Hard Rock and Heavy Metal Live Albums
This category catches both hard rock and heavy metal live albums.
In the 1970s the two terms were used interchangeably to describe the music of groups like Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple
and Black Sabbath to distinguish the music from both pop rock and prog rock.
Then punk rock came along and out of that emerged the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal with bands like Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and Saxon.
Motorhead played faster and provided a template for thrash metal groups like Metallica and Megadeth. It was too much for me and particularly as I got older but I can’t deny that there is an adrenalin rush from great heavy metal and I believe it’s best captured on live albums.
Hard Rock and Heavy Metal Live Albums
Quick Links To Selected Live Hard Rock And Heavy Metal Live Albums
I haven’t included all the albums by the major acts here because you can normally get to the others from their most popular albums.
AC/DC If You Want Blood You’ve Got It 1978
AC/DC Live 1990 1991
Aerosmith Live Bootleg
Aerosmith A Little South of Sanity
Bachman & Turner Live At The Roseland Ballroom NYC 2012
Beck Bogert & Appice Live 1973
Black Sabbath Live At Last 1973
Black Sabbath Live Evil 1982
Blue Öyster Cult On Your Feet Or On Your Knees
Blue Oyster Cult Some Enchanted Evening 1978
Budgie Radio Sessions 1974 & 1978
Deep Purple Made In Japan
Deep Purple Live In Paris 1975
Def Leppard Viva Hysteria 2013
Rory Gallagher Stage Struck
Grand Funk Railroad Live Album 1970
Guns N Roses Live Era 87–93
Hawkwind Space Ritual Alive 1972
Iced Earth Alive in Athens 1999
Iron Maiden Live After Death 1985
Iron Maiden Rock In Rio 2001
Judas Priest Unleashed In The East 1979
Kiss Alive
Kiss Alive 2
Led Zeppelin How The West Was Won 1972
Led Zeppelin – The Song Remains The Same 1973
MC5 Kick Out The Jams 1968
Megadeth That One Night Live In Buenos Aires 2005
Metallica Live Shit Binge And Purge 1993
Metallica S&M 1999
Michael Schenker Group One Night At Budokan 1981
Motley Crue Live Entertainment Or Death
Motorhead No Sleep Til Hammersmith 1981
Mott The Hoople Live 1973 & 1974
Moxy Raw 2001
Nirvana From The Muddy Banks Of The Wishkah
Ozzy Osbourne Tribute 1981
Ozzy Osbourne Speak of the Devil 1982
Jimmy Page & The Black Crowes Live At The Greek
Rainbow On Stage 1976
Lou Reed Rock N Roll Animal 1973
Rush All The World’s A Stage
Rush Exit Stage Left 1980 & 1981
Saxon The Eagle Has Landed Live 1981
Scorpions Tokyo Tapes 1978
Scorpions World Wide Live 1984
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band British Tour 76
Slade Alive! 1971
Slayer Decade Of Aggression 1991
Thin Lizzy Live And Dangerous
UFO Strangers In The Night 1978
Uriah Heep Live 1973
The Who Live At Leeds
Y&T Yesterday & Today Live 1990
You can get these albums from Amazon.com – Amazon.co.uk.
What Are The Best Hard Rock & Heavy Metal Live Albums Of All Time
To help you to find the best live albums I have created a readers poll:
Best Heavy Metal Albums and you’ll see that there are so many good live albums in this category that I’ve opened up a second division poll for albums that may get enough votes to deserve to be promoted.
Loading ...You’ll find more of your favourite live albums in this next poll.
Sorry, there are no polls available at the moment.You can get these albums from Amazon.com – Amazon.co.uk.
You may also be interested in these other live album polls – Best Blues Rock Albums – Best Indie Rock Albums – Best Punk Rock Albums – Best Southern Rock Albums
I also have readers polls to find the best live albums by the following hard rock and heavy metal groups:
AC/DC – Black Sabbath – Blue Oyster Cult – Deep Purple – Jimi Hendrix – Iron Maiden – Kiss – Led Zeppelin – Ted Nugent – Rush – Thin Lizzy – The Who
Live Evil is a controversial Black Sabbath live album because it features Ronnie James Dio rather than the iconic Ozzy Osborne. It also has Carmen Appice rather than Bill Ward on drums.
I’m sceptical about this album and as I admitted in my review of Reunion, I’m not a huge Black Sabbath fan.
Strangers In The Night is a live album by UFO recorded on their 1978 US tour to promote the Obsession album. Guitarist Michael Schenker left before recording another album.
Unlike Deep Purple or even Uriah Heep, it’s hard to pick out a classic studio album by UFO that is essential listening.
They are all good but there’s no In Rock, Machine Head or Demons & Wizards. I have the five recorded with Michael Schenker after they moved away from space rock and I think they are all good rather than great.
But UFO nail it with Strangers In The Night.
Radio Sessions 1974 & 1978 is a live album by Budgie which consists of two concerts recorded by the group and broadcast on the radio. The first in London in 1974 and the second in Los Angeles in 1978.
Budgie Radio Sessions 1974 & 1978
Live in Albuquerque is a live album by Bad Company of a concert in March 1976 which was withdrawn shortly after its release in 2006. They were promoting their third album, Run With The Pack.
This is a shame because classic rock lovers and in particular Bad Company fans need a live album of the group in their prime.
Stage Struck is Rory Gallagher‘s third live album and presents a heavier, hard rock approach to his guitar style recorded in 1979.
The blues had been the emphasis of Live In Europe and Irish Tour.
Rory Gallagher Stage Struck
Exit Stage Left is the second live album by Rush after the success of their first, All The World’s A Stage.
It was recorded at two concerts – June 10-11, 1980 at The Apollo, Glasgow, Scotland on the Permanent Waves tour and March 27, 1981 at The Forum, Montreal on the Moving Pictures tour.
This represents the peak time for the group as they changed their sound from the progressive heavy metal of All The World’s A Stage to a more classic rock style. They even started having hit singles with songs like Spirit Of the Radio and Tom Sawyer.
Live At The Olympia 96 is a live album by Deep Purple with Steve Morse on guitar promoting the Purpendicular album in 1996.
It was tough enough following the changes in personnel in Deep Purple in the late sixties and seventies when they were one of the biggest and most successful rock groups in the world. I lost track of what was going on afterwards.
Very positive reviews encouraged me to buy this album featuring Mark II Purple except that Ritchie Blackmore has been replaced by Steve Morse.
Live In Paris recorded on the 7th April 1975 is the last Mark III performance by Deep Purple because Ritchie Blackmore left the band and had already recorded Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow with Ronnie James Dio.
If You Want Blood You’ve Got It was the first live album by AC/DC recorded in April 1978 at the Apollo Theatre in Glasgow on the Powerage Tour.
Live Bootleg is a live album by Aerosmith recorded from concerts in 1977 and ’78 with two songs from a radio broadcast in 1973.
This represents the group after their first peak of success with the heavy metal/sleaze rock classic albums Toys In The Attic and Rocks which were strongly influenced by Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones.
