Top 25 "Live" Albums

Here's an interesting list of the top 25 "Live" albums of all-time.  Live albums are great because you not only get a "best of" set, you hear the band in the raw, without too much studio trickery.  Not everyone likes them, however, for precisely those same reasons.

I really take issue with this list.  Deep Purple's "Made in Japan" didn't even score an honorable mention, nor did Grand Funk's "Live Album."  No mention of Cream's "Wheels of Fire," or Humble Pie's "Rockin the Fillmore" (which just I fired up in honor of this list).  Hendrix's "Band of Gypsies," got an honorable mention, as did the soundtrack from Woodstock--which I never really liked, except for the Ten Year's After set.  You can tell that my tastes go to sixties rock.

I've listened to a lot of music through the years, and I have never even heard of the winner,  "801" Live.  U2's "Under a Blood Red Sky" finished at # 2 (which is fine by me).  The Who's "Live at Leeds" came in at number 8--that's a great album.  I'd have also like to have seen Edgar Winter and the White Trash's "Roadwork" at least get an honorable mention.  That's one of my all-time favorites.

To see the list, Click here: IGN: Top 25 Live Albums.

Leave your comments below. 

Comments

[Denise M.]

I have issues with this list too.
While Dave Matthews did make it on the honorable mention list he really got robbed. At least one of his live albums deserved to make it on there. My vote would be "Live at Luther College".

And although I'm not a huge fan anymore the Indigo Girls "1200 Curfews" was brilliants.

And then there's Phish and BNL...oye...I should come up with my own list.

[Reformed Rick]

Kim,

My all time favorite is Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, "Piece de Resistance" Live from the Capitol Theatre in Passaic NJ, 1978. Unfortunately. although broadcast over WNEW-FM in New York, the concert is only available on bootleg CDs. (Although not official the sound quality is superb). This is ten times better than the fairly weak official Live (1975-85) retrospective.

The recently released Live From The Hammersmith (1975) is a great intro to a live Bruce show.

Rick

[reg]

Any list of live albums lacking the Allman Bros. "Live at the Fillmore East" at number 1 (and under no circumstance below No.3) lacks any credibility.

[Paul C. Quillman]

The Police should have been there, but at least Sting made it. I was pleased that Kiss did as well. Would have liked to see DMB get more than honorable mention,

[Jeremy]

What??? No Steve Green?

[Timothy]

OK,
I know a lot of these live albums appeal to the fans of those bands, but I would have thought that Peter Framptons Live would have been much higher. That album was one of the very few that catapulted into the top 25 as far as hits and sales. Most live albums only appeal to those who like them... Frampton was KNOWN for his life album, therefore it was much more influential.
Blessings

BTW, where was Ray Boltz on the list??? Huh? what kind of list is this without Ray Boltz?

[Robin]

Not to pull-rank...you guys should know Genesis with Peter Gabriel ("Selling England" tour) and especially the piece: "Supper's Ready" (refers to the marriage supper of the Lamb), stands alone as some of the most remarkable progrock of all time and holds accurate eschatalogical commentary!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supper's_Ready

Pastor Kim, this piece would've made a fitting opening-act for the conference!

Having attended the concert in '72 (knowing nothing about Revelation at the time) I was struck by its epic grandeur and mystery so much, it served as thorough innoculation against the mounting, dispie goofyness that followed.

The piece (25 minutes long), performed last in the set; left the audience stunned. Gabriel, in one-man theatrical fashion, portrayed the prophet, dragon/anti-christ segued to the appearance of the angel announcing the glorious victory of the Lamb! It was the storytelling (not the volume) that filled the room with awe. Here, I first began to muse the Book of Revelation might be a drama of symbols. (Irony: a pagan-musician, proclaiming the Gospel, named "Gabriel.")

Peter Gabriel read the Book of Revelation more accurately than Chuck Smith!

Go figure.

[Jeremy Felden]

I'll call your Frampton and raise you a Led Zeppelin. <i>The Song Remains the Same</i> wasn't their best performance, but it was a double album with ridiculous rock excess like

1. Playing the guitar with a violin bow.
2. Theremin (look it up)
3. Awesome drum solo (Moby Dick)
4. A totally self-aggrandizing movie of the concert with drug-induced flights of fancy.

[JoeW]

No Bob Seger either...
'Live Bullet'should easily be in the Top 10.

[Paul]

That is the most varied list I've seen for music. Good effort in that respect, but I would throw out the rap and most everything else.

I would make "Live in Rio" the Rush entry. I would replace "Song Remains the Same" with "How the West Was Won". I would throw in Rainbows "Live in Munich 1977" as an entry. Big, big, music, great work by Richie Blackmore.

[Wayne Rohde]

I'm kind of surprised that a group sometimes known as "Solid Rock" and sometimes as "The Dispensationalists" didn't make the list.

If I recall correctly, they started their gig in the 1800s, and were also knowns as the "Ds" (Darby/scofield).

They had 14 regulars in their band: two drummers, two singers, etc. I think they were the first to go stereo.

Of course the reason they didn't make the list is that they never performed LIVE. They certainly did make the charts though, didn't they???

[Herb Grimaud]

LET THE GLOVES COME OFF!!!!!!!

:-P

Nice surprise for such a list that’s full of rock bands :

Kraftwork - Minimum-Maximum

I will add from my own wish list :

Dead Can Dance : Toward the Within
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds : Live Seeds
The Cure : show
16 Horsepower : Hoarse
Siouxsie & the Banshees : Nocturne
The Stoogies : Raw Power

Im also a HUGE fan of the John Peel Sessions. Not sure if that would count as live performances. Even though it's live in the studio. I think we're talking about concert records.

[timinator]

No Police, Led Zepplin or Pink Floyd what kind of list is that. What about Genesis

[Covenant]

Rush Live in Rio does not sound good enough to be on the list. The lack of a sound check before the show started hurts the overall sound. It sounds like a good bootleg at best. Exit Stage Left is definitely the right choice. Listen to Xanadu - The bells, Chimes, cowbells, All real and not synthesized. And it sounds better than LiR.

On a related note, Their new album deals with a lot with faith. It would be interesting to see how Neil weaves this into his songs as (likely) a non Christian

Covenant

[Keith]

Two of my favs made the "Honorable Mention" list:
- Yes-Yessongs
- Allman Brothers-Live at the Fillmore
Not totally live (a couple of studio cuts included on the album), but Santana's "Moonflower" is up there for me also.

[afrikaner]

Go Bob Marley!

[Andrew Alvarez]

Fun fact:

Edgar Winter did a soundtrack for L. Ron Hubbard's 10 volume Mission Earch Series.

[Andrew Alvarez]

Oops. The Mission EARTH series.