Essential Live Albums

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Depeche Mode - 101
Daft Punk - Alive 2007 (though I have a soft spot for Alive 1997 as well)

whoah, welcome back!

Added

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Bob Marley and the Wailers - Live at the Roxy

This is quite the fascinating show. It starts at what seems like half tempo, with the band and Bob Marley kind of plodding through the set regulars Trenchtown Rock, Burnin’ and Lootin’, and Them Belly Full. They seem to start righting the ship at Rebel Music, but then I Shot the Sheriff has that slowed tempo. Want More is pretty fantastic, and No Woman No Cry is plodding so they are just up and down here. Then there’s a turning point during their jam in Lively Up Yourself where they sort of kick it into gear and they’re right for the rest of the show. Interesting to note is the show closer, a medley that kind of circles around Get Up Stand Up, No More Trouble, and War around and around for 23 minutes. Very different for sure.

The Essential Performance: Lively Up Yourself

Up Next: Grateful Dead - Spring 77 “week”

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An explanation for the Spring 77 “week” - inasmuch as I have a few planned runs at different points that we discussed, Woodstock week happened, Unplugged run will happen once I get to the 90s, this is a quick run of “official” Grateful Dead releases from their Spring ‘77 tour - i don’t want to go into overdrive seeking out bootlegs or the whole tour because that’s just too much, but there are a lot of official documents to this, maybe their most legendary tour (we can discuss whether it was their best - certainly there are plenty of contenders). So a few Dead shows in a row are coming.

For those following along, up next is Download Series, Vol. 1 - Live at Palladium, NYC 4/30/77

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Grateful Dead - Download Series Volume 1: Live at Palladium, NYC 4/30/77

Our first stop is a week into the tour in New York City, where they had played multiple nights at the Palladium. The band is in very good form on this show, putting a little extra emphasis on songs in the first set, such as the opening The Music Never Stopped, Deal, an excellent Mississippi Half Step, and set closing The Promised Land. As per usual, this sets up a more robust second set, and this one has a pretty great selection of songs and a great run from Scarlet>Fire, Good Lovin’, Friend of the Devil, Estimated Prophet, and the St. Stephen>Not Fade Away>Stella Blue>St. Stephen suite that is just outstanding, particularly their jam in Not Fade Away. The winner for me though goes to a personal favorite Terrapin Station, very well delivered even if it’s real hard to top the studio version. The bonus tracks here are from the night before and are all outstanding - an emotional yet thought provoking Sugaree, and Scarlet Begonias at least on recording blending into Going Down the Road Feeling Bad and Not Fade Away. Really solid show here.

The Essential Performance: Terrapin Station

Up Next: Grateful Dead - Cornell 5/8/77

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Grateful Dead - Cornell 5/8/77

Often treated as the holy grail of Dead shows, this plays more like what we in crazy Pearl Jam fan folklore think of Atlanta ‘94. Great show, yes. Great quality recording and available for a newer fan to chew on, yes. Greatest show of their career, probably not.

The first set here is probably the most challenging aspect of all this. Yes, there is a very good New Minglewood Blues (best I can actually recall off hand), Loser, Jack Straw, Deal, the best Lazy Lightning/Supplication (the latter of which is amazing), and a first set closing Dancing in the Street that is essential. There are some lulls here in this set though that I think are the reason this isn’t the end all it’s sold to be, especially where their first sets rarely fall into any abyss.

That said, the second set is about as great as you can possibly get. Scarlet>Fire is really special, especially in the second half, Estimated Prophet is really outstanding here, St. Stephen>Not Fade Away>St. Stephen is fantastic, Morning Dew is epic. This second set really is near perfection, which felt like it built off Dancing in the Streets, which is where this show really went into the stratosphere. Is it essential? Absolutely. Is it the best ever? Hard to know but I think there have been a few shows of theirs I have heard that top it.

The Essential Performance: Estimated Prophet

Up Next: Grateful Dead - Dick’s Picks Vol. 29: Atlanta, GA 5/19/77 & Lakeland, FL 5/21/77

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Grateful Dead - Dick’s Picks Vol. 29: Atlanta, GA 5/19/77 (Part 1)

This is going to be one of a handful of live albums that get broken up into parts due to sheer length. Nearly 2 complete shows, this one clocks in total at 6 hours, so we will start with Atlanta and our second trip this journey to the Fox Theater. What’s odd about this show is it peaks nearly immediately in the second song, Sugaree. Sure there are great moments throughout, an approved Row Jimmy, a blazing Passenger, great Dancing in the Streets, Samson and Delilah, Estimated Prophet, and Terrapin Station. The jam in Uncle John’s Band is really amazing, and the Wheel was a great segue out of Drums. But nothing topped that Sugaree.

The Essential Performance: Sugaree

Up Next: Grateful Dead - Dick’s Picks Vol. 29 (Part 2): Lakeland, FL 5/21/77

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Grateful Dead - Dick’s Pick Vol. 29: Lakeland, FL 5/21/77 (Part 2)

The second half of this release is the show 2 nights later. This seems to be the clearly superior show. Bertha, Me And My Uncle, and then the 3 in a row of Cassidy, Jack-A-Roe, and Jack Straw really get this one kicking hot. New Minglewood Blues was the first real shot at an essential performance - at least until an epic Scarlet > Fire to close the first set that is phenomenal. The second set takes off from where the first set ended without a moment that isn’t thrilling, but that Scarlet > Fire. Damn.

The Essential Performance: Scarlet Begonias > Fire on the Mountain

Up Next: Grateful Dead - Dick’s Picks Vol. 3: Pembroke Pines, FL 5/22/77

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They’re working on a remaster of that Van Halen album. It’s the first and they’re doing all the Sammy albums.

Yeah, this is also on the list.

Honestly it’s still one of my favorite live albums.

I have the 2005 Forever Young Japan Remasters (not much of a noticeable difference) really looking forward to the new ones. Hopefully some unreleased songs and a better version of I Want Some Action.

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FYI, there might be more Pearl Jam live than Grateful Dead in this journey. We’re closing in on the last few of the Spring ‘77 run.

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This run is almost as long as an actual GD show…

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This run is almost as long as an actual GD show…

Just two more: Pembroke Pines and Hartford. Then we move on for a while.

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Grateful Dead - Dick’s Picks Vol. 3 - Pembroke Pines, FL 5/22/77

Back in the midst of our isolation in the pandemic, I spent much of the spring, all of the summer and into the Fall of 2020 on a huge Grateful Dead journey. Folks back then demanded I hear this, and I was skeptical only because it wasn’t the whole show. I remember hearing and enjoying it, saying nice things, but until this listen, I am not sure I got it. Now I certainly do. Nearly every song here is a must hear for its place in the canon of the Grateful Dead. I have heard a lot of The Music Never Stopped, but not quite this hopped up before. Even a song like Lazy Lightning/Supplication is appropriately mind bending here. Help on the Way/Slipknot!, Samson and Delilah, Sunrise, Estimated Prophet and Eyes of the World are all great here. But it’s the close of this release that really pushes even harder. The Wharf Rat > Terrapin Station is beyond awesome. And then there’s a magnificent Morning Dew, rivaling the best of them. This one is a real must.

And for those concerned about giving 3 plus hours to the Dead, this one clocks in at a cool 2 hours and 16 minutes.

The Essential Performance: Morning Dew

Up Next: Grateful Dead - To Terrapin: Hartford, CT 5/28/77

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This run is almost as long as an actual GD show…

Just two more: Pembroke Pines and Hartford. Then we move on for a while.

If only the Phish Millennium show had an official release

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This run is almost as long as an actual GD show…

Just two more: Pembroke Pines and Hartford. Then we move on for a while.

If only the Phish Millennium show had an official release

Ha. I think that show is still in the encore.

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Grateful Dead - To Terrapin: Hartford, CT 5/28/77

We finish our Grateful Dead Spring ‘77 run with the last show of the tour. The band comes out here blazing, with a stellar Bertha > Good Lovin’ > Sugaree - the last of which is just a phenomenal 19 minute blast. The whole first set is really just fantastic here with Jack Straw, New Minglewood Blues, Passenger and Promised Land all highlights. The second set might be slightly less thrilling, but still solid front to back with a cool drum solo leading into Not Fade Away a highlight in the long jam session. I remember liking this show more last time, but I am still pretty happy with this in the end.

The Essential Performance: Bertha

Up Next: Genesis - Seconds Out

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Genesis - Seconds Out

The transition from the Grateful Dead into Genesis is not as extreme as you’d initially think. The Dead played off a bit of progressive rock, I think with at least Terrapin Station and in sonic brotherhood on Estimated Prophet, so this is nearly a natural shift to synth heavy prog rock. I will say with very little familiarity that Genesis was very good at this, and it’s a small wonder for which I am sure there are tomes concerning their shift from this to light pop rock. That said, getting a totally progged out live album is sort of fun - like if Rush and Pink Floyd had a demented baby headed by a singer drummer. Makes total sense.

The Essential Performance: Firth of Fifth

Up Next: Townes Van Zandt - Live at the Old Quarter

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Townes Van Zandt - Live at the Old Quarter, Houston, Texas

Big shift in focus here from prog to country folk. This seems like a quiet conversation between Van Zandt and the crowd, and it’s all pretty good, though I am not much for the talking blues numbers. There’s still much to like here - blues, country, folk. The crowd is largely polite until roused by a killer cover of Who Do You Love.

The Essential Performance: Who Do You Love

Up Next: The Rolling Stones - Live at the El Mocambo 1977

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Genesis. Now there’s a band I know next to nothing about before the Collins pop era. Maybe that should be the next deep dive.

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Genesis. Now there’s a band I know next to nothing about before the Collins pop era. Maybe that should be the next deep dive.

It’s almost confusing to hear his voice behind anything but 80s pop rock.

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Genesis. Now there’s a band I know next to nothing about before the Collins pop era. Maybe that should be the next deep dive.

It’s almost confusing to hear his voice behind anything but 80s pop rock.

I think the Gabriel era would be most interesting to hear.