FMD — Live Albums

Live albums get some deserved and undeserved derision. Usually they are obligatory, just a one off to fulfill a contract obligation and they rarely capture what it's like "being there." In addition almost all live albums have the crowd noise artificially inserted, vocals are fixed, and sometimes guitars are augmented in studio. On the other hand, where else but a live album are you going to hear a 20 minute version of Cowgirl in the Sand?

Kiss Alive! is famous for probably being barely "live." The some reports are the only actual live parts are Peter Criss' drums.

I bring this up because this past weekend was the 40th anniversary of Cheap Trick playing at The Budokan theater in Japan. Cheap Trick Live at Budokan was originally suppose to be a Japanese only album but it sold many imports that it was eventually released stateside in February of 1979. The original album was only about 1/2 the concert and eventually Cheap Trick released the rest of the concert in a second album and then the whole show (actually it's from two different concerts two days apart). I have take both Budokan I and II and rearranged the songs according to the set list. I still love this album and listen to is every so often.

What other live albums to you like? Throw in your list.

18 thoughts on “FMD — Live Albums”

  1. Here are a few of my faves:

    Cheap Trick Live at Budokan
    Kiss Alive!
    Built to Spill Live
    Neil Young Live Rust
    Guided by Voices Live at the Wheelchair Races
    Johnny Cash Live at San Quentin
    Otis Redding Live on the Sunset Strip

    1. Neil Young, Live Rust
      Cheap Trick at Budokan
      Johnny Cash, Live at Folsom Prison
      The Allman Brothers at Fillmore East
      Eric Clapton, Unplugged
      Neil Young, Unplugged
      Simon and Garfunkel, The Concert in Central Park

  2. (as I think of them)

    Sam Cooke - Live at the Harlem Square Club, 1963
    BR5-49 - Live from Robert's
    MC5 - Kick Out The Jams
    Wilco - Kicking Television
    Bob Dylan - The Bootleg Series Vol. 4: Bob Dylan Live 1966, The "Royal Albert Hall" Concert
    Nirvana - MTV Unplugged In New York
    Muddy Waters - At Newport 1960
    Simon and Garfunkel - The Concert in Central Park

    1. Coil - ...and the Ambulance Died in His Arms (which is an important album in their discography, because they never made any good/finished studio recordings of this stuff.)
      Five other Coil albums: Live One, Live Two, Live Three, Live Four, and Selvaggina, Go Back Into The Woods
      Current 93 - Birdsong in the Empire

    2. I need to check out that S and G album again. I have a number of Wilco live concert broadcasts that are better than Kicking Television, otherwise it could've made my list.

      The latest Dylan bootleg series focuses on the Born Again period. There are a number of good excerpts. I wish there was just one concert album. (There maybe on the 13 disc set, I'm not shelling out for that.)

  3. AMR, I'm sorry for posting this stuff so late. I'll add the caveat that I have very specific tastes so this probably isn't 100% representative but I like all these songs a lot. Oh and all of these are various levels of NSFW.

    Kendrick Lamar - "The Blacker the Berry"
    A$AP Twelvyy ft. A$AP Ferg - "Hop Out"
    Rae Sremmurd - "Perplexing Pegasus"
    Future - "Stick Talk"
    21 Savage - "Bad Guy"
    Princess Nokia - "Kitana"
    Cardi B - "Get Up 10"
    Maxo Kream - "Work"
    billy woods - "Snake Oil"
    The Outfit, TX - "Dez Bryant"

  4. 1. Beastie Boys “Sure Shot (European B-Boy Mix - Clean)” Sure Shot
    2. Eric Copeland “Boogieman” Goofballs
    3. Why Does the Sun Shine? “They Might Be Giants” A User's Guide
    4. Katy B “Water” On a Mission
    5. Beastie Boys “Body Movin' (Fatboy Slim Remix)” Solid Gold Hits - Clean

    6. Emot “Ancients” Trees & Claws EP
    7. George Thorogood & the Destroyers “Bad to the Bone” The Baddest of George Thorogood & the Destroyers
    8. Elite Gymnastics “Omamori 2” Ruin 2
    9. Current 93 “Sunset (The Death of Thumbelina)” Black Ships Ate the Sky
    T. Johnny Cash “Bridge Over Troubled Waters” American IV: The Man Comes Around

  5. 01. Panopticon - "En hvit ravns død" from The Scars of Man on the Once Nameless Wilderness, Part 1
    02. Young Scooter ft. Young Thug & Casino - "Play Wit Millions" from Trippple Cross
    03. Panopticon - "The Wandering Ghost" from The Scars of Man on the Once Nameless Wilderness, Part 2
    04. Yazan - "Hahaha" from Hahaha
    05. Primal Rite - "Ecstatic Agony" from Dirge of Escapism
    06. Franz Ferdinand - "Feel the Love Go" from Always Ascending
    07. Camp Cope - "The Omen" from How to Socialise & Make Friends
    08. Hookworms - "Ullswater" from Microshift
    09. Holy Motors - "Signs" from Slow Sundown
    10. Nap Eyes - "Judgment" from Nap Eyes

    BT. Les Savy Fav - "The Sweat Descends" from Inches

  6.  

    01. “Oh Home” – Lucy Michelle And The Velvet LapellesHeat
    02. “School Of Eyes” – Wye OakShriek
    03. “Clam, Crab, Cockle, Cowrie” – Joanna NewsomJoanna Newsom And The Ys Street Band
    04. “Tears For Sheep” – AtmosphereLucy Ford
    05. “Too Drunk To Dream” – The Magnetic Fields Distortion
    06. “Horse” – Alex GRocket
    07. “I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man” – PrinceSign "☮" the Times
    08. “Sour Breath” – Julien BakerTurn Out The Lights
    09. “Shine A Light” – The Rolling StonesExile On Main St
    10. “Unsatisfied” – The ReplacementsFor Sale: Live At Maxwell’s 1986

  7. Jerry Lee Lewis' "Live at the Star Club" should be an essential on any "best of live album" list. 30 minute of him and the backing band playing like its the last night on earth! That set is on fire.

    The Who "Live at Leeds" is always a great listen.
    "Cheap Trick At Budokan" gets many plays at my house
    Nirvana Unplugged
    As a big Kinks fan, I really enjoy "One For the Road", but its a double album and maybe too long for some.

    1. Although it gets many raves as a great live album, I’ve never really enjoyed Live at Leeds. I do like the version of Quick One While He’s Away however.

      I need to check out that JLL disk.

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