Incredible live albums?

[casecandy]

Inspired by D.o.S.'s recent claim that "it probably won't get any better" than Hendrix playing "Machine Gun" with Band of Gypsys, and the fact that I really fucking love Band of Gypsys, it occurred to me that a lot of the best music ever has been released on live albums. What are some of your favourites? You know, those live albums that are *probably* better than any of the band's studio efforts, if you're honest about it. That just capture something special about the band...

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLQekby0mFI[/youtube]

I can't get enough of Stan Rogers in general and in a lot of ways Between The Breaks... is his best record (the unimpeachable Northwest Passage notwithstanding). You get a version of "Barrett's Privateers" that's arguably better than the studio version, but the real treasure is the songs that were so good here that they just never bothered to record studio versions of them... these "live versions" are the only versions, they're canon. "The Mary Ellen Carter," "The Flowers of Bermuda," a cover of Archie Fisher's "Witch of the West-Mere-Lands" that's simply epic. You're not just getting Stan, either... it's a who's-who of minor Canadian folk legends, Grit Laskin, Paul Mills, and of course, Stan's brother Garnett, who's literally my favourite musician any genre, any instrument (violin, in this case).

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEcFeNTWSB8[/youtube]

The Who's Live At Leeds is probably the biggest influence on me period, as a musician, as a music listener, whatever. The whole band was superlative. I think this recording is a cornerstone of so many different genres... rock, punk, metal... even Merzbow claims it as influence, which makes sense, because a lot of it boils down to control over noise. Feedback, hum, distortion, fuzz, etc. "Young Man Blues" is one of the intensest things you could ever hear, but the funny thing is they had such a sense of humour, too. The banter between songs isn't skippable... it makes you wish every live album contained that much banter. It's like being there. I really can't say enough about this chaotic classic. To me, that's rock.

What are your favourites?

[D.o.S.]

Off the top: Allmans at Filmore East, GD's Live/Dead, Band of Gypsys, Masters of Reality's How High The Moon + Flak N' Flight, Earthless live at Roadburn, Earthless + Heavy Blanket in a Dutch Haze, The Last Waltz (although it's debatable if it's actually a live record)

[casecandy]

Off the top: Allmans at Filmore East, GD's Live/Dead, Band of Gypsys, Masters of Reality's How High The Moon + Flak N' Flight, Earthless live at Roadburn, Earthless + Heavy Blanket in a Dutch Haze, The Last Waltz (although it's debatable if it's actually a live record)

I'd count it.

Did you get that Filmore East box set...? My friend has it but to me, I only need so many versions of the same song. If I was a hardcore Allmans fan I bet it would be indispensable.

[D.o.S.]

No I passed on that one -- I do have the double disc which combines the live stuff that was on Eat A Peach, but I kind of feel the same way about that box set as I do The Basement Tapes: having every single note recorded isn't essential since the best stuff was already released. Likewise with Live/Dead: the full concert recordings are out there but I don't need to own those.

Oh! I did forget Grief's Alive, which is pretty seminal sludge.

[UglyCasanova]

The live Built to Spill album.

[bigchiefbc]

Traffic Welcome to the Canteen

[Eivind August]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcTuds6jfkI[/youtube]

[D.o.S.]

THATS ONLY HALF AN ALBUM

[SPACERITUAL]

Theres some idiot floating around here whos screenname is the best live album of all time and also dos is wrong.

[D.o.S.]

"wrong"

[SPACERITUAL]

"incorrect"

[Eivind August]

THATS ONLY HALF AN ALBUM

THE OTHER HALF ISN'T LIVE, AND ISN'T THAT GOOD

[goroth]

Live after death.

</thread>

[Ugly Nora]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aL83hl91syw[/youtube]


Johnny Cash - Live at San Quentin

[D.o.S.]

THATS ONLY HALF AN ALBUM

THE OTHER HALF ISN'T LIVE, AND ISN'T THAT GOOD