Favorite Live Recording

[pawpaw]

It can be MMJ too, but what's the one show recording that you turn to most, your favorite? It can be an official release or a bootleg.

For me, without a doubt, it's the Rolling Stones 10/17/73 show in Brussels. It's pretty widely circulated and easy to find on the internet for download. You can also stream it here:

http://www.wolfgangsvault.com/the-rolling-stones/concerts/forest-national-october-17-1973.html

[ALady]

I always go back to Bob Dylan's Hard Rain.  Rolling Thunder Revue at its peak.

[el_chode]

If it's not MMJ, it's Ween @ Stubbs or Zappa's Roxy & Elsewhere

[BH]

Age 10-16   Kiss - Alive
Age 17-20   Tesla - Five Man Acoustic Jam
Age 21-25   Nirvana - Unplugged
Age 26-32   Paul Simon - Concert In The Park
Age 33-37   MMJ - Okonokos

[TheBigChicken]

The Doors 1967 live @the Matrix Club.....smokin'
Peter Tosh - Coming In Hot

if anybody wants these pm me....oh and bbill Wolfgangs Vault is a gem

[Jaimoe]

Live at Leeds by The Who followed closely by At Fillmore East by The Allman Brothers Band. Band of Gypsys is right in the mix too.

[Shug]

Some of these are video, but great documents of live performances nonetheless.  Hard to choose just one, I guess if I had to, right now it'd be Wilco.  I didn't even consider bootlegs, there are too many!

Van Morrison - It's Too Late To Stop Now (live in 1973)
Bob Dylan and The Band - Before The Flood (live in 1974) (I also love Hard Rain, too)
Wilco - Ashes of American Flags
MMJ - Okonokos
The Black Crowes - Into The Fog (live in 2005)
Pink Floyd - Live at Pompei
Derek and the Dominoes - Live at The Fillmore
Grateful Dead - Reckoning (acoustic live in 1980)
Allman Brothers - First Set (live in 1992)
Led Zeppelin - Live at Albert Hall 1970
The Band and friends - The Last Waltz
Rolling Stones - Ladies and Gentlemen (live in 1972)

[Jaimoe]

Allman Brothers - First Set (live in 1992)

It's a fine album and perhaps the best live document of the rebooted latter Allmans, but it pales when compared to the Duane-era stuff, or my name isn't Jaimoe, aka Jai Johanny Johanson. I must say that Warren Haynes and Betts are killer throughout as is Allen Woody. Gotta love Warren's inspiring slide on "Dreams". Too bad Betts' chops fell off dramatically by 2000.

[lucylew]

Age 10-16   Kiss - Alive
Age 17-20   Tesla - Five Man Acoustic Jam
Age 21-25   Nirvana - Unplugged
Age 26-32   Paul Simon - Concert In The Park
Age 33-37   MMJ - Okonokos

Pearl Jam  Seattle 2000 night 2 and Okonokos

I have fond memories of Tesla's Five Man Acoustical Jam - Tesla was my favorite (bar band at the Oasis Ballroom circa mid 80's in Sacramento) back when they were City Kidd!

[Shug]

Allman Brothers - First Set (live in 1992)

It's a fine album and perhaps the best live document of the rebooted latter Allmans, but it pales when compared to the Duane-era stuff, or my name isn't Jaimoe, aka Jai Johanny Johanson. I must say that Warren Haynes and Betts are killer throughout as is Allen Woody. Gotta love Warren's inspiring slide on "Dreams". Too bad Betts' chops fell off dramatically by 2000.

I understand most people are gonna favor the classic era Allmans with Duane, but there's something about the interaction between Warren and Dickey in the early 90s that, for me, tops what Duane and Dickey did.  I know that's profanity to many, but its really what I think.  If Duane had been around long enough to play on fully realized live versions of Blue Sky and Southbound and Melissa, I might feel differently.  There are just too many classic Allman Brothers songs that came after the Duane era that At Fillmore East feels, to me, like its missing something.

[pawpaw]

The Doors 1967 live @the Matrix Club.....smokin'
Peter Tosh - Coming In Hot

if anybody wants these pm me....oh and bbill Wolfgangs Vault is a gem

There really are some great shows on there!

[Jaimoe]

Allman Brothers - First Set (live in 1992)

It's a fine album and perhaps the best live document of the rebooted latter Allmans, but it pales when compared to the Duane-era stuff, or my name isn't Jaimoe, aka Jai Johanny Johanson. I must say that Warren Haynes and Betts are killer throughout as is Allen Woody. Gotta love Warren's inspiring slide on "Dreams". Too bad Betts' chops fell off dramatically by 2000.

I understand most people are gonna favor the classic era Allmans with Duane, but there's something about the interaction between Warren and Dickey in the early 90s that, for me, tops what Duane and Dickey did.  I know that's profanity to many, but its really what I think.  If Duane had been around long enough to play on fully realized live versions of Blue Sky and Southbound and Melissa, I might feel differently.  There are just too many classic Allman Brothers songs that came after the Duane era that At Fillmore East feels, to me, like its missing something.

You can make that same argument about any band's live album(s) released at an early or mid career time frame. However, Live Dead is perhaps still the best Grateful Dead live LP, even without tunes from American Beauty and Working Man's Dead. Live at Leeds came out a year before Who's Next, but nobody thinks the album would have been better with "Won't Get Fooled Again" on it. The feel of Leeds would have been greatly altered and the Tommy stuff would have suffered. Heck, "Young Man Blues" may not have made the cut, and that would be a rock n roll tragedy.

The studio versions of "Jessica" and "Blue Sky" has never been equalled, and I've witnessed amazing live shows with the Allmans with Betts dueling Warren (I've even seen the Allmans with Chuck Leavell). The best thing about peak Allmans was that they put out incredible studio albums. At The Fillmore remains one of rock's most impressive and influential live efforts - some songs didn't take off until At The Fillmore was released such as "Elizabeth Reed". I must say that besides the spotty Seven Turns record, the Haynes/Woody/Betts era studio albums are all good to great (same with the live releases). On an aside, I have an original promo poster of First Set.

Heck, the Allmans are near dead to me nowadays, which depresses me. No Betts = No ABB (and I've seen Betts-less ABB with Trucks and Haynes; I like Jimmy Herring, but what he brought wasn't authentic). The core 4 should have remained intact or they should call it quits or tour under Gregg's banner with Warren and DerekTrucks. I know why Dickey was booted out, but playing without Betts ain't really true ABB. But BEWARE of Dickey's post-ABB solo work, especially live recordings. Suck comes to mind.

[Shug]

You can make that same argument about any band's live album(s) released at an early or mid career time frame. However, Live Dead is perhaps still the best Grateful Dead live LP, even without tunes from American Beauty and Working Man's Dead. Live at Leeds came out a year before Who's Next, but nobody thinks the album would have been better with "Won't Get Fooled Again" on it. The feel of Leeds would have been greatly altered and the Tommy stuff would have suffered. Heck, "Young Man Blues" may not have made the cut, and that would be a rock n roll tragedy.

Its really all opinion, of course.  There is at least one person, me ;) who thinks Live At Leeds and the Who's Isle of Wight DVD would've been better with more tunes from Who's Next and less from Tommy because I'm not a fan of Tommy and I think the Who peaked in terms of songwriting with Who's Next.  And I don't think Live Dead is the best Grateful Dead live record because I think the Dead were playing better material in 1972 than they were in 1969.  Yeah, all live albums from later in a band's career have more songs to possibly make the cut, but its a matter of whether someone thinks the band got better with time or if they peaked early.  Its all just a matter of where one thinks the peak came. Its not an argument I'm trying to win, its just an opinion.  I understand why people have different opinions than I do about what is the best period of a given band or what their best live albums were and I'm not trying to convince you or anyone else to share my opinion.  I'm also not trying to present myself as an expert whose opinion is fact. I just think its interesting to converse about these things.

BTW, I completely agree with you about the Allmans without Dickey.  Its nowhere near as good as it was with him. 

[Jaimoe]

You can make that same argument about any band's live album(s) released at an early or mid career time frame. However, Live Dead is perhaps still the best Grateful Dead live LP, even without tunes from American Beauty and Working Man's Dead. Live at Leeds came out a year before Who's Next, but nobody thinks the album would have been better with "Won't Get Fooled Again" on it. The feel of Leeds would have been greatly altered and the Tommy stuff would have suffered. Heck, "Young Man Blues" may not have made the cut, and that would be a rock n roll tragedy.

Its really all opinion, of course.  There is at least one person, me ;) who thinks Live At Leeds and the Who's Isle of Wight DVD would've been better with more tunes from Who's Next and less from Tommy because I'm not a fan of Tommy and I think the Who peaked in terms of songwriting with Who's Next.  And I don't think Live Dead is the best Grateful Dead live record because I think the Dead were playing better material in 1972 than they were in 1969.  Yeah, all live albums from later in a band's career have more songs to possibly make the cut, but its a matter of if whether someone thinks the band got better with time or if they peaked early.  Its all just a matter of where one thinks the peak came. Its not an argument I'm trying to win, its just an opinion.  I understand why people have different opinions than I do about what is the best period of a given band or what their best live albums were and I'm not trying to convince you or anyone else to share my opinion.  I'm also not trying to present myself as an expert whose opinion is fact. I just think its interesting to converse about these things.

BTW, I completely agree with you about the Allmans without Dickey.  Its nowhere near as good as it was with him.

It's the non Tommy stuff that really fires me up on both Wight and Leeds, but the Tommy material is really explosive done live, especially "Sparks", "I'm Free" and "Amazing Journey". Dead weren't playing better during the Europe '72 era than back in '69, plus there was less Pigpen, which was a shame. I agree, Pete did peak in terms of songwriting around Who's Next, but their live prowess came a year or two (or three) earlier. It all comes down to Moon and his health, and he was just starting his slide right after Who's Next (more like Quadrophenia). Still, a sliding Moon is better than most rock drummers in their prime.

[MrWhippy]

Spiritualized - Royal Albert Hall October 10 1997

[ophidiophobia]

My favorite bootleg is White Stripes 6/27/03 Oklahoma City, OK and my favorite official release is Nirvana Unplugged.

[Jaimoe]

This captures everything prime The Who were about. Explosive is an understatement:

The Who - Young Man Blues (Live) HQ

[TheBigChicken]

ACDC - If You Want Blood You've Got It

[nuggets]

Official release-Little Feat-Waiting For Columbus
Bootleg- Grateful Dead Spring '90-specifically the pirate radio broadcasts that Healy did. (Hartford and Albany) Some of the most amazing live recordings I've ever heard. Dude was a monster on the board.

[youreveningcoat]

Okonokos,

And if not that (It's always that) It would be Freebird the movie