Best Live Album

[Hans Sprungfeld]

Van Morrison has three great live albums:

Too Late to Stop Now

Live at the Grand Opera House Belfast

A Night in San Francisco

Each from a different era; all excellent

The bootleg I listed was 11/36/78 at LA's Roxy, six-piece band (no horns) and 2 backup singers. "Wavelength" & "Kingdom Hall" were the only new songs, and I just found out it was a Warner promo recording, though my copy has no such indication.

And in response to the Joe Jackson/Elvis Costello mentions above, among my live cassette recordings that I retrieved this week were ones I made in 1982 & 1983 at Forest Hills Tennis Stadium - Elvis & the Attractions after "Imperial Bedroom" came out, and two consecutive years of Talking Heads. The differences in T Heads sound/lineups roughly corresponds to my noting "The Name of This Band..."beneath your mention of" Stop Making Sense."

In a nod to @storrsroars , I'll note that I'm referring to the second LP in" The Name of..." set, which introduced the larger prep-meets-funk band (rather than the earlier spare art school sound-meets-Eno).

Tbh, I've barely listened to Joe Jackson who I decades ago dismissed as inferior to Costello, who himself came out of nowhere in '77 to eclipse Graham Parker, when" Stick to Me" did not live up to expectations generated by "Howlin' Wind" and "Heat Treatment."

As I drive shortly to Springfield, I'll listen to the recommended 2012 GP album and see if NYC live JJ catches my interest. I don't rule it out, and my others from this thread will be "One From the Road" (which I don't think I've ever heard), and "Alchemy," which kicked off the thread, and never got heavy rotation, but I've always liked Knopfler's overall sound, and how he upheld a certain guitar hero vibe later in time, and was one of the last (for me) of such kind.

For the record, "Allman Brothers Live at Fillmore East," (expanded) "Live at Leeds," and "Waiting for Columbus" are the Boomers' 'right answer' to the original question...even if Feat's live one came after I was full punk, jazz, and beyond, and had already logged lots & lots of hours in the first half of the 70s with the peak Lowell George years that were within the best of the best of major label hell that made punk so necessary.

 

[storrsroars]

Thanks, never heard of that bootleg album by them. Will look and download it. I'm huge fan of Karl Wallinger and World Party. Arkeology (compilation album) is a must if you are a fan of Karl (WP).

I wish he'd release something. Seems he's been working on his next album for 15 years now. That aneurysm must've really screwed him up.

 

[Husky Alien]

Also on the Celtic-ish topic, how could I have forgotten the one live album I've probably played more than any other over the past 35 years - a bootleg of what was once the best live band in the world at their 1986 peak - The Live Adventures of The Waterboys. For a bootleg, the sound is great, some of it captured at their legendary Glastonbury show in '86. They cover Dylan, Van Morrison, Patti Smith/Springsteen, and most notably Prince (Purple Rain with the ending solos via Steve Wickham's fiddle).

Found it under Waterboys: Dublin 1986 (Live). Thanks again for mentioning.

 

[8893]

Scott lost me at Universal Hall/Too Close to Heaven. Had their whole catalog till then, plus bootlegs. Also saw them live 5x, and when he started wearing the cowboy hat and pulling more from the folk/traditional catalog, I'd had enough. But in their day they really were worth the ticket to see live.

I stopped listening to them from the early 90s until 2015 when Modern Blues came out. I dig them in a different way now, and in some ways more.

 

[8893]

The bootleg I listed was 11/36/78 at LA's Roxy, six-piece band (no horns) and 2 backup singers. "Wavelength" & "Kingdom Hall" were the only new songs, and I just found out it was a Warner promo recording, though my copy has no such indication.

I believe I have that show on cassette.

 

[Dean Wormer]

Surprised nobody listed Jonny Cash at Folsom. That’s legendary.

Man, I remember sitting on the living room floor watching this as a kid. Great album, great concert, great documentary.

 

[Husky Alien]

I wish he'd release something. Seems he's been working on his next album for 15 years now. That aneurysm must've really screwed him up.

Yes, if I'm not mistaken the last tour WP did is with Steely Dan in Europe 2014. Had a chance to see them at The Iron Horse in Northampton, MA but was not able to go in that same year. Yeah! I think the aneurysm did him in. You do not hear anything from him. Very very talented, it a shame. Imagine a double bill, Steely Dan and World Party. Great night of music.

 

[storrsroars]

Found it under Waterboys: Dublin 1986 (Live). Thanks again for mentioning.

This is the one I mentioned (BY Amazon link included):

Amazon.com : live adventures of the waterboys

www.amazon.com

although it seems like "Dublin 1986" is simply a repackaging. Not sure why it exists, frankly.

 

[Husky Alien]

This is the one I mentioned (BY Amazon link included):

Amazon.com : live adventures of the waterboys

www.amazon.com

although it seems like "Dublin 1986" is simply a repackaging. Not sure why it exists, frankly.

It is a repackage. Same songs, not sure why?

 

[storrsroars]

Yes, if I'm not mistaken the last tour WP did is with Steely Dan in Europe 2014. Had a chance to see them at The Iron Horse in Northampton, MA but was not able to go in that same year. Yeah! I think the aneurysm did him in. You do not hear anything from him. Very very talented, it a shame. Imagine a double bill, Steely Dan and World Party. Great night of music.

Well he did this 8-minute piano thing about Brexit last year (mostly riffing off Ode to Joy). Was last in Pittsburgh in 2015 as an acoustic trio. But I fondly remember their first tour, which I caught at Toad's, some 35 years ago. My how time flies. Wish him well. I have a World Party channel on Pandora, and the weird stuff their algorithm serves up makes for a very eclectic channel.

 

[dvegas]

There's an album "Live at the Beacon" by a one-off supergroup "New York Rock and Soul Revue" led by Donald Fagen that includes Phoebe Snow, Michael McDonald, Boz Scaggs, Eddie and David Brigati (The Rascals), Charles Brown, Walter Becker, Jeff Young and Cornelius Bumpus. It's all covers and well worth a listen if you're a fan of any of those musicians.

 

[Mr. Wonderful]

The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus

 

[BillRME0920]

Wilco - Kicking Television

 

[Mr. Wonderful]

Howlin' Wolf in London

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

Listening to Dire Straits ‘Alchemy’ tonight. Tough to beat. What’s your favorite?

Quick followup - "Alchemy" is not available on Spotify, so I listened as a playlist through standard issue YouTube, which inserted commercials between each cut. The 10th track was listed as "unavailable," so that it was an insert from a different source and worked.

Without Premium, YouTube allowed no access to multiple apps. Instead, it was - other than ads - an uninterrupted, zero-multitasking listen for the duration of a drive from New Haven to Springfield.

2 takeaways -

First, I'd never listened to it, except for occasional single tracks on the radio, and pretty much only in its day.

Second, the buried lead: I liked it A LOT. Thank you thank you!

 

[Husky Alien]

Todd Rundgren : Back To The Bars. Some great stuff on this live album. This is the full album.

 

[TheRealKBuks]

Apologies if this was posted already I fell a few pages behind but another incredible live show was Queen The Game Tour Live in Montreal

 

[TheRealKBuks]

You going to see them this year? I got pit tix in Nashville. Having John back is going to be epic, can’t wait for their new album

Been ready for this ever since John rejoined the band!!!!!

 

[Deadrody]

Live Dead

Or Without a Net or Dead Set or Dick's Picks (whatever number)

 

[nelsonmuntz]

The Last Waltz is a brilliant album, and more a story than a show. It is amazing how seamless other acts fit in.

I was too lazy to see Paul Simon in Central Park in 1991. I had planned to go, and had taken off from work, but my friends and I were just too lazy to get on the train and go. Youth is wasted on the young.

 

[Kathy]

Have an addition, as I just watched this morning while cleaning - Blind Faith - London Hyde Park 1969.
One of the first Supergroups - Clapton, Baker and Winwood

 

[boba]

On this topic, anyone buy something from here:
Bear's Sonic Journals

That Commander Cody set looks pretty good...

 

[Waquoit]

Little Feat - "Waiting for Columbus".... the Tower of Power horn section puts this band into another gear.

I'm pretty sure this is the live album I've listened to the most in my life. Mercenary Territory is one of my favorite "deep cuts".

 

[Doginaus]

lots of good choices, i'll add some of mine as well, though some have been mentioned already.

• Allman Brothers-The Fillmore Concerts
• Genesis-3 Sides Live
• David Gilmour-Live at Pompeii
• Cheap Trick- Live at Budokan
• Talk Talk-Live at Montreau
• Creedence Clearwater Revival- The Concert
• Midnight Oil- Scream in Blue Live

 

[Husky Alien]

lots of good choices, i'll add some of mine as well, though some have been mentioned already.

• Talk Talk-Live at Montreau

Big fan of all that you posted especially Allman Bros. But Talk Talk is very very good choice and I don't think they were mentioned on here, the others have been I believe. Good choice.