Essential Live Albums

[liebzz]

The Replacements - The Shit Hits the Fans

Sorry folks, I made 5 minutes and found it profoundly unlistenable.

Up Next: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Pack Up the Plantation

[rick malone]

Oh well, you tried.

[liebzz]

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Pack Up the Plantation Live!

The first of a few of the Tom Petty live albums we will cover, and we start with the Heartbreakers with a horn section! Actually, he ends up using them well to the extent that we’re not subject at least on the album to extended horn breaks, just used as a way to work with the Southern Accents material. We get a bit of everything here, some hits, some Stevie Nicks duets, some covers and some deepish cuts. Very solid start for Tom Petty, where the essential performance is the one among the many songs you connect with on a very basic but profound level.

The Essential Performance: Rebel

Up Next: Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble - Live at Montreaux (Part 2)

[liebzz]

Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble - Live at Montreaux, Part 2

I may have spread this out a little, but more Stevie Ray Vaughan! He is still awesome in 1985, and actually even better than the first disc of this from 1982. Mary Had a Little Lamb is pretty crazy, as is his cover of Voodoo Child. The band may be playing a more classic blues rock sound, but SRV is all over the place in a great kind of way.

The Essential Performance: Voodoo Child (Slight Return)

Up Next: Live Aid

[liebzz]

FYI, the Live Aid compilation I am working off of is on Spotify and 9 hours long, so this is going to take a few days. So far it’s been a bit trying, mostly because not all of this is good, and the Sting/Phil Collins collab was sort of dull. There’s still a long way to go though.

[liebzz]

Had a decent morning by virtue of hitting a nice stretch of performances from U2, Beach Boys, and Dire Straits. A little renewal of faith there.

[liebzz]

Still got a ways to go in this thing. 9 hours is a long time.

[Higgs]

Ngl, bit concerned you aren't fully committing here...

[liebzz]

I have less than 30 minutes left I think. That version of We Are the World was an epic train wreck.

[liebzz]

Live Aid

Well, 9+ hours of performances from many of the stars of the 80s and before, largely across two venues. There’s the notable absence of the infamous calamity of the Led Zeppelin reunion with Phil Collins on drums - but in this particular performance, Phil Collins did not seem to have a very good day because his performance with Sting was mostly dull. There are a lot of messy performances here, but it’s not all a miss. Dire Straits put on one hell of a performance, as does Queen - probably the most famous of the performances from this one. Duran Duran, Black Sabbath, Tom Petty, Elton John, and The Beach Boys round out the excellent performances from this show. The winner here, and it’s not even close, is U2’s epic performance of Sunday Bloody Sunday, followed by a Bad medley that tosses in The Stones and Lou Reed covers. Absolutely stunning.

The Essential Performance: U2 (Sunday Bloody Sunday, Bad)

Up Next: Queen - Live at Wembley Stadium

[wease]

Was that the show where the Duran Duran singer squeaked out that bad note in A View To A Kill?

[liebzz]

Was that the show where the Duran Duran singer squeaked out that bad note in A View To A Kill?

The list only includes Union of the Snake, Save a Prayer, and The Reflex. So maybe?

[wease]

I can’t get the video to embed. Here’s the link. Go to 4:10

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SxR6AJAh- ... IGtpbGw%3D

[liebzz]

Now…why wouldn’t they have included that in the release!? I mean, the way he plays on despite hitting teenage boy voice change status was epic.

[wease]

Yeah. Other than that squeaker it was a solid performance.

[wease]

Not to mention it’s top two of their songs.

[liebzz]

Queen - Live at Wembley

These guys really are a fascinating live being. In one moment, they are stretching out with calls and responses, and mega huge deliveries soon to be emulated by the ranks of the Foo Fighters (hot take maybe?), and in the next it feels like a warp speed medley where they don’t sit still with a song for more than a couple of minutes. Either way, they bring some serious drama and theatrics - I mean why on earth is there any point to a mic on a skewer other than dramatic effect, or perhaps a looming threat should someone miss a note. That said, this is nothing if not entertaining, a band who knows its audience and delivers in spades.

The Essential Performance: Hammer to Fall

Up Next: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band - Live 1975-1985

[oasisfan35]

Queen - Live at Wembley

These guys really are a fascinating live being. In one moment, they are stretching out with calls and responses, and mega huge deliveries soon to be emulated by the ranks of the Foo Fighters (hot take maybe?), and in the next it feels like a warp speed medley where they don’t sit still with a song for more than a couple of minutes. Either way, they bring some serious drama and theatrics - I mean why on earth is there any point to a mic on a skewer other than dramatic effect, or perhaps a looming threat should someone miss a note. That said, this is nothing if not entertaining, a band who knows its audience and delivers in spades.

The Essential Performance: Hammer to Fall

Up Next: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band - Live 1975-1985

[Higgs]

Up Next: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band - Live 1975-1985

Fun fact. Back in 1987 I was a spritely 15/16 year old infatuated with my girlfriend of the time. She lived about 15 or so kms from me and I used to bicycle to her place every Friday to hang out. On the ride over I had my trusty walkman and I vividly recall listening to these 3 cassettes on many of those rides. Happy happy memories indeed.

[liebzz]

4th of July (Sandy) always gets to me. That young summer vacation on the edge of growing up moment just takes me back every time.