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
This page has two readers polls to find the:
The obvious answer is Made In Japan when the mark II band were in their prime promoting the legendary Machine Head LP.
But do the Deep Purple fans agree? Continue reading What Are The Best Deep Purple Live And Studio Albums?
The Song Remains The Same was the first Led Zeppelin live album issued from 1973 concerts at the Madison Square Garden, New York which promoted the House Of The Holy studio album.
It was released in 1976 as the soundtrack to the concert film of the same name.
Led Zeppelin are known for their great live performances and they’ve become one of the most heavily bootlegged artists in the world.
It was re-issued in 2007 with a much better sound and with extra songs included. This makes it much more comparable with the other big Zeppelin live album, How The West Was Won.
Continue reading Led Zeppelin The Song Remains The Same 1973
Made In Europe is a souvenir of the 1975 tour Deep Purple made with Ritchie Blackmore to promote their Stormbringer album.
Shortly afterwards Blackmore left the group and Tommy Bolin joined.
Although there are only two personnel changes (vocalist Ian Glover and Roger Glover out, David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes in), this is a very different band than the one that recorded Made In Japan.
Neil Young Weld was recorded in 1991 on the tour to promote the Ragged Glory album with Crazy Horse and it rocks hard.
If you’re a fan of hard rock and you’ve dismissed Neil Young as an acoustic folkie based on songs like After the Goldrush and Harvest Moon, you’re in for a big shock.
There’s nothing subtle or gentle in this album.
On the other hand, if you want Neil Young, the folk singer-songwriter playing live, then you’d better hurry along to Live At Massey Hall.
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Made In Japan is one of the best and most famous hard rock live albums that captured mark 2 Deep Purple at their peak, promoting the outstanding Machine Head album.
Purple have gone on to release plenty of live albums, some that date before this 1972 concert and some after but this is the one to hear first.
Just the look of the cover makes me quiver with excitement. I loved this as a teenager and have continued to love it for over thirty years.
Deep Purple Made In Japan – Overall Rating 28/30
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The Who Live At Leeds is arguably the greatest live album ever recorded.
I thought about which live album was going to be the first one to feature on my Best Live Albums blog and in the end, I decided the answer was obvious.
The first one I ever bought.
I always think of this as The Who Live At Leeds although others refer to it as Live At Leeds by The Who. From 2012 onwards, there is also The Who Live At Hull to consider.
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The Set List – Rating 9/10 Continue reading The Who Live At Leeds 1970
