Essential Live Albums

[liebzz]

Fleetwood Mac - The Dance

Rarely has a band sounded so naturally good on a reunion than these guys. They may sound relatively content here, but their performance pulls from their peak years and the spirited versions of The Chain, Rhiannon, Go Your Own away, and the marching band renditions of Tusk and Don’t Stop show they know how to bang out the hits effortlessly. The real winners here are I’m So Afraid and Big Love, showing Lindsay Buckingham at his absolute best.

The Essential Performance: Big Love

Up Next: Go ‘t Mule - Live at the Cotton Club

[wease]

I was afraid you wouldn’t pick Big Love. Amazing how it can be so minimalist yet so bombastic at the same time.

[liebzz]

It was a toss up with I’m So Afraid, but since I already know there will be even bigger versions of that song coming, that ripped the scales for Big Love.

[VinylGuy]

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

this one was a must back in the day. I appreciate how heavy it was, specially if Bleach wasnt like a regular rotation album for you, like it was my case. Everyone seems to kinda hate it now, but i still think its very strong

[VinylGuy]

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

I love this one. I think it sounds so fucking good..yeah, the crowd is mixed in a very weird way, but most of the live renditions here are classic.

Nothing To Say here its pretty violent. Chris sounds like a wolf.

[VinylGuy]

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

I love this one. I think it sounds so fucking good..yeah, the crowd is mixed in a very weird way, but most of the live renditions here are classic.

Nothing To Say here its pretty violent. Chris sounds like a wolf.

[johnnyfixer]

I really enjoyed this one but it's been a while. There were a couple of lesser performances as you say like Helter Skelter but most were great. Getting a release from the '96 tour was exciting.

Soundgarden - Live on I-5

I'm certain there was a bonus download of a song beginning with 'B' but can't my copy anywhere now. Actually wikipedia says it was Blow Up the Outside World. Anybody still have this mp3?

A live version of "Blow Up the Outside World" was released as a 256 bit MP3 download to those who pre-ordered Live on I-5 from Soundgarden's official website.

[VinylGuy]

oh yeah they released a few songs they rehearsed during those shows i think...i never listened to them though.

[johnnyfixer]

Those were on cd so they're not too hard to find.

Blow Up the Outside was a download only and there's no trace of it online now.

[liebzz]

Gov’t Mule - Live at the Cotton Club, Atlanta, GA 2/20/97

This, I think, is the last of the shows highlighting the early era of Gov’t Mule. This heavy brand of southern blues rock has many peaks, though admittedly is quick to fatigue. Nevertheless, Warren Haynes, Allen Woody, and Matt Abts are in great form on this one, which largely features jams that incorporate covers and other songs in the middle of the songs, particularly in the second set. Blind Man in the Dark is the strongest yet with a promised drum solo in the middle, Young Man Blues > Good Morning Little Schoolgirl > Young Man Blues is epic as a shot of covers intertwined with Zeppelin-esque riffing, Monkey Hill > I Want You (She’s So Heavy) jam is fantastic, and the Just Got Paid > I’ve Been Working > Just Got Paid finale is another quick but great set of songs. They really seemed on the mark in this era of the band.

The Essential Performance: Young Man Blues > Good Morning Little Schoolgirl > Young Man Blues

Up Next: Phish - LivePhish Vol. 11: 11/17/97 McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, CO

[liebzz]

Up next is the first of three Phish runs. I have always kept Phish at arms length, listening to the albums sometimes - had that studio journey a while back, listened to a couple of concerts…never fully dove in until now. The first will highlight officially released shows from Fall ‘97, which appears to be one of their high points, a quick one off, then back for Spring ‘98, and then there will be a third Phish run to follow not too long thereafter. I expect some fatigue but also hope I find a greater appreciation along the way.

[liebzz]

Phish - LivePhish Vol. 11: 11/17/97 McNichol’s Sports Arena, Denver, CO

Fall 1997 was a special time for this band, at least according to the limited research I did for this. In the start of our deep dive, this show is a fan favorite, and for good reason. The band is on fire during this show, and the lulls and descending into near chaos that was a hallmark of earlier shows is barely present here. Don’t get me wrong, the songs and jams are long, yet the band holds things together rather than fully breaking down, settling in for great grooves and especially effective playing on top of them without always breaking into massive freakouts. This show is near perfection, outside of a rather laborious Reba.

Show opening Tweezer is phenomenal and I could have sworn that would be the bar none winner here, but on this night, it gets plenty of good competition. Ghost is funky and weaves around beautifully before segueing into a set closing cover of Hendrix’s Fire, the jam of which is shockingly great. Set 2 is just insanely great. Down With Disease is loud and rocking and ultimately sets up another epic cover of Johnny B. Goode, which after an open jam breaks into Jesus Just Left Chicago, a moment of Phish turned Blues Brothers that really burns. That then turns into second set closing When the Circus Comes, which is a sort of summation for an epic couple of sets. A long You Enjoy Myself and Character Zero serve as the encore, and I was very happy to have thrown this one in late in the game. The bonus filler is similarly spectacular, taken from the show 2 nights later - Wolfman’s Brother and the reggae Makisupa Policeman. This is pretty essential if you want to dive in to see what Phish can be at their best.

The Essential Performance: Jesus Just Left Chicago

Up Next: Phish - Hampton/Winston Salem ‘97

[oasisfan35]

Phish - LivePhish Vol. 11: 11/17/97 McNichol’s Sports Arena, Denver, CO

Fall 1997 was a special time for this band, at least according to the limited research I did for this. In the start of our deep dive, this show is a fan favorite, and for good reason. The band is on fire during this show, and the lulls and descending into near chaos that was a hallmark of earlier shows is barely present here. Don’t get me wrong, the songs and jams are long, yet the band holds things together rather than fully breaking down, settling in for great grooves and especially effective playing on top of them without always breaking into massive freakouts. This show is near perfection, outside of a rather laborious Reba.

Show opening Tweezer is phenomenal and I could have sworn that would be the bar none winner here, but on this night, it gets plenty of good competition. Ghost is funky and weaves around beautifully before segueing into a set closing cover of Hendrix’s Fire, the jam of which is shockingly great. Set 2 is just insanely great. Down With Disease is loud and rocking and ultimately sets up another epic cover of Johnny B. Goode, which after an open jam breaks into Jesus Just Left Chicago, a moment of Phish turned Blues Brothers that really burns. That then turns into second set closing When the Circus Comes, which is a sort of summation for an epic couple of sets. A long You Enjoy Myself and Character Zero serve as the encore, and I was very happy to have thrown this one in late in the game. The bonus filler is similarly spectacular, taken from the show 2 nights later - Wolfman’s Brother and the reggae Makisupa Policeman. This is pretty essential if you want to dive in to see what Phish can be at their best.

The Essential Performance: Jesus Just Left Chicago

Up Next: Phish - Hampton/Winston Salem ‘97

Haven't listened to this one in ages, going to queue it up after The Misfits here.
Fairly well regarded overall

[liebzz]

I have been using a list like this as a way to curate the Phish official releases I was going to include. I am not going fishing for bootlegs and unofficial releases or go on their website. It’s Spotify or bust. There’s certainly plenty I am already including to get the picture. But damn that last one was great.

[wease]

I have been using a list like this as a way to curate the Phish official releases I was going to include. I am not going fishing for bootlegs and unofficial releases or go on their website. It’s Spotify or bust. There’s certainly plenty I am already including to get the picture. But damn that last one was great.

*phishing

[Ms Harmless]

VOLA, Live From The Pool

[liebzz]

VOLA, Live From The Pool

Added

[liebzz]

Phish - Hampton/Winston Salem ‘97, Part I: Hampton, VA 11/21/97

Night 1 of the 2 night Hampton stand, and the band jumps out with a cover of the Stones’ Emotional Rescue. Granted, it’s a bit of a mess as the playing is only a reasonable facsimile of the song and the vocals are atrocious, but it leads to a long funky jam that overcomes the false start and leads into a stellar Split Open and Melt that ends with a final tease of that Emotional Rescue cover. Punch You in the Eye and Chalkdust Torture are the other big highlights from set 1. Set 2 is much better but I sorta wish for a few less in the lull category. AC/DC Bag is great but the last 5 minutes are snooze territory. Slave to the Traffic Light has so many great highs, but a few lows to go with it. They sort of go full circle to end set 2 with a good cover of Loving Cup, Stones covers rounding this out. The encore of Guyute is a great psychedelic ride to end the first show. Very solid show though it does not meet the last one we covered.

The Essential Performance: Split Open and Melt

Up Next: Part II

[Jammer XCI]

RE: The Soundgarden Live on I5 album, around the time it came out I also downloaded something called "Before the Doors" which was a bonus CD (I think?) of sound check live songs from the same tour. Not sure if anyone's interested in this, but it's pretty awesome. It has "Never the Machine Forever", "Room a Thousand Years Wide", a cover of The Doors and "Somewhere" on it.

[wease]

RE: The Soundgarden Live on I5 album, around the time it came out I also downloaded something called "Before the Doors" which was a bonus CD (I think?) of sound check live songs from the same tour. Not sure if anyone's interested in this, but it's pretty awesome. It has "Never the Machine Forever", "Room a Thousand Years Wide", a cover of The Doors and "Somewhere" on it.

It’s as good or better than the album.