Essential Live Albums

[liebzz]

Neil Young - Live at the Cellar Door

With Neil back on Spotify, we follow one songbook celebration with another. A run of different iterations of Neil’s varied career will start here, with Neil all by himself. This one nearly feels like a greatest hits from the 70s, with what I at least consider a plethora of essentials: After the Goldrush, Expecting to Fly, Old Man, Don’t Let It Bring You Down (always stunning when he plays this by himself), See the Sky About to Rain, Cinnamon Girl, and Down By the River all classics. Birds and Flying on the Ground is Wrong are also really nice performances from a rock artist I think is the greatest ever at working with negative space - where the notes he doesn’t play are nearly as important as the ones he does. There’s just no one else like him.

The Essential Performance: See the Sky About to Rain, Cinnamon Girl

Up Next: Neil Young and the Bluenotes - Bluenote Cafe

[Kevin Davis]

Cellar Door is a great Neil Young release -- there are so many solo acoustic live albums from that 1968-1971 period, and even among great ones, Cellar Door stands out. Such a great, intimate performance.

Just a week later, Miles Davis would be at the Cellar Door for the run of shows that would produce Live-Evil. Not a bad month to be in our nation's capital.

[liebzz]

Cellar Door is a great Neil Young release -- there are so many solo acoustic live albums from that 1968-1971 period, and even among great ones, Cellar Door stands out. Such a great, intimate performance.

Just a week later, Miles Davis would be at the Cellar Door for the run of shows that would produce Live-Evil. Not a bad month to be in our nation's capital.

Yeah, I have heard this before, but nevertheless it still stuns in its sparse beauty.

[VinylGuy]

Neil Young - Live at the Cellar Door

With Neil back on Spotify, we follow one songbook celebration with another. A run of different iterations of Neil’s varied career will start here, with Neil all by himself. This one nearly feels like a greatest hits from the 70s, with what I at least consider a plethora of essentials: After the Goldrush, Expecting to Fly, Old Man, Don’t Let It Bring You Down (always stunning when he plays this by himself), See the Sky About to Rain, Cinnamon Girl, and Down By the River all classics. Birds and Flying on the Ground is Wrong are also really nice performances from a rock artist I think is the greatest ever at working with negative space - where the notes he doesn’t play are nearly as important as the ones he does. There’s just no one else like him.

The Essential Performance: See the Sky About to Rain, Cinnamon Girl

Up Next: Neil Young and the Bluenotes - Bluenote Cafe

this is a favorite yeah. Amazing performance.

[Captain Termite]

Cellar Door is a great Neil Young release -- there are so many solo acoustic live albums from that 1968-1971 period, and even among great ones, Cellar Door stands out. Such a great, intimate performance.

Just a week later, Miles Davis would be at the Cellar Door for the run of shows that would produce Live-Evil. Not a bad month to be in our nation's capital.

Elvis meeting Nixon is that month.

[liebzz]

Neil Young and the Bluenotes - Bluenote Cafe

And now for something totally different. If Cellar Door is a less is more showcase of Neil’s 70s output, Bluenote Cafe has a more is more mentality, complete with a horn section and a sound so big it recalls more Blues Brothers or a late night show band, and the songs are extended out so far they nearly hit jam band level throwdowns. And yet…this is no less spectacular. Life in the City, This Note’s For You, Soul of a Woman, Ordinary People, Crime in the City, and Fool For Your Love are must hears on this, and that’s all before a gigantic 20 minute finale of Tonight’s the Night. Two extremes yet same results.

The Essential Performances: Ordinary People, Crime in the City, Tonight’s the Night

Up Next: Neil Young - ROXY: Tonight’s the Night Live

[liebzz]

Neil Young - ROXY: Tonight’s the Night Live

Third straight Neil Young live album, third band, this one christened the Santa Monica Flyers, playing just after completing Tonight’s the Night, hence the heavy reliance on those songs. World on a String, Speakin’ Out, and Roll Another Number (For the Road) are all solid here, but the winners for me are on the tail end of this: Tonight’s the Night Part II and Walk On are both really fabulous performances. We move forward.

The Essential Performances: Tonight’s the Night Part II, Walk On

Up Next: Neil Young & the Stray Gators - Tuscaloosa

[liebzz]

Neil Young & the Stray Gators - Tuscaloosa

With the Stray Gators, everything feels slightly more loose and stripped down, so we go for yet another flavor. Neil sounds great here, blowing through many classics nearly effortlessly. Old Man, Harvest, Out on the Weekend, Time Fades Away, Alabama, and Don’t Be Denied are all big highlights here, though it’s so consistently excellent there’s no downside to this. It’s really quite wonderful to be doing this interesting Neil Young dive, jumping around yet somehow the consistency remains.

The Essential Performances: Out on the Weekend, Alabama

Up Next: Neil Young & Promise of the Real - Noise and Flowers

[liebzz]

Neil Young & Promise of the Real - Noise & Flowers

The tour of Neil Young side bands continues with Promise of the Real. On their own, great. With Neil in the studio doesn’t seem to work. Live? They are a force together, banging through not just the classics but digging a bit here, including Throw Your Hatred Down, Winterlong, Fuckin’ Up, and a killer On the Beach. The classics here too are excellent, especially the one-two start of Mr. Soul and Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere. Again the theme of consistently great no matter who Neil plays with.

The Essential Performances: Mr. Soul, Fuckin’ Up

Up Next: Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Way Down in the Rust Bucket

[liebzz]

Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Way Down in the Rust Bucket

Neil Young can oscillate between lineups more than successfully, and he can just hold your attention all on his own, but nothing for me compares to his old brown shoe that fits like it has a lifetime of experience in it like Crazy Horse. Their natural chemistry knows no real bounds. They can play any part of his catalogue, and he just seems to never seem awkward of reaching. It’s just perfectly there no matter the level of weight the song holds. Here, everything is quite good, though the beauty of more known tracks like Cinnamon Girl, Like a Hurricane, the beyond great Love and Only Love here, and Cortez the Killer too the list for me.

The Essential Performance: Love and Only Love

Up Next: The Who - The Who With Orchestra: Live at Wembley

[liebzz]

The Who - The Who With Orchestra: Live at Wembley

A quick visit with a band I haven’t covered in a while. The Who’s sound is already huge, so what about adding an orchestra? The results I think were mostly fantastic, adding even more drama to the presentation, especially with Daltrey’s voice being a bit less booming with age, though admittedly he still sounds great. Lots of interesting takes here, from the massive Pinball Wizard to the stripped down acoustic Won’t Get Fooled Again, and the tremendous finale of The Rock and Love Reign O’er Me to end the Quadrophenia run (The Punk and Godfather and 5:15 might even be the best of those songs performed here), and of course Baba O’Riley that is amazing with the orchestra. They are always candid about their aging but they can still bring it.

The Essential Performance: Won’t Get Fooled Again, 5:15, Baba O’Riley

Up Next: Bruce Springsteen - The Live Series: Songs of Friendship

[liebzz]

Bruce Springsteen - The Live Series: Songs of Friendship

We’ll go on another run here on Springsteen’s The Live Series. We start with Songs of Friendship whose main highlights come from the Born in the USA selections - No Surrender, Bobby Jean, and Darlington County top that list, though Spirit in the Night gets an honorable mention here. Note that I noticed for the first time the riff in Darlington County seems heavily borrowed from the Stones Honky Tonk Woman or it’s just heavily teased.

The Essential Performance: No Surrender, Bobby Jean, Darlington County

Up Next: Bruce Springsteen - The Live Series: Songs of Hope

[liebzz]

Bruce Springsteen - The Live Series: Songs of Hope

For whatever reason, this one felt more laborious than the other live series playlists to get through. Perhaps it was the song selection and the bigger hitters, like Badlands, were rougher recordings, but of course in the end, Springsteen is Springsteen and there’s still highlights, most surprisingly lead by Lucky Town. From Small Things (Big Things Come) and Does This Bus Stop at 82nd Street were also top highlights.

The Essential Performances: Lucky Town, From Small Things (Big Things Come), Does This Bus Stop at 82nd Street

Up Next: Bruce Springsteen - The Live Series: Songs of Love

[liebzz]

Bruce Springsteen - The Live Series: Songs of Love

Things are picking up again, and I feel a bit more enthusiastic after this one. Once again, a surprise song jumped out at me here, Human Touch, which this version is just fantastic. She’s the One starts this one off in more than solid fashion. 4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy) is also great, never thought of it as a love song as much an an ode to youth about to turn to maturity. Rosalita is always great and this is the same version from the Garden in ‘79 as the No Nukes Concerts. Finally, Back In Your Arms, a song Bruce announced they didn’t play much because it’s too depressing for the E Street Band is epic. Onward we go.

The Essential Performances: She’s the One, Human Touch, Back in Your Arms

Up Next: Bruce Springsteen - The Live Series: Songs From Around the World

[liebzz]

Bruce Springsteen - The Live Series: Songs From Around the World

One of the real upsides to this live series is that it is so vast that you get some solid versions of songs that you would be surprised to get now. Real solid version here of Radio Nowhere, New York City Serenade, Incident of 57th Street, and a knockout version of Thundercrack. The thing ending on a real fun version of Born in the USA was nice though. Covers come next so that will be real fun!

The Essential Performances: Incident on 57th Street, Thundercrack, Born in the USA

Up Next: Bruce Springsteen - The Live Series: Songs Under Cover

[liebzz]

Bruce Springsteen - The Live Series: Songs Under Cover

Determined to get to ever conceivable element of a Springsteen show brings you this wrinkle, the fun and passion of his covers. Bruce seems to have no qualms in covering nearly anything, from the bar blues of a Boom Boom to classics to him Summertime Blues and Twist & Shout, contemporaries like CCR in Traveling Band, or a fun foray into other genres, including the shockingly great cover of Stayin’ Alive, Highway to Hell with Eddie Vedder, Prince’s Purple Rain, I Fought the Law, and Brown Eyes Girl. Really a whirlwind of range from cover to cover.

The Essential Performances: Stayin’ Alive, Highway to Hell, (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher, Twist & Shout

Up Next: Bruce Springsteen - Western Stars: Songs From the Film

[liebzz]

Bruce Springsteen - Western Stars: Songs From the Film

In 2019, Bruce Springsteen wanted to create music influenced by 50s pop - but with his flavoring. It turned into my favorite album of that year. Accompanying that album was the film of Bruce performing the album for essentially friends and family in his tricked out barn/performance or rehearsal space/bar. With the help of some strings and horns, he brings this album to life even more, a testament to Bruce’s range. Throw in a cover of Rhinestone Cowboy and this ends up a pretty classic moment in time looking back 5 years.

The Essential Performances: Hitch Hikin’, Tucson Train, There Goes My Miracle, Rhinestone Cowboy

Up Next: Rolling Stones - Live at Wembley Stadium 1982 (Tattoo You Super Deluxe)

[oasisfan35]

Bruce Springsteen - Western Stars: Songs From the Film

In 2019, Bruce Springsteen wanted to create music influenced by 50s pop - but with his flavoring. It turned into my favorite album of that year. Accompanying that album was the film of Bruce performing the album for essentially friends and family in his tricked out barn/performance or rehearsal space/bar. With the help of some strings and horns, he brings this album to life even more, a testament to Bruce’s range. Throw in a cover of Rhinestone Cowboy and this ends up a pretty classic moment in time looking back 5 years.

The Essential Performances: Hitch Hikin’, Tucson Train, There Goes My Miracle, Rhinestone Cowboy

Up Next: Rolling Stones - Live at Wembley Stadium 1982 (Tattoo You Super Deluxe)

Such an amazing record. There is a little bit lost as far as the vocal goes in the 'film' to me but only ever so slight and totally expected, the vocal on the album is also just that good.

[liebzz]

Bruce Springsteen - Western Stars: Songs From the Film

In 2019, Bruce Springsteen wanted to create music influenced by 50s pop - but with his flavoring. It turned into my favorite album of that year. Accompanying that album was the film of Bruce performing the album for essentially friends and family in his tricked out barn/performance or rehearsal space/bar. With the help of some strings and horns, he brings this album to life even more, a testament to Bruce’s range. Throw in a cover of Rhinestone Cowboy and this ends up a pretty classic moment in time looking back 5 years.

The Essential Performances: Hitch Hikin’, Tucson Train, There Goes My Miracle, Rhinestone Cowboy

Up Next: Rolling Stones - Live at Wembley Stadium 1982 (Tattoo You Super Deluxe)

Such an amazing record. There is a little bit lost as far as the vocal goes in the 'film' to me but only ever so slight and totally expected, the vocal on the album is also just that good.

The way the instrumentation plays out on the film makes the difference to me - both are quite phenomenal though.

[liebzz]

Rolling Stones - Live at Wembley Stadium 1982

The second half of the Super Deluxe edition of Tattoo You, this one finds the Stones stadium ready, even if it would be a few years before they would redefine the live music world with giant corporate stadium tours. This seems like a sort of in between stage for the band, no longer seemingly the dangerous band on the edge of it all coming apart live performances of the 70s but yet to perfect that legacy act hit parade that has been the second half of the Stones’ career at this point. Some stuff is uneven, and some very good, though really the big highlight here is their cover of Just My Imagination, and a nice deep dig into the Tattoo You songs like Neighbors, Hang Fire, and Blavk Limousine. Shattered is damn good here too.

The Essential Performances: Shattered, Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me), Hang Fire

Up Next: R.E.M. - Live