Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Rock Revival's 10 Best Live Albums of All Time: What's Yours ?

Whatever happened to the live rock album, come to think of it the double live album. Here is our pick of the best live classic rock albums ever made. Think we've got it wrong ? Let us know, make your votes and we'll publish our readers list.

1. Thin Lizzy LIve and Dangerous

DVD released October 2007, the first ever real look at this historical material. Check out 'Still in Love with You", 'Suicide', ' Rosalie'.

2. Band of Gypsies (Jimi Hendrix)

Released after Hendrix's death in 1970, this was the last album he authorised. Recorded at the famous Fillmore East, 'Machine Gun' shows him at his most brilliant.

3. Johnny Winter Captured Live

Incredible guitar from Winter and Floyd Radford. Most of the songs were covers but who cares, it wasnt the songs we were listening too. 'Sweet Papa John' is a masterpiece.

4. Bob Seger Live Bullet

Bob Seger shows here that he almost a completely different man. Thin Lizzy learned their own stage craft from him as a support act on their first US visit at the beginnings of their career.

5. Peter Frampton Frampton Comes Alive

At home amongst his most precious fans in San Francisco, we hadnt heard of him before this album, but never forgot him afterwards.

6. Allman Brothers Live at Fillmore East

Their breakthrough success in 1971. 'Whipping Post' (22.56), say no more !

7. Pat Travers Go for What You Know

Top 40 in the US with the amazing 'Boom Boom ! Out Go the Lights !'. Hard driving AND funky, brilliant guitar.

8. ACDC If YOu Want Blood You've Got It

The entire fotage of this album, recorded in Galsgow, Scotland has never been released. Highlights: 'Problem Child', 'Riff Raff', 'The Jack'.

9. Rolling Stones Love You Live

Raunchy rock and roll that blows the roof off the El Mocambo Club in Toronto. This was when Margaret Trudeau, young wife of the Prime Minister of Canada became their groupy.

10. Grand Funk Caught in the Act

'Black Licourice' and 'The Railroad' are the highlights, 21 on the Billboard Charts in 1978, remastered in 2003.

Image: Courtesy Warner Bros Records

2 comments:

Zoooma said...

It peaked at 10 on the U.S. Billboard Charts... a true classic...

Rush - Exit... Stage Left

Perplexio said...

That's quite a list. Here's my top live albums list:

1) REO Speedwagon You Get What You Play For (1978) -- proving that this band was/is far better live than they ever were in the studio.

2) Queen Live at Wembley (1986) -- Freddie Mercury was the ultimate frontman this album is a testament to that.

3) Chicago Live in Japan (1972) -- Much cleaner and tighter than Chicago's 4 LP Live at Carnegie Hall set from the year before. Classic Chicago at their best!

4) Various Artists Last Days of the Fillmore (1971) -- Containing a who's who of the San Francisco Bay area music scene of the late 70s/early 80s with groups like the Grateful Dead, Tower of Power, Sons of Champlin, Hot Tuna, New Riders of the Purple Sage, Quicksilver Messenger Service, It's a Beautiful Day, Boz Scaggs, and Santana. This is a capsule of an era of rock music that has passed and the world will likely never see the likes of again.

5) Peter Frampton - Frampton Comes Alive This album is the soundtrack of suburban America in the late 70s.