Paul Adams’ Listening Theme
Hi everyone, my name is Paul Adams and Chris has asked me if he could incorporate my Listening Theme series into his Songbook Highway website. The process is simple – help me discover great music by recommending your favorite albums and artists in a given theme. Here’s my latest Listening Theme …
LIVE ALBUMS
After my last Listening Theme (Outlaw Country – very niche, but very enjoyable) I thought I’d open this right up and have a theme that everyone should be able to comment on and make a recommendation or two (if you haven’t made any recommendations so far, now is your chance to join in). For the next couple of weeks I’m going to limit myself to ‘Live albums’ (though not necessarily rock).
I’m going to start with Hendrix: Band of Gypsys. Any suggestions of other live albums that you think I should listen to I’d be very grateful.
Cheers, Paul
Paul!
You took my pick right out from under me!
Still, I can counter with The Monterey International Pop Festival:
A beautiful box set from Rhino with The Who, The Byrds,
Big Brother and The Holding Company with Janis Joplin,Ravi Shankar
Otis Redding and Hendrix! Plus none of the fake hippies rolling
in mud like at Woodstock. These fake hippies blew bubbles!
Chris LeRoy
Now you’re talking Paul. My top 5 all time. Each of these was during the prime of their careers. For example, soon after the lead guitarist/songwriter from Marshall Tucker died. The band would never be the same as that night in Long Island.
Too Late to Stop Now – Van Morrison
Live on Long Island – Marshall Tucker Band
Live from the Old Quarter – Townes Van Zandt
Live at Hammersmith Odeon – Bruce Springsteen
Are You Ready for the Big Show? – Radney Foster
The Who, Live at Leeds! (”Well a young man, ain’t got nothin’ in the world these days . . .”) The reissued version with the full set really gives you the sense and power of The Who–before the Who’s Next LP.
There are plenty of live albums that should be mentioned here. This is what I suggested to Paul Adams:-
Black Crowes – Before The Frost – which is recorded before a select audience at Levon Helm’s studios.
Another Black Crowes live album Paul suggested was Live at the Greek with Jimmy Page.
But remember always try http://www.archive.org for some of the best live shows (including Grateful Dead).
Two recommendations for between song banter as much as the lovely music.
The Handsome Family – “Live at Schuba’s Tavern”
Robyn Hitchock – “Storefront Hitchcock”
And of course the classic: Cheap Trick – “Live at the Budokan”
Thanks for your recommendations everyone. I think I’m going to be busy for the next couple of weeks with all this great music to try.
@The Baglady: I listened to The Who Live at Leeds yesterday – fantastic.
@Diana: Your mention of Levon Helm has reminded me of ‘The Last Waltz’ by The Band and guests. Get the DVD if you haven’t seen it.
Europe 72 ~ Grateful Dead.
Always something there
The Beatles Live at the BBC. Yeah, yeah, yeah! And Fillmore: The Last Days (I’m pretty sure it’s called something like that).
I never get tired of the Kinks-One for the Road.
Playlist (so far):
JIMI HENDRIX: Band of Gypsys (last.fm)
THE WHO: Live at Leeds (deezer.com)
QUEEN: Live Killers (last.fm)
PETER FRAMPTON: Frampton Comes Alive (CD)
KISS: Alive (deezer.com)
IRON MAIDEN: Live After Death (last.fm)
THE QUINTET: Jazz at Massey Hall (deezer.com)
GOV’T MULE: The Deepest End, Live in Concert (deezer.com)
THIN LIZZY: Live and Dangerous (CD)
TOM WAITS: Nighthawks at the Diner (we7.com)
THE DOORS: Absolutely Live (we7.com)
RUSH: A Show of Hands (we7.com)
INDIGENOUS: Live at the Pachyderm Studios (CD)
THIN LIZZY: Live and Dangerous (CD)
RADIOHEAD: I Might Be Wrong-Live Recordings (CD)
CHEAP TRICK: At Budokan (we7.com)
and as I’ll be spending the rest of the day in Waterloo (and no doubt seeing the Sunset) I’m going to listen to THE KINKS: One for the Road next – Thanks Rebecca
Playlist continued:
THE KINKS: One for the Road (last.fm)
VAN MORRISON: It’s Too Late to Stop Now (we7.com)
TOWNES VAN ZANDT: Live at the Old Quarter, Houston, Texas (deezer.com)
GRATEFUL DEAD: Europe ‘72 (we7.com)
THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND: Live at the Fillmore East (we7.com)
BOB MARLEY & THE WAILERS: Live at the Lyceum (we7.com)
ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA: The Night The Light Went On (In Long Beach) (we7.com)
DIRE STRAITS: Alchemy Live (we7.com)
FLEETWOOD MAC: Live in Boston – Vol 1 & 2 (we7.com)
HUMBLE PIE: Live at the Whisky A-G-Go ‘69 (we7.com)
MOTORHEAD: No Sleep ‘Till Hammersmith (we7.com)
THE ROLLING STONES: Still Life (we7.com)
GREEN DAY: Bullet in a Bible (CD)
YES: Yessongs (we7.com)
NIRVANA: Live at Reading (last.fm)
THE BEACH BOYS: The Beach Boys in Concert (we7.com)
AEROSMITH: A Little South of Sanity (CD)
THE ROLLING STONES: Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out! (we7.com)
STEELY DAN: Alive in America (we7.com)
JAMES BROWN: Live At The Appollo (we7.com)
MUSE: Haarp (we7.com)
DAVID BOWIE: David Live (we7.com)
I forgot to mention this album before, but judging by the way I’ve been listening to it this week , I should have. Kris Kristofferson Live from Austin. Kris sometimes doesn’t have his best voice, but this captures his music at it’s best. A full band and his vocals are strong. Maybe he never achieved the commercial success of his contemporaries, but I’d take his songwriting over a long list of “classic country artists.”