It's Only Rock and Roll..Part 2
After I published my first list of great live albums i received multiple suggestions of albums I should included in my list of the greatest live albums of all time.
One of the reasons I wrote that particular Substack was to discover (or rediscover) some live albums I might not have heard or completely forgotten about. Mission accomplished.
Suggestions came flooding and some I agreed with, some I didn’t. However, what it did was it forced me to go listen to albums I had never bothered with( Kiss ‘Alive’) and albums I had forgotten about ( Talking Heads ‘Stop Making Sense’) and that is the whole point of this Friday version of Costa’s Corner, to learn and rediscover music from every generation.
The next albums are just a continuation from my first post, without the album covers. I am still exploring suggestions and will be adding some to this list. Again, if you agree or disagree feel free to email me.
U2 ‘Under a Blood Red Sky’. Having seen U2 three times, all stadium shows, I can honestly say that this album captures everything about their shows and then some. The album was recorded at Red Rocks in Colorado and several other places during their 1982-1983 tour. They were becoming a big deal but had yet to reach that stadium level performer and these shows had some intimacy but it was clear that they could perform rock and roll and they were destined for much bigger things.
Jimi Hendrix ‘Band of Gypsys’. You look at what critics say and you can argue that Jimi Hendrix ‘Live at Monterrey’ is a better Hendrix live album but I disagree only because of The Band of Gypsys themselves. Come on, Buddy Miles on drums? What could be better than that? This was a throwaway album that the band released due to some contractual obligations. It was recorded at the Fillmore East and showed Hendrix moving in a new direction. Funk and rhythm and blues were now key components of Hendrix repetoire. Take a listen to “Who Knows” and tell me that this new direction wasn’t worth it.
Nirvana ‘MTV Unplugged in New York’. This, to me, is by far and away the best of the MTV Unplugged series. While I was no big fan of that Seattle Grunge/Garage rock sound, I always thought Nirvana was different. Kurt Cobain just seemed to actually feel the pain he was writing about and he could also dig deep into other songs as well. I will be truthful here, I did not watch the video, just listened to the show and could tell that this guy had demons deep and they weren’t leaving him any time soon. he checked out before the demons did I am sure.
Rory Gallagher ‘Irish Tour 1974’. Probably one the rawest recordings of the ‘70’s. You can hear mistakes and bad live mixing throughout the album but that doesn’t hide the fact that Gallagher was one of the best live guitarists ever. The undercurrent of the whole album is what makes it even more special, Gallagher played multiple times in Northern Ireland during The Troubles and never cared about the danger. He just wanted to bring some great live music to a place he loved.
Led Zeppelin ‘The Song Remains the Same’. I included this one because I was at one of the shows at Madison Square Garden sitting (actually standing) in the 15th row. It was loud and it was crazy. Stupid at times as well but you can’t not love how good Zeppelin was live. The album captures pretty much the show. There were lengthy versions of great songs and then there was “No Quarter” which might be one of the best live tracks ever put out. The album probably should have done a more comprehensive representation of the shows. Having only nine songs from a concert that was almost three hours long doesn’t seem right but it’s still great.
Peter Frampton ‘Frampton Comes Alive’. Oddly enough, I never really liked this album. When it was released in 1976 it almost automatically became the number one live album of all time and you could not turn on any FM station in the country without hearing one of the songs from this record. It literally was beaten to death by it’s own success and that is a true shame because if you listen to the production, the vocals and the guitar playing you can see why this album became so popular. Frampton has turned into a sort of elder statesman of the 70’s rock era but he was( and still is) a very talented musician. The album is included because it should be. No record sells 15 million records without having some merit.
James Brown and the Famous Flames ‘Live at the Apollo Theater’. The Godfather of Soul, James Brown, had the tightest band you will ever see. Brown was one of the best live performers ever. He gave his heart and soul into every show and with his backup singers, The Famous Flames, played non-stop as you will hear on the record. No breaks, no chit chat, just funk, soul, dancing and sweat. There are other great Brown live sets out there but it all started from here. Recorded in 1962, this was the live album that turned James Brown into a legend at an early age and the man never stopped until he passed away at 73.
KISS ‘Alive’. Before I start, I never liked KISS and it was only after a reader mentioned them to me that I decided to give the album a go and surprisingly, it still holds up very well. The flamboyance and showmanship aside, these guys actually wrote some great songs and while I still don’t get why this album was more a product of studio overdubbing than an actual live recording, it still turned out great. That might have been one of the reasons I was hesitant to put this album on the list but I know people who have seen KISS live and have said they were great. The show was an extravaganza but the vocals and musicianship where top shelf, so I have given them a pass and included it.