Best live albums

[Doctor Jeff]

I'm just gonna throw out a few off the top of my head in several genres including jazz. These to me represent something unique and a step above anything recorded in the studio.

JAZZ

Miles Davis at the Plugged Nickel
Duke Ellington Live at Newport--most people don't know the original melody tape was damaged, and so the solo parts were rerecorded in the studio. But still an amazing document from one of the best bands ever
Bill Evans Live at the Village Vanguard--the standard for introspective, lyrical jazz
John Cotrane Live at the Village Vanguard
Wes Montgomery Live at the Half Note
Weather Report 11:30--notable for Teen Town alone--Shorter and Pastorius are on steroids on this one

COUNTRY

Johnny Cash Live at Folsom Prison
Doc Watson and Merle Watson--I used to have it on cassette, don't remember the name, but Doc and Merle tear it up. Not sure if it's in print/on CD, but my favorite versions of many of Doc's songs
Lucinda Williams Live at the Fillmore--her voice is hoarse but full of emotion, and really outstanding guitar work by Doug Pettibone

ROCK/R&B

James Brown Live at the Apollo
Elvis 1969 Comeback Tour
Rolling Stones Get Yer YaYas Out
The Who Live at Leeds
Lou Reed Rock and Roll Animal--it doesn't get any more animalistic than this--Steve Hunter does the 70's guitar thing as well as anyone on this one
Frank Zappa Fillmore East June 1971--gave us the Mud Shark--and another sentimental favorite of mine, Live at the Roxy
Joni Mitchell Miles of Aisles
Allman Brothers Band Live at the Fillmore East--nuff said

Any other nominations?

[Stuart Elliott]

Ellington at Newport should definitely be on the list. OP is right about it not being completely live, but not sure all the details are correct. E.g., Paul Gonsalves did play into the wrong mike, but that was covered up with fake applause. Fortunately, tapes from the Voice of America were discovered and there is a restored version of the CD available.

Jazz at Massey Hall
Benny Goodman: Live at Carnegie Hall, 1938 (Columbia/Legacy 65143, 1998)
The Art Blakey Quintet: The Complete Live Recordings at Birdland: A Night At Birdland
Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane at Carnegie Hall
Cannonball Adderly, Mercy, Mercy, Mercy
The Sound of Jazz
John Handy, Live at the Monterey Jazz Festival

BLUES

B.B. King, Live at the Regal
Blues is King
Live in Japan
Muddy Waters's At Newport 1960

ROCK
Live Adventures of Mike Bloomfield and Al Kooper
The Band, Last Waltz
Grateful Dead, Europe '72

COUNTRY
Merle Haggard, Rainbow Stew
Asleep at the Wheel, Live at Billy Bob's

[pamosmusic]

Jim Hall Live box set w Don Thompson and Terry Clarke.

also plus one on Smokin and Plug Nickel.

[Patrick2]

Gotta put Lee Ritenour's Overtime album somewhere on one of those lists. That whole session was live and amazing.

[MarkRhodes]

The Allman Bros. at Fillmore East, and Eat a Peach. (Eat A Peach is not all live, but "Mountain Jam" took up two LP sides and was live, so...)

Wes Montgomery's "Smokin' At the Half Note" is my favorite live jazz record.

What was the one Cannonball Adderley did that had "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" on it---"At the Lighthouse" or something like that?

[Stevebol]

Ritchie Havens at Woodstock

[Frethack]

Live at Midem recorded in Cannes France. I ran across this the other day. It looks like they release an album every year from the concert. The year I found had Brubeck, Metheny, King, and Heath Brothers. Good stuff.

[MarkRhodes]

Jimi Hendrix's "In The West" meant a lot to me as a kid. I haven't heard it in a long time; not sure what I'd make of it now. Ditto "Live Cream" vols 1 and 2.

O, man, Little Richard at the Okeh Club----that was a hoot.

[fumblefingers]

Ritchie Havens at Woodstock

Great performance - and story!

saw him a few years later front row, doing about the same songs/show. Great

[Stevebol]

Great performance - and story!

saw him a few years later front row, doing about the same songs/show. Great

What a groove. And he just made that stuff up right there! I thought I might want to give this music thing a shot. That was it for me.

[mr. beaumont]

A few faves i didn't see yet

Sam Cooke at the harlem square club
Curtis Mayfield live
Miles' Dark Magus (heaviest record Miles ever made)
Trane at the Vanguard again (my god, Pharoah Sanders on this one!)
The Roots Come Alive
Built to Spill's Live record

and I just gotta second Live at Leeds. If the first chords of "Heaven and Hell" don't make you wanna bang out some open chords through a cranked tube amp then...i dunno...

And Live Dead is still my favorite of all time. Maybe even favorite record, not just live record...

[Stevebol]

Live at Leeds and Allman's at the Fillmore East definitely. Young Man Blues and Jimi's Voodoo Child are the most epic rock tunes I've ever heard.
It's good to touch base with what made us once in a great while. Ritchie Havens made me want to be a musician. Charlie Christian put a curse on me. Jamming with Rick James's Mary Jane drummer made me think. Jethro Tull makes me happy.
I'd rather not listen to live recordings these days but they were critical at one time.

[Stuart Elliott]

What was the one Cannonball Adderley did that had "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" on it---"At the Lighthouse" or something like that?

The one with "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" would be Mercy, Mercy, Mercy recorded in 1966 live in studio in LA. Free drinks for the invited crowd.

At the Lighthouse was recorded in 1960 and is another great live album. It introduced "Sack o' Woe." It was a follow-up to 1959's The Cannonball Adderley Quintet in San Francisco,with "This Here" and "Hi-fly" as notable cuts. It was recorded at a lively nightclub and was very successful. Producer Keepnews reflected that it "was such a phenomenal success that not only did I do a lot of such recordings afterwards, but I think that virtually all jazz producers felt that it was a good thing to do".

Another live Cannonball album I like is Why Am I Treated So Bad, the follow-up to MMM, featuring a tune by Pop Staples.

[cosmic gumbo]

Mile Davis - Agharta
Jimi Hendrix - Band of Gypsys

[dingusmingus]

Lots of good ones mentioned already!

A few more that have been big for me:

Jazz Messengers Live at Birdland vol. 1&2
Monk and Coltrane at Carnegie Hall
BB King at Cook County Jail
Roy Buchanan Live Stock
The Band, the Last Waltz

And one of my all time favorites:
Danny Gatton and Buddy Emmons Redneck Jazz Explosion

Edit: I forgot Nirvana Unplugged. Haven't listened to it in years, but in high school I wore that out.

[Stanford J17]

Ella & Joe Pass "Sophisticated Lady"
Joe Pass Quartet "Live At Yoshi's"
Joe Pass "Live At Long Beach City College"

Ed Bickert & Don Thompson "At the garden party"
Paul Desmond Quartet "Like Someone in Love" (feat. Ed Bickert)

"The Unforgettable NHOP Trio Live" (feat. Ulf Wakenius)

[Doctor Jeff]

A couple more I forgot or which I have been listening to lately:

Bob Dylan Live 1964 and Live 1975--2 sides of Bob, the first is his classic Royal Albert Hall show where he "went electric".

The Band The Last Waltz.

Grateful Dead Europe 1972--the best single document of them live, the definitive version of China Cat Sunflower.

Jimi Hendrix--Live at Red Rocks--not a full concert, but some sizzling tunes, Red House alone is worth the price of admission.

And I have been listening to Funkadelic's Live (1971)--how is it I've never heard this before? This is an awesome piece of funk and progressive rock. And Eddie Hazel--wow. He's a monster on this record.

[gcb]

Joe Pass Live at Donte's

[ronjazz]

Oscar Peterson Trio "The Trio" and "The Sound of the Trio", live at Chicago's London House, 1961. Ferocious.
Also several excellent live recordings of OP with Herb Ellis, Stratford for one, Zardi's another.

Art Farmer/Jim Hall Live at the Half Note. Jim's funkiest solo on "Stompin' At The Savoy".

Lennie Breau "Live at Donte's", 1969.

Gabor Szabo "The Sorcerer"

Julian Bream and John Williams "Live". Spectacular playing and recording.

[pingu]

Concert by the Sea ... Errol Garner

Shadows and Light ... Joni Mitchell

[MarkRhodes]

Shadows and Light ... Joni Mitchell

O, man, what about "Miles of Aisles"? I loved that record but had forgotten all about it.

Here's how it opens:

[Flyin' Brian]

In addition to many mentioned, I did a search on my iTunes and came up with:

Wes
Live In Paris
Live At Ronny Scott's
Live At Jorgie's Jazz Club
Full House
Echoes Of Indiana Avenue

CTI All Stars California Concert

Cannonball Adderley
74 Miles Away
In Person (guesting Lou Rawls and Nancy Wilson)

Larry Carlton Last Nite

Howard Roberts Magic Band 1 and 2

Delbert McClinton Live

Donny Hathaway Live

Pat Metheny
Travels
The Road To You
Trio Live

Eva Cassidy Live At Blues Alley

Metheny, Hancock, Holland, DeJohette Parallel Realities Live

Sinatra At The Sands

Sheryl Bailey 3 Live At The Fat Cat

Tower of Power Soul Vaccination Live 1998

Too many Oscar Petersons to list

Little Feat Waiting For Columbus, Neon Park

Tedeschi Trucks Band Everybody's Talkin'

Sting Bring On The Night

John Scofield EnRoute Live

Larry Coryell Live In Chicago

Betty Carter Feed The Fire

Pat Metheny Gary Burton Quartet

Gary Burton Quartet Live At Carnegie Hall

Stan Getz Live At Carnegie Hall

Jim Hall and Friends Live At Town Hall

Ella Fitzgerald Live In Berlin



Many more....

[pubylakeg]

Some Jazz Guitar selections,

Charlie Christian: Selected Broadcasts & Jam Sessions. JSP Records 4 disc set. A shedload of live CC.
Amazon.com: Charlie Christian: Selected Broadcasts & Jam Sessions: Music

Nat Cole Trio: Live At The Circle Room. Classic radio broadcast, great audio quality, feat Oscar Moore.
Amazon.com: Live At The Circle Room: Nat King Cole: Music

Stan Getz: At Storyville. Bebop era Getz, with some of Jimmy Raney's greatest solos.
Amazon.com: Stan Getz: At Storyville Vol 1 & 2: Music

Tal Farlow:Complete 1956 Private Recordings. Live in Ed Fuersts living room ! The great Tal Farlow trio with Eddie Costa, phenomenal playing !.
Amazon.com: Complete 1956 Private Recordings: Tal Farlow: Music

Barney Kessel:Swinging Party At Contemporary. Live, in the studio ? with an audience ?!.
http://www.amazon.com/Barney-Kessels...+swingin+party

Kenny Burrell: A Night At The Vanguard.
Amazon.com: Kenny Burrell: A Night At The Vanguard: Music
Kenny Burrell: On View At The Five Spot Cafe.
http://www.amazon.com/Five-Spot-Cafe...rell+five+spot

Stanley Turrentine: Up At Mintons. Grant Green on fire on this early session.
Amazon.com: Stanley Turrentine: Up at Minton's: Music

Joe Pass: Joy Spring. Often discussed here, one of Joe's greatest records, even if he's out of tune on some of it! Essential listening.
Amazon.com: Joe Pass: Joy Spring: Music

Herb Ellis/Joe Pass: Seven Come Eleven. (also repackaged as Arrival).
Great swinging, fun, session recorded at Concord Festival. Possibly one of the best 2 guitar live recordings available. ( Hear Ray Brown order a hot-dog)
http://www.amazon.com/Seven-Come-Ele...qid=1431428457
http://www.amazon.com/Arrival-Herb-E...ellis+joe+pass

[339 in june]

We Want Miles

[MarkRhodes]

Herb Ellis/Joe Pass: Seven Come Eleven. (also repackaged as Arrival).
Great swinging, fun, session recorded at Concord Festival. Possibly one of the best 2 guitar live recordings available. ( Hear Ray Brown order a hot-dog)
http://www.amazon.com/Seven-Come-Ele...qid=1431428457
http://www.amazon.com/Arrival-Herb-E...ellis+joe+pass

That's near the top of my want list. I've heard parts and love them. Those two guys together astound me.