Barking Spiders Posted August 31, 2023 Share Posted August 31, 2023 On the way to work the morning I was listening to the full 2-CD version of Cheap Trick's Live at Budokan. When I was much much younger I had the original on LP and played it to death. On the strength of it I checked out several of their earlier studio albums but they're nowhere near as good. Quite insipid sounding in comparison. Seems to me some bands work best in the studio and others are best experienced live. IMO other bands whose live album(s) easily trump their studio albums are The Tubes (What do you want from live), Dr Feelgood (Stupidity), Motorhead (No Sleep til Hammersmith), AC/DC (If You Want Blood) and Blue Oyster Cult (Some Enchanted Evening). The last one is a good example esp when comparing the studio and live versions of Godzilla. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctor J Posted August 31, 2023 Share Posted August 31, 2023 (edited) The 'oo. The muscle of Live At Leeds (or even the Isle of Wight) vs the puny studio albums up to that point is like two different bands. Can't Live Without It by Gang Green is wonderful, with a real energy which the albums don't quite match. Rush in Rio pumps a lot of fire into songs from their tamer 80's material. I wouldn't say If You Want Blood easily outdoes their studio stuff. The likes of Powerage still sound fantastic. Edited August 31, 2023 by Doctor J 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted August 31, 2023 Share Posted August 31, 2023 I love all live albums. I've got them by Steely Dan, Little Feat, the Band, Edgar Winter, Aretha, Keb Mo, Delbert McClinton, The Stones, Otis Redding, Albert King, Allman Brothers, Clapton, BB King and more. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Browning Posted August 31, 2023 Share Posted August 31, 2023 Nine Below Zero - Live at the Marquee Rory Gallagher - Live in Europe (especially, although Irish Tour '74 ain't half bad). SAHB a whole host of others. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted August 31, 2023 Share Posted August 31, 2023 Up until they released Two Steps From The Move, All Those Wasted Years by Hanoi Rocks was by far their best album imo. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cetera Posted August 31, 2023 Share Posted August 31, 2023 Thin Lizzy - Live & Dangerous. Easily better than any of the studio output that contributed songs to the live album. 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hiram.k.hackenbacker Posted August 31, 2023 Share Posted August 31, 2023 15 minutes ago, cetera said: Thin Lizzy - Live & Dangerous. Easily better than any of the studio output that contributed songs to the live album. I guess you can't have Alive! as it almost qualifies as a studio album 😎 N.B. Peter Criss excepted 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cetera Posted August 31, 2023 Share Posted August 31, 2023 7 minutes ago, hiram.k.hackenbacker said: I guess you can't have Alive! as it almost qualifies as a studio album 😎 N.B. Peter Criss excepted Almost every live album is hugely doctored in the studio. "Frampton Comes Astudio" being the prime example... 5 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hiram.k.hackenbacker Posted August 31, 2023 Share Posted August 31, 2023 11 minutes ago, cetera said: Almost every live album is hugely doctored in the studio. "Frampton Comes Astudio" being the prime example... It doesn't get anywhere near the slating Alive! does on Wikipedia, although I accept Wikipedia may have some inaccuracies 🤣 >>Frampton said "the album is mostly live except for the first verse of 'Something's Happening', the rhythm electric guitar on 'Show Me the Way' (the talk-box came out but the engineer forgot to move the mic) and the intro piano on 'I Wanna Go to the Sun' were fixed in the studio, but the rest was all live (all the guitar solos, acoustic guitars, electric keyboards, drums, bass guitar and rest of vocals) which was unheard of at the time"<< 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Horse Murphy Posted August 31, 2023 Share Posted August 31, 2023 (edited) Bill Withers Live at Carnegie Hall and The Band's Last Waltz are my favourite live albums and (for me) are better than the studio recordings. If we count videos of live concerts then The Cure in Orange is right up there too for me. Edited August 31, 2023 by Old Horse Murphy 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mudpup Posted August 31, 2023 Share Posted August 31, 2023 UFO - Strangers in the Night Ted Nugent - Double Live Gonzo Both way better than any studio recordings imho 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cetera Posted August 31, 2023 Share Posted August 31, 2023 35 minutes ago, hiram.k.hackenbacker said: although I accept Wikipedia may have some inaccuracies 🤣 You said it! 😉🤣😂 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul_5 Posted August 31, 2023 Share Posted August 31, 2023 Iron Maiden’s Live After Death is easily better than most of the studio albums leading up to it. YMMV. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulThePlug Posted August 31, 2023 Share Posted August 31, 2023 (edited) Space Ritual - Hawkwind Alice Cooper - The AC Show... Edited August 31, 2023 by PaulThePlug 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickeyboro Posted August 31, 2023 Share Posted August 31, 2023 Man: Back Into the Future, Live at the Paget Rooms Penarth, Maximum Darkness, 1999 Party Tour, Star Club, Live Glastonbury 1994. I could go on😂 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul S Posted August 31, 2023 Share Posted August 31, 2023 Thin Lizzy and UFO have had a mention. I like a decent wedge of Deep Purple's studio output but 'Made In Japan' is simply a gem. Possibly my fave album of all. Wishbone Ash 'Live Dates' for me contains the extra spark that I feel is lacking in their studio output. Humble Pie 'Performance, Rockin' The Fillmore' much the same applies. Uriah Heep's 'Live' from 1973. Not sure about anything from the past 45 years 2 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toneknob Posted August 31, 2023 Share Posted August 31, 2023 I say this as a massive fan of both but Umphrey's McGee and (to a lesser extent) Phish 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted August 31, 2023 Share Posted August 31, 2023 Judie Tzuke's "Road Noise", one of my favourite albums. Many of the songs on there are superior to their studio counterparts. 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmo Valdemar Posted August 31, 2023 Share Posted August 31, 2023 5 hours ago, Barking Spiders said: On the way to work the morning I was listening to the full 2-CD version of Cheap Trick's Live at Budokan. When I was much much younger I had the original on LP and played it to death. On the strength of it I checked out several of their earlier studio albums but they're nowhere near as good. Quite insipid sounding in comparison. The studio version of I Want You To Want Me is startlingly twee isn't it? For me the absolute pinnacle of the live album is Live At Leeds which is, as was already mentioned, miles beyond their studio output of the time in both production and musicianship. It's a ferocious album. I'd also throw in a mention of Slade Alive, the sound of a band unleashed. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul_5 Posted August 31, 2023 Share Posted August 31, 2023 (edited) LOTS of Zappa albums - personal favourites include "Broadway the Hardway", "Does Humour Belong In Music" & "Roxy & Elsewhere". Also, "Pulse" is pretty much the only Pink Floyd I can stand to listen to. I have to admit that. as big of a Rush fan as I am, I prefer the Live versions on "A Show Of Hands" to most of the albums that preceded those tours (Signals, Grace Under Pressure, Hold Your Fire). Edited August 31, 2023 by paul_5 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul_5 Posted August 31, 2023 Share Posted August 31, 2023 4 hours ago, cetera said: Thin Lizzy - Live & Dangerous. Easily better than any of the studio output that contributed songs to the live album. Should really be renamed "Overdubbed & Marginally Perilous" as only a small proportion of that admittedly brilliant album is actually live. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Posted August 31, 2023 Share Posted August 31, 2023 I really like this Capdown live album, it really captures their energy with (or so the liner notes claim) no overdubs https://open.spotify.com/album/6MuvnSI9rxIqUgiLbLw8Ja?si=CKdZOZq1QMqLPN5yV14g7A&context=spotify%3Aalbum%3A6MuvnSI9rxIqUgiLbLw8Ja 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard R Posted August 31, 2023 Share Posted August 31, 2023 (edited) I too love live albums, a good one crackles with energy. The odd overdub is acceptable if it covers an absolute howler, the idea is to recreate the energy. So with that: The Grateful Dead. Their studio albums are OK, but almost any of the thousands of live recordings is a million times better. 'Wake up to find out" is my current favourite. "Slade Alive", play it loud. "Pulse" is superb, but I love all the Floyd. There is a really good Rockonteurs interview with Scott Gorman of Thin Lizzy where they discussed Live and Dangerous. There are actually very few overdubs on it, but it is a compilation of recordings from different nights. The story about the overdubs grew and was embellished over the years, including by the producers. The 40th anniversary release includes all the recordings from different nights, so you can trace what came from where. Rockonteurs on Spotify Edited August 31, 2023 by Richard R Added link 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonge McLengo Posted August 31, 2023 Share Posted August 31, 2023 I would argue that the bootleg of Rush live in St Louis in 1980 is better than any of their official live albums and even some of the 70s studio albums. Also, Curtis Live from 1972 is a completely different animal to the studio albums, though I couldn’t say better or worse - no strings or overdubs, just a mega tight band, groovy songs and great energy. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard R Posted August 31, 2023 Share Posted August 31, 2023 16 minutes ago, Jonge McLengo said: Curtis Live from 1972 is a completely different animal to the studio albums, though I couldn’t say better or worse - no strings or overdubs, just a mega tight band, groovy songs and great energy. Cracking album that! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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