Essential Live Albums

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U2 - Under a Blood Red Sky

I covered this a few years ago during a U2 journey, and at that time, I was not all that pleased. It could have been the onset of fatigue or probably that I was ready to get to the heavy hitter albums. This time through, I enjoyed it a lot more. I’d say probably 3/4 of this is pretty essential listening - Gloria, I Will Follow, Sunday Bloody Sunday, New Years Day, 40 come immediately to mind. This was is all adrenaline but it’s palpable.

The Essential Performance: New Year’s Day

Up Next: Stevie Ray Vaughn and Double Trouble - Live at Montreaux 1982 & 1985

[wease]

Aw right

[liebzz]

Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble - Live at Montreaux 1982 & 1985 (Part I - 1982)

Taking my time and spreading this out. Stevie Ray Vaughan, with the fluidity and effortlessness of Clapton and the improvisation of Hendrix, was a guitar unicorn. His guitar basically burst into flames in moments’ notice. The highlights from 1982 feature likely his most known composition, Pride and Joy, plus some originals and covers, including a long Texas Flood and the fun Give Me Back My Wig. A nice introduction to one of the guitar GOATs.

The Essential Performance: Pride and Joy

Up Next: Willie Nelson - Live at Budokan

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Willie Nelson - Live at Budokan

My first thoughts on this was that it seemed like a big upgrade from the last live album. I am still split on Willie - when he picks on the pace he’s amazing but I’d say I like probably about half the ballads and this one is pretty evenly split between country ballads and ass kickers. Whisky River is awesome. Workin’ Man Blues, Georgia On My Mind, My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys/Mama Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys, a bluegrass stomp of Will the Circle Be Unbroken, the closing reprisal of Whisky River all amazing highlights, though this came down to two songs for me, the iconic On the Road Again and a stunning Blue Skies which I think expands on what I could have thought this brand of country could be. A very good live release here.

The Essential Performance: Blue Skies

Up Next: Bob Dylan - Real Live

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Bob Dylan - Real Live

This one is Dylan predominantly rearranging some classics in a more rock oriented manner (Mick Taylor is great on this). It works for Highway 61 Revisited, Maggie’s Farm, Masters if War, and Ballad of a Thin Man. The winner though is the Infidels track I And I, which Taylor just kills on. Dylan’s voice sounds kind of tough here, the usual nasal delivery, except he sounds like someone’s pressing down on his stomach when he punctuates a vocals as if he’s losing his wind - and choppier than usual. But the band is awesome and he hadn’t yet gone full Cookie Monster, so that’s good.

The Essential Performance: I And I

Up Next: Duran Duran - Arena

[wease]

I’m actually working a Duran Duran show next week

[Happy Trees]

[liebzz]

D is for Dylan which is good enough for me.

[Let's all laugh at Rangers]

There are a few gigs I would say are almost career defining, for Pearl Jam Randall's Island night 2, Pistols in Finsbury Park (what a year for music 96 was), Pink Floyd in Montreal, Pumpkins at the Metro.

For a single song, it has to be Sound by James at the Manchester Arena in 2001. Apart from Gilbertson and Whelan, it had every single member past and present. And unlike Sit Down which closed the next set, Diagram was on Trumpet. It closed the middle set before they initially split up, and it would have made a great gig closer.

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Duran Duran - Arena

This is where the line really seems to blur between rock and pop. I will say the audience is turned way down, so there are times you can barely tell it’s a live album. Certainly, these are all more than solid versions of these songs, and the hits bring a certain energy that you don’t even need loud crowd noise to feel. For me, this is quintessential 80s, the stuff my older brothers listened to but then also heard in the back seat running errands with my parents. A trip down 80s memory lane.

The Essential Performance: Rio

Up Next: Talking Heads - Stop Making Sense

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Talking Heads - Stop Making Sense

The live album from the famous concert film. We don’t get to see the oversized suit but we do get to hear a band about as good as it gets in the 80s. The acoustic building into the synthetic here is not lost on me, with the stripped down feeling Psycho Killer building to a gigantic Burning Down the House later on. The very electric Crosseyed and Painless punctuates an amazing live album and a rare regular foray into post punk for me.

The Essential Performance: Psycho Killer this time. Ask me again and it will be something else. Crosseyed and Painless was neck and neck.

Up Next: Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble - Live at Carnegie Hall

[Jammer XCI]

Stop Making Sense is the best Talking Heads album for sure

[Jorge]

It's not even their best live album.

[McParadigm]

It's not even their best live album.

Just experienced this story straight out of antiquity in real and modern life

[liebzz]

Stevie Ray Vaughan - Live at Carnegie Hall

This seems like almost a high water mark for live electric blues guitars. There are moments where you almost have to chuckle cause it’s that damn good. The songs don’t really compare to say an Allman Brothers Band or anything, but the playing is extraordinary. That said, some songs like Pride and Joy and Dirty Pool have both fireworks and are great songs unto themselves. Instrumentals like Scuttle Buttin’, Testify, and Rude Mood make this thing as well though.

The Essential Performance: Dirty Pool

Up Next: Iron Maiden - Live After Death

[wease]

Stevie Ray Vaughan - Live at Carnegie Hall

When our youngest was in kindergarten, she was part of a children’s chorale that actually went to NYC and performed at Carnegie Hall. Out of all the absolute superstar acts that have performed there thru the years, every time I think of her being there, THIS is what immediately comes to mind. My child has performed on the same stage as SRV.

(The oldest had performed at The Ryman.)

[Happy Trees]

I had the pleasure of performing onstage at both Blind Pig and Maxwells, and you can bet your ass I was visualizing Pearl Jam and Nirvana the whole time I was standing there. It was simultaneously thrilling and depressing LOL.

[liebzz]

Iron Maiden - Live After Death

There’s a run here, from Powerslave through Run Free - so about half the live album straight - that feels like the high water mark of metal. Just one killer track after another. This is another band I have very limited exposure to, at least since it was ingrained as a kid with a teenage brother in the 80s. I never gave them much of a listen because of that, but that will be rectified. These guys get it.

The Essential Performance: Run to the Hills

Up Next: The Replacements - The Shit Hits the Fans

[Jammer XCI]

Live After Death might be my favorite live album of all time

[liebzz]

This one’s definitely up there in terms of quality - This is certainly saying a lot since I am no metal head.