This is a thread we've somehow missed doing. No doubt we'll have the usual confusion between "favourite" and "greatest" but then that's half the fun.

Imho the greatest live album of all is "Sam Cooke Live at The Harlem Square Club". Sam was probably one of the most influential singers of all time, but sadly Hugo & Luigi at RCA were a little too fond of adding girly choruses and strings in the studio. However..... on stage Sam was a pure R+B, his voice and performance straight out of church - and on this album, with a band led by King Curtis, the atmosphere and intensity is like nothing else on record. Joyous isn't the word - it's not an album I can play every day, but if ever I'm feeling down.....





My favourite live album is definitely "Nina Simone at Town Hall". I play this album almost constantly because it is so perfect and so beautiful. It was very well recorded and there is such a wonderful deep sound to her voice and piano playing ... gravitas is probably the word I'm looking for.
But it isn't available in the shops at present, and it isn't on Youtube!

http://video.libero.it/app/play?id=7171 ... 4e1548a836

I'm not usually a great lover of live albums. What you often get is greatest hits with less quality and bloody awful atmosphere.

This has got to be one of the best ever released though.

Hard to beat this, perhaps his best album of all, IMHO:

'Mother's Finest Live' is a must in every record collection.
http://albums-dossier.blogspot.com/2010 ... -1979.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother%27s_Finest

MOTHER'S FINEST " Live " (1979)

GWENDAL live in Madrid (1981)



http://www.gwendal.eu/eng/index.php?page=albums&disc=5
http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gwendal

My first gig with my OH has now been made into a live album, so obviously it's a favourite


The bill included Teenage Fanclub, the Beastie Boys, Mudhoney, L7, Nick Cave and Bjorn Again. It was a great day out, although we made the mistake of taking the last train back to London on a Sunday night. It's a long walk from Paddington to Battersea when the tubes and buses have stopped running.

Good thread.

I'm a bit like raindog in the fact that I'd usually prefer a studio album. However, I'd rather be at a gig.

Having said that, there are a few in my collection which I'd rate as "up there." I'll start with one from 1971, I think. I bought it on a whim, and never regretted it. It has some fantastic virtuoso guitar, organ, sax, and one of the strongest vocalists ever known, even if many don't like his voice.

There isn't much I can find on youtube of the actual album, except this one which is long enough for 2 parts. I probably wouldn't have chosen this track to post, even though it's my favourite track overall. Anyway, here it is.........

And, before the days of Jefferson Airplane, Grace Slick and The Great Society released the live album Conspicuous Only In It's Absence, which featured early versions of Somebody To Love and White Rabbit. Here's White Rabbit........

one of my favorites as opposed to the greatest and with a little studio extra on disc 4 is Donna Summer Live and More


I bought the album whilst still at school and loved everybit of it mind you so did the girls a little later.

Great pick Andrew.

I wish I could say I'd been at that gig - I saw him at the Rainbow a couple of years later and that was quite something. At the time the Lyceum album came out the flipside of the hit single "No Woman No Cry" was the track "Kinky Reggae" which I absolutely loved - but it wasn't on the LP - and so I used to play the single all the time rather than the LP. My LP got scratched badly at some point too, so I'm really overdue to get the CD.

Stunning bit of Bob Marley trivia - as I expect most of you know, his Dad was a white man, a Captain in the Royal Marines. His Father was of English descent and the male line originally came from.... Essex. Strange thing ancestry!

Yes, that Bob Marley is a great choice.
I forgot to add that most live stuff issued by Neil Young is pretty faultless too, except for the yelping, shrieking american audiences which become obtrusive and distracting after a while.

I think absolutely the best live album I have is a rare bootleg, which Rupert also has, of Hound Dog Taylor and the Houserockers recorded at Joe's Place - a juke joint out in Cambridge, MA in 1972. It's sometimes low on quality, partly because of recording equipment, partly because of the quality of their instruments and amps and partly because they're no doubt a bit pissed, but it never fails to put a smile on my face.

I have a Neil Young double pirate from 74 in New Orleans where he heckles the
audience...it has been in my car for a long, long time.
Ry Cooder at Ebbett's Field (sp?)
Dylan at Budokan
Esbjorn Svensson Trio Live in wherever
Chris Smither 'Liver Than You'll Ever Be'
Cannonball Adderley (and lots of other people) live at the Village Vanguard
Roland Kirk
Charles Mingus
Joni Mitchell Miles of Aisles (with Metheny, Brecker, Pastorius ......)

Don't get me started

I'm surprised no-one's mentioned Frampton Comes Alive yet.
Not my cup of tea but was pretty popular in its day and must be unusual in that it was his most commercially successful album, whereas most live albums are only bought by pretty die-hard fans

You mean "Shadows and Light".
Her band on "Miles of Aisles" was the LA Express - ie: Tom Scott, Larry Nash, John Guerin etc. She should have called them "The Lovers".

Neil Young live - yup, 90% of his live stuff is great. I prefer his "Plugged" stuff, some of it is very plugged.

His performance at Glastonbury last year was a blinder - anyone know of a dl?

Good call on the Bob Marley.

This is a great live album:

Oh Christ, isn't it just. I couldn't stand their studio stuff, but that stands as a monument to Angus' guitar playing. Haven't listened to it for ages.

EDIT
in fact, sod it, I'm going to listen to it now

Here's another favourite, from 1964:

Can't find it (properly) on Youtube but

Keith Jarret Köln 1975 ...

and yes Rupert, Shadows and Light. I get confused.

There was this double album. The 1st record was live, and the 2nd was recorded in the studio. It was released in 1969. Get your weed out...................

One of the dailies did a £5 meal offer and I (ex we) found a place in Billingshurst
with a Michelin star and a superb wine list because amongst the clientèle was a
musician with an estate not far away who likes fine Burgundy.

I can now say I have seen hard drugs but never partaken.

The restaurant is now an Irish theme pub (Rosie O'Malleys or something).

The identity of the musician must remain a secret but he has a colleague
with a nice car collection.

That narrows it down a bit........

Is he still alive? That narrows it down a bit more........

Is he called Roger Waters? That should do it....

Anyway, away from that subject. Here is a definite for me, but others may find it a bit on the "Death Metal" side......

Blimey starless - that album drove me nuts as a teenager..... I still have it on vinyl can you believe it. The time I spent looking at all their gear on the back of the cover! And even with all the live boots I have of them from that period, Ummagumma still sounds best. As we moved on through the 70s I remember at the time feeling that each new album was a betrayal of the real Pink Floyd, ie: Ummagumma.

Here's a live album which I guess is a bit uncool now, but which I also loved as a teenager. I wonder if Ritchie Blackmore can still use his little finger?

I posted a reply, at length, but it got lost.
Not RW, but nothing to be gained so will let it drop.
A dickhead on another thread has upset me so I'm off for a while.
Be good!

Haven't listened to Made In Japan in a while, must dig it out. I'm listening to this album currently. And it's probably the best sounding live album I've got (or is that Different Stages, need to think about that)

The last album from the band with the wonderful Natalie Merchant.

I've always said we have similar tastes, Rupert.

But you are dead right. My favourite Floyd album by a mile. Never understoood why nobody else thought so...........

Have you got a little time?

Good call. Started off life at a couple of minutes. Would have loved to have seen them.

This is an album which was my favourite for many years. Fantastic twin guitars make it for me. The 1st side is live, and here is all of it in 6 parts..........Sorry it's all cut up, but you can try to imagine it all running together.

Sorry starless.... had to do it.
Bo just sounds so much more "live" - even though he's in the studio!

The king of " Jungle Beat " !

Funnily enough, Rupert, it's the "Who" Do You Love part of the QMS session that I'm not as keen on. All the rest is just brilliant, but WDYL parts 1 and 2 could easily be taken off, for me. However, the rest doesn't work without it, so we just have to go with it.

I realise there are many better versions of the same song.

It's a fair cop.

Like the new avatar starless!

Here's a great live album - a bit tricky to find though. Love the cover!

Just for you, Rupert!

You're right. That is a good cover.