Widespread Panic - Their best album?

For their live albums, I would recommend "Live in the Classic City" (3 disc set recorded over April 1-3, 2000). Excellent! Also, give a listen to "Light Fuse, Get Away". I believe this was recorded in 1998.

As for as studio albums go, "'Till the Medicine Takes" and "Don't Tell the Band" are worthy listens. I have them all, but these are my favorites.

I am a huge fan and have seen lots of shows in the South/ Southeast. The live recordings have an unbelievable energy and urgency. Every live show is different. Lead singer John Bell changes lyrics regularly. Solos are usually spontaneous, but they do have something to say. Not just a bunch of mindless noodling.

Studio recordings are good, but Panic is a live band. All of the more recent studio albums(from "Ball" onwards) are without original Panic cofounder/ lead guitarist Michael Houser. He passed several years ago secondary to pancreatic cancer. His style of playing and writing is irreplaceable. The band has had several guys try to fill the void, but to no avail. They are a different band these days. Still incredible, just different.

I can't believe there has been a Panic thread on Audiogon for over a year and I find it today.

Saw 2 nights in Charlotte during the last tour, and it keeps getting better. Second night was incredible.

Live recordings don't necessarily sound bad. I have several soundboard recordings, some authorized, some not, and many audience recordings (some with my own equipment), and many sound great, some only so-so.

They are an incredible band. I must echo the reccos of Everyday, which is my favorite studio album.

I gave up field recording, becuase I could always find someone with a better set of mics, etc that I could patch my D-8 into, and it beats the shit out of lugging a mic stand around. Heady Days, however.

Glad to see some additional comments on this thread. I absolutely love Everyday and it has actually become one of my "reference" recordings, especially since making some system changes shortly after picking up Everyday and Till the Medicine Takes. I don't feel that "Till" is on the same level as Everyday, music wise or recording wise. One might think that since "till" was recorded six years after "every" that it would be a better recording, but that's not the case. Same record label, but different studios and engineers. One of the ways I judge a great album is if I can listen to it from start to finish, without skipping any tracks, and it holds my attention and/or I don't get bored with it. For me, Everyday is one of those albums. And it truly is a VERY GOOD recording. It is such a mellow recording with no grain or harshness, and as I said on 9/30, the weight and bass is simply astonishing.

They have so many albums that I'm not sure which one to pick up next, and can any of them really measure up to Everyday? So, Widespread fans, given my thoughts here, what album would be the next logical step to take?

Ain't Life Grand is my #2

Also make sure you give the self titled CD a listen. Its often referred to as "Moms Kitchen"

Don't foget about their live stuff!
http://www.digitalpanic.org