Essential Live Albums

[liebzz]

Almost finished. The problem with Bruce Springsteen live music is it ruins it for everyone else. Nobody could touch this group in their prime.

[liebzz]

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band - Live 1975-1985

I don’t know that I have ever fully tackled this front to back before. There’s something intimidating about the 3.5 hour run time, and the sequencing that drew me away forever. It sort of moves in loose order, adding the new songs as we go along rather than interspersing everything into a single document. That said, this thing rips from the jump. While I prefer the jaw dropping Thunder Road on Hammersmith Odeon to this stripped down version, there’s something about the bare basics of this song evoking that last chance to make it out alive that strikes a chord every time. And once we’re done with that warm up exercise, Bruce is on fire for the next 3.5 hours, be it the snarl of Adam Raised a Cain, driving his band to the edge in Backstreets, banging out the hits in Hungry Heart, the intensity of Candy’s Room, the epic Because the Night (this song is his), Racing in the Street, the intense Born in the USA, that cover of Edwin Star’s War, Bobby Jean, the acoustic No Surrender, the closing Jersey Girl…this thing not only doesn’t let up, but contains a lifetime of tremendous performances that would fill any other band’s cup. Easily one of the best live albums in this journey, eked out maybe only his own 1979 MSG performance.

The Essential Performance: Because the Night

Up Next: Aerosmith - Classics Live!

[Matters]

Thanks for this great thread.

Alchemy: Dire Straits
Double Live: Garth Brooks (the album that broke Vs.’s first week sales record)

[wease]

I thought it was Backstreet Boys that broke the record.

[Matters]

FWIW Wiki says Garth.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_ ... oks_album)

Looks like it was Garth first and then Backstreet broke that record. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lists_o ... ing_albums

[Happy Trees]

Up Next: Aerosmith - Classics Live!

Blech!

Try "Live Bootleg" instead, if you haven't already (tl;dr). It's much better. Some people say it's sloppy and bad but they can blow me.

[liebzz]

Aerosmith - Live Bootleg

Okay, so I have to admit I was being a little mean by pairing Aerosmith right after The Rolling Stones. Aerosmith is kind of that band you’re friends with but can’t help constantly picking on them - mostly because they just so happen to reinvent themselves in a pseudo image of what’s happening in that moment. They just so happened to be banging out blues rock with a rock swagger soon after the Stones perfected it. Just so happened to adjust to big arena rock when other 80s bands had been taking excess that much further, just so happened to go more earnest rock in 90s, pop rock in the late 90s, blues rock revival in the early aughts…you get the drift.

What sometimes gets lost in that is they were really good at the 70s blues rock thing, and so to have this document of that time is putting the absolute best face on this band. They had already amassed a good number of hits that make their way into this, and they don’t disappoint, even on the deeper cuts. Sick As a Dog and Chip Away the Stone are legit highlights among Walk This Way, Toys in the Attic, and Mama akin. The winner is Train Kept a Rollin’, an absolute barn burner.

The Essential Performance: Train Kept a Rollin’

Up Next: Jethro Tull - Burstin’ Out

[Happy Trees]

Aerosmith - Live Bootleg

Okay, so I have to admit I was being a little mean by pairing Aerosmith right after The Rolling Stones. Aerosmith is kind of that band you’re friends with but can’t help constantly picking on them - mostly because they just so happen to reinvent themselves in a pseudo image of what’s happening in that moment. They just so happened to be banging out blues rock with a rock swagger soon after the Stones perfected it. Just so happened to adjust to big arena rock when other 80s bands had been taking excess that much further, just so happened to go more earnest rock in 90s, pop rock in the late 90s, blues rock revival in the early aughts…you get the drift.

What sometimes gets lost in that is they were really good at the 70s blues rock thing, and so to have this document of that time is putting the absolute best face on this band. They had already amassed a good number of hits that make their way into this, and they don’t disappoint, even on the deeper cuts. Sick As a Dog and Chip Away the Stone are legit highlights among Walk This Way, Toys in the Attic, and Mama akin. The winner is Train Kept a Rollin’, an absolute barn burner.

The Essential Performance: Train Kept a Rollin’

Up Next: Jethro Tull - Burstin’ Out

[liebzz]

Aerosmith - Classics Live

As noted previously, much of Aerosmith’s big 70s hits are pretty impressive, even if largely forgotten amongst their super hit status of Permanent Vacation hits and beyond. They sort of unraveled for me in those few albums so much so that the good stuff gets buried in some dustbin to be revived every decade or so for a quick reminder it wasn’t all bad.

Here’s a collection of 70s classics that largely does its job. The performances are pretty straightforward but for the exceptional Lord of the Thighs. The selections probably skew toward my favorite of their songs, so that’s good.

The Essential Performance: Lord of the Thighs

Up Next: Aerosmith - Classics Live II

[liebzz]

Aerosmith - Classics Live II

Much as the last one, a bunch of 70s classics played live, and much like the last one, each of these is serviceable to good - but a totally different set so that is great to hit up as a one-two punch. This is again a reminder that I like way more Aerosmith songs than I usually care to admit. Nice and easy listen here.

The Essential Performance: Walk This Way

Up Next: Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble - Live Alive

[wease]

Live Alive always sounded like shit to me.

[liebzz]

We’ll find out soon enough.

[doug rr]

Aerosmith - Live Bootleg

Okay, so I have to admit I was being a little mean by pairing Aerosmith right after The Rolling Stones. Aerosmith is kind of that band you’re friends with but can’t help constantly picking on them - mostly because they just so happen to reinvent themselves in a pseudo image of what’s happening in that moment. They just so happened to be banging out blues rock with a rock swagger soon after the Stones perfected it. Just so happened to adjust to big arena rock when other 80s bands had been taking excess that much further, just so happened to go more earnest rock in 90s, pop rock in the late 90s, blues rock revival in the early aughts…you get the drift.

What sometimes gets lost in that is they were really good at the 70s blues rock thing, and so to have this document of that time is putting the absolute best face on this band. They had already amassed a good number of hits that make their way into this, and they don’t disappoint, even on the deeper cuts. Sick As a Dog and Chip Away the Stone are legit highlights among Walk This Way, Toys in the Attic, and Mama akin. The winner is Train Kept a Rollin’, an absolute barn burner.

The Essential Performance: Train Kept a Rollin’

Up Next: Jethro Tull - Burstin’ Out

did I miss the Jethro Tull review? I've seen a lot of live shows in my life and Tull is near the top...small venue in Denver in the mid 90s...great stuff

[liebzz]

Stevie Ray Vaughan - Live Alive

This one rolls along nicely at the start. More recordings (the same?) from Montreaux Casino in ‘85 start this thing, and Say What?, Pride and Joy, and Mary Had a Little Lamb are all on point. Superstition is a bit awkward but fun - and without the usual SRV fireworks. I’m Leaving You is killer, as is Texas Flood, Voodoo Child, and Love Struck Baby. Mostly this is fabulous, though in moments maybe a bit tiresome. But those moments are only fleeting. I was mostly happy with this one.

The Essential Performance: Mary Had a Little Lamb

Up Next: Depeche Mode - 101

[liebzz]

Aerosmith - Live Bootleg

Okay, so I have to admit I was being a little mean by pairing Aerosmith right after The Rolling Stones. Aerosmith is kind of that band you’re friends with but can’t help constantly picking on them - mostly because they just so happen to reinvent themselves in a pseudo image of what’s happening in that moment. They just so happened to be banging out blues rock with a rock swagger soon after the Stones perfected it. Just so happened to adjust to big arena rock when other 80s bands had been taking excess that much further, just so happened to go more earnest rock in 90s, pop rock in the late 90s, blues rock revival in the early aughts…you get the drift.

What sometimes gets lost in that is they were really good at the 70s blues rock thing, and so to have this document of that time is putting the absolute best face on this band. They had already amassed a good number of hits that make their way into this, and they don’t disappoint, even on the deeper cuts. Sick As a Dog and Chip Away the Stone are legit highlights among Walk This Way, Toys in the Attic, and Mama akin. The winner is Train Kept a Rollin’, an absolute barn burner.

The Essential Performance: Train Kept a Rollin’

Up Next: Jethro Tull - Burstin’ Out

did I miss the Jethro Tull review? I've seen a lot of live shows in my life and Tull is near the top...small venue in Denver in the mid 90s...great stuff

SRV was live album #160 of this journey, so you are bound to miss a few.

[Happy Trees]

did I miss the Jethro Tull review? I've seen a lot of live shows in my life and Tull is near the top...small venue in Denver in the mid 90s...great stuff

Jethro Tull - Bursting Out

Flute rawk!!! I don’t play the flute, but if you told me in a vacuum it was a vehicle for rock music, I might laugh, except anything is possible in the land of prog. And here, there are some epic moments - along with some serious lulls - but the big moments, particularly at the end in the run of Quatrain, Aqualung, and Locomotive Breath, that make the whole thing worth it. Sweet Dream, Songs from the Wood, Hunting Girl, and Too Old to Rock n Roll Too Young to Die are also good highlights. Thick As a Brick seems like it would work great off a studio track but doesn’t quite translate, and the rest is well the rest.

The Essential Performance: Locomotive Breath

Good if somewhat bereft review. Thick As A Brick "not translating well" while Songs From The Wood being a highlight (it utilizes backing tapes tounge-in-cheek) is LULZ worthy though.

Jack In The Green and Skating Away are great versions too...definitely not lulls.

Barrimore Barlow is a fucking beast. This deserves a mention too.

[liebzz]

Depeche Mode - 101

This is another live album I go into without any background in the artist. One of those groups I have known about of course for decades, but really if we’re being honest, I generally don’t have success listening to groups where the synths take too billing and the rest compliments the synths (I do like some bands where synths are touches to the rest of the ensemble). This release doesn’t move the needle much on that front, except to say there were moments where I felt my attention rise from the din of zoned out - like Stripped, Pleasure Little Treasure, People Are People, and Just Can’t Get Enough. I swear I tried, but this sort of fell out of a comfort zone not in a great way.

The Essential Performance: Pleasure Little Treasure

Next Up: Pink Floyd - The Delicate Sound of Thunder (the longer remixed version)

[liebzz]

Pink Floyd - Delicate Sound of Thunder (2019 remix)

This live album is a tale of two halves. The first, focused largely on newer material from the period, is the band moving on from Roger Waters, a nearly one for one of new songs with instrumental transitions that mostly work well for them, though ultimately this ain’t the material that put asses in the seats. The second half is a wild run down of Waters-era Floyd classics, one epic throw down after the next, which seems to take off halfway through On the Turning Away, and then holds up one highlight after the next, One of These Days, Time, On the Run, The Great Gig in the Sky, Wish You Were Here, Welcome to the Machine (oh, the Stranger Things vibes!), Us and Them, Money, Another Brick in the Wall Part 2, and then the ultimate highlight of Comfortably Numb. The set closing Run Like Hell was also pretty amazing. This turned from fine to grand pretty fast and once we got there no letting up.

The Essential Performance: Comfortably Numb

Up Next: Primus - Suck On This

[liebzz]

Primus - Suck On This

This is one of the rare occasions on this journey where a live album also serves as a debut album. Primus at this point in time melded alternative rock, prog, and an almost metal and punk in this wild melting pot of silly songs and that weird voice. It helps that Les Claypool is an otherworldly bassist and Tim Alexander is a monster on drums. The songs though still carry here, particularly in John the Fisherman, Groundhog’s Day, Harold of the Rocks, and Frizzle Fry. This band killed live so it works for this to be the beginning for them. Tommy the Cat is always fun, though I prefer the studio version to this one.

The Essential Performance: Harold of the Rocks

Up Next: The Rolling Stones - Steel Wheels Live

[liebzz]

Rolling Stones - Steel Wheels Live

We haven’t visited with this band in a while, at least virtually, and the first thing that’s evident is that the vibe has changed. The seedy, grimy, knife’s edge performances have gone full blown love production built for large stadiums over clubs and theaters. They sound great, but the aura of legacy act is quickly falling into place - even if the new songs sound great live. Salt of the Earth with Axl and Izzy is pretty cool. But the stadium shaking Satisfaction is emblematic of where this band had gone. Fun show even if not as essential and immediate as the 70s shows were.

The Essential Performance: (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction

Up Next: Dylan and the Dead