Your 10 favorite live albums

Official:
Pink Floyd - At Pompeii
King Crimson - The Great Deceiver
Jethro Tull - Bursting Out
Frank Zappa - You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 2 (Helsinki 1973)
Rush - Exit...Stage Left
Miles Davis - Black Beauty
Ozric Tentacles - Live at the Pongmaster's Ball
Deep Purple - Made in Japan
Kraan - Live
Circle (Corea/Braxton/Holland/Altschul) - The Paris Concert

Bootleg:
King Crimson - Live in Mainz 1974
Gong - Oslo 1974
Pink Floyd - The Massed Gadgets of Auximenies (Royal Festival Hall 1969)
Guru Guru - Essen 1970
Sleep - Live NYC 1994
Steve Hillage - Rockpalast, Germany 1977
Can - Horrortrip in the Paperhouse (Köln 1973)

10 Jean? That's a lot!

Edited by Peter - December 27 2007 at 01:15

gliss bliss wrote: BaldJean wrote: I know some people don't like live albums, but I just love them. nowhere else can a band be free of the restriction to try to sound perfectly but simply let the music flow. what are your favorite ones? here are mine, counting backward from10 to 1. please try to give s short explanation why you include the albums too. 10) Frumpy: "Live" (1973). Inga Rumpf and company put on a great show; she definitely has the blackest voice of all white singers. an excellent introduction to this band which deserves more attention. 9) Kraan: "Live" (1975). a stunning classic with highlights like "Holiday am Marterhorn including Gipfelsturm", "Sarah's Ritt durch den Schwarzwald" or "Nam Nam". Helmut Hattler definitely is one of the best bass players in prog; something you can hear here. 8) Guru Guru: "Live" (1976). with a lot of previously unreleased tracks (some of which had been a live favorite already though), like "Medicine Man's Overdose", "Herzflimmern" or "Transylvanian Express", and great versions of "Moroso", "Der Elektrolurch" and "Ooga Booga". the album shows what a great live act Guru Guru must have been (I never saw them live myself). one can actually see Mani Neumeier hopping around in his wrestling suit when hearing him. it helps if you understand some German to get some of the jokes they make, like when Neumeier sings "Santa Fu, raus bist du" ("Santa Fu, you are out", that song was recorded at Santa Fu, a prison in Hamburg) in "Ooga Booga" and talks about the prisoners getting new uniforms after the concert that look like his wrestling suit. 7) Hawkwind: "Space Ritual" (1973). what can I say? a classic. Hawkwind re-released the album with uncut versions of "Time We Left" and "Brainstorm" (they had been shortened for the original release because they were too long). too bad this is not a DVD; Stacia would have been a nice addition 6) Gentle Giant: "Playing the Fool" (1977). Gentle Giant show that their complex compositions can be played live without sounding sterile; on the contrary, they make them sound really alive. highlights are the "Octopus Medley", "On Reflection" and "Funny Ways". 5) Steve Hillage: "Live Herald" (1978). this one originally came out as a 3-sides live, 1-side studio vinyl; unfortunately the studio material sounded bloodless compared to the live material (with the exception of "1988 Activator"). it was in my opinion a good decision of Virgin to release this as a single CD live album and add the studio material to the CD-version of "Open". at 69 minutes the album is still long enough. great versions of classic Hillage songs. 4) 801: "Live" (1976). Brian Eno, Phil Manzanera and friends play a collection of songs associated with former projects of them as well as some classic. one of the most interesting releases of that time; the beginning of punk can be felt in songs like "Third Uncle". unfortunately a single album only. 3) Magma: "Live / Hhai" (1975). featuring a 17-year old Didier Lockwood on violin who (almost) steals the show; just listen to his seven and a half minute solo in "Mekanik Zain". great version of "Köhntark". a friend of mine once commented: "sounds like a holiday in hell". 2) Gong: "Live au Bataclan" (1990). this album was recorded in 1973 and shows the "classic" band line-up (Daevid Allen, Gilly Smyth, Pierre Moerlen, Didier Malherbe, Steve Hillage, Mike Howlett, Tim Blake) in top form, performing some of their classics. don't get irritated by the strange titles on the album; you will recognize these classics quickly. 1) Van der Graaf Generator: "Vital" (1978). since I follow my usual policy of best lists (naming an artist twice or more in such a list is behaving like a fan boy/girl; pick your gender) I was torn between "Vital" and "Real Time". I settled for "Vital" because it adds new aspects to the songs; also because it includes some previously unreleased material. the general treatment of all songs was: give 'em a raw brushing up! Nic Potter's bass truly is a monster! again this list may change at any moment, depending on my mood, but "Vital", "Live au Bataclan" and "Live / Hhai" will always be in it You've not heard Gong Est Mort or Gong Live Etc yet, some of Hillage's finest moments with that other prog rock keyboard wizard Click Switch Doctor Aka Hi T Moonweed Aka Tim Blake

oh, but I know "Live etc." by heart; it was the first live album by Gong I had. and I really love the wacky version of "Radio Gnome" "...Lllllllladies and Gentlemen, I would like to introduce to you the only gnome who wears habitually a 1912 bathing costume. the formidable biceps and the x-mas cake ice-cream cone of Bloomdidoo Bad de Grasse, who will now let forth a few happy ditties...". but there is one thing I do definitely NOT like about "Gong Live Etc.", and that is the way at least 2 songs have been tampered with, "You Can't Kill Me" and "Zero the Hero". both had parts of the solos cut out of them. it so happens that both songs were taken from the Bataclan concert that the "Live au Bataclan" album was recorded at; I recognized them immediately. you can, however, imagine my surprise when in the middle of the solos in the 2 named songs they suddenly started playing something else than I was used to; these parts which I expected appeared a few bars later. so on the "Live Etc." album these bars before the ones I expected had been cut out.


Edited by BaldJean - December 26 2007 at 23:01

Pain of Salvation - 12.5

I think that is all I have. I don't care that much for live albums.

Jim Garten wrote: BroSpence wrote: 3. Led Zeppelin - BBC Sessions (I prefer many of these sessions to any of the studio recordings.  The band sounds full and raw.  Plant wails, Page fuzzes, Bonham explodes all while JPJ keeps it steady and grooving). Excellent choice - reminds me, I forgot to mention 'How the West Was Won'; to my mind, knocks spots off 'The Song Remains The Same'; includes a full on workout of 'Since I Been Lovin You', on which JPJ plays the dirtiest sounding Hammond you'll ever hear

Marillion - Popular Music
Fish - Sunsets on Empire: Live in Poland 1997
Pink Floyd - PULSE
Pendragon - Live in Krakow '96
Dire Straits - Alchemy Live
Led Zeppelin - How the West Was Won
Satellite - Evening Dreams
Grey Lady Down - The Time Of Our Lives
Steve Hackett - The Tokyo Tapes
Deep Purple - Made in Japan

"Planet Gong - Floating Anarchy Live
Not really Gong, but Daevid Allen with Here & Now, but it's exceptional."

What about  Gilli Smyth and Steve  Hillage they  were on that record too,  I know Steffi Sharpstrings is credited as guitarist, but this was recorded on the same show as Gong Est Mort.  For contractual reasons Hillage was uncredited on both these records because he was contracted to Virgin records which forbade him to appear on any other recordings.

1. Plays Live - Peter Gabriel (Awesome one that I picked up from my library last night)
2. Yessongs - Yes
3. Genesis Live - Genesis

BaldJean wrote: I know some people don't like live albums, but I just love them. nowhere else can a band be free of the restriction to try to sound perfectly but simply let the music flow. what are your favorite ones? here are mine, counting backward from10 to 1. please try to give s short explanation why you include the albums too. 10) Frumpy: "Live" (1973). Inga Rumpf and company put on a great show; she definitely has the blackest voice of all white singers. an excellent introduction to this band which deserves more attention. 9) Kraan: "Live" (1975). a stunning classic with highlights like "Holiday am Marterhorn including Gipfelsturm", "Sarah's Ritt durch den Schwarzwald" or "Nam Nam". Helmut Hattler definitely is one of the best bass players in prog; something you can hear here. 8) Guru Guru: "Live" (1976). with a lot of previously unreleased tracks (some of which had been a live favorite already though), like "Medicine Man's Overdose", "Herzflimmern" or "Transylvanian Express", and great versions of "Moroso", "Der Elektrolurch" and "Ooga Booga". the album shows what a great live act Guru Guru must have been (I never saw them live myself). one can actually see Mani Neumeier hopping around in his wrestling suit when hearing him. it helps if you understand some German to get some of the jokes they make, like when Neumeier sings "Santa Fu, raus bist du" ("Santa Fu, you are out", that song was recorded at Santa Fu, a prison in Hamburg) in "Ooga Booga" and talks about the prisoners getting new uniforms after the concert that look like his wrestling suit. 7) Hawkwind: "Space Ritual" (1973). what can I say? a classic. Hawkwind re-released the album with uncut versions of "Time We Left" and "Brainstorm" (they had been shortened for the original release because they were too long). too bad this is not a DVD; Stacia would have been a nice addition 6) Gentle Giant: "Playing the Fool" (1977). Gentle Giant show that their complex compositions can be played live without sounding sterile; on the contrary, they make them sound really alive. highlights are the "Octopus Medley", "On Reflection" and "Funny Ways". 5) Steve Hillage: "Live Herald" (1978). this one originally came out as a 3-sides live, 1-side studio vinyl; unfortunately the studio material sounded bloodless compared to the live material (with the exception of "1988 Activator"). it was in my opinion a good decision of Virgin to release this as a single CD live album and add the studio material to the CD-version of "Open". at 69 minutes the album is still long enough. great versions of classic Hillage songs. 4) 801: "Live" (1976). Brian Eno, Phil Manzanera and friends play a collection of songs associated with former projects of them as well as some classic. one of the most interesting releases of that time; the beginning of punk can be felt in songs like "Third Uncle". unfortunately a single album only. 3) Magma: "Live / Hhai" (1975). featuring a 17-year old Didier Lockwood on violin who (almost) steals the show; just listen to his seven and a half minute solo in "Mekanik Zain". great version of "Köhntark". a friend of mine once commented: "sounds like a holiday in hell". 2) Gong: "Live au Bataclan" (1990). this album was recorded in 1973 and shows the "classic" band line-up (Daevid Allen, Gilly Smyth, Pierre Moerlen, Didier Malherbe, Steve Hillage, Mike Howlett, Tim Blake) in top form, performing some of their classics. don't get irritated by the strange titles on the album; you will recognize these classics quickly. 1) Van der Graaf Generator: "Vital" (1978). since I follow my usual policy of best lists (naming an artist twice or more in such a list is behaving like a fan boy/girl; pick your gender) I was torn between "Vital" and "Real Time". I settled for "Vital" because it adds new aspects to the songs; also because it includes some previously unreleased material. the general treatment of all songs was: give 'em a raw brushing up! Nic Potter's bass truly is a monster! again this list may change at any moment, depending on my mood, but "Vital", "Live au Bataclan" and "Live / Hhai" will always be in it

You've not heard Gong Est Mort or Gong Live Etc yet, some of Hillage's finest moments with that other prog rock keyboard wizard Click Switch Doctor Aka Hi T Moonweed Aka Tim Blake

2. Humble Pie - Rockin' the Fillmore (incredible! Humble with Marriott and Frampton in top shape rocking not just the Fillmore!)

1. Jimi Hendrix - Live at Woodstock (I always go back to this amazing performance.  2 discs and not a bad note on either one. )

6. Birth Control - Live (Krautrockers turn volume and jams up to 11)

8. Neil Young - Live Rust (Personally I find it much better than Rust Never Sleeps.  Good mix of RNS songs and classic Young songs that feedback like no other)

7. Miles Davis - Live at the Fillmore West (Jazz giant has a killer backing band and several nights of great performances.  Jack DeJohnette grooves, Davis messes around).

4. Allman Brothers Band - Live at the Fillmore East (Duane makes his guitar sing along with a band that played tight together and knew how to treat the blues).

10. Jim Hall - Live! (Possibly the greatest Jazz guitarist playing almost alone and as beautifully as ever.  Hall has one of the best tones a player could ask for).

9. Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention - Fillmore East June 1971 (complete ridiculousness that never gets old or uninteresting).

5. The Byrds - Untitled (a double album 1/2 live half studio.  Both halves are great.  Clarence White is a forgotten hero of the Guitar).

3. Led Zeppelin - BBC Sessions (I prefer many of these sessions to any of the studio recordings.  The band sounds full and raw.  Plant wails, Page fuzzes, Bonham explodes all while JPJ keeps it steady and grooving).