Essential Live Albums

[liebzz]

Grateful Dead - Wake Up to Find Out

This last live Dead album, for a while at least, is a show from Nassau Coliseum in the Spring 1990 tour, most notable for Branford Marsalis joining the band on Bird Song towards the end of the first set, and then essentially sitting in for the remainder of the show. It’s his playing that brings a more laid back but jazzier feel to this show, as the band is always generously making room for him to play and giving him open enough space to jam with them on the fly rather than shoehorning him into the songs. Branford masterfully enters the abyss with them during a long Dark Star > drums > Space > Dark Star while he brings little flourishes to Throwing Stones and really brings a great element to Bird Song. His playing over a laid back Eyes of the World (also featured on Without a Net) takes it for me though. A unique chill set here worth checking out if you want to zone out for a few hours to this.

The Essential Performance: Eyes of the World

Up Next: John Prine - Live

[i got bugs]

I really like the Brent song we can run on that one

Also masterpiece

[liebzz]

I really like the Brent song we can run on that one

Also masterpiece

Forgot about that one, which you are correct. There’s a lot of me coming around even more to the Brent songs over those 4 releases. We Can Run and Blow Away are solid.

[liebzz]

John Prine - Live

Another live album from someone I have no background or expectations. This one I quite enjoyed. Prine is a phenomenal storyteller, one whose chatty interludes are as entertaining as the music at times. While much of this is Prine and a guitar, when he showcases a backing band they sound great, like on Fish and Whistle. My favorite was his version of Angel From Montgomery with Bonnie Raitt. Stunning.

The Essential Performance: Angel From Montgomery

Up Next: The Rolling Stones - Flashpoint

[liebzz]

The Rolling Stones - Flashpoint

More Steel Wheels fun with the Stones. This one is a compilation mixing up the hits with Steel Wheels songs and a few surprises (I’m looking at you, Factory Girl!). Despite this being a globetrotting comp, the energy is largely strong and consistent. The band sounds like it’s having a blast on all fronts, though again the stadium bombast has replaced the seedy immediacy of their 70s shows. Rock and a Hard Place rocks, Sad Sad Sad is a barrel of momentum off Start Me Up, and You Can’t Always Get What You Want is a highlight (side note: why do I always dread when this song starts and then by midway I am always into it?). The equivalent of the barrage of fireworks for them though is the closing run of Sympathy, Brown Sugar, Jumping Jack Flash, and Satisfaction. That is just amazing stuff right there all packed together.

The Essential Performance: Brown Sugar

Up Next: The Allman Brothers Band - Live at Great Woods

[daft twat]

The Toadies - Live From Paradise.
Do you like The Toadies? If you do, this is great.

[liebzz]

The Toadies - Live From Paradise.
Do you like The Toadies? If you do, this is great.

I guess we’ll find out.

[wease]

John Prine - Live

Another live album from someone I have no background or expectations. This one I quite enjoyed. Prine is a phenomenal storyteller, one whose chatty interludes are as entertaining as the music at times. While much of this is Prine and a guitar, when he showcases a backing band they sound great, like on Fish and Whistle. My favorite was his version of Angel From Montgomery with Bonnie Raitt. Stunning.

The Essential Performance: Angel From Montgomery

Up Next: The Rolling Stones - Flashpoint

An acquaintance of mine (a dear friend of my father-in-law) was asked to participate in the wedding reception of a friend of his somewhere down in Georgia a couple years back. The guy had also asked a couple other of his friends to play and they turned out to be Susan and Derek. Yes, those two. My guy got to play guitar with Susan singing Angel from Montgomery. Beautiful.

[liebzz]

John Prine - Live

Another live album from someone I have no background or expectations. This one I quite enjoyed. Prine is a phenomenal storyteller, one whose chatty interludes are as entertaining as the music at times. While much of this is Prine and a guitar, when he showcases a backing band they sound great, like on Fish and Whistle. My favorite was his version of Angel From Montgomery with Bonnie Raitt. Stunning.

The Essential Performance: Angel From Montgomery

Up Next: The Rolling Stones - Flashpoint

An acquaintance of mine (a dear friend of my father-in-law) was asked to participate in the wedding reception of a friend of his somewhere down in Georgia a couple years back. The guy had also asked a couple other of his friends to play and they turned out to be Susan and Derek. Yes, those two. My guy got to play guitar with Susan singing Angel from Montgomery. Beautiful.

That’s amazing. Best wedding band of all time?

[oasisfan35]

John Prine - Live

Another live album from someone I have no background or expectations. This one I quite enjoyed. Prine is a phenomenal storyteller, one whose chatty interludes are as entertaining as the music at times. While much of this is Prine and a guitar, when he showcases a backing band they sound great, like on Fish and Whistle. My favorite was his version of Angel From Montgomery with Bonnie Raitt. Stunning.

The Essential Performance: Angel From Montgomery

Up Next: The Rolling Stones - Flashpoint

An acquaintance of mine (a dear friend of my father-in-law) was asked to participate in the wedding reception of a friend of his somewhere down in Georgia a couple years back. The guy had also asked a couple other of his friends to play and they turned out to be Susan and Derek. Yes, those two. My guy got to play guitar with Susan singing Angel from Montgomery. Beautiful.

That’s amazing. Best wedding band of all time?

Not too shabby here...

[liebzz]

The Allman Brothers Band - Live at Great Woods 9-6-91

If the Stones were rejuvenated on the heels of Steel Wheels and it’s subsequent mega tour, they weren’t alone in reviving the careers of classic rock contemporaries. With Warren Haynes and a revamped lineup in tow, the Allman Brothers were also back with a vengeance banging out classic tracks while bringing something new to the table. And Warren Haynes was the best thing to happen to this band in a long while, providing Dickey Betts with that dual guitar attack that feeds these classic songs. The acoustic break in the middle is a nice change of pace, maybe one of my favorite Midnight Riders in there, and Blue Sky and Hoochie Coochie Man are more than solid versions - but this thing really gets to the next level in the latter half with the classic run of Elizabeth Reed, Revival, Jessica, and Whipping Post: a nod to the past with a drive and determination in the present.

The Essential Performance: Jessica

Up Next: Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Weld

[wease]

The Allman Brothers Band - Live at Great Woods 9-6-91

If the Stones were rejuvenated on the heels of Steel Wheels and it’s subsequent mega tour, they weren’t alone in reviving the careers of classic rock contemporaries. With Warren Haynes and a revamped lineup in tow, the Allman Brothers were also back with a vengeance banging out classic tracks while bringing something new to the table. And Warren Haynes was the best thing to happen to this band in a long while, providing Dickey Betts with that dual guitar attack that feeds these classic songs. The acoustic break in the middle is a nice change of pace, maybe one of my favorite Midnight Riders in there, and Blue Sky and Hoochie Coochie Man are more than solid versions - but this thing really gets to the next level in the latter half with the classic run of Elizabeth Reed, Revival, Jessica, and Whipping Post: a nod to the past with a drive and determination in the present.

The Essential Performance: Jessica

Up Next: Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Weld

I’m not as big a fan of Blue Sky from this era. He changed it to a higher key and made it sound more like a country song.

The real MVP of that tour was Hoochie Coochie Man. Warren on vocals and his playing is simply on fire. He gives it an energy even the original band may not have ever had.

[Higgs]

John Prine - Live

Another live album from someone I have no background or expectations. This one I quite enjoyed. Prine is a phenomenal storyteller, one whose chatty interludes are as entertaining as the music at times. While much of this is Prine and a guitar, when he showcases a backing band they sound great, like on Fish and Whistle. My favorite was his version of Angel From Montgomery with Bonnie Raitt. Stunning.

The Essential Performance: Angel From Montgomery

Up Next: The Rolling Stones - Flashpoint

An acquaintance of mine (a dear friend of my father-in-law) was asked to participate in the wedding reception of a friend of his somewhere down in Georgia a couple years back. The guy had also asked a couple other of his friends to play and they turned out to be Susan and Derek. Yes, those two. My guy got to play guitar with Susan singing Angel from Montgomery. Beautiful.

That’s amazing. Best wedding band of all time?

Not too shabby here...

Well fuck me.

[liebzz]

Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Weld

Speaking of rejuvenation, Neil came back around this time in a big way with Freedom and Ragged Glory. This live album covers this and his 70s heyday, and the welcome crunch of that guitar is everything. Hey Hey, My My would be the winner here for any ordinary artist, but Neil’s got so many highlights here picking one is nearly unfair. He and Crazy Horse pretty much demolish everything in their path here, and even the weirdly overwrought cover of Blowing in the Wind feels very Neil, and very right in his hands. F*!#in’ Up, Cinnamon Girl, Powderfinger, Rockin’ in the Free World, and Like a Hurricane are all predictably amazing. My favorite is Cortez the Killer and nearly always is. I miss Neil Young.

The Essential Performance: Cortez the Killer

Up Next: Bob Dylan’s 30th Anniversary Concert

[liebzz]

A note about the 90s - I am going a little out of pure chronological order for the first half. Essentially starting with the sort of classic rock revival (already done with Neil Young, Allman Brothers Band, and the Stones with Dylan and one more Allmans to go), then going into more of the heavy late 80s/early 90s hard rock, then into the 90s Seattle and adjacent, then a dive into the Unplugged run. This is probably like the next month.

[liebzz]

Bob Dylan’s 30th Anniversary Concert

It’s been a few since we’ve jumped into another all star concert celebration, and as those go, this is a damn good one. There’s tons of great performances here, from Lou Reed’s take on Foot of Pride, Tracy Chapman, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Clapton, The Band, and Dylan himself. As for favorites here, it comes down to three epic performances: Neil Young’s All Along the Watchtower, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ Rainy Day Women #12 & 35, and Eddie Vedder & Mike McCready on Masters of War. I’ll go with the latter even if it is a three way draw given the many bootlegs their performance graced in my CD collection over the years.

The Essential Performance: Masters of War (Eddie Vedder & Mike McCready)

Up Next: Midnight Oil - Scream in Blue

[Higgs]

Yeah, that Masters of War is an all-timer.

And who knew Willem Dafoe was killer on the mandolin!

[liebzz]

Midnight Oil - Scream in Blue

This might be the last one for a little bit of a short break while I am away. We go out with a bang, as Midnight Oil power through some hits, or at least some of their biggest songs (I do with Short Memory was on here somewhere, but nevertheless there’s plenty here). Dreamworld, Brave Faces, and Only the Strong are early highlights, though you can really hear the crowd roar for Beds Are Burning. The stripped down Burnie finishes this one after an almost psychedelic take on Powderworks. Good stuff here.

The Essential Performance: Beds Are Burning

Up Next - The Allman Brothers Band - Play All Night

[Jorge]

These are levels of classic rock that should be illegal. Classic rock overdose!!! Too many pentatonic licks! You're going to develop classic rock sores unless you break it up a little bit. Maybe play "Groove is in the Heart" by Dee-Lite or something

[wease]

The ABB he’s getting ready to listen to will break out of the pentatonic stuff for a bit.