[fractus2]

As the thread title asks: what is your favorite live album? Any type of music.

 

[miroslav]

Mine is a live album of my favorite local rock band name Blockout. What adds to the experience is a fact that I was there when it was recorded during a gig in downtown Belgrade in 1999., right after the bombardment and stuff.

Blockout - Izmedju dva zla

I also love a bootleg of Massive Attack show which took place somewhere in Sweeden (after Mezzanine). It`s a recorded radio broadcast of acceptable audio quality.

broke the rules a bit, but there you go

 

[Kali]

Arab Strap - Mad For Sadness... stunningly good, and at a lot higher level of performance and energy than any of their studio albums.

 

[JMT]

Do I have to pick only one?

No, I can pick three? Excellent:

- The Rippingtons: Live In L.A.
- Spyro Gyra: Road Scholars
- Chicago: Live at Carnegie Hall

 

[JMedeiros]

Nils Lofgren Acoustic Live

 

[bong]

The Cure - Entreat
awesome sound quality, the band plays tight, Robert Smith's voice is at his best (he sounds amazing on "Prayers for Rain" and "Disintegration"), and all eight songs are from Disintegration, how can you go wrong? i just wish the whole concert would've been released, but that would take up three discs

Ride - Reading 1992 (from the three disc Box Set)
a recording from the band's peak, and regarded as their best live performance. the sound quality is really nice, although it wavers slightly during "Sennen."

New Order - BBC Radio 1 Live at Glastonbury 1987
the live version of "A Perfect Kiss" is worth the price of admission alone. it also doesn't hurt that the live version of "Touched By the Hand of God" is better than the studio version, and the unveiling of "True Faith" is really tight.

of course these are officially released material. there's many live bootlegs from each of these bands that surpass the quality of official material.

 

[guerph]

Quote:

Arab Strap - Mad For Sadness

I second this selection. This album gave me goose bumps throughout.

 

[mcbiff]

Rolling Stones - Get Yer Ya-ya's Out

Other good ones:
Iron Maiden - Live After Death
Kiss - Alive 1, 2, 4
Metallica - Live ****: Binge & Purge
Nirvana - Unplugged in New York
and countless Guns N' Roses bootlegs I have.

 

[bong]

Quote:

Originally posted by mcbiff Other good ones: Iron Maiden - Live After Death

oh yeah... i second that. still the best live Maiden album, better than Live at Donington, A Real Live/Dead One, and Rock in Rio.

i missed them in MSG NYC this week.

couldn't get tickets, no money, no one wanted to come, etc...

 

[MikeM]

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones - Live from the Middle East

It doesn't capture the energy of their live shows [What recording can capture any live show?] but it's still damn good.

The recording isn't bad but the horn section got the worst of it. There are short moments where they sound more like a flock of geese than horns. [And, no, its not their lack of skill]

 

[mcbiff]

Quote:

Originally posted by bong oh yeah... i second that. still the best live Maiden album, better than Live at Donington, A Real Live/Dead One, and Rock in Rio. i missed them in MSG NYC this week. couldn't get tickets, no money, no one wanted to come, etc...

Yeah, it's the best one. Still, Donington has it's highlights too (Afraid to Shoot Strangers, Fear of the Dark etc.).

I saw them here in Stockholm a month ago, they kicked huge amounts of ass as always.

 

[squirt]

Allison Krauss & Union Station - Live

Superb recording and expert musicianship throughout

 

[FalconP]

NEW AGE

Andreas Vollenweider and Friends Live 1982-1994

This 2-CD set covers his better pieces since his first album, all the way to the 1993 album Eolian Minstrel. The arrangements are invaribly richer than (and often surprisingly different from) the studio versions, also included are many beautiful unreleased pieces and improvs.

CELTIC

Live by Natalie MacMaster

What is interesting about this 2-CD set is that it showcases this great Cape Breton fiddler in two different settings: in a pop-rock band, and with traditional acoustic backing. Simply wicked, high-octane fiddle playing, and her excellent rapport with the audience shines through the music.

Live in Concert by The Bothy Band: OK the world of Celtic music is full of technically flawless virtuosi who never fails to give a rousing, moving performance; but such meeting of titans as The Bothy Band is still a rare event.

 

[minya]

I'm not often fond of live albums, but Nine Inch Nails' And All That Could Have Been is incredible. Many of the tracks sound better than their respective studio versions. Definitely the best live album I've ever heard.

- Chris

 

[neggy]

Led Zeppelin- How the West was won, its so much rawer then the studio recordings, i recommend it to any zep fans.