I've been listening to some live albums lately, so I decided to throw together a little list of some of my faves. Leave a comment with your faves.
Queen - Live Killers (1979)
This one might be my favourite live album. It's cut together from different shows, but it feels like one and it's a superb recording of Queen, maybe at the height of their powers. This is probably the first band I'd go see if I got a hold of a time travel machine.
Mogwai - Special Moves (2010)
Mogwai are incredible live, I've seen them 4 or 5 times. Moments that build up into an insane wall of noise, to moments where you can hear a pin drop (often within the same song). This release is nearly as good as being there. Stick it in your headphones and turn it all the way up.
The Beatles - Live at The Hollywood Bowl (1977)
One of the first records I bought with my own money. The screaming. So much screaming. Pretty cool document of arguably the greatest band of all time.
Joanna Newsom - Live at the Egyptian Theater (2016)
This is a bootleg. It sounds excellent, probably a soundboard recording, and I listen to it a lot. She was on tour for Divers and on top of her game (I saw her on this tour in Oakland). Well worth tracking down.
Kate Bush - Before the Dawn (2016)
A recording of her 2014 residency at Hammersmith in London, I got to attend a couple of the shows. Getting to that point was a long, interesting road. A fan since the 80s. In the 90s I'd pretty much accepted the fact that I'd never get to see her live. But it happened, eventually...and I totally cried the first time I saw her walk onto the stage. This release just takes me back to that first night. Fucking magic.
Bonus album:
Iron Maiden - Live After Death (1985)
Before this release, I went to see Iron Maiden but was so drunk I don't remember any of it. So when this came out, I listened to it quite a bit, trying to relive what I couldn't remember. Also, the album is pretty great. SCREAM FOR ME, LONG BEACH!