Proto Punk & Pub Rock Live Albums
Proto Punk is a phrases that has developed after the event to describe the bands that influenced the creation of punk and new wave.
If the punks were rebelling against the excesses and music flatulence of prog rock groups like Emerson Lake & Palmer and blues rock groups like Led Zeppelin, what were their influences?
Early songs by The Who were an obvious source but by the mid seventies The Who had well and truly ruined their reputation with their rock operas Tommy and Quadrophenia.
After all what is punk rock all about?
Attitude, aggression, speed and the motivation to get out there and just do it.
Sources of inspiration can be traced back to The Velvet Underground, MC5, Iggy Pop & The Stooges, Flamin’ Groovies, Patti Smith and the New York Dolls provided the attitude. In Britain, Mott the Hoople and Slade provided a hard edge to glam rock
The Modern Lovers provided a DIY spirit.
Speed came from Dr Feelgood, Eddie & The Hot Rods and The Ramones. In Britain.
Pub rock developed in the UK in the early 1970s with a back to basics approach to music with an emphasis on R&B, funk and country rock.
There was nothing flashy about the music created by the pub rock groups. That was the entire point.
Groups included Brinsley Schwarz, Ducks Deluxe, Kursaal Flyers, Kokomo, Dr. Feelgood and Kilburn & The High Roads.
Graham Parker and the Rumour caught the end of pub rock as it was overwhelmed by punk and new wave music.
But pub rock had done an important job. It had provided an alternative to the flashiness of prog rock and hard rock and made live music a viable alternative in many pubs around London. This gave the punk rockers small venues to appear in at the beginning of their careers.
Pub rock also supplied some of the proto punks that influenced punk rock and Joe Strummer of The Clash played with the 101ers and Ian Dury led Kilburn & The High Roads. The Strangers were effectively a pub rock group with a punk rock attitude.
For a music genre that thrived live, it’s said that many of the best pub rock groups don’t have their own live albums.
Eddie And The Hot Rods – Live In Concert 1977 & 1978
MC5 – Kick Out The Jams 1968
Graham Parker – The Parkerilla 1978
Velvet Underground – Velvet Underground Live 1969
Live On The Test is a live recording of Graham Parker and the Rumour.
It pulls together two performances at the TV Theatre in London recorded for the Old Grey Whistle Test for the BBC:
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King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents Graham Parker is a live album by Graham Parker.
It was recorded at The Chance in Poughkeepsie, New York in 1983.
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Continue reading Graham Parker King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents 1983
Not If It Pleases Me: Live on the BBC is a live recording by Graham Parker & The Rumour.
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Continue reading Graham Parker Not If It Pleases Me 1976 1977
Greasy Truckers Party is a live album that features sets by Brinsley Schwarz, Man and Hawkwind.
It was recorded at The Roundhouse in London on 13 February 1972.
As it’s available as a digital download that lets you choose what you have and what you don’t, I’m treating this as an album by each of the groups.
These are three very different acts with Brinsley Schwarz and their country based pub rock, Man playing psychedelic guitar rock like the Quicksilver Messenger Service and other San Francisco bands and Hawkwind with their heavy space rock.
This is the only live recording of Brinsley Schwarz that I’m aware of.
Continue reading Brinsley Schwarz Greasy Truckers Party 1972
An Ashtray Heart is a live album by Captain Beefheart.
It was recorded at the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver, Canada and broadcast live on Toronto radio on 17 January 1981.
Bonus tracks have also been added which include songs played on Saturday Night Live in 1980, a recording with Frank Zappa in 1975 and three songs from a 1971 radio broadcast.
It was released in 2011 after the Captain died December 17, 2010.
I’m Going To Do What I Wanna Do Live At My Fathers Place 1978 is a live album by Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band.
It was recorded at a very small club called My Father’s Place in Roslyn, New York in 1978 as a limited edition CD but it’s freely available as an mp3 download.
Continue reading Captain Beefheart Live At My Father’s Place 1978
Since Lou Reed was the main singer and songwriter for The Velvet Underground and has understandably continued to play plenty of VU songs live when he was a solo artist, I’ve decided to put them together in one poll.
This article includes a readers poll where you can vote for the best of the Lou Reed and The Velvet Underground live albums and then see the results of those who have gone before you.
The Velvet Underground recorded four legendary studio albums between 1966 and 1970 whilst Lou Reed was a member – The Velvet Underground & Nico, White Light/White Heat, The Velvet Underground and Loaded.
Some will argue that all are essential in a well balanced music collection. I would only say that for the first one.
The Velvet Underground Live Albums
The band didn’t release any live albums whilst they were together but Live at Max’s Kansas City appeared in 1972 and 1969: The Velvet Underground Live was released in 1974. The first of these featured Doug Yule rather than John Cale Maureen Tucker had also left by the time the second was recorded in August 1970.
Since then many more have appeared.
Lou Reed Studio Albums
As a solo artist, Lou Reed has also recorded some excellent albums including Transformer, Berlin, Coney Island Baby and New York.
Lou Reed died on October 27, 2013.
Lou Reed Live Albums
The popularity of live albums in the 1970s meant that Reed could follow rather than set this trend.
What Are The Best Lou Reed and The Velvet Underground Live Albums?
Some of these are much better known than others and some are recorded radio broadcasts that can be released through a loophole in the copyright laws.
The choice however, is overwhelming.
Loading ...What Are The Best Live Albums Of All Time?
I classify the Velvet Underground as a proto-punk and psychedelic band so some of their albums feature in the polls to find the best proto-punk live album and the best psychedelic rock live album.
Loading ...I’ve included Lou Reed’s Rock n Roll Animal with its full blown guitar wok-outs of the classic Velvet Underground songs in the poll for the best hard rock and heavy metal live album.
Loading ...Both Rock n Roll Animal and Live recorded at the same concert have been included in the poll for the best glam rock live album with the pumped-up sound and the close link to the Transformer studio album.
Loading ...Some of his gentler albums perhaps should be included in the singer songwriter live albums poll.
Live At The BBC 1974 -1975 is a live album by Dr Feelgood.
It is recorded from three live broadcasts made by the BBC.
I’ve got a soft spot for Dr Feelgood and their album Stupidity was one of the first to convince me of the superiority of live recordings.
Slade Alive! is a live album by hard rock group Slade. It was recorded in London in 1971 and released in 1972.
Since then, it has been compiled with Slade Alive volume 2 and with all the Slade live albums to create Slave Alive! The Live Anthology.
This is an album that has been credited with influencing various British punk rock groups.
Slade Alive!
I’ve already discussed the original release of the live album Stupidity by Dr Feelgood.
Stupidity is the 1975 recordings with bonuses added from live concerts through to 1990.
I fear that this is a case where, for some Dr Feelgood fans including me, more is less.
Dr Feelgood Stupidity +
