Week 14: 25 Best Live Records of All Time

[Swish]

This week's selection is one that everybody on RR knows and most likely heard more than a few times. I liked it quite a bit back in my college days, although I can't recall listening to it in its entirety for many years. His was a novel approach for sure, using all new material for a live recording, and it was a huge success.


12) Running On Empty--Jackson Browne: Everyone was releasing double live albums in the 1970s to resell their back catalog. Jackson Browne decided to try something different. He took to the road and recorded new material written by himself, members of his backing band and a couple of covers at gigs, at soundcheck, in the back of the bus, in hotel rooms. And even the songs themselves concerned being on the road. Not exactly Kerouac here thumbing a ride, but on the road, nonetheless. And all on one record, not two. Economical like a hybrid, Browne has always been pro-environment.

Swish - 12 down, 13 to go

[Troy]

Boring record, this. What an uncreative choice.

I'll be curious to see who the hipster-douchebag is that compiled this list, and what cheesy magazine he writes for.

His taste is in his ass. On the one hand he strives to be willfully obtuse with some picks and then utterly pedestrian with other.

[3-LockBox]

Other than a few tunes on this, it isn't a very compelling listen. I do admire the willingness to be different, but some songs don't come across live at all (the title track for one). Some songs were recorded in the dressing room, some during soundchecks. I use to love the Load Out song.

Troy, I can see your point about this being a pedestrian choice, but what's a list like this going to look like if it doesn't include this album. You can say the same for albums like Bob Seger's Live Bullet or Little Feat's Waiting For Columbus or Frampton Comes Alive, but they got make a list titled, 'Best All Time Live Albums', (I don't know if they do or not) unless there are stringent parameters as to what makes a live album 'the best'. However, I can also see your point concerning the hackish nature of the author's picks. Running On Empty is a strange choice compared to the some of left-field entries. I doubt seriously that this list's author has actually listened to two-thirds of the albums he/she's put in this list.

[Swish]

Boring record, this. What an uncreative choice.

I'll be curious to see who the hipster-douchebag is that compiled this list, and what cheesy magazine he writes for.

His taste is in his ass. On the one hand he strives to be willfully obtuse with some picks and then utterly pedestrian with other.

Well, 3 Lock already mentioned this, but it's a bit of a stretch to call this a 'live' album in that it wasn't entirely performed in front of an audience, which is basically inferred when you hear the term 'live'. Some on the bus, some in a hotel room, and some backstage. It was, however, a huge success and hit something like #3 on the charts for album sales, not that I care about that statistic.

Additionally, I don't believe the creator of this list writes for any zines.

[MindGoneHaywire]

>what's a list like this going to look like if it doesn't include this album

A lot more like mine than any list that includes it.

[BradH]

This is a pathetic choice. It's not completely live and it completely sucks - like everything else Jackson Browne ever did. Utterly vapid, watery eyed, irrelevant West Coast FM sensitivity at its absolute worst with Kindergarten faux social awareness to boot.

"Are you a holdout?" No. STFU.

What's next? John Denver? Helen Reddy?

[emesbee]

Its just personal choice, guys. (I haven't even heard the album, so won't comment on it.)

Here's a choice of mine: The Pretenders - Isle of View
Maybe not the greatest of all time, but pretty good nonetheless.

[Doc Sage]

12) Running On Empty--Jackson Browne:

I will go along with others above that this is not a "true" live recording but, at its time, it was a great listening. I played this almost every week for most of a year, event my COOL sister tried to swipe it from me one drunk'n night.

Doc Sage

[BradH]

Its just personal choice, guys.

Yeah, I know but...sheesh!

Btw, adding a fake live album to the list opens the door to some great ones like 801 Live or Jeff Beck Live with the Jan Hammer Group. Probably not enough "personal expression" for that lamo.

[Swish]

This is a pathetic choice. It's not completely live and it completely sucks - like everything else Jackson Browne ever did. Utterly vapid, watery eyed, irrelevant West Coast FM sensitivity at its absolute worst with Kindergarten faux social awareness to boot.

"Are you a holdout?" No. STFU.

What's next? John Denver? Helen Reddy?

I will also submit that I never was a big JB fan, so I'm not going to get into a tussle with your assessment.

Swish

[Mr MidFi]

Meh. I was never a big fan, but this record did have a few moments worth noting (mostly centered around David Lindley, IMO). But it's not a pick I'm going to get excited over, not by a long stretch. And, as others have noted, it's not really a proper "live" album.

Man, that Wilco live set better make this effing list now. I just played it again yesterday (both discs), and it's just a great show by a great band...and a fairly decent recording to boot!

[Swish]

Meh. I was never a big fan, but this record did have a few moments worth noting (mostly centered around David Lindley, IMO). But it's not a pick I'm going to get excited over, not by a long stretch. And, as others have noted, it's not really a proper "live" album.

Man, that Wilco live set better make this effing list now. I just played it again yesterday (both discs), and it's just a great show by a great band...and a fairly decent recording to boot!

...but to be fair, the sound quality for live music is so much better today than just 10 or 15 years ago. Many bands sounded terrible when playing outdoors, but no longer. The equipment has really improved.

Swish

[Ex Lion Tamer]

This is a pathetic choice. It's not completely live and it completely sucks - like everything else Jackson Browne ever did. Utterly vapid, watery eyed, irrelevant West Coast FM sensitivity at its absolute worst with Kindergarten faux social awareness to boot.

"Are you a holdout?" No. STFU.

What's next? John Denver? Helen Reddy?

This is as close to my opinion of any so far. A truly boring album.

[BradH]

I will also submit that I never was a big JB fan, so I'm not going to get into a tussle with your assessment.

Wasn't looking for one. Just had to hurl for a minute.

[3-LockBox]

As far as the word 'live' goes as it pertains to music, that's going to be a loosely interpreted term regarding many '70s and early '80s album, since most are admittedly sweetened. I would suspect some of those '70s albums would make a 'best of' list, but I'd also think there were better examples than this kinda-sorta-live one. I'm not a JB hater, but I'm not a huge fan either. I like this choice better than some of sucks-so-bad-its-hip choices so far.

[BradH]

As far as the word 'live' goes as it pertains to music, that's going to be a loosely interpreted term regarding many '70s and early '80s album, since most are admittedly sweetened.

Well, if you mean overdubs then I would agree but I don't see any chicanery in a little creative mixing because that's what most live recordings need. It's not going to sound like you were there no matter what you do. If you take it straight off the board in a normally mic'd live setup it usually has that close up, dry compressed sound. So you have to either add reverb or mix in specially mic'd tracks to capture the dynamics of the hall itself. Then you're back to creative mixing. Sometimes in a small venue the stage mics will pick up the room reflections anyway so some soundboard tapes sound excellent from clubs.

The 801 and Jeff Beck I mentioned (and I think maybe Waiting For Columbus?) were recorded onstage without an audience. Maybe more people should do that to avoid the control freakiness of producers because those are killer performances.

[Worf101]

Sheesh... now I remember why I don't hang around here much... such venom for a man dat hasn't hurt no one... LOL His name's Jackson Browne NOT Osama Bin Leanin'.... Well I don't know, perhaps it's my age, or the music I was playing at the time. I was fresh out of the Army when this album hit and I loved it... I still have it and play it to this day. It's not Miles and Diz "live" at the Blue Note nor is it James at the Appolo either, but it is what it is, well played, well recorded and Mr. Lyndley's lap steel work is worth the price of admission. The title track and "Rosie" ring true for me as someone who's done a little touring in his life.

But opinions are like... you know the rest.. everyone has one.

Da Worfster

[Swish]

Sheesh... now I remember why I don't hang around here much... such venom for a man dat hasn't hurt no one... LOL His name's Jackson Browne NOT Osama Bin Leanin'.... Well I don't know, perhaps it's my age, or the music I was playing at the time. I was fresh out of the Army when this album hit and I loved it... I still have it and play it to this day. It's not Miles and Diz "live" at the Blue Note nor is it James at the Appolo either, but it is what it is, well played, well recorded and Mr. Lyndley's lap steel work is worth the price of admission. The title track and "Rosie" ring true for me as someone who's done a little touring in his life.

But opinions are like... you know the rest.. everyone has one.

Da Worfster

...I was glad to see you posting here again, and I hope you stick around for awhile despite the occasional spleen venting. Yes, David Lyndley's steel is beautiful and I heard this many times in my youth, and enjoyed it. That being said, I don't get any warm fuzzies (I know that's not a word, but it works) for a lot of stuff I listened to back in the late 70s and early 80s, especially 'country rock', which I really liked for a time, but grew weary of when it got so goofy with stuff like 'The Devil Went Down to Georgia' and its ilk. but I would listen to Browne's 'For Everyman' with no problem, with 'These Days' and 'Red Neck Friend'. Pretty good stuff IMHO.

Swish

[bobsticks]

...at its absolute worst with Kindergarten faux social awareness to boot.

Ja. I picked up his last release--can't remember the name of it and it's buried too deep to justify spending the time to unearth it--and it's the same story if not worse. There's twenty-some "tracks" but every other track is thirty seconds or so of the JB political indoctrination. It's like Bono's retarded great uncle.

[BradH]

But opinions are like... you know the rest.. everyone has one.

You can include Browne's opinion of his own music in that category. I wouldn't bother posting in a Jackson Browne appreciation thread or anyone else I don't listen to. If people like it then great. My cousin loved this album and I never said anything about it, just suffered through it. But if he'd said something crazy like it was better than Live At Leeds then all bets are off. This is about the 25 best live recordings and I don't THINK Browne did one of the 25 best of anything.

And btw, I see more venom on the audio forums at AR than Rave Recs by a long shot, the likes of which we haven't seen here in about 5 years. I can point you to some venom spewed over there just last week if you like. Cursing, personal attacks, the whole nine yards.

[3-LockBox]

There's twenty-some "tracks" but every other track is thirty seconds or so of the JB political indoctrination. It's like Bono's retarded great uncle.

I figured as much. And like U2, he has at least one song per album I like, but rarely ever listen to one of his albums the whole way through. Same with Springsteen's sermonizing. Politicizing or not, Browne can write, but I just can't listen to a guy who gets beat up by his girl friend.