Live Albums.

What are your thoughts on live albums ? Do you like them or would you rather listen to the original studio versions of your favourite band's songs ?
I like them most of the time. If it wasn't for a live album, KISS might not have become the monster that stomped all over the world for 4 decades !!! The only thing I can't stand about live performances is " The Solo Spot " Guitar wanking, keyboard tickling and drum thumping for 15 minutes is not my thing ( unles it's accompanied by blood gushing, flying, rocket firing and giant tank drum kits ) .

My Top 5 Live Albums. What are yours ? (offical releases only, no bootlegs.)

Alive-------------------------------------------KISS ( didn't see that one coming, did you !!)
All The World's A Stage--------------------RUSH
Live Without A Net------------------------- ANGEL
One With Everything-----------------------STYX
Volkerball-------------------------------------RAMMSTEIN

I could go on and name others that I love from Kansas, The Stray Cats, Nightwish, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Aerosmith......................but we would be here all day !!!!

P.S. The worst live album..........The Song Remains The Same ---------LED ZEPPELIN.( Utter overblown twaddle !!!)

Kiss Alive/Alive2/MTV Unplugged

Twisted Sister - Live at the Astoria (I was there you know?!?!)

Def Leppard - Live at the LA Forum (Remastered Pyromania Bonus CD)

The Astoria gig was amazing !!! and a great album, shame it's spoilt by certain pictures on the cover !!!

Roger H wrote:

The Astoria gig was amazing !!! and a great album, shame it's spoilt by certain pictures on the cover !!!

Yeah, the cover artwork is boring. The booklet inside is awesome!

Kiss Alive 1 and 2 and AIC unplugged.

My worst would have to be Kiss Alive: The Millenium concert and Poison - Swallow this..Live!

THE ALLMAN BROTHERS--------------------------------Live at the Fillmore East
PETER FRAMPTON---------------------------------------Frampton Comes Alive
HUMBLE PIE----------------------------------------------Performance Rockin the Fillmore
RUSH------------------------------------------------------All The Worlds a Stage
TED NUGENT---------------------------------------------Double live Gonzo

RUSH - Exit Stage Left
Stevie Ray Vaughan - Live Alive
KISS - ALIVE II
Bob Seger - Live Bullet
Journey - Captured

Great thread!!!!

Live albums I like, on the whole. Even if most aren't truely live doesn't bother me...I like hearing the songs in a more 'stripped down' and 'raw' style. While KISS Alive! was the first KISS album I bought it is ALIVE II that really stands out for me. I can see the stage when I listen to it...I hear see the flames and the bombs...I can feel the energy from the crowd and the stage. I think it captures a band at it's peak & in it's prime perfectly. Which is why it is my fav live album...but the same can be said for all my top live albums...so, here they are!!!

KISS ALIVE II
Ramones - It's Alive
Thin Lizzy - Live And Dangerous
Aerosmith - Live Bootleg
Cheap Trick - At Budokan (while the original is classic the more recent full show 2cd version is just mind blowing!!!)

Everyone should own these albums!!!

And I totally agree with Roger about Song Remains The Same...from the moment I heard it I never wanted to hear it again. Over blown, drawn out tosh. Utter crap.

A few votes for ALIVE II. I have to say I was a bit disappointed when it came out. Awesome gatefold cover and inserts, but I felt a bit cheated by only 3 sides and a bunch fillers for the 4th ( Rocket Ride excepted ) I much prefer ALIVE III, because ( as I've mentioned eleswhere ) I like the new slant that Eric S and Bruce Kulick gave to the old songs.

Roger H wrote:

A few votes for ALIVE II. I have to say I was a bit disappointed when it came out. Awesome gatefold cover and inserts, but I felt a bit cheated by only 3 sides and a bunch fillers for the 4th ( Rocket Ride excepted ) I much prefer ALIVE III, because ( as I've mentioned eleswhere ) I like the new slant that Eric S and Bruce Kulick gave to the old songs.

I love some the songs on Alive III. IWMFLY sounds great. Some songs are just too darn fast, plus Sausage Roll all nite (Pastie everyday) should NEVER be mid set. I much prefer 'Unchained & Unmasked' the bootleg of the Alive 3 tour..

KISS ALIVE III was a complete sell-out. Was not even worthy of bearing the second Ess from KISS ALIVE II. The market was ripe for pickin', and they got away clean with a Poison, Warrant, Slaughter, Firehouse, Sebastian Bach band list of blow-pop tunes. Pffft.

- Iron Maiden ~ Live After Death
- Stevie Ray Vaughn ~ Live at the El Mocambo
- The Band ~ The Band ( ?)
- I don't know the name of it, but, I'm pretty sure Steve Miller released a live performance, and it was great.

Frethead wrote:

KISS ALIVE III was a complete sell-out. Was not even worthy of bearing the second Ess from KISS ALIVE II. The market was ripe for pickin', and they got away clean with a Poison, Warrant, Slaughter, Firehouse, Sebastian Bach band list of blow-pop tunes. Pffft.

- Iron Maiden ~ Live After Death
- Stevie Ray Vaughn ~ Live at the El Mocambo
- The Band ~ The Band ( ?)
- I don't know the name of it, but, I'm pretty sure Steve Miller released a live performance, and it was great.

Not a fan of 80's Kiss then!

Pete wrote:

Frethead wrote:

KISS ALIVE III was a complete sell-out. Was not even worthy of bearing the second Ess from KISS ALIVE II. The market was ripe for pickin', and they got away clean with a Poison, Warrant, Slaughter, Firehouse, Sebastian Bach band list of blow-pop tunes. Pffft.

- Iron Maiden ~ Live After Death
- Stevie Ray Vaughn ~ Live at the El Mocambo
- The Band ~ The Band ( ?)
- I don't know the name of it, but, I'm pretty sure Steve Miller released a live performance, and it was great.

- Peter Frampton Live

Not a fan of 80's Kiss then!

Sorry, Pete. No. KISS really had something in the seventies, electric and shocking, though the gregariousness of the eighties, cool by itself, completely extracated the band's kibosh. The resulting cheeseball was more than I could carry.

Roger H wrote:

A few votes for ALIVE II. I have to say I was a bit disappointed when it came out. Awesome gatefold cover and inserts, but I felt a bit cheated by only 3 sides and a bunch fillers for the 4th ( Rocket Ride excepted ) I much prefer ALIVE III, because ( as I've mentioned eleswhere ) I like the new slant that Eric S and Bruce Kulick gave to the old songs.

I loved it!

I loved the stripped down versions of the Destroyer songs (other than Beth... ) I even loved the studio songs!

Pete wrote:

Kiss Alive/Alive2/MTV Unplugged

Twisted Sister - Live at the Astoria (I was there you know?!?!)

Def Leppard - Live at the LA Forum (Remastered Pyromania Bonus CD)

Cheap Trick - Live at the Budokan.

Pete wrote:

Cheap Trick - Live at the Budokan.

Do you know, I've never owned a copy of this !!! A terrible omission on my part !!

Roger The Shrubber wrote:

Pete wrote:

Cheap Trick - Live at the Budokan.

Do you know, I've never owned a copy of this !!! A terrible omission on my part !!

To be fair, I have a less than legitimate copy of this particular record...