Yes, my Asian aroma therapist and plumbing supply salesperson Fah Lo Suee and I will heading down south to Mar-a-Lago, where we will spend the weekend lurking in the bushes of the Former Guy's golf course, emerging from time to time to deposit raw sewage into every hole. In the immortal words of Edith Prickley -- could be a hot one!
But in the meantime, here's an interesting project to help you wile away the idle hours till our return.
BEST LIVE ROCK (OR ROCK-RELATED GENRE) ALBUM EVER!!!
No arbitrary rules whatsoever, you're welcome very much, but I will say that if you nominate anything by The Allman Brothers or The Grateful Dead I will come to your house and slap you silly with a rancid mackerel.
And my totally top of my head Top Seven is:
7. The MC5 -- Kick Out the Jams
It is one of the great regrets of my adult life that I never saw these guys perform. I did, however, meet lead guitarist Wayne Kramer once, and he was very cool.
6. The Rolling Stones -- Got Live If You Want It
The brilliant 1965 EP, not the fairly crappy 1966 LP of the same name.
5. Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes -- Jukes Live at the Bottom Line
A 1976 promo album recorded on a night when they were the greatest rock-and-roll band in the world. Hey, it happens.
4. The Yardbirds -- Live at the Anderson Theater
The Anderson Theater sat about 2000, and as I have mentioned on previous occasions, approximately 50,000 people now claim to have attended this show. For what it's worth, I actually was there, as was a certain Shady Dame of my acquaintance, although we didn't know each other at the time.
3. The Who -- Live at Leeds
It doesn't get any better, obviously.
2. Richard Thompson -- Small Town Romance
Apparently Thompson doesn't like this one -- parts of which were recorded at the old Folk City, with yours truly in a ringside seat -- but I think it's fabulous. Hey -- it's Richard Thompson!!!
And the number one, it's not even close, aural document of a great rock performance in front of an audience, obviously is...
1. The Floor Models -- Floor by Four: Live at JPs in 1982
C'mon -- you didn't see that coming?
Alrighty, then -- what would YOUR choices be?
And have a great weekend, everybody!!!
BB King Live at the Regal Theater, Chicago, 1963 - still the first album you play for a kid who wants to play blues guitar; Rock Of Ages - pretty much encapsulates The Band at their peak and leaves The Last Waltz five years later sounding by comparison turgid and uninspired. The huge Live-On-Stage boxed set Bruce brought out twenty years ago needs to be mentioned. But it's huge. And didn't Los Lobos do a concert recording of Kiko And The Lavender Moon? Or was it a video.
ReplyDeleteMy Top 5:
ReplyDelete1. The Who- Live At Leeds
2. Jerry Lee Lewis w/ the Nashville Teens- Live At the Star Club (Jerry Lee is absolutely unhinged!)
3. Aretha- Live At The Fillmore
4. Rolling Stones- Live At The Marquee '71
5. Hendrix- Band Of Gypsys
I'm not real big into live albums, so I won't claim any are The Greatest,but some of my faves:
ReplyDeleteGlitter & Doom - Tom Waits
Live at the Apollo - James Brown
Modern Lovers 'Live" Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers
Live at Hollywood High (EP) - Elvis Costello & the Attractions
Gunfight at Carnegie Hall - Phil Ochs
Live Rust -- Neil Young & Crazy Horse
ReplyDeleteI can't believe that nobody on this site has mentioned Cheap Trick's Live at Budokan.
ReplyDeleteTo that, I would add:
Mott The Hoople Live
Lou Reed -- Rock 'n' Roll Animal (I know, I know)
Ian Hunter -- Welcome to the Club
The Beatles -- Live at the Hollywood Bowl
Neil Young & Crazy Horse -- Live Rust
I used to love live albums but really lost interest after a while.
Neville Brothers Neville-ization Live At Tipitina's
ReplyDeleteMarti Jones Live At Spirit Square
Van Morrison It's Too Late To Stop Now
Eva Cassidy Live At Blues Alley
Mott The Hoople Live
Little Feat Waiting For Columbus
The Band Rock Of Ages
Oooh -- I'd forgotten that Marti Jones album, which is gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteLove the Yardbirds Live at the Anderson Theater. I still have 2 on vinyl.
ReplyDeleteThe Stooges Metallic KO
Hello all...no, please remain seated
ReplyDeleteIf you haven't listened to it in a while you owe it to yourself to give J. Geil's Band's Full House a spin. Still sounds great.
Best...RichD
Number 1is of course Live At Leeds.
ReplyDeleteRT has a lot of live stuff that was originally offered for sale on his web site only, but some of which is now on other sites, e.g., iTunes. Live Warrior Is great, but if you can find a copy of Two Letter Words, it’s really really good.
Live At MSG 2008 from Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood is just fabulous, two masters ripping it up and clearly having a fine time of it. And Winwood’s recent Greatest Hits Live is also marvelous.
Lou Reed’s 1983 masterpiece Live In Italy, with Robert Quine on second guitar, is as good as it gets. On fire that night.
At Fillmore East by the Allman Brothers Band, while overlong at times, is still great. I dare you :-)
The Concert for Bangladesh
ReplyDeleteWoodstock
Jeff Beck and Jan Hammer Live
Tom Petty “American Treasure”
Graham Parker Live At Marble Arch
ReplyDeleteWattstax
ReplyDeleteLou Reed Rock and Roll Animal
Thin Lizzy Live and Dangerous
801 Live
Aretha Franklin Live At the Filmore
Little Feat Waiting for Columbus
Hot Tuna Double Dose (I know it's Dead adjacent. Come at me, Bro!)
Marvin Gaye Live
Wishbone Ash Live Dates
Rolling Stones Get Yer Ya Yas Out
Jerry Lee Lewis - Live At The Star Club 1964
ReplyDeleteNothing else comes close. You heard me- nothing!
Five good ones:
ReplyDeleteRamones It's Alive
Dr Feelgood Stupidity
Lou Reed Live In Italy
Free Live
Sam Cooke Live at the Harlem Square Club
Speaking of Marti Jones...
ReplyDeleteDon Dixon, Live Chi Town Budget Show
I agree that J.Geils Band's 'Full House' is as exciting as a record gets (although a recent re-spin makes me think the audience is, er, enhanced).
ReplyDeleteOh, and the Eva Cassidy record is otherworldly good.
Right now to create a list of favorite live albums would be way too time consuming and mentally draining so I'll simply add my all-time favorite live soul album:
ReplyDeleteOtis Redding -Live at the Whisky A-Go-Go 1966 Box Set. It just doesn't get any better than that!
Captain Al