I've gotta go with Jackson Browne's Running on Empty. I like original live material, which is a rarity.

Great list, within classic rock I would add Neil Young's Live Rust and Santana's Moonflower, and away from classic rock, Roxy Music, Talking Heads, James Brown, Otis Redding, Stiff Live, Urgh, and the Two-Tone live ska album.

gotta go with the Johnny Cash live classics, "At Folcom Prision" and "At San Quien".

and I got a live The Who cd with the deluxe edition of Who's Next that's really good.

peace.

please add Fillmore East by the Allman Brothers Band and Lotus by Santana

What about Van Morrison's 1974 double-CD, "It's Too Late to Stop Now..."? It's the only recording that makes you feel you are actually standing on stage with The Man and his band instead on in the audience.

You forgot Bob Dylan's "Judas" concert (Live 1966), where punk was born.

I would add "Take No Prisoners" by Lou Reed, if only for the review by Robert Christgau.

In addition, in the last couple of decades, there are great concert videos. "Stop Making Sense" is one of my favourites, though Lou Reed's "New York" is special because it was filmed in Montreal, and I was sitting by the camera in the balcony, so when I watch it, most of the shots are from the same perspective I experienced at the show.

On "Get Your Ya-Yas Out" I'm sure when Mick is talking about the fly in his trousers being busted, the crowd is yelling "We want to suck your cock, Mick!"

Speakin' of Uncle Lou, I'd add Rock 'N' Roll Animal to that list: it taught me to love "Heroin."

I'd have to say the definitive version of "Heroin" is on "1969 Live", along with "Sweet Jane", though the guitar work on "Rock and Roll Animal" is a milestone.

Thinking about Unca Lou, what if he was one of Donald Duck's renegade nephews? Hewey, Duey, Louie and Lou, just Lou, what's it to you, punk?

Deep Purple, "Made in Japan"

Oh, okay, Motorhead, "No Sleep Til Hammersmith".

Plus The Ramones, "It's Alive", the album which started punk rock, all of it, well, except for "Metallic KO" by The Stooges, but that is the exception which proves the rule since nobody knew about it until after the fact.

I few I'd add, but none I would take away.

I hate to admit it, but Journey's "Captured" live album is a great recording from the time befoer the band became known for sappy, insipid ballads and could actually rock 'n' roll.

It's a good thing that you put "waiting for Columbus" in the list, that is the epitome of a great live album.

ACDC Live--"Thunderstruck" is unreal.

You are the first person I've read in 25 years who even admits to still playing Frampton Comes Alive!, let alone giving it a place of honor in a Best-Of list.

Jim Carruthers cites Reed's Take No Prisoners, which really brings back memories -- I have never felt so ripped off by the effort and money I put into acquiring a disc. I was still so jazzed on Street Hassle that when Prisoners came out I scraped together money I could not afford to spend and begged my mom to drive 50 miles to the mall at Myrtle Beach, which was the only place selling it. Man, what a horrifying disappointment that record was when I got home; what a brutally cruel lesson in how little Reed thinks of his fans. A grindingly unfunny drunken two-hour comedy act where Reed bitches about Christgau and Rockwell. I attended a Southern Baptist college back then, and when the day came that a group of students fell under the semi-annual spell of rock-is-evil record-burning fervor, I cannot tell you with what joy and happiness I pitched Take No Prisoners onto the raging pyre.

My picks: Bruce Springsteen's Live Set, Bob Dylan's 1966 Royal Albert Hall Concert, and Cheap Trick's rightly mentioned Budokan concert. To this day, Bun E. Carlos's drum solo on "Clock Strikes Ten" is my number one rock fantasy; in my version, of course, the lead vocalist says: "On the drums -- Mister RODNEY WELCH!!!!!!"

isn't Take No Prisoners the one that was released on red vinyl? i might have a copy of that somewhere.

as for Frampton Comes Alive...i might have to blame that on "That 70's Show". in fact, i may have to blame my recent jones for all things 1978 on that damned show.

Great comments all - I can't believe I forgot Velvets Live '69, Reed's R&R Animal, Allman's Fillmore! I also love Not-Traffic's Welcome to the Canteen and Wishbone Ash's Live Dates.

Mark,

That's a great list--here are my additions:

I'll second Bill Sherman's mention of Lou Reed's Rock and Roll Animal, as Hunter and Wagner are such a ferocious guitar duo on that album.

While Get Your Ya-Yas Out is one of the Stones' best live albums, there are a number of great songs from that period that didn't wind up on it. (I've read they initially thought about making it a double album--too bad they didn't.) Criterion's Gimme Shelter DVD has several songs, not the least of which are its title song, and an nifty extended version of "Satisfaction" that were used in the movie, but not on the album.

Led Zep's The Song Remains The Same and The Who's Kids Are Alright soundtracks are also fun live albums, as is Zep's BBC Sessions CD.

Ed

I've always loved Rainbow's "On Stage"; a massive self-indulgent guitar wig-out, I know, but Richie Blackmore really was at his peak at the time.

Also Blue Oyster Cult's "Some Enchanted Evening", again recorded when band were at their peak.

Agree about Journey's "Captured", it somehow manages to turn what were sludgy power-ballads in the studio into rock anthems. I feel Journey are a critically underrated band; they don't deserved to be judged by their singles - they could be a superb hard rock act when they wanted to be.

Eric,

You can't believe you forgot VU's 1969? Hell, I wrote about it at length on this very site and didn't remember it until I just read your comment. Damn. Yes, yes, greatest live album ever. I just wasn't thinking.

Ah well, we are damaged

ok, you guys have to stop. i can't be buying any more cd's right about now!!!

Looks like we've got pretty similar taste in rock & roll. That is one awesome list! I've got every one of those albums except for The Dead and The Tubes. I never really liked The Dead although I saw them back in 1983.

Man, whenever someone revives a dead thread, I get a severe case of temporal distortion.

For me, a live album just never felt right unless it were a double album.

Some more that got a lot of play among my circle of friends:
Thin Lizzy - Live and Dangerous
UFO - Strangers In the Night
Blue Oyster Cult - On Your Feet Or On Your Knees
Yes - Yessongs
Scorpions - Tokyo Tapes
Pat Travers - Go For What You Know
Deep Purple - Made In Europe
Sammy Hagar - All Night Long
Al DiMeola/Paco DeLucia/John McLaughlin - Friday Night In San Francisco
The Mothers - Fillmore East, June 1971

There are some great albums listed above - some of which I reveled in at the time, some of which I still love today, and some of which I've never been able to stand. Following are a few that were missed, neglected, deliberately omitted or forgotten, or that I missed in reading:

The Last Waltz by The Band

On the Road and Welcome to the Canteen* by Traffic

Jeff Beck and the Jan Hammer Group Live - though the vocals are shaky at best, the guitar, keys and drums are amazing

Blues Alive by Gary Moore

Bring 'em Back Alive by Dixie Dregs

and the greatest live blues album I have ever heard (and probably will ever hear) - Live at the Regal by B.B. King. Also the best B.B. album, and one of the best blues albums live or studio, ever recorded, IMHO.

* - Technically, Welcome to the Canteen was not a Traffic album, but a live recording by all the members of Traffic, playing Traffic tunes. Go figure.

yes JR, i've got every one of the records on your list (hmmm, maybe not the Mothers, gotta check).

taloran: that Jeff Beck album is friggin' great! the vocals are kinda scary though.... "full moon boogie, you know what i mean.." yikes!!

A few of my favorites have not been mentioned:

Mad Dogs & Englishmen - Joe Cocker

Bless Its Pointed Little Head - Jefferson Airplane

Live Bullet - Bob Seger

The Concert - Creedence Clearwater Revival

Live at Winterland - Jimi Hendrix (out of print)

The Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl (also out of print)