Category: Singer Songwriter Live Albums

Singer-Songwriter Live Albums

In many ways a singer songwriter is music at its most simple and pure.

One person sings songs he or she has written accompanied by a guitar or piano.

The words are direct, the melodies gentle. You can sink into the music created.

Of course it doesn’t need to stay that simple in the singer songwriter sector. A small band can be added. The guitar can be plugged into the electricity supply. At some stage, the singer songwriter becomes the leader of a band.

The big names in this area are Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young and many more.

Live Albums By Singer Songwriters

I have a readers poll to help you find the Best Live Albums by Singer Songwriters.

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Because there are so many very good live albums by singer-songwriters, I have created a second division poll which may have more of your favourites. Albums can be promoted if they get enough votes.

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You can get these albums from Amazon.com – Amazon.co.uk.

Graham Parker Live In San Francisco 1979

Graham Parker Live In San Francisco 1979 captures Parker live in concert with his great band The Rumour on the Squeezing Out The Sparks tour.

Graham Parker should have been huge with his high energy, caustic R&B inspired songs. Even though it was the time of punk rock, few acts could match the intensity he built up in concert.

Graham Parker & The Rumour really were “the best kept secret in the West” as he sings in Mercury Poisoning as he rants against his previous record company.

I believe this album was only released in 2010. I bought it as soon as I saw it.

Graham Parker Live In San Francisco 1979 – Overall Rating 29/30

My Overall Rating – 28 out of 30 – an excellent live album that should not be overlooked.

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Neil Young Live Rust 1978

Live Rust is a live album by Neil Young recorded in 1978 and some of the songs were used in the film Rust Never Sleeps.

I get confused with how Live Rust fits in with the Rust Never Sleeps album which was also partially recorded live at San Francisco’s Cow’s Palace and later had the audience noise removed.

Live Rust starts with an acoustic set and climaxes with an all-out electric rave. That worked particularly well on a double LP where you could choose which version of Neil Young you wanted.

Controversially the album was squeezed on to a single CD by editing out about 90 seconds of guitar from Cortez The Killer. This horrifies purists but I don’t think it is noticeable when you listen to it.

Neil Young Live Rust

My rating – 28 out of 30 (9 +10 +9)

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Neil Young Unplugged 1993

Neil Young Unplugged is an excellent live album contrast to loud, electric Weld album released two years earlier.

After the critical and commercial success of Weld, Young the notorious contrarian released the acoustic Harvest Moon, a follow-up to his biggest selling album, Harvest from 1972.

This album appeared quite late in the MTV Unplugged fad but Neil Young is a natural and it shows. This album confirms that it was such a shame that Young lost his way in the 1980s.

Neil Young Unplugged Overall Rating – 26/30

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Bruce Springsteen Hammersmith Odeon London 75

Hammersmith Odeon 75 captures the first visit by Bruce Springsteen to the UK in 1975 after Born To Run was released.

The retrospective Live 1975 – 85 is a very comprehensive collection of Springsteen live but fans were critical because it was a live performance compilation.

Hammersmith Odeon is how long-standing fans really want to hear Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band play live – a complete concert that captures the excitement and passion of a Springsteen gig.

Bruce Springsteen Hammersmith Odeon 75 Overall Rating – 29/30

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What Are The Best Neil Young Live & Studio Albums?

This page has readers polls to find the best Neil Young live album and the best Neil Young studio album.

What is the best Neil Young live album?

The answer used to be easy… Live Rust. although some would say Time Fades Away.

The question got harder when Weld and Unplugged were released in the early 90s.

This gave people the choice of whether the best Neil Young live album was electric, acoustic or balanced. Continue reading What Are The Best Neil Young Live & Studio Albums?

Bruce Springsteen Live 1975 – 85

Live 1975 – 85 was Bruce Springsteen‘s response to the demands for a live album.

He’s been one of the most bootlegged artists since the mid 70s and with Live 1975 – 85, he tried to produce an epic drawn from many different concerts recorded.

This album was released to follow up on the immense success of the Born In The USA album which made Springsteen a much bigger international star.

I was thrilled when it first came out as he had such a great reputation as a live performer but all it’s done is prove that there’s much more that could appear.

Bruce Springsteen Live 1975 – 85 Overall Rating – 26/30
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Bob Dylan Real Live 1984

Real Live is a live album by Bob Dylan recorded in 1984 with a star backing band including ex Rolling Stones guitarist Mick Taylor and Ian McLagen from The Faces at concerts in England and Ireland.

It was Taylor’s involvement that persuaded me to buy this Dylan album because I loved his guitar playing with the Stones (listen to it on Get Yer Ya Ya’s Out and Brussels Affair).

And I’m glad I did.

It’s not a classic but it’s well worth hearing.

Bob Dylan Real Live Overall Rating – 24/30

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Neil Young & Crazy Horse Weld 1991

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.

Neil Young Weld Overall Rating – 26/30

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Bruce Springsteen Live In New York City 2000

Live In New York City captures Bruce Springsteen reunited with the E Street Band in 2000. Their first concert together for 11 years.

For me Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band belong together like strawberries and cream. One without the other doesn’t feel right and it’s going to be tough hearing them play again with a replacement for the Big Man (Clarence Clemons).

Bruce Springsteen Live In New York City Overall Rating – 25/30

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Bob Dylan At Budokan 1978

In my opinion Bob Dylan At Budokan is an overlooked classic which is too often derided because he was experimenting with a very different sound on this album and the studio LP Street Legal.

I love it.

Bob Dylan At Budokan Overall Rating – 26/30

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