The 30 best Classic Rock live albums

11 September 2024, 09:00 | Updated: 11 September 2024, 14:18

The live album - and opportunity for the world's greatest artists to show how great they are in front of a live audience. Here are some of the very best.

By Radio X

@RadioX

1. The MC5 - Kick Out The Jams: released February 1969

   Right now it's time to... kick out the jams, motherf**kers!" The greatest opening to any live album - or indeed, any album at all - is Rob Tyner's intro to the raucous Ramblin' Rose, which kicks off two sides of proto-punk recorded in Detroit over two nights across Halloween 1968.

   

2. The Who - Live At Leeds: release date 14th February 1970

   The Who's first live album still remains their most famous yet, and a plaque at the University of Leeds commemorates the date it was recorded at the Refectory on 14 February 1970, calling it "the most celebrated live album of its generation". Pretty loud.

   

   My Generation (Live at Leeds version) - The Who

3. The Doors - Absolutely Live: release date 20th July 1970

   Issued between the albums Morrison Hotel and the band's last hurrah with Jim Morrison, LA Woman, this live document was captured at a number of shows between July 1969 and May 1970. It was the first live album from the psychedelic blues merchants, but it wouldn't be their last. Best track: the full version of Morrison's elusive Celebration Of The Lizard

   

4. Joe Cocker - Mad Dogs & Englishmen: released August 1970

   Sheffield-born Cocker was a hero in the late 60s and this double album was recorded over two dates at the Filmore East in New York in March 1970. Joe doesn't do his signature cover of With A Little Help From My Friends, but he does take on Lennon & McCartney's She Came In Through The Bathroom Window, the Stones' Honky Tonk Women and Leonard Cohen's Bird On A Wire.

   

5. The Rolling Stones - Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out! Release date 4th September 1970

   Released in 1970, this official Stones album was seen as a response to the famous bootleg, Liv'r Than You'll Ever Be and charts their acclaimed return to the stage in the US after a few years on hiatus. Best bit: the lengthy take on Midnight Rambler. "Charlie's good tonight, innee?" says Mick - and he’s right.

   

   Midnight Rambler (Live From Madison Square Garden, New York/1969)

6. The Concert For Bangladesh: release date 20th December 1971

   George Harrison stepped up at the request of his musical guru Ravi Shankar, who was horrified by the effects of the Bangladesh Liberation War, which had exacerbated the humanitarian crisis caused by the Bhola cyclone of November 1970. The star-studded pair of shows at Madison Square Garden in 1971 became a triple set that featured George's Beatle comrade Ringo Starr, plus friends Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Billy Preston, Leon Russell, Klaus Voorman, and members of Badfinger. George does Here Comes The Sun, but it's overshadowed by Dylan's return to public performance with A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall

   

7. Deep Purple - Made In Japan: release date 22nd December 1972

   A double-live album of the hard rock pioneers' dates in Osaka and Tokyo in August of 1972. The four sides showcase the Gillan-Blackmore-Glover-Lord-Paice line-up's virtuosity.

   

8. Welcome Back My Friends To the Show That Never Ends – Ladies And Gentlemen Emerson Lake And Palmer: released August 1974

   Probably the best name for a live album ever, this is six sides of the supergroup recorded at Anaheim, California in February 1974. Side two is mostly the title track of their Tarkus album, while Brain Salad Surgery's track Karn Evil 9 spans across both sides of the final disc.

   

9. 1969: The Velvet Underground Live: released September 1974

   The Velvet Underground had spluttered to a halt without Lou Reed in 1973, but manager Steve Sesnick had tapes of the Reed-Sterling Morrison-Doug Yule-Moe Tucker line-up recorded in late 1969 and saw an opportunity to capitalise on the band's cult following. The four sides features all the key moments: I'm Waiting For The Man, Pale Blue Eyes, Heroin and White Light/White Heat.

   

10. Kiss - Alive! Release date 10th September 1975

    The glam rock pioneers did their heavily made-up thing at shows in Detroit (Rock City!), Cleveland other venues on their summer 1975 tour. This double album captures an American phenomenon at the height of their fame. Best track: Rock And Roll All Nite

    

11. The Stooges - Metallic K.O.: release date 1976

    Originally an album of dubious legality by the French label Skydog in 1976, this is a badly-recorded, sloppily-performed piece of pure drama, compiled from a show in October 1973 and The Stooges' final gig for thirty years on 9th February 1974. Frontman Iggy Pop challenged a local biker gang to "do their worst" at this show, after disrupting a show the previous day... and things degenerate from there. The burgeoning punk movement at the time made this a vital blueprint for confrontational rock 'n' roll.

    

12. Peter Frampton - Frampton Comes Alive! Released 6th January 1976

    One of the best selling live albums of all time includes the classics Show Me The Way and Baby I Love Your Way. This double album was taped at a number of shows in mid to late 1975 and effectively gave Frampton the career he'd been working towards. It went eight times Platinum in the USA

    

13. Led Zeppelin - The Song Remains The Same: release date 22nd October 1976

    Connoisseurs may prefer the 2003 How The West Was Won collection, but this double collection came out during the band's lifetime complete with a silly film that included "fantasy" sequences. The band's jamming on Dazed And Confused takes up a WHOLE SIDE of vinyl, showing Zep in their prime.

    

    Led Zeppelin - Rock and Roll (Madison Square Garden 1973)

14. Paul McCartney & Wings - Wings Over America: release date 10th December 1976

    Macca came out into the lead as Top Solo Beatle after a slow start and this triple LP of tracks taped on Wings' North American tour in May-June of 1976 proved he could pull the same sort of crowds his old band used to. Best track: Maybe I'm Amazed

    

15. Genesis - Seconds Out: release date 14th October 1977

    The British prog legends had already issued Genesis Live in 1973, but this double-set showcases the immediate post-Peter Gabriel era and features the final appearance of guitarist Steve Hackett. Phil Collins slips into his predecessor's role on tracks like The Musical Box and Supper's Ready.

    

16. The Band - The Last Waltz: release date 7th April 1978

    The soundtrack to the documentary by Martin Scorsese, this is the farewell show from the country rockers before their initial split in November 1976. The parade of guests is amazing: Neil Diamond, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Dr John, Muddy Waters, Van Morrison... and then Bob Dylan turns up.

    

17. Thin Lizzy - Live And Dangerous: release date 2nd June 1978

    Phil Lynott and co recorded live in in London, Philadelphia and Toronto between '76 and '77. Starts with Jailbreak, ends with The Rocker, stops off at The Boys Are Back In Town somewhere near the start of side 3. Incredible cover, too.

    

    Thin Lizzy - Dancing In The Moonlight (Live And Dangerous)

18. David Bowie - Stage: release date 29th September 1978

    Our man had a previous live album out in the early 70s (the wimpily-titled David Live), but this catches him in the classic, cool period of the Isolar World Tour of 1978. Originally available on fluorescent yellow vinyl, the two LP set kicks off with some hits, moves to the icy sounds of Station To Station on side 2, gets moody on Side 3 with some Low instrumentals and showcases the then-new “Heroes” album on side 4. So cool.

    

    David Bowie - Station To Station (Stage)

19. Cheap Trick - Live At Budokan: release date 8th October 1978

    Like Frampton Comes Alive, Cheap Trick established a successful career after their live album became a hit in the US being certified as triple Platinum by the RIAA. Best track: "I Want You to Want Me"

    

20. AC/DC - If You Want Blood: release date 13th October 1978

    The only live album from the Aussie powerhouse to be released while Bon Scott was still with us was recorded in Glasgow in April 1978, this is a fine example of how AC/DC won over the world with their no-nonsense delivery.

    

21. Ramones - It's Alive: released April 1979

    A double set of the brothers Ramone recorded live at the Rainbow in London on the last day of 1977. It kicks off with Rockaway Beach and takes in Blitzkrieg Bip, Sheena Is Punk Rocker, Do You Want To Dance and the show ended with seats being thrown. Punk rock!

    

22. Queen - Live Killers: release date 22nd June 1979

    Choose the 1986 Live At Wembley if you want a full career retrospective, but for pure theatrical Queen (rather than crowd pleasing singalong Queen), this 1978 collection recorded on the 1978 Jazz tour is a great document of how accomplished the band were. The quartet run on, do the "fast" version of We Will Rock You and it's non-stop anthems - with a breather for the wonderful Love Of My Life.

    

    Queen Live Killers 01 We Will Rock You (fast)

23. Motörhead - No Sleep Til Hammersmith: released June 1981

    Ironically, the loudest band in the world aren’t featured in action from the famous London venues (Hammersmith Odeon, innit), but Leeds. Newcastle and a couple more shows on their Spring 1981 tour. It’s a monster of a record, and testament to Lemmy’s unstoppable rock machine. It starts with Ace Of Spades. Of course it does.

    

    Motörhead - Ace of Spades (No Sleep 'til Hammersmith)

24. U2 - Under A Blood Red Sky: release date 21st November 1983

    The Irish band’s 1983 release features three shows from their War Tour in Boston, Germany and their famous show at Colorado's Red Rocks ampitheatre. The recording - which features a powerful performance of Sunday Bloody Sunday - cemented their status as a huge live act and put them in the big league.

    

    U2 - Sunday Bloody Sunday

25. Alchemy: Dire Straits Live: release date 16th March 1984

    Huge-selling recording of the British band caught at Hammersmith Odeon just before Brothers In Arms changed the world, this double set incudes classics like Romeo & Juliet, Private Investigations and Sultans Of Swing.

    

26. Talking Heads - Stop Making Sense: released September 1984

    Accompanied by Jonathan "Silence Of The Lambs" Demme's concert film, this classic kicks off with a David Byrne solo version of Psycho Killer, then just gets better and better, The album featured on the Billboard 200 for over two years and rightly so.

    

    Stop Making Sense | Burning Down the House | Official Clip HD | A24

27. Iron Maiden - Live After Death: release date 14th October 1985

    A thrilling document of the World Slavery Tour, this album captures Maiden at the height of their fame, with Bruce Dickinson on vocals and the 13-minute long Rime Of The Ancient Mariner all present and correct.

    

28. Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band - Live/1975-85: release date 10th November 1986

    40 examples of The Boss caught live across a ten year period, collected on a five vinyl discs or three CDs. Tracks include I'm On Fire, Darkness On The Edge Of Town, Born To Run and Hungry Heart.

    

29. Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Arc/Weld: release date 22nd October 1991

    Issued barely a month after Nirvana released Nevermind, here comes the Godfather of Grunge to show them all how it's done with a collection of live tracks from the Ragged Glory tour. Young reckoned he permanently damaged his hearing mixing this recording, and if you've got the limited 3-CD edition which includes Arc - a collage of feedback from the gigs - you'll understand why.

    

    Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Hey Hey, My My ( Into the Black ) live 1991 HD

30. The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Live At Monterey: release date 16th October 2007

    The legendary rock guitarist plays the event that kick started the rock festival as we know it. Jimi smashes through the classics - Hey Joe, Foxy Lady, Purple Haze, Wild Thing - and sets his guitar on fire, literally, A ridiculously brilliant example of musicianship and showmanship.

    

    Wild Thing (1967) (Monterey Pop Festival)