theboarddot's Favorite Live Albums of All Time- Discussion

[Tweet]

Also how do we wanna handle the jam band stuff

Does stuff like this count. Also can I buy that off anyone

[chvrchbarrel]

I am not going to try to hold myself to any concrete rules on a project this naturally loose, but I am going to try to contribute thoughts on some of the more personally impactful live releases that will definitely make my list.


Dave Matthews Band - Live in Chicago 12.19.98 at the United Center



Officially released in 2001. I wouldn't call this the perfect document of the Dave Matthews Band live experience, even for its era, but its one of the tightest performances and setlists they've ever officially released. The intimate, wintery atmosphere is all over this set, hit-laden as it may be. Don't Drink the Water shines at its studio pace, before they jacked up the tempo and volume in years to come. Here it remains full of real dynamics instead of walls of sound, letting LeRoi's crescendos shine in the verses and Dave's high notes soar in the chorus. Victor Wooten plays on #41 next, and is given seemingly endless time to solo, which he wastes none of. 41 is a song I usually find somewhat boring but I can listen to this one all the way through.

Lie in Our Graves is a wonderful example of why its probably best not to think too hard about this project - Boyd Tinsley, infamously inconsistent in his playing during his tenure with DMB, re-recorded his Graves solo in-studio after being dissatisfied with the live cut. Is the whole album live? Nope. Oh well! Moving along.

What Would You Say is the first dead spot of the set, a song that sounds rote and formulaic compared to the musicianship of previous 40 minutes. Maceo Parker guesting doesn't save it. Almost as if to shrug it off, the band goes into an understated 'jam' led by Carter & LeRoi before drifting back into Before These Crowded Streets with Pantala Naga Pamapa > Rapunzel, and Stay to close out the first disc.

DMB has always performed a serviceable, if not occasionally extremely pleasant, cover of Lanois' The Maker and this iteration with Wooten back onstage is certainly the latter. Much like #41 earlier, the last several minutes of the jam revolve around him, but this time it sounds almost like he's looking for somewhere to break out of the circling progression before things die out. Crash Into Me, easily the group's biggest song at the time of this release (and probably ever since), is delivered more convincingly than What Would You Say. Tim Reynolds is blended so well into the group on this release that you might even miss his presence - but he's hard to ignore as Crash starts steaming toward its end, decorating the song with trills and flourishes. Tim has always been one of my favorite members of DMB and I loved watching him turn into a shredding, classic-rock-dad-esque player, and then that finally hit critical mass and got annoying. Listening for Tim on Live in Chicago is a great reminder of how much this group changed through the years.

Speaking of personnel, notably absent from this recording is Butch Taylor on keys - I'm not sure why Butch wasn't on the '98 tour, it must have been right at the beginning of his tenure. But this laid-back, tempo-conscious, passionate DMB is something I always associate with Butch's piano, so I miss it here. I can't stress enough how much the tempo and dynamics of the band lend to this show / recording. As years went on, every song got a little faster and a little punchier, and DMB got a little more 'rock' and a little less 'goofy folk' - it's not particularly GREAT at being either one of those things, but its absolutely better at being one than the other. I miss this!

A little bit of clockwork for DMB after Crash Into Me -- Jimi Thing is another one you can get tired of pretty quickly if you listen to these guys with any frequency, but this version actually builds and hits a soft peak, as if they're still interested and engaged with the song, unlike the performances they continue to seemingly torture themselves through presently. So Much > Bridge > Too Much marks the only moment of the album that I wish we were moving a little faster, louder, etc. on par with the later years.

Christmas Song, a rare get, is likely the highlight of the entire show. I listened to this version for years before finally seeing DMB at United Center myself in winter of 2012, where it appeared in the encore. I was elated.

The Dave Matthews Band Live Trax series (up in the 40s? 50s? 60s? now) can be a wonderful time machine to pick through, but few volumes have the cohesive through-line of this setlist. The standalone Live in Chicago 12.19.98 at the United Center release is the group's best, from the performance it captures, all the way down to its blustery, snowy artwork.

[Tweet]

[chvrchbarrel]

U2 - Under a Blood Red Sky



Under a Blood Red Sky is a weird one. The accompanying video, filmed at Red Rocks, was (apparently) inescapable on MTV. "This song is not a rebel song...this song is - SUNDAY BLOODY SUNDAY!" being announced as a white flag waved up in the rainy distance at Red Rocks. U2 at Red Rocks, the concert, is lightning in a bottle. It absolutely pissed rain that night in Morrison, and by all accounts the show would've/should've been cancelled - if not for U2 investing most of their own money into the filming of the concert. It took place to a half-full Red Rocks, shot with creative angles to make it appear fuller, and captured U2 at their most electrifying. An additional indoor show was added at McNichols Arena for fans that wouldn't endure the rain; U2 would later film a Joshua Tree Tour show at McNichols for inclusion on Rattle and Hum.

But, all that being said, this is not Red Rocks. At least not mostly. And you'd think - given the uber-popular video release with the same title and artwork - that this release would be from Red Rocks. Instead, its a compilation of several shows, with two of its songs coming from Red Rocks (Gloria and Party Girl). The rest mostly come from a German date on the War Tour of 1983, with one track (11 o'Clock Tick Tock) coming from a Boston theatre show.

Regardless of where the performances are culled from, I'll reiterate that Under a Blood Red Sky captures U2 at their best. Their songs are passionate and angry rather than mushy or autopilot-anthemic. UABRS states emphatically, rather than suggests, that U2 is a band to be experienced live. I partially credit this release with the longevity of The Electric Co., an album track from their debut that might not have remained as popular if not for its inclusion (have been lucky enough to get Electric Co at 2 of my 12 U2 shows so far).

UABRS also documents the "How long to sing this song?" chant that echos throughout the end of 40 long after U2 has left the stage, a continuing tradition in the years since this album was released. Somewhat ironically, at the Red Rocks show, the rain-soaked crowd didn't really feel like doing a stupid chant, so a crew member had to hide offstage with a microphone coaxing the crowd into chanting along so it could be edited into the video. As far as I'm aware, the chanting on the album is genuine.

I'll be honest - though I do love it, early '80s U2 is not my favorite U2, and I rarely gravitate toward this release. At only 35 minutes, its a firecracker of a live album, and it doesn't leave much to pick apart or analyze. It just goes. U2 grew leaps and bounds, even in the 6 remaining years of the '80s, before fully cementing themselves as a truly institutionalized live act throughout the '90s. Under a Blood Red Sky remains a fascinating listen back at who these guys were before they got so U2'd.

[Tweet]

Balloting up in 2-3 weeks. Close after Labor Day, results the week after that

I passed on an emergency ward original @ pitchfork

[Tweet]

Nailing this thread this year lol

Gonna put voting up on Monday, close it out before Riot Fest. My personal life move has been taking priority

[nanatod]

Aug 22, 2024 10:23:38 GMT -6 Tweet said:

 My personal life move has been taking priority

"One of these days when the air clears up, and the sun comes shining through...," -- Merle Haggard, from the greatest live album of all time, Rainbow Stew Live at Anaheim Stadium.

[Tweet]

Nana I swear I'm gonna get to that album this next week and post about it for you

[Tweet]

Bosma including 0 phish shows is suspect

[Tweet]

I was really hoping at some point this summer I was going to reboot and get a bunch of old iTunes/mp3 files off my computer from college. That probably would've significantly changed my list depending on what all was in there

[monasterymonochrome]

Eff wait can I get an extension in this? Been wildly busy since mid-August and still need to put my list together.

[monasterymonochrome]

Or maybe I can wrangle together something by the end of the weekend?

[Tweet]

9/25 is next Wednesday after the Julian baker show but before my girlfriend gets back from New York so you should be all good unless I’m high (chyeah) and can’t do math right (maybe?)

[thebosma]

Oh nice I will do an actual list before then

[doso]

Flying back from IL rn; I’ll try to find some time to make my list on Saturday but we are heading to Buffalo on Sunday (in fulfillment of my four year old promise to take the eldest stepjerkbaby to a Bills game) and coming back Tuesday, so, you know… Doso may be stragglin’.

[Tweet]

If I kept this open until the end of the week would that increase the number of lists potentially coming in? This is already farther behind than I figured it would be so I'm fine with giving people this whole week if it increases turnout

[monasterymonochrome]

Sept 23, 2024 10:20:32 GMT -6 Tweet said:

If I kept this open until the end of the week would that increase the number of lists potentially coming in? This is already farther behind than I figured it would be so I'm fine with giving people this whole week if it increases turnout

Would appreciate this! 

[monasterymonochrome]

Lol I have finally narrowed down my contenders to 100! Watch this space the next few days, I'm gonna post them in groups of ten with a 1-2 sentence "Why you should hear this" blurb for each. A busy summer may have scuttled any larger writeup series, but I wanna at least do this.

[Tweet]

Hoping to badger at least a dozen lists outta the board

[Tweet]

[doso]

Sept 23, 2024 10:20:32 GMT -6 Tweet said:

If I kept this open until the end of the week would that increase the number of lists potentially coming in? This is already farther behind than I figured it would be so I'm fine with giving people this whole week if it increases turnout

Yes plz to end of the week (which I take to mean Saturday night).

[monasterymonochrome]

Sept 23, 2024 16:53:57 GMT -6 monasterymonochrome said:

Lol I have finally narrowed down my contenders to 100! Watch this space the next few days, I'm gonna post them in groups of ten with a 1-2 sentence "Why you should hear this" blurb for each. A busy summer may have scuttled any larger writeup series, but I wanna at least do this.

Okay starting off with 91-100 this afternoon:

91. Sun Ra - Unity (Live in Storyville) - 1977

• Sun Ra murders the classics!  An hour+ of Ra's alien organ and swirling Arkestra mostly playing standards. A pretty solid entrypoint for a newbie to the world of Sun Ra. 
• Best cut: Images - a Sun Ra original that hits the peaks of his Big Band style in 10 minutes

92. Liz Cooper & the Stampede - Live in Chicago - 2019

• One of the best opening sets I ever saw (for Phosphorescent in December 2018), and I had this live record on repeat the year after.  A sub 30-minute glimpse at what made that iteration of the band so special.  Doin' Cosmic Country before Daniel Donato.
• Best cut: Dalai Lama - it's like sassy Neil Young

93. Sonny Rollins - A Night at the Village Vanguard - 1958

• Razor-sharp hard bop - perfect late-night jazz, rewards casual and deep dive listening.  Not my favorite Sonny LP (maaybe like #4 or so), but A-tier nonetheless.
• Best cut: A Night in Tunisia (Evening Set) - the afternoon set version has more streams, but the evening set has Elvin Jones + Wilbur Ware!  Easy choice and maybe my favorite version of this Ellington classic.

94. Rolling Stones - Get Yer Ya-Yas Out! - 1970

• Might be low for a Live Album canonical member, but that's how I feel about live Stones stuff.  It's really fuckin' good!  But it's not where I'm reaching if I have an itch for Keef & Co. 
• Best cut: Sympathy for the Devil - My favorite Stones song, and I love the turbo-charged energy here.  So much fun hearing Keith tackle the solo sections and Wyman driving the tempo forward forward forward.  

95. William Tyler - Secret Stratosphere - 2023

• One of the guitar gods of the 2010-20s pulling together an electric band and jamming on his catalogue?  Hell yes.  
• Best cut: Highway Anxiety / Radioactivity - went giddy the first time I heard this pairing.  Gorgeous meld between Tyler's best piece and a Kraftwerk classic - almost too beautiful for its own good. 

96. James Booker - Gonzo: Live 1976

• The first record here that really makes you feel alive in the room itself.  James Booker, the one-eyed black Liberace from New Orleans, plugging away at the keys and belting about god knows what in the corner.  You can feel the heat, smell the wood of the walls.  Trust me.
• Best cut: Life - The opener of the record, start here and see if you can make yourself stop.  His energy is infectious.  Would probably be higher if I didn't come across it for the first time just recently.

97. Charles Lloyd - Sangam - 2006

• Trio record pairing the crossover saxophone legend with tabla master Zakir Hussain and Eric Harland on drums.  I saw this trio last October and they ruled - listened to this record a ton in the lead-up to / come-down from the show.
• Best cut: Tales of Rumi - Peep the extended tabla solo

98. Cecil Taylor - Nefertiti, The Beautiful One Has Come - 1963

• Uncompromisingly intense free jazz from one of the genre's earliest pioneers and masters.  
• Best cut: Lena - Cecil is attacking the piano with ferocity here, transcending the chaos into beautiful sound like only the best free jazz is able to do.   

99. The Seldom Scene - Live at the Cellar Door - 1975

• A staple entry in the progressive bluegrass canon.  They rip through a bunch of old and new standards, building energy and closing with a bang.
• Best cut: Rider - This is that aforementioned closer, the Scene's rollicking, jammy take on "I Know You Rider" - it's a fuckin' hoot, one of my favorite bluegrass cuts. 

100. Staple Singers - Freedom Highway - 1965

• Remarkable collection of repurposed gospel tunes and Civil Rights anthems.  I usually listen to Staples compilations when I'm in the mood, but this is a transportative set, one that puts you smack in the middle of the room where it's happening.
• Best cut: Freedom Highway - The title track and Pops Staples original.  A classic.

[chvrchbarrel]

cant wait to see where ted nugent - double live gonzo lands on monastery's list

[monasterymonochrome]

Sept 24, 2024 13:49:03 GMT -6 chvrchbarrel said:

cant wait to see where ted nugent - double live gonzo lands on monastery's list

Stay tuned!!

[monasterymonochrome]

Back again for 81-90!

81. Johnny Cash - At Folsom Prison - 1968

• The most iconic live album ever? It's possible - certainly in the country realm. I love this record, don't get me wrong, but on a personal level Johnny doesn't connect as hard with me as Waylon or Willie. Doesn't mean this record doesn't rip tho!
• Best cut: Long Black Veil - one of my favorite versions of this standard. Johnny is solemn but loose - then we get the whole audience interaction re: his glass of water afterwards.

82. Quicksilver Messenger Service - Live at the Fillmore June 7, 1968

• I feel like Quicksilver is mostly relegated in history to being the Dead's buddies and part of the definite B-tier of Summer of Love psych acts. And that's partially fair - their songwriting just wasn't strong enough to transcend their moment. But! They were a fuckin' behemoth live. Hang John Cipollina's number from the rafters after these performances godDAMN they are intense. Heady, heavy cosmic psych.
• Best cut: Who Do You Love - This Bo Diddley classic was QMS's signature tune, and the version here is positively searing. Recommended for any Pigpen / Primal Dead fans. This will light you the fuck up.

83. Goose - Alive and Well - 2020

• Fuckin' sue me, there's gonna be some Goose on here. This is definitely not my favorite Goose live recordings, those are mostly found on Nugs, but this was the compilation that got me onboard with the band during the peak of covid summer. Pretty good collection of songs, enough silliness that many of y'all would hate it, and some gorgeous hyperactive playing.
• Best Cut: Time to Flee - Does this song have a mixed reputation among the fanbase? I don't really care, it was my first favorite. Massive dumb singalong energy that melts into a huge moving peak. Good shit and a good litmus test for how yamband pilled your brain is.

84. Laurie Anderson - United States Live - 1984

• Yes, I've only listened to this in full once - but c'mon it's 4.5 hours! But this is the ur text behind one of our coolest experimental musicians, and contains the tracks from Big Science. If Laurie ever stages this entire production again, I'll be there front and center.
• Best cut: New Jersey Turnpike - Choosing one that's not on Big Science, and honestly this might be the best on the whole damn thing. Meditative, hilarious, and ultimately beautiful. It's a long one, but give it a listen./li]
  

85. James Brown - Live at the Apollo - 1963

• Might be sacrilegious to have this so low, but I just vibe more with studio James, especially his mid-late 60s stuff. His Apollo show draws from his early career and is a perfect example of an album that puts you in the room. The crowd is losing their mind, the band is cooking, and James has them in the palm of his hand.
• Best cut: Medley: Please Please Please / You've Got the Power / I Found Someone - James hits for the cycle here from powerful raveups to emotional ballads. Also a great historical example of the revue styled medleys in many early 60s concerts.

86. Nina Simone - In Concert - 1964

• My favorite of the 60s Nina live recordings, and probably her most famous. She's at Carnegie Hall, alternating between showtunes, blistering Civil Rights commentaries, and showtunes that double as blistering Civil Rights commentaries. It's gorgeous, funny, and an important moment in the career of one of the era's greatest artists.
• Best cut: Mississippi Goddamn - Obviously. The rest of the album is great, but this is the ticket right here. Nina will be back on this list, stay tuned.

87. Neil Young and Crazy Horse - Down in the Rust Bucket - 1990 (2021)

• Fuck yea - the first of 5 Neil entries to appear on my list. This is Neil at his most butt-rockingest, and I love it. All the big tunes from Ragged Glory are here, plus Hurricane, Cortez, and - yes - T-BONE (!!!), my absolute favorite Neil anti-song. Just perfect fucked up music.
• Best cut: Over and Over - I'm tempted to put T-Bone, but I'll put this sterling version of my favorite RG cut.

88. Garcia Peoples - 10-10-2019 Nublu, NYC

• Had to rep my fave local band here. Seen GP 8 or 9 times in the last four years and they never disappoint. They have a few live recordings up on Bandcamp, but this - captured in the wake of releasing their best LP, One Step Behind is their best so far. 50 minutes of swirling, whirling, stomping, soaring jamming.
• Best cut: One Step Behind - Lol there's only two tracks here, and this one takes up like 85% of the album's runtime. It rules, catch them live next time they come by ur town.

89. Fairport Convention - House Full - Live at the LA Troubadour - 1970 (1986)

• The best of Fairport's classic era official recordings. But even this is after Sandy Denny's departure. Shame they never got any high-quality live tapes during her run. This one is a little murky at times too, but the band is on fire and the playing shines through.
• Best cut: Sloth - Richard Thompson's tentpole Fairport tune for shredding like a madman, and he unsurprisingly delivers.

90. Lee Morgan - Live at the Lighthouse - 1971

• One of Lee's last recordings before his untimely end, and he was at a definite peak here, translating his hard-bop style to a funked up band. A great record to throw on in the background or for close listening.
• Best cut: The Bee-Hive - It opens the record and has one of my favorite Lee Morgan melodies. Dude had a great ear for catchy tunes and then he and the band turn loose and tear it up for 15 solid minutes.

[monasterymonochrome]

Lmao these were supposed to be short but that was almost 1,000 words. Gonna try for more brevity going forward but sometimes I just can't help myself.

[krentist]

Time to Flee more like Time to Pee

[chvrchbarrel]

Sept 25, 2024 11:31:52 GMT -6 monasterymonochrome said:

81. Johnny Cash - At Folsom Prison - 1968

• The most iconic live album ever? It's possible - certainly in the country realm. I love this record, don't get me wrong, but on a personal level Johnny doesn't connect as hard with me as Waylon or Willie. Doesn't mean this record doesn't rip tho!
• Best cut: Long Black Veil - one of my favorite versions of this standard. Johnny is solemn but loose - then we get the whole audience interaction re: his glass of water afterwards.

The cut of the title track is better on this record, but I've always felt like San Quentin was the superior Johnny performance

[Tweet]

Both are good, but I agree that San Quentin is a bit better

[scoots]

My list is pretty much done. I've got 18. Didn't get to spend as much time on this as I would have hoped, but hey, I still put together a list.

Just thought of another one - 19!