Favorite live albums...besides the basics

Okay, so the live album has been in a bit of a decline since, what, the 80's? Before that we had a pretty sturdy foundation of great live albums that every rock fan should own and so forth, like Kiss's Alive. So what does everyone here like beyond those works (some are listed below)? Maybe there's an album one or some of us is missing out on because of its obscurity, or perhaps they're just not of interest to us anymore because it's a "been there heard that" kind of thing. I kind of want to explore the waters more and hear live albums that better duplicate the energy and excitement of those that are well-known.

No Sleep 'til Hammersmith (Motorhead)
Strangers in the Night (UFO)
Alive (Kiss)
Made in Japan (DP)
Tokyo Tapes (Scorps)
Live and Dangerous (Thin Lizzy)
Get Your Ya-Ya's Out (Stones)
Live Bootleg (Aerosmith)
Live at Leeds (The Who)
If You Want Blood You've Got It (AC/DC)
At Budokan (Cheap Trick)
On Your Feet or On Your Knees (BOC)
Live Killers (Queen)
Unleashed in the East (Priest)
All the World's a Stage (Rush)
The Last Waltz (The Band)
Live Bullet (Bob Seger)
Eat a Peach (Allman Bros)
Frampton Comes Alive
Yessongs
Live After Death (Maiden)
Welcome Back My Friends... (ELP)
Song Remains the Same (Zep)
Kick Out the Jams (MC5)
Double Live Gonzo (Nugent)
Wheels of Fire (Cream)

I really like Pretty Maids - It Comes Alive and Freedom Call - Live Invasion. Both very 'lively' to me, as in not Live In The Studio. Pink Floyd's 'Ummagumma', the live disc of that of course. W.A.S.P. - Double Live Assassins is killer, but I'm suspect there may be studio trickery so perhaps not that one.

I think these are fantastic:

Sabbath - Live Radio City Music Hall 2007
Grave Digger -25 to Live
Moon Safari - The Gettysburg Address
Queensryche - Operation Livecrime
Flying W Wranglers - Live in Concert with the Colorado Springs Philharmonic
Hidria Spacefolk - Live Eleven AM

not to mention the myriad of Hendrix live albums.

A few off the top of my head:

Humble Pie - Performance: Rockin' The Fillmore
MSG - Live At Budokan
Genesis - Live
Genesis - Seconds Out
Kansas - Two For The Show
Camel - A Live Record
Racer X - Extreme Volume

exact33 wrote:

I think these are fantastic:

Sabbath - Live Radio City Music Hall 2007

Queensryche - Operation Livecrime


not to mention the myriad of Hendrix live albums.

Fantastic live albums! I'd also throw in Heaven & Hell - Live @ Wacken 2009

Some of these are also/only Blu-Ray/DVD's:

Motorhead - The World Is Ours Vol 1
Judas Priest - Epitath
Scorpions - World Wide Live, Live at Wacken Open Air 2006, Live in 3D
Rainbow - On Stage
Iron Maiden - Rock In Rio, En Vivo

I will second the MSG - Live at Budokan. Fantastic recording of the band sounding just amazing.
I will also give high praise to How The West Was Won by Zeppelin. Far superior to Song Remains The Same imo. Great track listing and some very cool covers/interpretations.
And I prefer the way the songs are played on the Ozzy/Rhoads "Tribute" record.

oh, this is a good one:

Hawkwind - Space Ritual

I might say Iron Maiden - A Real Live One because all the 'Fear of the Dark' tracks on there are better than the ones on the album and the title track is my favorite Maiden track period.

Praying Mantis - Captured Alive In Tokyo City is pretty monstrous despite the fact that I don't like Gary Barden's vocals.

Deep Purple - Made in Europe
Jimi Hendrix - Live at Monterey
Judas Priest - Touch of Evil Live (although it should have been a double disc)
Bring 'Em Bach Alive - Sebastian Bach
F*ck You - Overkill (more of an EP but I enjoy the live material more than their other live works)

Let's not forget the US festivals; so far we have Triumph and Priest available, right? Both were pretty smashing.

I agree on these posted so far:
Real Live One
How the West Was Won
Tribute (Ozzy; although I would venture to call this canonical with the essentials list)
Heaven and Hell at Wacken
Operation Livecrime (my first exposure to Queensryche!)

REO Speedwagon - Live: You Get What You Play For
Kansas - Live at the Whiskey
Stryper - 7 Weeks - Live in America
HammerFall - One Crimson Night Live
the Hollies - Alive
Kiss - Alive III
Johnny Cash - Folsom Prison

Love me some live albums! So many great ones. This was a list I compiled about 10 or so years ago. Some of them would probably be different now though the top few would remain the same.


1. FOUR WAY TIE FOR FIRST PLACE:
Ted Nugent - Double Live Gonzo
Judas Priest - Unleashed in the East
Thin Lizzy - Live & Dangerous
KISS - Alive

5. Yes - Yessongs
6. Aerosmith - Look Homeward Angel (bootleg)
7. Overkill - Wrecking Your Neck Live
8. UFO - Stangers in the Night
9. Iron Maiden - Live After Death
10. Genesis - Three Sides Live (European version)
11. Motorhead - No Sleep til Hammersmith
12. Scorpions - Tokyo Tapes
13. Blackfoot - Highway Song Live
14. Thin Lizzy - BBC Radio One
15. Aerosmith - Live! Bootleg
16. Deep Purple - Made in Japan
17. Queen - Live Killers
18. Mortification - Live Planetarium
19. Angel - Live Without a Net
20. Raven - Live at the Inferno
21. Cinderella - Live at the Key Club
22. Grave Digger - 25 to Live
23. Gillan - Double Trouble
24. Blue Oyster Cult - On Your Feet or On Your Knees
25. TIE: Deliverance - Live at Cornerstone 2001
Sacred Warrior - Live at Cornerstone 2001
27. Frank Marino & Mahogany Rush - RealLIVE!
28. Genesis - Seconds Out
29. AC/DC - If You Want Blood...You've Got It
30. Ted Nugent - Full Bluntal Nugity

Some other recommended live albums:
Narnia - Short Notice...Live in Germany
Rainbow - On Stage
Foghat - Live
Grand Funk - Live Album
Pat Travers - Go For What You Know!
Annihilator - Double Live Annihilation
Hammerfall - One Crimson Night
Overkill - Wrecking Everything Live
Testament - Return to the Apocalyptic City (EP)
Testament - Live at the Fillmore
Exodus - A Lesson In Violence
Jimi Hendrix - Woodstock
King's X - Live All Over The Place
Ted Nugent & the Amboy Dukes - Survival of the Fittest: Live
Black Sabbath - Live Evil
Cheap Trick - At Budakon
Peter Frampton - Comes Alive

My all time favorite album anybody is Cheap Trick - At Budakon

Then:
Kiss - Alive!
UFO - Strangers In The Night
Thin Lizzy - Live & Dangerous
Pat Travers - Live! Go For What You Know
Foghat - Live!
Ac/Dc - If You Want Blood... You Got It

I could list the old classics forever.

Later day live albums I like

Kings X - Live All Over The Place
Cheap Trick - At Budakon The Complete Concert
Cheap Trick - Music For Hangovers
Motorhead - The World Is Ours Vol 1
Motorhead - The World Is Ours Vol 2
Motorhead - Better Motorhead Than Dead Live At Hammersmith
Ted Nugent - Full Bluntal Nugety
Bad Company- Merchants Of Cool
Buckcherry - Live & Loud
Whitesnake - Live In The Shadow Of The Blues
Tesla - Alive In Europe
Extreme - Take Us Alive

Once again I could list forever

ultmetal wrote:

Love me some live albums! So many great ones. This was a list I compiled about 10 or so years ago. Some of them would probably be different now though the top few would remain the same.


1. FOUR WAY TIE FOR FIRST PLACE:
Ted Nugent - Double Live Gonzo
Judas Priest - Unleashed in the East
Thin Lizzy - Live & Dangerous
KISS - Alive

5. Yes - Yessongs
6. Aerosmith - Look Homeward Angel (bootleg)
7. Overkill - Wrecking Your Neck Live
8. UFO - Stangers in the Night
9. Iron Maiden - Live After Death
10. Genesis - Three Sides Live (European version)
11. Motorhead - No Sleep til Hammersmith
12. Scorpions - Tokyo Tapes
13. Blackfoot - Highway Song Live
14. Thin Lizzy - BBC Radio One
15. Aerosmith - Live! Bootleg
16. Deep Purple - Made in Japan
17. Queen - Live Killers
18. Mortification - Live Planetarium
19. Angel - Live Without a Net
20. Raven - Live at the Inferno
21. Cinderella - Live at the Key Club
22. Grave Digger - 25 to Live
23. Gillan - Double Trouble
24. Blue Oyster Cult - On Your Feet or On Your Knees
25. TIE: Deliverance - Live at Cornerstone 2001
Sacred Warrior - Live at Cornerstone 2001
27. Frank Marino & Mahogany Rush - RealLIVE!
28. Genesis - Seconds Out
29. AC/DC - If You Want Blood...You've Got It
30. Ted Nugent - Full Bluntal Nugity

Some other recommended live albums:
Narnia - Short Notice...Live in Germany
Rainbow - On Stage
Foghat - Live
Grand Funk - Live Album
Pat Travers - Go For What You Know!
Annihilator - Double Live Annihilation
Hammerfall - One Crimson Night
Overkill - Wrecking Everything Live
Testament - Return to the Apocalyptic City (EP)
Testament - Live at the Fillmore
Exodus - A Lesson In Violence
Jimi Hendrix - Woodstock
King's X - Live All Over The Place
Ted Nugent & the Amboy Dukes - Survival of the Fittest: Live
Black Sabbath - Live Evil
Cheap Trick - At Budakon
Peter Frampton - Comes Alive

A ton on that list that own & love. Happy to see Angel - Live Without A Net on your list. It's so hard to find fellow Angel fans. 

Devin Townsend Project - By a Thread set

Outside of the "golden age" of live albums, a lot of still bands actually put out excellent albums that just haven't achieved the same kind of legendary status.

Anyway, it's a bit hard to define what counts as "besides the basics", so to make it more clear cut, here's my favourite albums of the 21st century, in no particular order.

Testament - Live In London
- Alex Skolnick!

Overkill - Wrecking Everything Live
- So much energy. I wish I got to see this band live.

Annihilator - Double Live Annihilation
- Joe Comeau era! And an amazing selection of songs!

Star One - Live On Earth
- Having the guest vocalists perform live enhances the operetic feel.

Axxis - 20 Years of Axxis
- A guilty pleasure band. I just enjoy their music so much, and I love hearing it played live. A massive double album.

Led Zeppelin - Celebration Day
- Just the thought of a Led Zep reunion is enough to give me goosebumps

Within Temptation - Black Symphony
- Another band doing the symphony orchestra thing. Nothing groundbreaking, but for once it's a band with compositions that actually fit well with it.

Blaze - As Live As It Gets
- Blaze is a force. This album, and seeing him live really made me appreciate the man.

None. I've always found live albums to be a bit tedious. Never could really explain why.

Lari wrote:

Outside of the "golden age" of live albums, a lot of still bands actually put out excellent albums that just haven't achieved the same kind of legendary status.

Anyway, it's a bit hard to define what counts as "besides the basics", so to make it more clear cut, here's my favourite albums of the 21st century, in no particular order.

Testament - Live In London
- Alex Skolnick!

Overkill - Wrecking Everything Live
- So much energy. I wish I got to see this band live.

Annihilator - Double Live Annihilation
- Joe Comeau era! And an amazing selection of songs!

Star One - Live On Earth
- Having the guest vocalists perform live enhances the operetic feel.

Axxis - 20 Years of Axxis
- A guilty pleasure band. I just enjoy their music so much, and I love hearing it played live. A massive double album.

Led Zeppelin - Celebration Day
- Just the thought of a Led Zep reunion is enough to give me goosebumps

Within Temptation - Black Symphony
- Another band doing the symphony orchestra thing. Nothing groundbreaking, but for once it's a band with compositions that actually fit well with it.

Blaze - As Live As It Gets
- Blaze is a force. This album, and seeing him live really made me appreciate the man.

Need to get that Testament! Caught Overkill live earlier this year - great live band, but Testament blew them away! Blaze is much better live than on album!

One live album that probably isn't the greatest but was such a huge part of my musical upbringing was Talk of the Devil (Speak of the Devil in the U.S i think) when that record came into my life I already liked Ozzy and Dio Sabbath but wasn't really interested in classic Sabbath as it was old man music from hundreds of years ago! To say that this record broadened my horizons is an understatement.

I have to mention Rainbow - On Stage for similar reasons.

I'm not a fan of live albums at all so when one "rocks my world", I consider it a notable experience.  The one that leaps to mind immediately is Beth Hart's "Live At Paradiso".  Everything a rock fan could want; sweaty, passionate, heart-felt music.  

And the DVD is even better!

tohostudios wrote:

I'm not a fan of live albums at all so when one "rocks my world", I consider it a notable experience.  The one that leaps to mind immediately is Beth Hart's "Live At Paradiso".  Everything a rock fan could want; sweaty, passionate, heart-felt music.  

And the DVD is even better!

No Angels - Liveline?

exact33 wrote:

tohostudios wrote:

I'm not a fan of live albums at all so when one "rocks my world", I consider it a notable experience.  The one that leaps to mind immediately is Beth Hart's "Live At Paradiso".  Everything a rock fan could want; sweaty, passionate, heart-felt music.  

And the DVD is even better!

No Angels - Liveline?

 No comparison IMO.  I've never heard such a gutty rendering of rock, blues and soul as is on that Beth Hart live album.

thejokeriv wrote:

Lari wrote:

Outside of the "golden age" of live albums, a lot of still bands actually put out excellent albums that just haven't achieved the same kind of legendary status.

Anyway, it's a bit hard to define what counts as "besides the basics", so to make it more clear cut, here's my favourite albums of the 21st century, in no particular order.

Testament - Live In London
- Alex Skolnick!

Overkill - Wrecking Everything Live
- So much energy. I wish I got to see this band live.

Annihilator - Double Live Annihilation
- Joe Comeau era! And an amazing selection of songs!

Star One - Live On Earth
- Having the guest vocalists perform live enhances the operetic feel.

Axxis - 20 Years of Axxis
- A guilty pleasure band. I just enjoy their music so much, and I love hearing it played live. A massive double album.

Led Zeppelin - Celebration Day
- Just the thought of a Led Zep reunion is enough to give me goosebumps

Within Temptation - Black Symphony
- Another band doing the symphony orchestra thing. Nothing groundbreaking, but for once it's a band with compositions that actually fit well with it.

Blaze - As Live As It Gets
- Blaze is a force. This album, and seeing him live really made me appreciate the man.

Need to get that Testament! Caught Overkill live earlier this year - great live band, but Testament blew them away!

I've seen Testament live three times now, and they've been real good, but I've somehow in my head pictured Overkill as one that would be a superb live band.

All my favorite live recordings over the past decade have been in the DVD/blu-ray realm.

Iron Maiden - Maiden Japan
Iron Maiden - Beast Over Hammersmith
Whitesnake - live in the heart of the city
Scorpions - World Wide Live
Great White - recovery live (the one from the 80's)
Many of the ones already listed also.

Love live albums and in many cases better than the studio versions. I like live albums so much I guess because I love concerts.

Not to derail the thread, but talking about "live", I've been a little disappointed by the way bands seem to think its cool to use pre-recorded stuff instead of figuring out a way to do it LIVE (I've got the album already and don't really feel the need for you to push play for me). Hendrix figured out a way to play all along the watchtower even though it was physically impossible for him to play it exactly the way it is on the album. I think it is just pure laziness myself and get turned of when I see it. I paid money to see the band play, not a listening party with accompaniment.