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Awesome live albums


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ALL the official Live Cream stuff is SO heavily influential to me. When I first dug into this stuff it was a revelation. Live Cream, Vol. II, Sides 3 &4 of Wheels of Fire, Goodbye. When I was a teenager in the late '70s/early '80s these records made me think there was some truth to the 'Clapton is God' philosophy. Sweet Wine (from Live Cream) is a great example - no matter how far from the tune it gets Eric NEVER gets lost. He ALWAYS knows where the "one" is. Much of the jam is literally 3 guys soloing at the same time, but somehow it all manages to hang together.

 

I gotta give props to the Derek & the Dominoes Live 2 CD set from The Fillmore East as well. October 1970. Perhaps the best example of Eric's post-Cream playing. GREAT stuff here.

 

I listen to that live Derek & Dominoes alot, too. At first, I really missed a second guitar, as I was naturally comparing it to the studio recordings of the Layla songs with Duane, but I eventually got over that and realized they are just BLAZING at these shows.

 

I need to revisit live Cream. I do like his meaty guitar tone in Cream (does the Gibson SG have anything to do with that?) I was greatly disappointed in EC's guitar/tone on the Cream reunion shows at Albert Hall a few years ago. I don't think they came anywhere near their power as in the old days, but so many years had passed, it'd probably be hard for them to get back into that head/musical space again.

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Don't forget that Jerry Garcia Band double live album! Tangled Up in Blue, Dear Prudence, so many other greats.

 

Good point, another really great Garcia live recording showing off what that band could do really well. Fantastic Hammond organ solo by Melvin Seals on The Night They Drove Ol Dixie Down and I Shall Be Released. I love when they go "out" on Lucky Old Sun, too. Jerry singing sweet and soulful!

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I listen to that live Derek & Dominoes alot, too. At first, I really missed a second guitar, as I was naturally comparing it to the studio recordings of the Layla songs with Duane, but I eventually got over that and realized they are just BLAZING at these shows.

 

I need to revisit live Cream. I do like his meaty guitar tone in Cream (does the Gibson SG have anything to do with that?) I was greatly disappointed in EC's guitar/tone on the Cream reunion shows at Albert Hall a few years ago. I don't think they came anywhere near their power as in the old days, but so many years had passed, it'd probably be hard for them to get back into that head/musical space again.

 

The lack of quality acid in the marketplace probably would hinder them as well.

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I need to revisit live Cream. I do like his meaty guitar tone in Cream (does the Gibson SG have anything to do with that?)

 

Yes...not necessarily the SG specifically, but Gibsons in general. With Cream, EC played a few different Gibson guitar models, including the SG, ES-335 and Firebird. All equipped with humbucker pickups, which have a meatier tone than the pickups Fender typically uses.

 

I wish EC had played Gibsons during the Cream reunion.

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That's a good one but I think I prefer The Name of This Band is Talking Heads. I really like that it has one disc of the early stripped down band and one disc of the expanded band.

I like them both fairly equally. The name of this band is a good one for charting the evolution.

Have you heard the album? From his Greek Theatre shows. Lots of energy/excellent tunes/great back up band.

Does this have Henry Winkler? We had a Neil Diamond 8 track with Winkler singing Song Sung Blue as the Fonz.

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  • 3 months later...

I just went through this entire thread, being a very long time since I'd looked at it. I don't recall half of what I said, but there it is. :lol

 

One thing I DID notice is that no one, myself included, has mentioned Phish's A Live One. The band on what many would say their finest, most experimental tour (Fall '94), and superb renditions of many of their most loved songs. I had this one on rotation for YEARS.

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One thing I DID notice is that no one, myself included, has mentioned Phish's A Live One. The band on what many would say their finest, most experimental tour (Fall '94), and superb renditions of many of their most loved songs. I had this one on rotation for YEARS.

Good catch.  I listen to so much live Phish purchased from LivePhish.com or otherwise acquired that I forgot about A Live One.  Probably my first introduction to the live wonder that is Phish.

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  • 3 weeks later...

How about live-in-the-studio, with or without a small crowd?

A couple good contenders:

Caravan - Ether Way: The Peel Sessions, '75 - '77 - This is actually my favorite Caravan album.

Bob Marley & The Wailers - 1973-10-31, The Record Plant, Sausalito, CA - Between this and the Wailers' Peel sessions, you can put together a Wailers Greatest Hits second to none.

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Incredible that no one mentioned UFO's Strangers In The Night. Michael Schenker is absolutely amazing on this record.

 

UFOStrangersInTheNightAlbumCover.jpg

I just punched myself in the face for not remembering this one. Good call. 

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Warren_Zevon_-_Stand_In_The_Fire.jpg

 

This is an absolutely outstanding record. If I recall correctly, his backing band is a Warren Zevon Tribute band with John Landau's brother on lead guitar.

It is the sound of a  desperate man on fire and, in my opinion, the greatest live record ever recorded.

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Yeah, I wouldn't know where to start with all the live releases, but for this conversation Reckoning has to be in it. Fantastic recording of fantastic acoustic music. Dead Set (the electric counterpart to the shows Reckoning were culled from) is excellent, too.

 

My dad was already sick of me going to GD shows a lot by the time I played Reckoning for him on a long car ride around '83. He had never really heard the GD before and about half-way through the first side, asked who we were listening to. He was surprised/shocked to learn that the music we were listening to and BOTH enjoying was the band with the scary name that I'd expended so much time/effort on and caused him some grief over.

 

For that, Reckoning will always be a tops album for me.

Just read this story. Very cool.
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Yes, Live at Leeds, the live recording of all live recordings

 

Pink Floyd - Ummagumma live disc

Richard Thompson - Small Town Romance, The Chrono Show, 1000 years of Popular Music

Nirvana - Unplugged - the definitive album of that series

Soul Asylum - After the Flood - full of rare tunes, early versions of later studio cuts, and covers.

 

Guess I'd have to give a vote to Pearl Jam - Live on Two Legs, as not counting the 875 shows they've released it is their only proper live "album" (oh, I guess they did two, but Live on Ten Legs looks awful).

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:thumbup   Hope you're wearing a mouthpiece. Here's another one...

 

Acdc_If_You_Want_Blood_You%27ve_Got_It.J

Oh yeah, that is definitely worthy! And as Yaz said, Ummagumma's live sides - I might have listened to that LP more than any other Floyd release.

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Elton John "11-17-70" (small venue; radio station I think)

String Cheese Incident "Carnival 99" I take jam bands about like I take antibiotics (other than the Grateful Dead but that's another thread) but when I need a good dose this band is delightfully fulfilling.

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Yes, Live at Leeds, the live recording of all live recordings

 

Pink Floyd - Ummagumma live disc

Richard Thompson - Small Town Romance, The Chrono Show, 1000 years of Popular Music

Nirvana - Unplugged - the definitive album of that series

Soul Asylum - After the Flood - full of rare tunes, early versions of later studio cuts, and covers.

 

Guess I'd have to give a vote to Pearl Jam - Live on Two Legs, as not counting the 875 shows they've released it is their only proper live "album" (oh, I guess they did two, but Live on Ten Legs looks awful).

Does Yes...Live at Leeds exist.  I tried to find it online and nothing.  I know about YesSongs which is great (classic lineup and get recording).

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