Rolling Stone magazine: The 50 Greatest Live Albums Of All-Time

I wanted to post this list of the 50 Greatest Live Albums Of All-Time put out by Rolling Stone magazine not because I care about the ranking, but moreso just because it's a list of some really great live albums (and quite a few which I need to hear).

50 Greatest Live Albums of All Time

 

That's a list, alright.



But yeah, it's good to use lists like that to bring your attention to some albums that you might have overlooked, although it's important to keep in mind that you might wind up preferring other (live) albums by the same artist to the albums listed.

 

Pretty good list . . . Of course, some of these live albums aren't "live."

 

This list from 2015 (according to linked article). I would now add CCR - Live At Woodstock to this list!

 

Thought Stones would definitely be higher

 

Same – before I clicked the link, I thought to myself, "#2 will be Live at Leeds and #1 will be Get Yer Ya-Yas Out!" Imagine my surprise...

 

I felt the same with The Who.

 

There are certainly some essential live albums there .... these kinds of lists are a little frustrating though.
I guess Iggy and the Stooges Metallic KO holds some dear memories for someone, but it is an awful sounding, poorly executed live show that disappointed me greatly and I got rid of it. It took me years to give Iggy a fair go after buying that sub-bootleg piece of junk. The most interesting thing about it was hearing the bottle break against the guitar.

I guess they are completely out of vogue, but Dire Straits Alchemy is a masterful live album, and concert bluray, that is actually live. It would have to be on a list I made.

 

I think I'd add the entire Woodstock: Back To The Garden box crate as one entry. Actually Woodstock isn't in the top 50 at all. No guidelines indicating that it couldn't be there. I guess joint gatherings are out - there's no The Concert For Bangladesh either. I'd add both to this list but I guess this is for single artists only.

 

Considering this is a list is by an American magazine I was really surprised by the omission of the Doors' Absolutely live , one of the best live albums ever.
Despite being a Grateful Dead fan I am surprised by the love for the Europe #72 triple album. which always sounded cobbled together to me and there are far superior recordings from this tour available

 

I must admit that I had never heard of the band Motor City 5 (MC5), whose album is in the Top 10 of that list.

 

I'm still waiting on "The 1,000,000 Albums of All Time." Just a no-frills list with no purpose whatsoever. It'd make headlines for being the longest album list in history, and the media can continue to eat itself. Bring it RS, Pitchfork, TMZ, whoever.

 

Here is also a list

The 50 Best Live Albums of All Time

 

big shock - RollingStone gets politically correct.

Live at the Apollo is great - but the greatest? Not by a long shot in my opinion. And I'm a James Brown fan.

 

I'm ignoring the rankings - which you almost are required to do with any RS list compiled by their "experts." I have exactly 8 of these and I can't imagine getting any of the others. There are dozens of other albums which should have replaced them.

 

How's that exactly? Because they have a higher estimation of James Brown than you?

This strikes me as being a pretty traditional list of standard live favorites. I'm more surprised that KISS made it into the top ten than anything else. More political correctness, I suppose.

 

Clicked on the list expecting to be horrified, but actually, though the order is, of course, wrong, there is a surprising number of fantastic albums that I'd never have thought would be there. Jerry Lee at The Star Club! An amazing album, thrilling, and it's such a pleasant surprise that it's there. 'KISS Alive!' too! I know it's great, you know it's great - but I didn't expect Rolling Stone to think so too. There goes the political correctness right there!

Maybe 'Ya Ya's' and '...Leeds' have lost ground as even more wonderful live recordings by those two bands have emerged. Saying that, since it has seen a limited official release - 'Brussels Affair' should be right up there in anyone's top three.

Its an absolute slab of toxic gunk, sure - but I'll confess to thinking that the indispensable 'Metallic KO' wouldn't be there. And again, there it is!

 

The only live album I still have is the Electric Prunes' "Stockholm 67". It was recorded for a radio broadcast. Bruce Eder at AllMusic: "Fully restored, properly remastered... maybe the best live album of the psychedelic era".

 

UFO and Priest wanna know what’s up with that list.

 

List seems to be okay with me...just different ranking

 

Favourites that aren't there...
Guess you can only have one from the Velvets and though '69 live is doubtless 'better' in terms of performance - there's something about 'Live at Max's' - the atmosphere, the audience babble, the sense of history...
The Cramps 'Smell Of Female'. that stuff isn't available anywhere else. It has some of their greatest, most fun, material.
AC/DC - 'If You Want Blood' - I mean.... come on!
Dr Feelgood 'Stupidity' - as above!
Blue Oyster Cult - 'On Your Feet Or On Your Knees'. This pulled off the same trick as Kiss Alive. The best from the early albums delivered as a juggernaut.
'Live Johnny Winter And'
“.. It’s Too Late To Stop Now...” by Van Morrison
'Performance' - Spacemen 3
'Mean Fiddler 23 - 11 - 88' - ***** Galore - was that one official? Semi official?

Oh - and 'Rock 'N Roll Animal' by Lou Reed too.

... and 'Live in Japan' from The Runaways!

There's so many I would switch in and out...

 

I would have replaced Stop Making Sense with The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads. The latter gives you two, equally great, versions of the band.

 

No Dylan at Budokan, no dice.

(I jest only very slightly)

 

They weren't equal. The augmented version was Talking Heads at their peak.

 

All the albums on the list will have their champions here, no doubt, but there's not much to detain me. The Little Feat one maybe? Just got into the band but haven't bothered with the live album yet.

I don't get as much pleasure out of the two I own - Allmans, KISS - as I do from the bands' studio work. They are nice to have but I rarely ever give then a spin.