Best Live Album Ever...


Spent this afternoon listening to Genesis, "Seconds Out" album. Very good sound quality but amazing musicianship. Possibly my favorite live album ever. Also like Little Feat " Waiting for Columbus" and Van Morrison "Friday night in San Francisco" any other votes out there?
spinaker01
While I'm not a big "live" album fan, I do really like both of Jackson Browne's "Solo Acoustic" sets.
Zeppelin's much-maligned "The Song Remains the Same," one of the most self-indulgent live albums ever, even more so on the re-issue from a few years back, is also an absolutely fabulous recording of a great rock and roll band at the top of its game. I won't claim that I spin it often, but when I'm in the mood for all the endless jams that marked Zep during this period, it really is a ton of fun. And the re-issue sounds great, too.
Most will say any one of the following (and they'd be right):

Allmans at the Fillmore
Stones Get Yer Ya Ya's Out
Who Live at Leeds

I absolutely love 3 GD selections... Live Dead, Skull and Roses and Europe 72. All spectacular.

My sleepers are Uriah Heep Live (2 LP set from 1973, I believe) and David Live, Bowie's first live set, which most will tell you sucks. They'd be wrong.
My choices are:
Live at the Fillmore East

Waiting for Columbus

Sumpertramp's Europe
To all of the above suggestions, you can also add:

Neil Young – Massey Hall 1971
Van Morrison – Recorded Live in Concert (Los Angeles & London, summer 1973)
Leonard Cohen – Live in London
Fleetwood Mac – Live
Stevie Ray Vaughn – Live Alive
Steely Dan, "Live in America"
10,000 Maniacs, "Unplugged"
Bob Dylan, "Live 1964"
Miles Davis - Pangaea
McLaughlin/de Lucia/di Meola - Friday Night In San-Francisco
My vote will be for "Hendrix in the West". Red House in particular is incredible.
Inna: I wasnÂ’t aware this was open to other genre but, if Jazz and R&B are open then IÂ’d like to suggest:

Miles Davis & John Coltrane “in Stockholm 1960 complete”
Mighty Sam McClain “Joy & Love”

great choices so far. Lindisfarne, I really like your sleepers Uriah Heep and David Live. David Sandborn on David Live adds a nice element. I would add Yessongs (still my favorite Yes album) and Roxy Music Live from 2001. My sleeper is Rare Earth Live from the early 70's. Hard to find, but one of the best.
My top 5 (or 6)

Johnny Cash - Folsom Prison

Lou Reed -- Rock and Roll Animal

Little Feat -- Waiting for Columbus

The Band (and friends) -- Last Waltz

Nirvana -- Unplugged in NY

Roxy Music -- Viva

Feel like I'm missing something obvious....
Allman Brothers Live at Fillmore

Santana Moonflower

Dire Straights Alchemy Live

Jeff Beck Live at Ronnie Shots

David Gilmore Live in Gdansk
Off the top of my head...

The Kinks "One For The Road"
Miles Davis "Friday & Saturday Night At The Blackhawk" (Mosaic Records)
Art Pepper "Live At Ronnie Scott's" (Pure Pleasure)
Nirvana "Unplugged"
Stanley Turrentine "Live At Minton's Vol. 2" (Music Matters)
Cecil Taylor "Live In Bologna"
judy at carnegie
bowie: live at santa monica
dead: live dead (or better still: dix pix vol 2: 2/13-14/70, alt: rockin the rhein)
JGB: bay area 78
phish: colorado 88
allmans: fillmore east
sinatra and sextet in paris
neil young: massey hall
and led zep: how the west was won
Robin Trower "Live"
Gentle Giant "Playing the Fool"
ditto on Little Feat "Columbus"
ditto Santana "Lotus"
where-as I love YES, generally, "YESSONGS" has to be one of the worst sounding live albums of all time... sounds like a 4-track cassette with bad tape and lots of limiting. Having said that, Steve Howe's performance on "Yours is no Disgrace" and the electric version of "Roundabout" are rip-roaring make-me-feel-18-again performances.
Hey how about Bob Marley's "Babylon by Bus" UK pressing with BIG bust a gut bass.
I just counted and I own 491 Live albums on CD - that means the success rate is pretty low given the following list of exemplars.....

Renaissance - Live at Carnegie Hall - easily my favourite live album. Fantastic performance and audio (especially the latest Eroc mastered one)

Other notables:
Be Bop Deluxe - Live! In the Air Age
Deep Purple - Concerto for Group and Orchestra
Deep Purple - Made in Japan
Flower Kings - Alive on Planet Earth
Dan Fogelberg - Greetings from the West
Frumpy - Live (Crap sound, great performance)
Grand Funk - Live (the most exciting live album I've heard)
Hendrix - Band of Gypsys
Jethro Tull - Bursting Out
Jethro Tull - A Little Light Music
Jethro Tull - Carnegie Hall (from the 25th anniv' box set)
Loreena McKennitt - (any and all LM live albums are excellent)
Sarah McLachlan - Mirrorball
Odin - SWF Session (stunning album)
Pink Floyd - Pompeii (only on DVD or bootleg CD)
Pink Floyd - Pulse
Pink Floyd - KQED (boot)
Pink Floyd - DSOM Experience Edition
Porcupine Tree - Coma Divine (SE)
Renaissance - At the Royal Albert Hall (aka King Biscuit Hour)
Richard Shindell - Live at the Chandler Music Hall
Bruce Springsteen - Live at the Hammersmith Odeon, 1975 (from BTR 30th box)
Stream of Passion - Live in the Real World
Traffic - Welcome to the Canteen
Wicked Minds - Live at Burg Herzberg
Wishbone Ash - Live in Chicago
So many in jazz that it's impossible to short list.

R&R

Who- Live at Leeds
Stones- Ya Yas
The Dead- Any, esp. Filmore West '69
Hendrix- Most, esp. Winterland LP box
Faces- Five Guys Walk into a Bar...
Neil-Any, esp. Rust Never Sleeps
Lou Reed- Live in Italy(w/Robert Quine)
Dave Davies-Rock Bottom Live at the Bottom Line
Richard Thompson-Austin City Limits
Brian Wilson-Live at the Roxy
Alice in Chains- Unplugged
Nirvana- Unplugged
Foo Fighters- Skin and Bones
Richard Barone-Cool Blue Halo (at the Bottom Line)
Thanks Mcdaddy, I was starting to think I was the only one thinking of Live Bullet when I started reading this thread. I'll add:
Dave Matthews Listener Supported
Pink Floyd Pulse
Deep Purple Made in Japan
DiMeola, McGlaughlin, De Lucia "Friday Night in San Francisco"
King Crimson "The Nightwatch"
Here's some stuff that has not been mentioned: Go to Archive.org and look for Steve Kimock at Chester's. Here's a link to a great-sounding concert:

http://www.archive.org/details/sk2002-10-31.shnf

Also, The Mermen at Maritime Hall:

http://www.archive.org/details/mermen1999-03-27-shn

The Live Music Archive is an *incredible* resource of absolutely FREE live music. I have been downloading from this site for years and have always been pleased with the music and sound quality...

-RW-
Allman Brothers live at the Beacon
especially doing "Dreams" D Trucks and Warren Haynes are fantastic
Here's a couple I haven't seen mentioned:

The Eagles - Hell Freezes Over
Alison Krauss and Union Station - Live
Eagles - Hell Freezes Over
The Last Waltz
Concert For Bangladesh
Lou Reed - Rock & Roll Animal
Neil Young - Rust Never Sleeps (also Massey Hall)
Frampton Comes Alive
I second Renaissance Live at Carnegie Hall, Little Feat Waiting for Columbus and Dire Straits Live Alchemy and add to those:
Pink Floyd-Delicate Sound of Thunder
Peter Gabriel-Plays Live
Bruce Hornsby Here Come the Nosiemakers
Tommy Emmanuel LiveOne
Robben Ford and the Blue Line The Authorized Bootleg
Jesse Winchester Live From Mountain Stage
Darrell Scott, Danny Thompson and Kenny Malone Live in NC
Rhonda Vincent and the Rage Ragin' Live
Steve Goodman The Easter Tapes
Steve Goodman Live Wire
Steve Goodman No Big Surprise
New Grass Revival Live
ABB Live at The Fillmore East!!!
Los Lonely Boys Live at The Fillmore is also a nice listen.
Many fine albums have already been mentioned- one which is often missed is Warren Zevon's 1981 "Stand in the Fire". Really captures the energy of the performers.
I agree with many of the above albums and I would have to add:
Bill Evans Waltz For Debby & Live at the Village Vanguard
Jackson Browne Running on Empty
Van Morrison Astral Weeks Live at the Hollywood Bowl
My new favorite live album is Pink Floyd's 1974 live performance of Dark Side. The live CD comes with the Experience and Immersion Editions from the 2011 remaster. The sound quality and performance is excellent. If you're a Pink Floyd fan this is a must.