Good live albums?

[Charlie Jefferson]

[quote user="jetjohnson"]


The Allman Brothers Band ....Live at The Fillmore East ..THE essential live album of all time!
[/quote]

The Allman Brothers are often referenced whenever one of my favourite bands, My Morning Jacket, are reviewed. My older brother used to rave about them. So now, it seems, it's time to investigate.

 

[jetjohnson]

[quote user="Charlie Jefferson"][quote user="jetjohnson"]


The Allman Brothers Band ....Live at The Fillmore East ..THE essential live album of all time!
[/quote]

The Allman Brothers are often referenced whenever one of my favourite bands, My Morning Jacket, are reviewed. My older brother used to rave about them. So now, it seems, it's time to investigate.[/quote]

....You won't be disappointed ...Try ..Idlewild South as an example of their studio stuff (it's been recently re-released in heavy vinyl as a ltd edition!)
....but live is where the Allman's gained their reputation .....Duane "Skydog" Allman is regarded by many as second only to Hendrix in the best guitarist ever stakes (he must be the best slide player) ...Eat a Peach (Live and studio stuff) is also a crackin' album although sadly Duane died by the time it was released. There a whole slew of live albums out there and even some of the post Duane stuff holds up really well.

Now .....where do I start with My Morning Jacket?

 

[jetjohnson]

..Man Live at the Padget Rooms ? .......so someone else likes Man! I have it on the original 10" vinyl but apparently it's just been re released on CD (with extra tracks I think) ......Personally I preferred thier set from the original Greasy Truckers album .......(Spunk Rock!)

And I still play Be Good To Yourself At Least Once A Day ....I heard UA made a loss on many of their more obscure rock releases in the 70's due to the lavish packaging (eg BGTYALOAD's fold out map!) (and I'm not even Welsh!)

..and agreed - Electric Ladyland is the dog's bollocks!

 

[Charlie Jefferson]

[quote user="jetjohnson"].but live is where the Allman's gained their reputation .....Duane "Skydog" Allman is regarded by many as second only to Hendrix in the best guitarist ever stakes (he must be the best slide player) ...Eat a Peach (Live and studio stuff) is also a crackin' album[/quote]

Thanks for the signposts to discovering The Allman Brothers. I'm about to order the Fillmore East album having heard some snippets on iTunes. Which edition of this CD would you recommend? The "Deluxe" one, as pictured in your post or the SACD version I saw listed online? In the review section underneath the iTunes listing someone mentions this version even in it's standard CD encoding. Will then proceed onto Eat A Peach, which sounds fantastic, from what I've heard so far.

[quote user="jetjohnson"]Now .....where do I start with My Morning Jacket?[/quote]

At Dawn or It Still Moves, their second and third full length albums respectively, are both wonderful. They both showcase their two major styles: big, reverb-soaked countrified, rock wig-outs and the equally beautiful, slower, gentler acoustic numbers. The key, for me at least, is the tainted purity of Jim James' cracked, soulful voice. The live album, Okonokos, is great for the big riffage and frazzled soundscape but not as subtle and varied as the studio stuff.

 

[jetjohnson]

......Things with the Allmans get a little complicated with the albums Live at The Fillmore East & Eat a Peach - For track selection I'd reckon the best version of Eat a Peach is the deluxe version simply because it's far more representative of the Allmans in Concert (ie it's much longer!) .....both versions have the 33 + minute version of Mountain Jam (!) ...The SACD of Eat a Peach sounds fab ..but it is simply a 5.1 version of the shorter original album .....likewise The Fillmore East album has been released as a DTS High Definition Surround version - again sound is good (both albums were sourced (I think) from the original QUAD masters...but the DTS Fillmore Album has the same (shorter) track listing as the original stereo release. ......so really it's a choice of surround sound v more tracks.

Also keep a look out for the Live at 1970 The Atlanta Pop Festival ..which includes some stormin' performances although certain songs are duplicated across the 2 cds (the Allmans played 2 sets recorded on different days of the festival) Johnny Winter (ask your brother!) guests on the 2nd Atlanta set.

Finally for Duane Allman saddoes like myself The Duane Allman Anthology albums (1+2) showcase his abilities as a session player and with the Allmans.

.......and thanks for the info re MMJ .......xmas cd tokens ahoy!

 

[Anonymous]

Genesis - Seconds Out (Remaster)

Rush - R30 / Rush in Rio / Different Stages / A Show of Hands / Exit Stage Left

Redshift - Last

Tangerine Dream - Orange Odyssey soundtrack / 220 volts / Tournado

Kansas - Two for the Show

Kraftwerk - Minimum Maximum

Just a wee selection.............

 

[Andy TW]

Most of my favourites have already been listed (Genesis, Rush, Pink Floyd) but I'd like to add Aerosmith's "Live Bootleg" and "REM Live" to the list.

 

[Anonymous]

Root Down and Get It (Live) - Jimmy Smith

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="Andrew Everard"]

Could be worse, I guess - could've been used for 1,000,001 dull,
unimaginitive hi-fi and home cinema demonstrations...
[/quote] Bose demonstrated their newest cinema system with that, obviously quite a few years back now. I liked it and bought it, the DVD that is, not their cinema system.

 

[Anonymous]

Rollins Band: "The Only Way To Know For Sure".

 

[mattatnotts]

The Who - Live at Leeds.

 

[Anonymous]

A little off-topic, because it's a DVD, rather than an album, but I'd add The Who Live At The Royal Albert Hall (from 2001). You can get it for £6 on Amazon, and it's one of my all-time favourite test discs, especially if you listen to the DTS mix.

What part of fairest Nottinghamshire are you from, Matt?

 

[Anonymous]

Foo Fighters, skin and bones in NY. Chilli Peppers at Slane Park.

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="Twigster"]Rollins Band: "The Only Way To Know For Sure".[/quote]

Cracking album that one, and well worth the 2CD set. Hopefully Henry will be bringing some products over for his spoken word tour in the next few days.

As for other live releases:

David Bowie - Stage (DVD-Audio) - restored to original live set order and listening to "Heroes" makes the hair stand on end!

Pop Will Eat Itself - Live @ Birmingham Academy - one of those Instant Live releases where you could get the CD 15 mins after the gig. Pure immediacy and the last tour they ever did, and an awesome atmosphere.

Metallica - S&M - gorgeous mix of band with Michael Kamen Orchestra there.

 

[Anonymous]

aarw

Definatly with you on the Skin and Bones front, been having a Foos afternoon.

Japan - Oil On Canvas, on vinyl (a little worn though sadly).

 

[bigblue235]

Only two I listen to regularly are

Nirvana- Unplugged

INXS- Live Baby Live. DVD is good too, but bizarrely has poorer content than the old video release.

 

[Anonymous]

The Best Band You Never Heard In Your Life - Zappa

Roxy And Elsewhere - Zappa

 

[Anonymous]

Rolling Stones, Get Your Yas Yas Out! And The Who Live At Leeds.

 

[Anonymous]

I can sware that Paul Oakenfold Bunkka Live is the best ever live recording I have ever heard and his Starry Eyed Suprise is way better than the original which was still brilliant. Track 4 - Ready Steady Go is the best of all though - used on a Jeep advert I believe...or a car advert of somesort anyway. A definite listen. I also have a Fleetwood Mac Live LP which is really good - quite an early one of their's.

 

[Joe Cox]

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="jetjohnson"]......Things with the Allmans get a little complicated with the albums Live at The Fillmore East & Eat a Peach - For track selection I'd reckon the best version of Eat a Peach is the deluxe version simply because it's far more representative of the Allmans in Concert (ie it's much longer!) .....both versions have the 33 + minute version of Mountain Jam (!) ...The SACD of Eat a Peach sounds fab ..but it is simply a 5.1 version of the shorter original album .....likewise The Fillmore East album has been released as a DTS High Definition Surround version - again sound is good (both albums were sourced (I think) from the original QUAD masters...but the DTS Fillmore Album has the same (shorter) track listing as the original stereo release. ......so really it's a choice of surround sound v more tracks. Also keep a look out for the Live at 1970 The Atlanta Pop Festival ..which includes some stormin' performances although certain songs are duplicated across the 2 cds (the Allmans played 2 sets recorded on different days of the festival) Johnny Winter (ask your brother!) guests on the 2nd Atlanta set. Finally for Duane Allman saddoes like myself The Duane Allman Anthology albums (1+2) showcase his abilities as a session player and with the Allmans. .......and thanks for the info re MMJ .......xmas cd tokens ahoy![/quote]

Further to this and previous responses. the Allmans are still going strong but unfortunately don't tour outside of the US these days but Live at the Breacon theatre & also the 'instant live' 3 cd Live at walnut Grove are well worth picking up. Speaking of this, Derek Trucks (nephew of the original member - Butch) plays lead & slide - left side usually - on the most recent recordings. now the reason i say this is because i think his own outfit - The highly originally named Derek Trucks Band - are sensational, it's difficult to pigeonhole them but I would say they are world, jazz, blues merchants, anyway Live at Georgis theatre is very good.

In addition to the above I know other have already mentioned Jeff Buckley, UFO, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin (please, please please agree to the tour Mr Plant!!!!!) Neil Young - ps I have only ever managed to listen to the 'Arc' CD on the Arc Weld Live album once however - and frankly all are simply brilliant, but let's not forget.....

Bob Dylan - Live in 1975 from the Bootleg series is simply superb (and the remastering is right up there also)

Yessongs - enough said

How about Derek and the Dominoes Live at The Fillmore - Clapton never played the guitar like this again...shame.

Rory Gallagher, just any live sets, excepting perhaps 'Meeting with the G-Man' set which I'm less keen on. Check out 'Calling Card from the BBC recordings it's sublime.

I love live music and could go on for ever, but just one more thing...joe bonamassa has up to now only produced one live album (A new day yesterday live) and it's not his finest hour (it's still damnn good!) but I'm sure that with his most recent studio albums You & I and Sloe Gin and his seemingly endless touring, there'll be another along soon and it'll be a cracker.

 

[fatboyslimfast]

Odd one this, Raconteurs playing at the colston hall, Bristol. Great album as I was there at the concert, and they managed to produce a 2-disc edition within 30mins of the end of the show...keeps the memory of a great concert alive!

 

[Drummerdave]

John McLaughlin Live at the Royal Festival Hall 1989 - with Kai Eckhart on bass and Trilok Gurtu on drums - fantastic indian/jazz fusion virtuosity - superb sound quality, great concert (and not just cos I was there).

Deep Purple were never as good as they were in 1972 on Made in Japan - I'm not a Purple fan by any stretch of the imagination but this blows me away - the freefalling performance, the exuberance, the skill....

Jethro Tull's 1978 double live album Bursting Out is a lesson in live recording - you may not be impressed with men in tights standing on one leg performing flute solos but the detail and warmth of the many varied and skillfully played instruments, not to mention Ian Anderson's vocals, in this concert recording are astounding. It also has one of the most underrated drummers in Barriemore Barlow....stunning.

Led Zeppelin - How the West was Won - California 1972 - overblown, bombastic, self-indulgent - all true, but the fact remains that Led Zep were just about the greatest band ever to walk on to a stage - and in 1972 they were at the absolute peak of their powers. Pure quality.

 

[Charlie Jefferson]

[quote user="nandjg"]Yessongs - enough said[/quote]

In a positive or a pejorative sense?

[quote user="nandjg"]Bob Dylanÿ- Live in 1975 from the Bootleg series is simply superb (and the remastering is right up there also)[/quote]

Completely agree. Wonderful stuff. Also love the early 60's show in the same series. 1964?

 

[Charlie Jefferson]

[quote user="Drummerdave"]John McLaughlin Live at the Royal Festival Hall 1989 - with Kai Eckhart on bass and Trilok Gurtu on drums - fantastic indian/jazz fusion virtuosity - superb sound quality, great concert[/quote]

Sounds interesting. Will have to investigate that one. Check out Okononos by My Morning Jacket. Your reasons for admiring the aforementioned records by Tull, Zep & Deep Purple lead me to think you may groove along to MMJ's 2006 live album. It treads a wonderfully fine line between refined and raw in a big, cosmic rock kinda way.