Yes, even in 2024, live albums are still around, especially when it comes to those who fall into the Vintage Rock pile. In this case, we chose five live sets that were all recorded in the 20th century, pretty much at the creative peak of each artist’s career. Have a look and let us know if you agree.
Sister Rosetta Tharpe
Sister Rosetta Tharpe isn’t exactly a name on the tip of everyone’s tongue. But if you have any interest in the origins of rock and roll, it’s a name you should know. Chuck Berry reportedly once said his entire career was “one long Sister Rosetta Tharpe impersonation.” Bob Dylan called her “a powerful force of nature, a guitar playing, singing evangelist.” Both Elvis Presley and Little Richard cited her as a major influence. If you saw Baz Luhrmann’s film Elvis, she pops up in the story. Alabama Shakes’ singer and guitarist Brittany Howard, who inducted the musician into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018, said: “As far as I’m concerned, Sister Rosetta Tharpe created rock and roll as we know it.” All of which makes Live In France: The 1966 Concert In Limoges an intriguing overview of the Godmother of Rock and Roll. Read more >
Grateful Dead
When the drum solo comes around at concerts, lots of folks see that as an opportunity to head to the bathroom or beer line. When the “Drums” and “Space” sequence occurs at a Grateful Dead show, it’s time to get deep and go primal. But when did it become a thing? In his 1999 essay entitled titled The Evolution Of “Drumz And Space,” Michael Parrish writes what was first called ‘drums’ (or drumz, or Rhythm Devils) goes back to San Francisco at the Straight Theater on September 29, 1967, when Mickey Hart and Billy Kreutzmann first collaborated on a version of “Alligator” that lasted for two hours. Parrish goes on to say that it was during the Dead’s 1978 spring tour when ‘drums’ became a “ritualized part” of the band’s performances. Now, there are eight previously unreleased shows from that time period that capture the rise of “Drums” and “Space,” all bundled together in a 19-CD box set called Friend Of The Devils: April 1978. Read more >
Frank Zappa & The Mothers Of Invention
Billed on the world-famous Whisky a Go Go’s marquee as “Mothers Of Invention – Recording Session,” Frank Zappa and his band at the time — Ray Collins (vocals, percussion), Ian Underwood (alto sax), Bunk Gardner (tenor sax, flute),Don Preston (keyboards, gong), Motorhead Sherwood (baritone sax, percussion), Roy Estrada (bass, vocals), Art Tripp (drums), and Jimmy Carl Black (drums) — recorded their five-hour set on July 23, 1968.
The album that Zappa hoped to come from was never released during his lifetime, but this expansive Whisky A Go Go, 1968 set is now available as a triple-CD or five-LP set, produced by Zappa’s son Ahmet and Joe Travers. The show, remixed from hi-res 24-bit/96kHz digital transfers of the original 1” eight-track analog tapes, is crystal clear so there isn’t a squeak, bleep, riff, shout or rimshot missed. Read more >
Jethro Tull
When it comes to the great live albums of the 1970s, you typically see lists with At Fillmore East by the Allman Brothers Band and The Who’s Live At Leeds. There’s never been much fuss made about Jethro Tull’s 1978 double live offering, Bursting Out. Maybe it’s because Tull released so many magnificent studio albums in the 70s, that a live album wasn’t really going to be a necessary gamechanger — which it was for so many others like Peter Frampton and KISS. These days, Tull’s studio output has been the focus of box sets featuring extra tracks, video, and Steven Wilson remixes, so It was a pleasant surprise when an “Inflated Edition” of Bursting Out was announced. After playing through it, you have wonder why it’s not considered one of the best live albums of the 1970s. Read more >
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
After their first big public appearance at Woodstock in 1969, David Crosby, Stephen Stills, Graham Nash, and Neil Young spent the rest of that most tumultuous year touring and writing songs for their CSNY debut album, 1970’s Déjà Vu. Somewhere in between, the band played September 20, 1969, concert at the historic Fillmore East in New York City. A multi-track recording of that show was recently discovered and now we have Live At The Fillmore East, 1969. Read more >
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