Top 10 Live Albums

New York Stories (Blue Note), exhibiting Danny Gatton’s ability to play, well, anything. Beautiful jazz guitar, nicely recorded. Bobby Watson and Roy Hargrove, amongst others too.

Yes- Yessongs. Amazing performances that showed that they could rock hard on their complex studio arrangements.

Deep Purple - Live at the Olympia '96. 2Cd set from 1996 with Gillan, Glover, Lord, Paice, and new guitarist Steve Morse playing the hell out of the expected (Highway Star, Smoke on the water), the less expected (opener Fireball, Pictures of Home, Dark Night, When a Blind Man Cries) and material from the then recently released Purpendicular album. Sound is fat and you-are-there quality via headphones. Playing is stellar, with much of the vaunted interplay between Jon Lord's keyboards and Morse's guitar, while Ian Gillan (who sang the role of Christ on the original Jesus Christ Superstar back in the day) is in excellent voice, though he hasn't sung 'Child in Time' for quite a while. I think DP are underrated overall, and like the Allman Brothers, they go up several notches in a live setting. There is a company that has tracked down soundboard recordings of many choice shows from the early 70's and issued well-mixed and mastered CD versions of what were so-so sounding bootlegs. I have 3 incoming ordered from Amazon.

I love Deep Purple.  Made in Japan is an all time great.  Thanks for the info on their other live albums.  I will check them out. 

My two favorite are:

Harry Chapin - The Bottom Line Encore Collection

Warren Zevon - License to Flinch

Both amazing album really showcasing their performance skills as well as well recorded.

"New York Stories" is a wonderful studio recording.

Read thru most of the responses and agree w/ many.  Several I like that were not mentioned are:

Just One Night - Eric Clapton

Greatest Hits Live - Steve Winwood

Woodstock - Various Artists (this may be an age thing, but I honestly can't believe no one mentioned this)

Thanks...you've all given me recordings to discover or revisit.

Lynard Skynard - One More From the Road

Rush - Exit Stage Left

Peter Frampton - Frampton Comes Alive

Judas Priest - Priest LIVE!! 1986

Pink Floyd - PULSE

Phil Collins - Serious Hits Live 

Seether - One Cold Night

Nirvana - Unplugged

The Cure - Show 

The Rippentons - LIVE Across America

Harry Belafonte - Belafonte at Carnegie Hall

Excellent live performances from April 19th and 20th, 1959. 

A bunch of my fave live albums have already been mentioned (some multiple times), so I had to dive a little deeper to come up with new ones. They are:

- The Band: Live At The Academy Of Music 1971. The Band's Rock Of Ages 2-LP set has been mentioned numerous times, but my nominee is this related boxset. The Band performed four live shows at The Academy in the last week of ’71, the Rock Of Ages set presenting only a portion of those shows. The boxset contains the complete shows on four CD’s and one DVD. You can’t have too much Band music.

- The Blasters: Over There---Live At The Venue, London. The Complete Concert. In 1982 Slash Records released Live At The Venue as a 12"/6-song EP. Last month’s RSD saw the release of the entire concert as a 2-LP set. Prior to the appearance of Los Lobos, The Blasters were the best band In Los Angeles. When Dave Alvin left the band to join X, he took his songwriting talent with him. leaving his brother Phil high-and-dry. Then saxophonist Steve Berlin left to join Los Lobos. Bummer.

- The Byrds: Untitled. By the time this album was released, only one original member of the Byrds---Roger/Jim McGuinn---remained. Though the group had lost David Crosby, Gene Clark, and Chris Hillman---a trio of talent far in excess to that of just about any band you care to mention---they had gained the guitar playing brilliance of Clarence White, one of the all-time greats (he was idolized by Tony Rice, for cryin’ out loud!). One disc of this album is live, the other studio.

- Derek & The Dominos: In Concert. D & TD were a quartet with about as much talent as four musicians can have. The presence of drummer Jim Gordon alone is enough reason to own this 2-LP set.

- Bob Dylan And The Band: Before The Flood. Others have already mention this in it’s original 1974 2-LP version, but my nominee is the expanded version recently released. Columbia issued a 27-CD boxset (!), and Third Man Records a 3-LP set containing recordings not included in the 1974 LP release.

- The Dave Edmunds Band: Live---I Hear You Rockin’. Dave is my favorite solo Rock’n’ Roll guitarist, producer, and live performer of the 1970’s and 80’s. Quite a statement, ay? I stand by it! On this live album Dave is provided accompaniment by a very good band. I saw them twice, once in NYC, the other in L.A. My ex-wife’s all-time favorite live show.

- The Everly Brothers: Reunion Concert. The Everly Brothers made music as good as it gets, and have been roll models for many who followed them (including John and Paul). They had the best songs, the best voices, and the best musicians. On this live recording they have Albert Lee playing guitar, reason enough to own this album.

- Dan Hicks & His Hot Licks: Where’s The Money? Recorded at The Troubadour in February of 1971, this album is the most fun you can have with your pants on.

- George Jones: First Time Live! George is and was the favorite singer of a lot of other singers, some of them perhaps favorites of yours. Gram Parsons, Elvis Costello, many others. Try as they might, no one comes close to equaling his singing. Thanks to that talent, George was given first right of refusal by the cream of Nashville songwriters. George’s drinking lead to his nickname, No Show Jones. Producer Billy Sherrill managed to get George to this show on time, and sober.

- Roger McGuinn, Chris Hillman, and Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives: Sweetheart Of The Rodeo 50th Anniversary, Live. Two of the Byrds members who recorded the Sweetheart album in 1968 joined forces with Marty Stuart and his great band (imo the best in the biz) for a few live shows in 2019. This 2-LP set was a RSD release this past April.

- Martin Mull And His Fabulous Furniture: In Your Living Room. Recorded before a small audience at Western Sound Studios on March 14th, 1973. Amusing yes, but also musically excellent. Accompaniment provided by the likes of Ray Brown, Harvey Mason, Red Calendar, David Grissman, and Sneaky Pete Kleinow. More fun than a barrel of monkeys.

- Randy Newman: Live. "Just" Randy and his piano, performing for an audience at The Bitter End in NYC on September 17-19, 1970. One of the very best songwriters of our lifetimes.

- NRBQ: Diggin’ Uncle Q. As good as their studio albums are (and they’re GOOD), you have to see NRBQ live to get their full measure. I’ve seen them thrice (pretentious? ), and they’re one of my three or so favorite live bands. This album was recorded with their classic line-up of Terry Adams, Joey Spampinato, Al Anderson, and Tom Ardolino.

- Townes Van Zandt: Live At The Old Quarter, Houston, Texas. Another Country music singer bedeviled by the bottle. In spite of that he managed to write a lot of great songs, and get them recorded. This 2-LP live package (just Townes and his guitar) is essential.

- The Ventures: On Stage. Recorded in Japan, England, and The U.S.A., released in 1965. My first favorite band, prior to the British Invasion.

Heart - Long Road Home

So many excellent choices, that I will try to add something new.  

For rock, LITTLE FEAT - Waiting For Columbus.  This is a truly excellent recording and very nicely recorded.  Its one of my go-to test albums 

Here's  one not mentioned:  JOHN MCLAUGHLIN AND SHAKTI - their first album.  It is a tour de force of musicianship, coupled with outrageously good recording technique.  This is a masterpiece. eerie and enlighlening interactions with Zakir Hussain (RIP), L Shankar on violin and McLaughlin with his customized acoustic 

PATRICIA BARBER - COMPANION:  This is one of the regular test albums.  A wonderfully recorded live gig, with great frequency range, soundstage, and on good equipment, the ability to put you right there in the club.

Last one - HOT TUNA - Live At The New Orleans House, Berkeley - fine recording in a club atmosphere, 

David Bowie - David Live from 1974. 

@moto_man 

FYI, here's a video performance of one of the tunes from that first Shakti album, from the same era, this one live at Montreux:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnW2g6qbbrA

Girls With Guitars (Live) 2012 Blues Caravan. Dani Wilde, Victoria Smith, Samatha Fish

ozzy

@stuartk , I have seen the YouTube videos of Shakti performing, and they are excellent. However, I have seen shakti both at Berkeley performance center in Boston and at the Orpheum in Boston for their first and second tours. Truly mind blowing experience that I will never forget!

@moto_man 

Wow -- lucky you!  

My Morning Jacket "Okonokos"

A great live band that has many on physical media 

The Concert for Bangla Desh - George Harrison and friends.  The concert that started all-star concert relief efforts.  Still sounds great today.  

Big Star "Complete Columbia Live at University of Missouri 4/25/93"

RSD/2016/Legacy

@bassbuyer 

I don't know whether "Mad Dogs and Englishmen" or "Leon Live"  have been mentioned, either...

REO "You Get What You Play For"

a guilty pleasure....

Warren Zevon "Stand in the Fire"

Linda Ronstadt- Live In Hollywood.

ozzy

My favorites are on vinyl or CD as well as source from DVD/Blu-ray

1. Little Feat - Waiting for Columbus

2. The Band - Rock of Ages

3. Boz Scaggs - Greatest Hits Live

4. CSNY - 4 Way Street

5. Phil Collins - Serious Hits Live (full concert on DVD)

6. George Strait - The Cowboy Rides Away (Blu-Ray)

7. Dire Straits - Alchemy

8. Renaissance - Live at Carnegie Hall

9. Pink Floyd - Pulse

10. Van Morrison - A Night in San Francisco

Chris

Mike Cooley, Patterson Hood & Jason Isbell 

"Live at the Shoals Theatre"

Colin Meloy "Sings Live"

In no particular order:

1 - Paul Robeson at Carnegie Hall

2 - Harry Belafonte at Carnegie Hall

3 - Jefferson Airplane - Bless Its Pointed Little Head - Live at the Filmore East/West

4 - Quicksilver Messenger Service - Happy Trails - Live at the Filmore East/West

5 - Eva Cassidy - Nightbird - at Blues Alley

6 - Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers live - at the Fonda Theatre

7 - Velvet Underground - Live at Max’s Kansas City

8 - Bruce Springsteen - Live at Max’s Kansas City, 1974 (I was there, sitting in the front row)

9 - Pink Floyd - Ummagumma, the 2nd disc

10 - The Doors - Live at the Hollywood Bowl

11 - because why not?: Hot Tuna - Live at the New Orleans House, Berkeley

Ian Hunter "Welcome to the Club"

Bill Evans - “Some Other Time: the Lost Session from the Black Forest”

John Coltrane - “Live in Japan”

Grateful Dead - “Live Dead”

Velvet Underground - “The Matrix Tapes”

Neil Young - “Live at the Cellar Door”

The Ramones - “It’s Alive”

Talking Heads - “Stop Making Sense”

Nirvana - “Live at Paramount”

The Cure - “Paris”

Sonic Youth - “Brooklyn, NY 8/12/11”

@slaw 

Mike Cooley, Patterson Hood & Jason Isbell 

"Live at the Shoals Theatre" - Just listened to this last night...

JJ Grey & Mofro "Brighter Days"

Oasis "Familiar To Millions"

Anderson East "Live In Tennessee"

Big Star "Live At Lafayette's Music Room"

David Bowie "Live in Santa Monica"

Couple of real good ones here...

@bdp24 

+1 Townes Van Zandt "Live @ the Old Quarter" is amazing. Got the VMP AAA lp.

Simon & Garfunkel "Central Park"

Scrounged through my digital collection of live shows and came up with these additions to the list:

John Hiatt - Live from Austin TX

Bill Monroe - Live from the Opry

John McLaughlin & Carlos Santana - Love, Devotion, Surrender

Johnny Cash- Live at San Quentin 

Marc Ribot - Live at the Village Vanguard

MOZAIK - Live from the Powerhouse

Sonny Terry & Browinie McGhee - Live at Sugar Hill SF

Television - The Blow Up

Van Morrison - Too Late to Stop Now (Up there with ABB Fillmore, Live Dead, and a couple of others as the greatest live rock album imo)

@stuartk , send me a message you would like high quality boots of those two shake concerts.  The Berkeley Performance Center one is a soundboard, I believe!

Just a "shout out" to jillan for mentioning Danny Gatton. I'll use any opportunity to call attention. Heard a great story about some guy hoping to find fortune in Nashville. Walks into hotel lobby, sees this guy sitting on the floor playing and almost left town right then and there.

@bassbuyer 

Wow that’s quite a list we’ve got going.

Yes -- thanks to you for starting the thread! 

„Hans Zimmer live in Prague „

one of best performances I’ve seen.

wonderful movie compositions performed by huge orchestra.

with huge, powerful sound.
We saw this concert in Wells Fargo arena in Philadelphia 

@slaw: My copy of Townes' live album is also the VMP version. By the way, VMP eliminating their Country "track" earlier this year was for me sad news.

Correction for my first post in this thread: It's role model not roll model. I'm surprised no one called me on it already. 

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street band Live: 1975-1985. Awesome on vinyl.

A few more....

ROME: THE NATIONAL LIVE IN ROME

LUCINDA WILLIAMS LIVE AT THE FILLMORE

DIANE KRALL LIVE IN PARIS

MARIANNE FAITHFULL: BLAZING AWAY

RAMSEY LEWIS TRIO LIVE AT THE BOHEMIAN CAVERNS

and yes...

the usual suspects: THE ALLMAN BROS. LIVE AT THE FILLMORE EAST;

THE TALKING HEADS: STOP MAKING SENSE;

THE ROLLING STONES: GET YER YA-YAS OUT!

Is that ten? Oh well...

Derek and the Dominoes Live. Amazing musicianship from all but Clapton really shines.

Lots of great albums! The sicko in me wants to add Mothers of Invention Fillmore East - June 1971. 

So it's 3am and I'm compiling this list for you.  Using Amazon Music I have this playlist called "Bad Ass Rock n Roll"  Listening to some of my favorite Live tracks on my Sony MDR-1000X wireless headphones so as to not wake-up you-know-who....

UFO - Strangers in the Night (2008 Remaster)= If you just want to p-off the neighbors and/or blow-up your speakers.  Purest form of freakin' loud hard rock concert.  This is the definition of Head Banging music.  Take a couple bong hits and crank up those Klipsh Heritage speakers.  I can't begin to tell you how many times I've air-guitar'd to this album...

"they're changin' the mic, can I fill-in..."  Turn UP the volume and then skip to "this is something called 'Let it Roll"...then "Too Hot to Handle followed by "Shoot Shoot"

Check this album out on Wiki....Michael Shenker, opening for Kiss, pretty interesting history to this album.

Led Zeppelin (duh, see the shirt) The Song Remains the Same -  (this movie is why I bought a Sony A9G) some of the coolest behind the scenes clips ever!  I love that dude running from security and the 2 guys who snuck in the loading dock.  But my personal fave is "Since I've Been Loving You"

Tom Petty Pack Up the Plantation  - "Breakdown" - "your gonna put me out of a job!" This song always gives me goosebumps.  I think about what it must be, as a musician/songwriter, to play a concert and have the crowd sing your song back to you. 

Kiss Alive - "I Wanna Rock n Roll all Night and Party Every Day" it's the kegger party anthem!

Bob Seger Live Bullet If you don't know the the words to "Turn the Page" there's something wrong with you.  "with the echo from the amplifiers ringing in your head"

Lynyrd Skynyrd Pronounced 'Leh-'Nerd 'Skin-'Nerd has some good live tracks like 19 minute "Free Bird".  I'm partial to "Simple Man".

AC/DC Live at River Plate test your subs with "Thunderstruck".

Queen On Fire: Live at the Bowl - personally I prefer "Fat Bottom Girls" 

just sayin...

and lastly because it's now 4:41am and I'm going back to bed...

The J. Geils Band Live: Blow Your Face Out "Love comes once and you better grab it fast because some times the love you grab ain't gonna last"

I believe I must of, I said I believe I must of, I must of got lost….cue J Geils guitar. 

A new one in my list:

Emmylou Harris at The Ryman. 

Great performance, great set list, and it sounds like The Ryman. You can really hear the room. 

Lots of incredible music noted here.  It's nice to know that there's lots of people paying attention to this stuff!!!!

@mashif , +1 for EmmyLou at The Ryman.  I bought it for her cover of Guitar Town, but I love the cover she did of Lodi as well.  The entire CD is pretty good--great sound and good songs.  

Sinatra live at the Sands