Essential Live Albums

[liebzz]

Added. Thank you really that sounds amazing!

[liebzz]

The Frogwings album appears to be from 2000?

[wease]

The Frogwings album appears to be from 2000?

Yep. Recorded in either ‘99 or ‘00. Very interested to hear what your standout track is.

There are some interesting boots out there of the band with Edwin McCain as vocalist and it’s wild to here the differences in some of the tracks tackled by two different vocalist/lyricists.

[liebzz]

Gov’t Mule - The Georgia Bootleg Box, Part I: Athens, GA 4/11/96

I am going to break this up into three short parts because tackling 7 hours of live music in one paragraph or so seems like a lot. The entire box is three shows, each with a similar set list, over three nights in Georgia. Night 1 is in Athens, where this southern rock power trio come out pretty hot jamming into Blind Man in the Dark. It’s immediately evident that Warren Haynes took the southern blues rock foundation of the Allman Brothers and mixed it with some of the heavier elements of what was modern rock at the time. The result is a swampy thickness in sound that might be the audio equivalent of 99% humidity. There were a bit fewer Warren Haynes’ guitar fireworks than I expected, but all of that is well placed here, weaving in and out of huge blues jams, most notably on a run of Trane > Eternity’s Breath > Thelonious Beck > Trane > St. Stephen > Trane - a long jam but it bends and swerves in multiple directions keeping it interesting throughout. The show stopper is when Derek Trucks joins then on stage at the end for a cover of Spanish Moon. That is amazing stuff.

The Essential Performance: Spanish Moon w/Derek Trucks

Up Next: Part II

[oasisfan35]

Blues Traveler - Live From the Fall

Like the rest of the mainstream world, I have the CD of Four sitting somewhere in my attic. A band otherwise forgotten for me, a sort of assumption that they were relative lightweights of the 90s “jam” scene. Descent enough songs for sure, but it seemed they just disappeared.

That makes this live album a nearly fully open experience, and my expectations were immediately shattered. This band is legitimately bad ass. I mean, they shred and not just harmonica. Guitars, bass, all of it is pretty full throttle, at least compared to say Hook. Love and Greed, Mulling It Over, and Closing Down the Park are enough to make a whole live album of highlights, add NY Prophesie, Gina, and the Go Outside and Drive / Low Rider (and medley), and this thing is pretty amazing. Who knew?!

The Essential Performance: Go Outside and Drive/Low Rider

Up Next: Gov’t Mule - The Georgia Bootleg Box

Popper is certainly in his own league on harmonica, but I get to the point where it’s all just like a bee buzzing around my ears and I want it to go away.

Have you ever listened to Frogwings? Popper, Derek, Oteil, Kofi, Jimmy Herring, Butch Trucks. Live album- Croakin’ At Toads. It’s right around the timeframe you’re getting into as well.

Can’t believe I didn’t mention that one before.

Marc Quinones too, I'm amazed they fit that many people on Toad's stage.

[wease]

Blues Traveler - Live From the Fall

Like the rest of the mainstream world, I have the CD of Four sitting somewhere in my attic. A band otherwise forgotten for me, a sort of assumption that they were relative lightweights of the 90s “jam” scene. Descent enough songs for sure, but it seemed they just disappeared.

That makes this live album a nearly fully open experience, and my expectations were immediately shattered. This band is legitimately bad ass. I mean, they shred and not just harmonica. Guitars, bass, all of it is pretty full throttle, at least compared to say Hook. Love and Greed, Mulling It Over, and Closing Down the Park are enough to make a whole live album of highlights, add NY Prophesie, Gina, and the Go Outside and Drive / Low Rider (and medley), and this thing is pretty amazing. Who knew?!

The Essential Performance: Go Outside and Drive/Low Rider

Up Next: Gov’t Mule - The Georgia Bootleg Box

Popper is certainly in his own league on harmonica, but I get to the point where it’s all just like a bee buzzing around my ears and I want it to go away.

Have you ever listened to Frogwings? Popper, Derek, Oteil, Kofi, Jimmy Herring, Butch Trucks. Live album- Croakin’ At Toads. It’s right around the timeframe you’re getting into as well.

Can’t believe I didn’t mention that one before.

Marc Quinones too, I'm amazed they fit that many people on Toad's stage.

Yes. Quinones too. I didn’t include him because really, how much of a draw would he be at that point? “Eh, those guys are meh, but Quinones is there?!? I’m in!”

[oasisfan35]

Blues Traveler - Live From the Fall

Like the rest of the mainstream world, I have the CD of Four sitting somewhere in my attic. A band otherwise forgotten for me, a sort of assumption that they were relative lightweights of the 90s “jam” scene. Descent enough songs for sure, but it seemed they just disappeared.

That makes this live album a nearly fully open experience, and my expectations were immediately shattered. This band is legitimately bad ass. I mean, they shred and not just harmonica. Guitars, bass, all of it is pretty full throttle, at least compared to say Hook. Love and Greed, Mulling It Over, and Closing Down the Park are enough to make a whole live album of highlights, add NY Prophesie, Gina, and the Go Outside and Drive / Low Rider (and medley), and this thing is pretty amazing. Who knew?!

The Essential Performance: Go Outside and Drive/Low Rider

Up Next: Gov’t Mule - The Georgia Bootleg Box

Popper is certainly in his own league on harmonica, but I get to the point where it’s all just like a bee buzzing around my ears and I want it to go away.

Have you ever listened to Frogwings? Popper, Derek, Oteil, Kofi, Jimmy Herring, Butch Trucks. Live album- Croakin’ At Toads. It’s right around the timeframe you’re getting into as well.

Can’t believe I didn’t mention that one before.

Marc Quinones too, I'm amazed they fit that many people on Toad's stage.

Yes. Quinones too. I didn’t include him because really, how much of a draw would he be at that point? “Eh, those guys are meh, but Quinones is there?!? I’m in!”

Ha, I was simply thinking of more instruments plus a body as far as floor space goes.

[liebzz]

Gov’t Mule - The Georgia Bootleg Box, Part II: Atlanta, GA 4/12/96

While there are slight variations to the set list from the night before, the band seems to have taken it up a notch from the night before. Game Face in particular is taken in a really good direction in the jam, quite intense. Mule, Painted Silver Light, Just Get Paid, Going Out West, and the encore songs with Derek Trucks again are quite excellent, particularly the jam on Gonna Send You Back to Georgia and the cover medley mainly comprising Young Man Blues and Good Morning Little School Girl. Game Face might be the game changer here, but everything seemed a little stronger on this one.

The Essential Performance: Game Face

Up Next: Part III

[Ello Sailor]

I had no idea Butch Trucks was Derek Trucks' uncle. That... makes a lot of sense.

[liebzz]

Allman Family Band is really what the score is.

[liebzz]

Gov’t Mule - The Georgia Bootleg Box, Part III: Macon, GA 4/13/96

The third and final show in Georgia in this box, Gov’t Mule come out the gate on this one during away. This is the far superior version of Mother Earth, a full on blast of electric blues, the ultimate of their bar band songs on this series. The jam on No Need to Suffer here is also phenomenal, the St. Stephen portion of the Trane medley the best of the bunch, and Monkey Hill > She’s So Heavy > Mule rounds out the main set highlights. The encore features a great blues interaction with Tinsley Ellis that is really worth checking out. A great three shows, even if I am feeling a bit Mule fatigued. Great stuff.

The Essential Performance: Mother Earth

Up Next: Cowboy Junkies - 200 More Miles: Live Performances 1985-1994

[liebzz]

Cowboy Junkies - 200 More Miles: Live Performances 1985-1994

Admittedly, I didn’t spend a lot of time enjoying this. This was another band I have no background in, and the whole folk rock dinner music thing is fine, though a bit of a snooze in the live setting. That said, there are certainly songs and moments here where I did enjoy what I was hearing. Their use of bass and the smoldering vocals in their cover of State Trooper was really good. They also sounded great when they turned up the heat a little on Murder Tonight in the Trailer Park. I also enjoyed Lost My Driving Wheel and the final song, a cover of Walking After Midnight. Not a total loss, but really the rest wasn’t connecting with me.

The Essential Performance: Murder Tonight in the Trailer Park

Up Next: Nirvana - From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah

[liebzz]

Nirvana - From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah

Back in ‘96, this was sort of a huge deal for me. I wanted an official electric live Nirvana album for the longest time, and the hype itself was worth more than the release. I remember leaving for college with this one and Pearl Jam’s No Code in tow, and in that first month, the strength of Pearl Jam’s No Code with a great night at Randall’s Island, compared with what turned out to be a missed opportunity for Nirvana with this live album, was the turning point where Pearl Jam truly pulled ahead for me. It’s not that these songs are bad (some of the performances are a slop fest though), it’s that I could pull from any of my bootlegs and find better versions without trying very hard. Granted, the first official release of Spank Thru (again there are better versions), and the electric Polly are the moments that keep me from turning this off for any of their other live releases at this point.

The Essential Performance: Polly

Up Next: Soundgarden - Live on I-5

[liebzz]

Soundgarden - Live on I-5

I know this release gets a lot of crap from folks around here, and yes there are issues with it, but beyond that, there’s at least a fair amount of good performances here: Searching With My Good Eye Closed, Outshined, Rusty Cage, Ty Cobb, and Jesus Christ Pose are all great here. Black Hole Sun, and Helter Skelter not so much. What seems bizarre to me about both Soundgarden live albums is you have this once in a generation vocal talent and you pick shows and songs where he doesn’t sound at his best. That’s a shame, even if the band sounds great. The winner for this particular release for me is Slaves & Bulldozers which just strikes the perfect balance of all the Soundgarden sounds and smolders in this setting. I am sure there’ll be plenty of disagreement on such a divisive release, but this at least gets a passing grade for me.

The Essential Performance: Slaves & Bulldozers

Up Next: Gov’t Mule - Live at the Roseland Ballroom

[warehouse]

'slaves and bulldozers' is probably the highlight over every soundgarden show

[liebzz]

Gov’t Mule - Live at the Roseland Ballroom

As 1995 drew to a close, Gov’t Mule played this New Year’s show as the opening band for Blues Traveler. I feel bad for Blues Traveler. Gov’t Mule was about as on their game as it gets here. Trane is a pretty amazing way to open a show, and they similarly demolish Painted Silver Light, Don’t Step On the Grass Sam, and Mule. I mean, Warren Haynes is on fire, Allen Woody (not to be confused with Allen, Woody) sounds great, Abts is great as always, and they are pretty unstoppable for almost an hour. Throw in the 15 minute cover from 2001 of Voodoo Chile with Jack Casady and Chuck Leavell, and you’ve got yourself a pretty incredible live album here.

The Essential Performance: Voodoo Chile

Up Next: Ben Harper - The Will to Live: The Live EP

[liebzz]

Ben Harper - The Will to Live: The Live EP

Randall’s Island nearly 27 years ago, I went to my first ever concert: Pearl Jam, Ben Harper, and the Fastbacks (night 1 for reference). At the time, I had no idea who Ben Harper was, but I surely at 17 years old didn’t want to see some folky dude, which was the assumption I made reading Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals on the bill. To my surprise, that wasn’t all at what we got, and I can legitimately say that the first time I ever had my mind blown at a live show was his version of Voodoo Chile sitting in his chair playing that electric Weissenborn.

Within a few weeks, I ran out to get one of his albums, The Will to Live, which included with it a bonus disc - this live EP. Listening even today, this one plays the same to me: The Will to Live and Faded are both strong live versions, though the latter would get a far superior version on Live From Mars a few years down the road. Then the acoustic songs, which are fine, then the actual purpose of it all: his cover of Voodoo Chile - still as fantastic as ever.

The Essential Performance: Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)

Up Next: Daft Punk - Alive 1997

[liebzz]

Daft Punk - Alive 1997

For this one, I not only have no background in Daft Punk, but no background in the genre. Everything has a time and a place and a best scenario for listening context, so I took this one on a run with me this morning. One track, 45 mins, and this held my attention through the run, repetitive cycles punctuated by booming percussion at just the right moment, and in BPMs that kept me running, so I consider all that a success.

The Essential Performance: there’s one track so that must be it.

Up Next: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Live at the Fillmore 1997

[wease]

45 minutes? Who knew Daft Punk was the ultimate jam band?

[liebzz]

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Live at the Fillmore, 1997

This is a relatively newly released compilation of the Heartbreakers month-long residency at the Fillmore in San Francisco in 1997, also there’s an older DVD called High Grass Dogs that also captured about 2 hours of footage. During this residency, the band was inspired to step out of their comfort zone of banging away the many hits, and played different sets every night including a mass of covers, rearranged originals, and surely some hits. This massive set, spanning 70 tracks and over 4 hours, is an epic retelling of that month, with mini sets with John Lee Hooker, huge covers of everything from Friend of the Devil, Gloria, and Satisfaction to Louie Louie, Goldfinger, and Green Onions; stripped down originals or Even the Losers, Free Falling, and Walls; to epic renditions of It’s Good to Be King and Mary Jane’s Last Dance. Hearing this the second time through, I fully fell for this one, near the top of this list it’s so fantastic.

The Essential Performance: Mary Jane’s Last Dance

Up Next: Fleetwood Mac - The Dance