Real Live"

[Trane]

Colosseum - Live
Kraan - Live
Chocago IV - Live At Carnegie Hall
The Allman Brothers - Fillmore East
Frank Marino & Mahogany Rush - Live (77)
Pat Travers Band - Go For What You Know



these as well....
Rainbow - On Stage (though I'm a little frustrated by so few rising tracks in the track selection))
Foghat - Live (another live album that pretty well renders obsolete any of their studio albums)

[Progbear]

Grobschnitt: Solar Music Live
Kraan: Live and Tournee
Frank Zappa: You Can’t Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 2: The Helsinki Concert

Those are my “go-to” live albums. Otherwise, if I want to hear a song, I’ll just go for its studio version, even if I like what they do with it live (Yessongs comes to mind).

-------------
MIKE (a.k.a. "Progbear")

"'Thin Thighs For Your Man.' But I don't *like* men with thin thighs" --Daria

N.P.:“Seeding the Clouds”-Tuxedomoon/Half-Mute

[Jay G]

Some of my favorites:

Deep Purple - Made in Japan. I still think this is the all time best
UFO - Starngers in the Night. Just an awesome preformance by the entire band.
Black Sabbath - Live at Last/Past Lives - not the best overal performance but always a favorite just for the extended jam version of Wicked World
Cheap Trick - Live at Budokan
Chicago Live in Japan 72 - I like this set better than the more popular Carnegie Hall and LIve in 75 sets
Iron Maiden - Live After Death
Danny Gatton & Tom Principato - Oh No More Blazing Telecasters
J Geils Band - Blow Your Face Out
Jeff Beck - Live at Ronnie Scotts
Jerry Reed - Live Still
Larry Carlton and Steve Lukather - No Substitutions
Mike Keneally Band - Live at Schubas
Wings - Over America
Rainbow - Live Nurnberg 1976. Prefer these sets from Germany over On Stage
Scorpions - Tokyo Tapes. Except the covers all other songs are awesome. Uli just kills on this.
Thin Lizzy - Still Dangerous Live 1977. The true live album from the same tour as Live and Dangerous. Live from the Tower in Philly.
Whitesnake - Live in the Heart of the City. Back when Coverdale was the best blues singer going IMO.

[arabicadabra]

Jeff Beck - Official Bootleg 06 - pre-Tal but Vinnie and Jeff have NEVER played with more fire
Deep Purple - Made In Japan - what's so great? Why, it's the FIRE, the energy bursting off the stage? When Blackmore gets excited, he IS sloppy, but he's also empassioned, while Lord and Paice? Unreal.
Dixie Dregs - Bring 'Em Back Alive - yeah! Steve Morse is a "no fixes" guy, and the band is amazing.
King Crimson - Vroom Vroom - Yegads! It's an omnipotent double trio in TWO different concerts kicking names and taking ass....
I'll second the nods to Seconds Out, Yessongs and throw in a Busting Out by messrs. Ian Anderson and Co. as well...
Humble Pie - Rockin' The Fillmore