The Best Live Albums By 147 Groups And Artists

I thought it would be interesting to produce a post that summarises what I recommend as the best ONE live album per group or artist.

This covers rock, pop, blues, soul & funk, reggae, folk, country and jazz.

This is going to be controversial in places and will involve some hard choices. Other times, the answer is pretty obvious because a group has released an absolute classic that stands head and shoulders above anything else they’ve done.

Sometimes I’ve gone with my personal opinion when I have strong views on the merits of albums, other times, I’ve bowed to the wisdom shown in my readers polls.

In nearly all occasions, the band or artist will have more than one live album to consider but occasionally, there is just one that I think is much to important to ignore. For example, if I take two personal favourites of mine The Cate Brothers Live isn’t included but Wings Over America will be. I’ll do my best to explain why.

I’ve numbered the albums so that I can keep changing the title of the article but the albums are listed in alphabetical order of the artist or band. To save confusion over whether Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band should be under S for Springsteen or B for Bruce, or the Steve Miller Band should be under S or M, I’ve opted to go with the first name featured, unless it is The… so The Who are under W.

I don’t think it’s spoiling the surprise if I say that many of the choices come from the 1970s, the decade where live albums became an essential part of the catalogue.

I was adding the albums too slowly so I’ve started listing them and will come back later to add in explanations for the choice and album covers. Please bear with me.

The Best Live Albums By The Groups And Artists

  1. ABBALive At Wembley Arena

    Abba Live At Wembley Arena 1979
    Live At Wembley Arena captures ABBA performing in concert in 1979

    In 1986 a single LP album was released called Abba Live. It mainly featured songs from a November 1979 concert In London. In 2014, the full performance by ABBA was released as a 2 CD set. As you’d expect this is packed with well known hits with a few lesser known album tracks interspersed. It’s a fine album from the world’s second best pop group.
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  2. AC/DC – If You Want Blood You’ve Got It

    If You Want Blood You've Got It AC/DC
    The best live album by AC/DC is “If You Want Blood You’ve Got It”

    A fine example of the “first is best rule”, this recording captures the Bon Scott version of AC/DC in rip-roaring form in Glasgow on 30 April 1978. This is my choice and the clear winner of the best AC/DC live album poll.
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  3. Aerosmith – A Little South of Sanity
    Aerosmith A Little South of Sanity
    Is “A Little South of Sanity” the best live album by Aerosmith?

    This album from the second part of the band’s career is my preference but Live Bootleg is leading the best Aerosmith live album poll. I’ve always found the production/recording of Live Bootleg from 1978 to be muddy and I don’t feel it captures the peak band from the Toys In the Attic/Rocks era. A Little South of Sanity has a clear sound from the 1990s features the more commercial songs from the 1980s.
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  4. Albert King – Live Wire/Blues Power
    More details to follow
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  5. Alice Cooper – Raise The Dead: Live From Wacken
    Alice Cooper Raise The Dead Live From Wacken
    Raise The Dead: Live From Wacken by Alice Cooper

    I’ve selected this one because it’s at the top of the best Alice Cooper live album chart, just ahead of A Fistful of Alice. This is an artist/band who missed the opportunity of releasing a career defining live album in the 1970s.
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  6. The Allman Brothers Band – At Fillmore East
    The Allman Brothers band At Fillmore East
    At Fillmore East by the Allman Brothers Band is one of the leading contenders to be considered the greatest live album of all time

    This classic is a contender for the best live album ever. Different versions of the Fillmore East recordings split the vote on the poll to find the best Allman Brothers live album but it is walking away with the best blues rock live albums poll and is also topping the poll to find the best southern rock live albums. A few months after the album was released, Duane Allman died in a motorbike accident and I find it hard to listen to the album without thinking about what might have been…
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  7. Aretha Franklin Live At Fillmore West
    More details to follow – best Aretha Franklin live album poll
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  8. B.B. King – Live At The Regal
    More details to follow – best BB King live album poll.
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  9. Bad Company – Live In Concert 1977 & 1979
    More details to follow – best Bad Co album poll
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  10. The Band – Rock of Ages
    More details to follow.
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  11. Barclay James Harvest – Live Tapes
    Barclay James Harvest Live Tapes
    Live Tapes is my choice for the best live album by Barclay James Harvest

    Even though the band themselves admitted they were seen as the poor man’s Moody Blues, they created quality melodic music on the threshold of art rock and prog rock. My preference is for Live Tapes from 1976/77 rather than the best BJH live album poll leader, Live from 1974 which is more proggy.
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  12. Be Bop Deluxe – At the BBC 1974-1978
    Be Bop Deluxe At The BBC 1974-1978
    Three concert recordings from Be Bop Deluxe

    Many BBD fans will be annoyed I haven’t chosen Live In The Air Age from 1977 but I’ve gone with the BBC recording which features 3 In Concert recordings. This band could and should have been huge. I Saw BBD on the Modern Music tour which is the source for Live In The Air Age but for some reason Bill Nelson chose to ignore that album when making the song selection so it’s not a proper souvenir of my experience. It’s no surprise that the poll to find the best BBD live album doesn’t agree with me. I’d also like to recommend the 2011 recording Live In Concert At Metropolis Studio released by Bill Nelson with sax and flute added to the mix. It’s terrific.
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  13. The Beach Boys – In Concert

    The Beach Boys In Concert
    Is In Concert the best live album by The Beach Boys?

    Bring together performances from 1972/73, this album presents The Beach Boys in power pop mood. Brian Wilson isn’t on it but don’t let that put you off. Few people have voted in the poll to find the best Beach Boys live album.
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  14. The Beatles Live At The Hollywood Bowl
    More details to follow – poll to find the best live albums by the Beatles and John, Paul, George and Ringo as solo artists.
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  15. Black Sabbath – Live Evil
    Black Sabbath Live Evil
    Ronnie James Dio replaces Ozzy Osborne and the band record their best live album in “Live Evil”

    This album tops the best Black Sabbath live album poll by a large margin. This is another band that missed the 1970s boom in live recordings and this 1982 album has Ronnie James Dio rather than Ozzy Osbourne handling the vocals. You may view this as outrageous but Dio was a much better singer. The band sound different but are just as heavy.
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  16. Blue Oyster Cult – On Your Feet or On Your Knees

    Blue Oyster Cult On Your Feet Or On Your Knees
    “On Your Feet Or On Your Knees” is a great hard rock live album by Blue Oyster Cult

    It’s an album from 1974, several years before Don’t Fear The Reaper brought BOC to the mainstream. The album captures the band’s intelligent hard rock before they became concerned with commerciality. It’s my choice and it also tops the best live album by BOC poll. Very highly recommended.
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  17. Bob Dylan The Bootleg Series 5 Live 1975: The Rolling Thunder Revue
    More details to follow – best Bob Dylan live album poll.
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  18. Bob Marley – Live! (1975)
    More details to follow – best Reggae live album poll.
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  19. Bob Seger – Nine Tonight
    More details to follow.
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  20. Bobby Womack – Soul Sensation Live
    more details to follow
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  21. Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band – 1978/08/09 Cleveland, Ohio
    More details to follow – best Springsteen album poll.
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  22. Bonnie Raitt – Road Tested
    More details to follow
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  23. Bruce Springsteen with the Sessions Band – Live In Dublin
    More details to follow.
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  24. Bryan Adams – Wembley 1996 Live
    More details to follow.
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  25. Buddy Guy – Live: Real Deal
    More details to follow
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  26. The Byrds Live At Fillmore: February 1969
    More details to follow
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  27. Camel – A Live Record
    Camel A Live Record
    The best live album by Camel

    British progressive rock band Camel had the misfortune to emerge at the time when punk was seriously wounding progressive rock and making it deeply unfashionable. Even more symphonic than Genesis and Yes, they released some fine studio albums and A Live Record compiled from concerts between 1974 and 1977 catches the highlights from Mirage, The Snow Goose, MoonMadness and Rain Dances. This tops the best live album by Camel poll so I’ve selected it as the one to recommend. I probably prefer the 1976 concert recording sold with the deluxe version of MoonMadness.
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  28. Charles Mingus – Mingus At Antibes
    More details to follow – best Charles Mingus live album poll
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  29. Cheap Trick – At Budokan
    More details to follow
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  30. The Clash – From Here To Eternity Live
    more details to follow.
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  31. Climax Blues Band – World Tour 1976
    Climax Blues Band World Tour 1976
    “World Tour 1976” is a controversial choice for the best Climax Blues Band live album.

    This is very much a personal choice from a band I’ll admit to having a strong bias in favour. They were the local band of the town I spent my teenage years before I went to university and they combine great guitar playing with some saxophone. The Climax Blues Band best album poll has a strong preference for FM Live which is a fine album of blues rock. World Tour pips it because it features the UK hit Couldn’t Get It Right which gave me the pleasure of seeing my local band on Top of the Pops.
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  32. Cream – Royal Albert Hall 2005
    Cream Royal Albert Hall London May 2-3-5-6 2005
    Royal Albert Hall 2005 is my choice for the best live album by Cream.

    The band didn’t release a definitive live album from their brief career between 1966-68. Why? Because they released 2 combined studio/live albums in Wheels of Fire and Goodbye and then a couple of live albums to mop up the other tracks recorded at those Fillmore concerts. The best Cream/Clapton poll reflects this uncertainty with 4 albums grouped within 1 vote of each other. I’m opting for the 2005 album because it has all of their best known songs and benefits from modern recording techniques. By this stage, Clapton, Bruce and Baker had lost their improvisational fire which brings the live versions closer to the original studio songs but it’s still a great listening experience.
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  33. Creedence Clearwater Revival – The Concert
    More details to follow.
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  34. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – 4 Way Street
    More details to follow – best CSNY live album poll along with solo albums by Crosby, Stills and Nash.
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  35. Crowded House – Recurring Dreams Live Bonus CD
    More details to follow.
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  36. The Cure -Bestival Live 2011
    More details to follow.
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  37. Curtis Mayfield – Live!
    more details to follow
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  38. The Dave Matthews Band – The Central Park Concert
    More details to follow – best Dave Matthews Band live album poll.
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  39. David Bowie – Live Nassau Coliseum ’76
    LIve Nassau Coliseum by David Bowie
    This 1976 concert recording from the Station To Station tour is my pick for the best live album by David Bowie

    This was a hard one to pick just one live album because Bowie was such an important artist to me in the 1970s and ever since. I regard 3 of his live albums as essential. David Live from 1974 which was his first live album from the Diamond Dogs tour and captures his growing attracting to soul music, Santa Monica ’72 from his Ziggy Stardust/glam rock days and my pick, Nassau Coliseum from the Station To Station tour. More than 300 people have voted in the poll to find the best David Bowie live album and 6 different live albums are well supported. Nassau is currently in the lead. This was originally a famous bootleg, it received official release in the deluxe version of Station To Station before it was released as its own live album.
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  40. Deep Purple – Made In Japan
    More details to follow – best Deep Purple live album poll.
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  41. The Derek Trucks Band – Live at Georgia Theatre
    More details to follow – best Derek Trucks live album poll.
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  42. Dio – Live at Donnington
    More details to follow – best Ronnie James Dio live album poll
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  43. Dire Straits – Alchemy
    More details to follow – best Dire Straits live album poll.
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  44. Donny Hathaway – Live
    More details to follow.
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  45. The Doors – American Nights: In Concert
    More details to follow – poll to find the best live album by The Doors.
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  46. Dr Feelgood – Stupidity +
    More details to follow.
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  47. Duke Ellington – Live At The Blue Note
    More details to follow – best Duke Ellington live album poll.
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  48. Edgar Winter – White Trash Roadwork
    More details to follow.
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  49. Electric Light Orchestra -Jeff Lynne’s ELO Wembley Or Bust
    More details to follow
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  50. Elton John – Here And There
    More details to follow – best Elton John album poll.
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  51. Elvis Costello – Live At The Hollywood High

    Elvis Costello Live At The Hollywood High
    “Live At The Hollywood High” by Elvis Costello and the Attractions

    Riding on the back of punk and new wave came Elvis Costello with 3 great studio albums in the late 1970s in My Aim Is True, This Year’s Model and Armed Forces. Hollywood High was recorded between the second and third studio album and includes a preview of one track from Armed Forces in Accidents Will Happen. It’s a spirited, vibrant performance from Costello and the Attractions but then all those early live recordings are. The best Elvis Costello album poll is little help at the moment to challenge my personal preference.
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  52. Elvis Presley – Aloha from Hawaii
    More details to follow – best Elvis Presley live album poll
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  53. Emerson Lake & Palmer – Welcome Back My Friends To The Show That Never Ends
    More details to follow – best ELP album poll.
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  54. Eric Clapton – Live In San Diego (with JJ Cale)In 2007 Clapton put together a band with Derek Trucks on slide guitar and went out to play many of the tracks from the Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs studio album that featured Duane Allman. Live In San Diego captures this experience with an added bonus of a short set with JJ Cale who inspired Clapton in his mellow period in the 1970s. I forgot to add the San Diego album to the poll to find the best Eric Clapton live albums which shows a tight contest at the top between Just One Night (1979), Derek & the Dominoes Live At The Fillmore (1970), 24 Nights (1990/91) and Unplugged (1992).
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  55. Fleetwood Mac (Peter Green) – Boston
    More details to follow – best Peter Green live album poll.
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  56. Foghat- Live
    More details to follow
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  57. Frank Zappa – You Can’t Do That on Stage Anymore: Vol. 2 Helsinki
    Zappa is an acquired taste but once you get tuned in, he’s unlike any other artist. A brilliant guitarist, a fine composer and a sharp and funny satirist. Since his death, we’ve seen a lot more live albums be released and it can be hard to choose. The traditional choice is Roxy & Elsewhere from 1973 & ’74 but the 1974 Helsinki concert is hard to beat. These two top the poll to find the best live album by Frank Zappa.
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  58. Freddie King – Live At The Electric Ballroom
    More details to follow
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  59. Free – Free Live
    More details to follow – best Free live album poll
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  60. Gary Moore – Blues Alive
    More details to follow – best Gary More album poll
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  61. Genesis – Seconds Out
    More details to follow – best Genesis live album poll.
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  62. George Harrison – Live In Japan
    More details to follow – best George Harrison live album poll
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  63. Gov’t Mule – Live With A Little Help From Our Friends
    More details to follow – best Gov’t Mule album poll
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  64. Grateful Dead – Europe 72
    More details to follow – best Grateful Dead live album poll
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  65. Hall & Oates – Live At The Montreal Forum
    More details to follow – best Hall & Oates live album poll
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  66. Heart – The Road Home
    More details to follow
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  67. Howlin’ Wolf – Live And Cookin’ At Alice’s Revisited
    More details to follow
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  68. Humble Pie – Performance: Rockin’ The Fillmore
    More details to follow
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  69. Ian Hunter – Welcome To The Club
    More details to follow – best Ian Hunter live album poll
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  70. Iron Maiden – Live After Death
    more details to follow – best Iron Maiden live album poll
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  71. J. Geils Band – Blow Your Face Out
    More details to follow – best J Geils Band album poll
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  72. The Jam – Fire And Skill: The Jam Live
    More details to follow – poll to find the best live album by The Jam
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  73. James Brown – Love Power Peace
    James Brown Love Peace Power album cover
    Can this funk masterpiece really be considered to be the best live album by James Brown?

    Like David Bowie, James Brown was an innovator who pushed music forward. His Live At The Apollo from 1962 is one of the most revered live recordings ever released and catches him as a gospel inspired soul singer. His live albums throughout the 1960s catch the development of funk which reaches a peak with the 1971 recording called Love Power Peace from a concert in Paris. It tops the James Brown live albums poll and it might be the best Funk live album ever.
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  74. Jess Roden – Live At The BBC
    More details to follow.
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  75. Jethro Tull – Bursting Out
    More details to follow – best Jethro Tull album poll
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  76. Jimi Hendrix – Live At The Fillmore
    More details to follow – the best Jimi Hendrix album poll
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  77. Joan Armatrading – Live At The Royal Albert Hall
    More details to follow.
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  78. Joe Bonamassa – Live From The Albert Hall
    Joe Bonamassa Live From the Royal Albert Hall
    Joe Bonamassa Live From, The Royal Albert Hall

    This blues rock guitarist has released a lot of live albums in a short space of time including SIX recorded in 2013. Again this is my choice as well as topping the Joe Bonamassa live albums poll. If you’ve had a long term interest in blues rock, then he’s well worth investigating but if you’re new to the genre you should probably go back to the 1970s. Why? Bonamassa hasn’t made much impression on the best blues rock live albums poll.
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  79. Joe Jackson – Live 1980-1986
    More details to follow
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  80. John Lee Hooker – Live At The Cafe Au Go Go
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  81. John Lennon – Live In New York City
    More details to follow – best John Lennon live album poll
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  82. John Mayall – 70th Birthday Party
    More details to follow – best John Mayall live album poll
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  83. Johnny Cash – Live At Folsom Prison
    More details to follow
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  84. Johnny Winter – Live Johnny Winter And
    more details to follow – best Johnny Winter album poll
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  85. Journey – Live In Houston 1981: The Escape Tour
    More details to follow – best Journey live album poll
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  86. Judas Priest – Unleashed From The East
    More details to follow – best Judas Priest album poll
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  87. Kansas – Two For The Show
    More details to follow
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  88. King Crimson – The Great Deceiver vols 1 & 2
    More details to follow – best King Crimson album poll
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  89. The Kinks – One For The Road
    More details to follow
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  90. Kiss – Alive!
    More details to follow – best Kiss live album poll
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  91. Led Zeppelin – How The West Was Won
    Led Zeppelin How The West Was Won
    How The West Was Won is widely recorded as Zeppelin’s best live album

    Personally I prefer the BBC concert recording from 1971 that previews songs from Led Zep 4 but this album from the Houses of The Holy tour in 1972 is romping away with the vote in the best Led Zeppelin live album poll. I dislike the overblown Dazed & Confused (guitar whipping) and Moby Dick (drum solo) so much that I don’t have them loaded on my mp3 player.
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  92. Leonard Cohen Live In London

    Live In London by Leonard Cohen
    “Live In London” by Leonard Cohen is a superb live album,

    I shied away from Leonard Cohen for many years on the basis that his albums were too miserable to play. Live In London from 2008 opened my eyes. It may be a bit “Vegas” for traditional fans but I think it’s an exceptional live album. It also tops my poll for the best Leonard Cohen album, even if there are very few votes.
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  93. Little Feat – Waiting For Columbus
    More details to follow
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  94. Lou Reed – Rock ‘n’ Roll Animal
    More details to follow – best Lou Reed live album poll
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  95. Luther Allison – Live In Chicago
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  96. Lynyrd Skynyrd – One More From The Road
    More details to follow – best Lynyrd Skynrd live album poll
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  97. Marshall Tucker Band – Stompin’ Room Only
    More details to follow – best Marshall Tucker live album poll
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  98. Martin Turner ex Wishbone Ash – New Live Dates
    Original bassist and lead singer Turner lost the battle for use of the Wishbone Ash brand name to Andy Powell and now tours as “Martin Turner ex Wishbone Ash” as a compromise. I prefer the Turner version of the split and he has a few very good live albums. New Live Dates is the one I play most often.
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  99. Muddy Waters – Muddy “Mississippi” Waters Live
    more details to follow
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  100. Neil Young – Live Rust
    If you only want acoustic Neil Young, go to Live At Massey Hall from 1971 or if you only want Neil Young the electric guitar hero, get Weld and play it loud. If you’re life me and a fan of both sides of Neil Young, then the album to go for is Live Rust from 1978. This is the one that tops the best Neil Young live album poll with the other two albums mentioned in second and third places.
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  101. Paul McCartney – Tripping The Live Fantastic (Highlights)
    More details to follow – best Paul McCartney album poll.
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  102. Miles Davis -The Complete Live at the Plugged Nickel
    More details to follow – best Miles Davis live album poll
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  103. The Moody Blues – A Night At Red Rocks
    More details to follow – poll to find the best live album by the Moody Blues
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  104. Mott The Hoople – Live (1974)
    More details to follow – best Mott the Hoople live album poll
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  105. Nils Lofgren – Night After Night
    More details to follow – best Nils Lofgren live album poll
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  106. Otis Redding – Live On The Sunset Strip
    More details to follow – best Otis Redding live album poll
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  107. Peter Gabriel – Plays Live
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  108. Pink Floyd – Pulse
    More details to follow – best Pink Floyd album poll.
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  109. Poco – The last Roundup
    More details to follow – the best Poco live album poll
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  110. Porcupine Tree – Anesthetize
    More details to follow – best Porcupine Tree live album poll
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  111. Procol Harum – In Concert With The Danish National Orchestra
    More details to follow – best Procol Harum live album poll
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  112. Queen – Live At Wembley ’86
    More details to follow -Live At Wembley is the clear leader in the best Queen live album poll
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  113. R.E.M. Greensboro Coliseum
    More details to follow – best REM live album poll
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  114. Rainbow – On Stage
    More details to follow – best Rainbow live album poll
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  115. REO Speedwagon – Live: You get What You Play For
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  116. Robin Trower – At The BBC 1973-1975
    More details to follow – best Robin Trower live album poll
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  117. Rod Stewart – Live 1976-1988: Tonight’s The Night
    More details to follow – best Rod Stewart live album poll
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  118. The Rolling Stones – The Brussels Affair ’73
    The Brussels Affair is a Mick Taylor era extravaganza and is a very famous bootleg of The Stones which has been made legitimate by the band releasing it on their own website for a very short time together with some very expensive premium versions. Brussels is absolutely brilliant as the band draw on the Taylor era albums Let It Bleed, Sticky Fingers, Exile On Main St and Goats Head Soup, a strong a series of studio albums as you’ll find anywhere. The Stones are being incredibly stubborn to hold back its wider release.  A tight battle is being fought out in the poll to find the best live album by The Rolling Stones between Brussels and the much better known and more widely available album from 1969, Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out. I also want to recommend Some Girls Live In Texas ’78 which was originally released as a DVD but is now available on CD.
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  119. Rory Gallagher – Irish Tour ’74
    More details to follow – best Rory Gallagher live album poll
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  120. Roxy Music – Viva
    More details to follow – best Roxy Music live album poll
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  121. Rush – All The World’s A Stage
    More details to follow – best Rush live album poll
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  122. Santana  – Lotus
    More details to follow – best Santana live album poll
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  123. Simple Minds – Live In The City Of Light
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  124. Son Seals – Live And Burning
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  125. Status Quo – Live
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  126. Steely Dan – Alive In America
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  127. Stevie Ray Vaughan – Live At Carnegie Hall
    More details to follow – the best Stevie Ray Vaughan live album poll
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  128. Sting – Bring On The Night
    More details to follow – poll to find the best live album by Sting
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  129. Styx – Caught In The Act
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  130. Supertramp – Live In Paris ’79
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  131. Talking Heads – The Name Of The Band Is Talking Heads
    More details to follow – best Talking Heads live album poll
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  132. Ted Nugent – Double Live Gonzo
    More details to follow – best Ted Nugent live album poll
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  133. Tedeschi Trucks Band – Everybody’s Talkin’
    More details to follow – best TTB album poll
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  134. 10cc – In Concert: King Biscuit Flower Hour
    More details to follow – best 10cc live album poll
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  135. Ten Years After – Live At The Fillmore East
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  136. Thin Lizzy – Live And Dangerous
    More details to follow – best Thin Lizzy live album poll
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  137. Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers – The Live Anthology
    More details to follow – best Tom Petty album poll
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  138. Toto – Absolutely Live
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  139. Traffic – On The Road
    More details to follow – best Traffic live album poll
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  140. U2 –  Zoo TV Live
    This double CD is a fan club only release but the concert DVD is available for the general public. I wish U” would put it on general release but they seem quite stubborn about the demand of U2 live recordings. Achtung Baby is by far my favourite U2 studio album so this concert that pulls heavily from that album and its similar follow up is an obvious choice for me. Top of the poll to find the best U2 album is Under A Blood Red Sky which is very good but recorded before The Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby.
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  141. UFO – Strangers In The Night
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  142. Van Der Graaf Generator – Real Time
    An album from the reformed VDGG with an outstanding song selection and fine performances of this remarkable hard-core prog rock band. It also tops the poll to find the best VDGG live album.
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  143. Van Morrison – It’s Too Late To Stop Now
    More details to follow – best Van Morrison albums poll
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  144. The Velvet Underground – 1969: The Velvet Underground Live
    More details to follow – poll to find the best live album by The Velvet Underground
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  145. Walter Trout – No More Fish Jokes
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  146. Warren Haynes – Live at the Moody Theatre
    More details to follow – best Warren Haynes live album poll
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  147. Waylon Jennings – Waylon Live
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  148. Whitesnake  – Live in the Heart of the City
    more details to follow – best Whitesnake live album poll
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  149. The Who Live At Leeds
    The Who Live At Leeds
    Is The Who Live At Leeds the greatest live album ever recorded?

    Often referred to as one of the greatest live albums ever recorded, what started as a six track official bootleg has gone through a series of changes over the years. The latest version has given us the talking in between the songs. I love getting the full concert experience with the Tommy songs inserted in the proper place but I have great affection for the first 38 minute version. With the Isle of Wight and Live At Hull concerts from 1970, the 1967 Monterey performance, the 1968 Fillmore East and Woodstock from 1969 available, we have a lot of early performances by The Who. What we’re short of is performances after Who’s Next from the Moon era. I also love the 1999 album Blues To The Bush with Ringo’s son Zak Starkey on drums. This is the dominant album in the best live album by The Who poll with the Isle of Wight album currently in second place. It’s also one of the most best hard rock live albums.
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  150. Wings – Wings Over America
    More details to follow – best Paul McCartney album poll.
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  151. Wishbone Ash – Live Dates
    I really like the tasteful duelling guitars of Wishbone Ash although I will admit that the band are hard to fit into a category. Not hard rock, prog rock, blues rock or folk rock but they pull influences from them all. The main choice is between Live Dates with Phoenix and songs from Argus, with Ted Turner sharing lead guitar duties and Live Dates 2 for the next 6 years with Laurie Wisefield. Both are excellent but, if I could only have one, it would be Live Dates. This is also the album that tops the best Wishbone Ash album poll. Andy Powell has continued to release new material rather than relying on the classic material from the 1970s. If you’d like one of the later live albums, I recommend Road Works where you get 4 concerts from the 2010s with an excellent variety of songs and a bit of duplication.
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  152. Yes – Yessongs
    More details to follow – best album by Yes.

 

2 thoughts on “The Best Live Albums By 147 Groups And Artists”

  1. At last! Your list works for me as The Definitive List.

    Polls are only as good as the collections of your pollees which are by comparison with your vast knowledge somewhat short. I’ve been lurking at your site for some time and have very much appreciated it – now it is complete for including your authority.

    Thank you so much for this, I look forward to your personal updates and additions with time, it would be appreciated if you could flag-up changes.

    My favourite live album for your consideration?
    Nine Below Zero – Live At The Marquee (1980) as good as Stupidity; how many young bands have issued a live album for starters?

    1. I have that Nine Below Zero album but it hasn’t made much of an impression. Sometimes I buy too many albums at a time and overlook a gem. I’ll go back and give it another listen.

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