When I think of a singer-songwriter, my first thoughts turn to someone strumming a guitar or playing the piano while singing songs that he or she wrote.
Of course, it isn’t quite that simple. What happens when someone else also plays or sings?
I’ve found that it’s a grey area when we start adding other people because ultimately it gets tough to distinguish singer songwriters from groups where one person tends to write and sing their songs. I’ve tried to be reasonably consistent as people move from pure singer songwriting to rock and pop groups.
I also discovered that there’s an issue of crossover between singer-songwriters and folk and country artists. To find what you’re looking for, I’ve given you various links at the bottom if you don’t find it on this page.
Elvis Costello Heatwave Festival 1980
Donovan Rising / Atlantis / The Classics Live / 25 Years In Concert 1971 1981
Bob Dylan Real Live 1984
Bob Dylan Bob Dylan & The Dead 1987
Steve Earle Live At The BBC 1988
Melissa Etheridge Live 1988
Roy Harper In Between Every Line 1985 1986
Don Henley Don’t Look Back 1985
John Hiatt Paper Thin 1989
Bruce Hornsby The Way It Is Tour 1986-87 Live
Joe Jackson Live At The BBC 1979 to 1983
Joe Jackson Live At Rockpalast 1980 1983
Joe Jackson Live 1980 to 1986
Billy Joel Songs In The Attic 1980
Elton John Live in Australia with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra 1986
Nils Lofgren Moon Tears Live
Nils Lofgren Code Of The Road 1985
John Martyn Live At Leeds & More 1975 & 1980s
John Martyn BBC Live In Concert 1971 1977 1981
John Martyn BBC Radio 1 Live in Concert 1986
Joni Mitchell A Woman In The East 1983
Van Morrison Live At The Grand Opera House Belfast 1983
Laura Nyro Laura Live at the Bottom Line 1988
Graham Parker Live At Rockpalast 1978 1980
Graham Parker King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents 1983
Graham Parker Live Alone In America 1988
Graham Parker Live One The Official Vandelay Tapes 1988
Tom Petty The Live Anthology 1976 to 2007
Tom Petty Pack Up the Plantation Live 1978 to 1985
Tom Petty Live To Air 1986
Tom Petty In The Coliseum 1987
Tom Petty Transmission Impossible 1987 1989
Tom Petty Dean E Smith Activity Center University Of Carolina Sept 13 1989
Gil Scott-Heron Live At The Town And Country 1988
Bob Seger Nine Tonight 1980
Simon And Garfunkel The Concert in Central Park 1981
Bruce Springsteen Live 1975 – 85
Bruce Springsteen Nassau Coliseum Uniondale New York 1980
Bruce Springsteen Brendan Byrne Arena New Jersey 1984
Bruce Springsteen Los Angeles April 23 1988
Al Stewart Live Indian Summer 1981 aka Live At The Roxy Los Angeles
Richard Thompson More Guitar 1988
Suzanne Vega Live At The Speakeasy 1985
Tom Waits Big Time 1987
Neil Young A Treasure 1984 1985
Neil Young Cow Palace 1986
Neil Young Bluenote Cafe 1987 1988
Warren Zevon Stand In The Fire 1980
Warren Zevon Headless In Boston 1982
You can get these albums from Amazon.com – Amazon.co.uk
What Are the All Time Best Live Albums By Singer Songwriters?
I don’t have a readers poll to find the best live albums for this decade but I do have a poll to find the all time best live albums by singer-songwriters.
Loading ...Because there are so many excellent singer-songwriter albums with very different styles, I have split the poll into two and you may find some of your favourites in the second division. Albums will be promoted when they get enough votes.
Loading ...Live Albums By Singer Songwriters By Decade – 1960s – 1970s – 1980s – 1990s – 2000s – 2010s
Code Of The Road: Greatest Hits Live is a live album by Nils Lofgren.
It was recorded at the Hammersmith Odeon in London for BBC Radio 1 in 1985.
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Live At The Speakeasy is a live album by Suzanne Vega.
It was recorded at the SpeakEasy club in Greenwich Village, New York when she performed in the week her eponymous debut album was released in April 1985.
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Transmission Impossible is a three CD collection of live radio and TV broadcasts.
Average Amazon Customer Rating – %%AVERAGERATING%% Stars Continue reading Tom Petty Transmission Impossible 1987 1989
Bluenote Cafe is a live album by Neil Young and The Bluenote Cafe.
It was recorded on the tour of 1987/88 to promote the studio album, This Note’s For You.
The presence of a six man horn section means that this is not a typical Neil Young album. If that’s what you want, you’re much better off with the superb Live Rust and then, depending on your preference for acoustic, Live At Massey Hall or electric, Weld.
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Cow Palace 1986 is a live recording by Neil Young.
It was recorded in San Francisco on the 21st November, 1986 and was broadcast on KLOS FM.
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Rising is a live album by Donovan.
The album was released in the UK and the USA. When it was re-released, it was renamed The Classics Live in America, 25 Years In Concert in Europe and Atlantis in the UK
It was originally thought that these songs were recorded between 1982 and 1986 but research revealed the sources as a U.S. tour in 1971 and from the Cambridge Folk Festival of 1981.
The album was then extended to create Rising Again. Continue reading Donovan Rising / Atlantis / The Classics Live / 25 Years In Concert 1971 1981
In Between Every Line is a live album by Roy Harper.
It was recorded at concerts in 1985 and 1986.
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Live is a live extended play CD single by Melissa Etheridge
October 11, 1988 the Roxy, Hollywood, California
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Live At Leeds & More is a live album by John Martyn which uplates anot earlier release called Live At Leeds which has since been updated again.
Disc one includes tracks recorded live in 1975 at Leeds University. Disc Two comprises some of the best of Martyn’s live recordings from the late ’70s onwards.
The original Live At Leeds album was recorded and released in 1975 with six songs:
Inside Out (or Outside In)
Solid Air
Make No Mistake
Bless The Weather
The Man In The Station
I’d Rather Be The Devil
This version was released on vinyl and then as a CD in 1992.
In 2008 Live At Leeds & More was released with the original album and samples of his live work from the 1980s and 1990s when his sound had been smoothed out.
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Headless In Boston is a live recording by Warren Zevon.
It was recorded at The Metro in Boston, USA by WBCN-FM on 29th September 1982 and was originally a radio broadcast.
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