Herein I interpret the term ‘live album’ fairly narrowly; I
am concerned primarily with professionally-produced and officially-released non-bootleg
albums (so I didn’t consider any of the eighteen million Grateful Dead bootlegs
that exist).
1. Sam Cooke – “One Night Stand! Sam Cooke Live at the
Harlem Square Club” – This isn’t just one of my favorite live albums; it’s one
of my favorite albums of all time. But
since I’m evaluating this on the merits of its live performance, it’s just a
stunning example of how the right musician/performer can bring a set of songs
to life. When I listen to Sam Cooke
croon effortlessly through “Bring It On Home To Me,” or when he improvises the
monologue intro to “It’s All Right,” it’s almost as if he hasn’t been dead for
nearly forty years, but instead he’s actually singing tonight in a club down
the street. The crowd sounds positively
electric and he speaks at the audience often as if they’re all close friends of
his. He pleads with the audience, whom
he already has wrapped around his little finger, “I want you to listen to this
song right here; this song’s gonna tell you how I feel.” It simultaneously sounds like an intimate
affair and a giant party; indeed, the closing track, “Having a Party,” ends the
album with an appropriate flair. I feel
like I’m gushing about this but this album is so amazing.
2. John Denver – “An Evening With John Denver” – Recorded
over the course of a couple of shows in 1974, this record showcases Denver’s
prowess as not just a lyricist and a musician but as a performer who genuinely
enjoys playing music and who works hard to please the crowd. Exceedingly humble, at times he almost seems
in awe of the crowd’s presence, but he does a good job of balancing the music
with plenty of good-hearted banter that proves to be just as fun to listen
to. The hits are here: solid versions of
“Rocky Mountain High,” and “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” a beautifully
delicate version of “Annie’s Song,” and a great rendition of the Lennon/McCartney
tune “Mother Nature’s Son,” and Denver alternates between the upbeat romps and
the softer, quieter stuff. Of course, as
a Baltimore Orioles fan, I unequivocally love the rousing version of “Thank God
I’m a Country Boy.”
3. Dead Kennedys – “Mutiny on the Bay” – This consists of
fourteen songs from a few different California DK shows in 1982, but I swear it
sounds pretty seamless to me. What makes
this great in my book aren’t the particulars, but that this is the closest a lot
of us are ever going to get to witnessing the sheer force of Jello Biafra on a
stage. His rants are classic and the
ad-libbing/updating of some of the lyrics works incredibly well, especially on
“Kill the Poor.” The band sounds great;
“Forward to Death” is just blistering, and as hard as it is to select this
instead of The Clash Live at Shea Stadium, this record sounds really raw and
unpolished in a great way.
4. The Who – “Live at Leeds (Deluxe Edition)” – This list
would be woefully incomplete without “Live at Leeds,” and the deluxe edition is
essential. The version of “Substitute”
on this record is canonical at this point, and Townsend and Co. have never
sounded better than on “Can’t Explain” and the reckless “Summertime
Blues.” Another favorite is the version
of “A Quick One While He’s Away,” clocking it at nearly nine minutes of sheer
awesome.
5. Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band – “Live
1975-1985” – I couldn’t in good conscience leave this off the list, though I
admit that the ten year time span during which the songs were recorded (and the
fact that it’s a 5 LP boxed set) make this a huge undertaking. Still, it’s Springsteen and his band at their
best on many of the forty tracks. The version
of “Rosalita” (my favorite Springsteen song) totally slays, and the 1980
recording of “Badlands” (recorded the night after Reagan won the presidency,
apparently) is a must-hear. The sound
quality is fantastic, not surprisingly, and it’s wonderful to hear Springsteen
and Co. give 100% throughout.
Honorable mentions:
The Clash: “Live at Shea Stadium,” Wings: “Wings over America,”
Descendents: “Liveage!”
