These live albums are the perfect option if you’re looking for a night of great music without the need to fork out stupid cash, or indeed, go outside
Image credit: Martin Reyman
I don’t think it’s a revolutionary statement to say that live albums are pretty damn awesome. Sure, you can get the naff ones where they might as well just be the studio recording with some crowd sounds on, but when bands get them right, they can become just as integral as their studio recordings. Not only can the right band elevate the performance of the track by multiple levels, but also have the power to completely rearrange and reinterpret their own material, giving songs a whole new life outside of their album form. Not only that, but elements like live jams or in-between song banter allow them to put across a level of personality and in many cases skill, that make it a truly immersive experience. I suppose that’s the thing isn’t it? For the perfect live album, for me there’s usually a few key elements that need to be ticked off for it to be truly successful: top-level performances, adding new dynamics to songs, banter/personality and immersion, but also, the fact as to whether you’d rather listen to live versions than the studio ones. Manage to do that and bang, you’ve got a great live album on your hands. I know it sounds like one hell of a tall task, but there are a fair few seriously successful examples where all that and more is accomplished. So join me, as I rattle off a list of great live albums (and DVDs) for the ultimate sit-in concert experience. It goes without saying this isn’t an exhaustive list, but rather just a few of my favourites for consideration.
Budapest Népstadion 1986 (Queen)
Nine times out of ten, the “ultimate” live gig obviously has to have great performances, but also inventiveness, a degree of spontaneity, but importantly, at least for me, the most amount of material on top of that. Luckily, this Queen recording has all that and much more. Recorded on the “A Kind of Magic’ tour, it’s one of the last handful of performances Freddie Mercury ever did with the band, but you seriously would not be able to tell. From the blistering, euphoric opening of ‘One Vision’, the band are off and running, and rarely ever let up, in terms of quality that is. Of course older tracks are just as brilliant as they always were. ‘Tie Your Mother Down’ is absolutely electric with its galloping riffs and Freddie’s vocals, chock full of swagger and power. Then, the medley that follows, including tracks like ‘In The Lap of The Gods’ and ‘Tear it Up’ works great as a fast paced adrenalin rush. Part of the genius of the performances of old material is that with a much more beefed up live sound and Fred’s increased vocal gravitas, they sound better than they ever have. Obviously Brian May is a virtuoso master guitarist, but John Deacon and Roger Taylor can easily lay claim to being one of classic rock’s best rhythm sections. If you don’t believe me, the fantastic raucous version of ‘Now I’m Here’, the hands-in-the-air victory lap of ‘We Are The Champions’, or maybe the best version of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ ever recorded will convince you.
As great as all those tracks are, in my estimation, it’s some of the newer material that really stands out the most. I’ve already said how brilliant ‘One Vision’ is, but there are plenty of others. Rockier, more bombastic cuts like ‘Hammer To Fall’ or the monster, nearly seven minute version of ‘A Kind of Magic’, fit in the set like a glove, and, of course, rock pretty damn hard. Then there’s the more pop-rockier cuts like ‘I Want To Break Free’ or ‘Under Pressure’ start anthemic sing alongs with that dramatic flair that only Queen can truly bring, and sound brilliant doing so, ‘Under Pressure’ in particular showing that Freddie needs no collaborators to absolutely kill it. Add to that the tracks in which he still clearly demonstrates a strong balladic strength and panache, like the grand ‘Who Wants To Live Forever’ or incredibly tender ‘Is This The World We Created?’, and it proves the band are truly masters of dynamics. My personal “recent highlight” has to be ‘Radio Ga Ga’ though. The band take what was already a fantastic synthpop track, and elevate it to truly arena-worthy proportions. It’s ambient, anthemic, catchy, solid as a rock from a rhythm perspective, and just all-round brilliant.
If I had to really nitpick, with it being Queen, there’s obviously a fair bit of pomp and circumstance involved. The rendition of a Hungarian folk song is genuinely touching, and the brief improv piano rock jam is a great piece of fun, but a seven minute guitar solo and a trio of classic rock covers don’t seem the most necessary addition, but in their defence, they sound like they’re having tons of fun doing it. There’s no doubt in my mind that this is the ultimate Queen performance. Every facet, flavour and era of their musical journey covered in masterful fashion, while at the arguable peak of their musical powers. To say this was one of Freddie’s very last live performances with the band too, what a way to go out!
Disasterpieces – London Arena 2002 (Slipknot)
OK so remember what about a good live album having the most material? Well I’m going to walk that back instantly. It’s 2002, and Slipknot recently released ‘Iowa’, probably close to being the heaviest nu-metal album physically conceivable. So it’s no surprise that the British, metal loving public at the time ate it up, and of course, a tour made logical sense. This DVD in particular chronicles a performance at London’s Dockland Arena, and shows Slipknot, I think few would argue, at their absolute peak. The level of evil and guturality and brutality on display here is absolutely insane, to the point where it reaches near death metal heights, and every second of it is an absolute trip. One huge thing working in this DVDs favour is the mixing. Colin Richardson did an unbelievable job here, because this thing sounds utterly gargantuan. There’s a common critique levelled at slipknot these days that the nine-man lineup, at least for their newer material, isn’t really necessary anymore, and I kind of agree. Here though, it’s mixed in a way where the sound is so dense and thick and layered (in a good way) that it couldn’t work without all nine people. The duelling guitars, Joey Jordinson’s drums and Paul Gray’s bass, create a solid as a rock foundation for the auditory assault, as songs come barreling towards you like a wrecking ball of noise. It’s awesome. It’s not just all unorganised noise though. As the sheer chugging quality and frenetic energy of some of the grooves here prove, these guys really know what they’re doing musically too. It’s dark, and it’s dirty, and manic, but it also grooves really fucking hard, and the riffs are obviously fantastic. Need I mention the truly epic drum solo? Corey’s vocals are at his absolute most unhinged here too. He switches from characteristic gnarly screams to deep, dark growls and screeching highs at the drop of a hat, and all with somewhat of a demented melodic flair, resulting in an absolutely brilliant performance.
Where the mixing really has to get credit though is with the “extras”, those things that not every band has that really give Slipknot an extra auditory dimension. The additional pounding percussion from Chris and Shawn makes every groove hit like a high-speed bus, and their backing vocals just add even more to the purely unhinged vibe of it all. More so important though, are the contributions of Craig and Sid. Their adages of samples and scratches really help to give a dark, industrial, almost futuristic edge to a number of tracks here, acting as a great auditory cherry on this musical cake. Not only does it give super-cool otherworldly flair to tracks like ‘People = Shit’, ‘Purity’ or ‘My Plague’, but when tracks like ‘Eyeless’ or ‘Gently’ come along, it becomes quite obvious that these tracks just wouldn’t function without them. A fact that, as I say, is highlighted by the fantastic mix. Sid even gets his own pretty wicked turntable solo halfway through. All in all, the band really are greater than the sum of their parts here.
As far as track selection goes, I really couldn’t ask for much more. It is just hit after hit after hit for the most part. All the big hitters from ‘Iowa are here: ‘People = Shit’, ‘Disasterpiece’, ‘My Plague’, ‘Heretic Anthem’, ‘Left Behind’, they all sound fantastic unsurprisingly, and in some cases, like with ‘Left Behind’, sound even better than they did on record, which is a serious compliment given Ross Robinson manned the desk. There’s no other word for it, they sound massive, but also with that element of live spontaneity and madness thrown in. The set also sees plenty of tracks from their debut getting a sonic update as well. Don’t get me wrong, songs like ‘Eyeless’, ‘Spit it Out’, ‘Wait and Bleed’, ‘(sic)’, and ‘Surfacing are brilliant anyway, but in this context they’re just given that extra sonic dimension to take them to the next level of truly face-scrunching status. Namely, the new live mix of these tracks imbues them with that bass depth, that low-end sludge, that as brilliant as the original mix is, was missing from the original, and thus makes it so these tracks new and old, sound just as brutal as each other. I mean ‘People = Shit’ is fucking bonkers anyway, but the sound of the breakdown on ‘Eyeless’… my god. There’s also a fair few pretty cool (kinda) deep cuts that get an airing here. ‘Gently’ is wonderfully atmospheric, unsettling and domineering, ‘Purity’ is essentially a nu-metal horror film in song form, as evil and depraved as it is heavy, and the renditions of ‘Eeyore’ and ‘New Abortion’ give us some absolutely blood-pumping versions of some of their absolute heaviest material. It’s a wonder my head and legs didn’t come off. I was moshing so hard. OK, if I was really being a picky little fan boy, would some TRULY deep cuts like ‘Scissors’ or ‘Skin Ticket’ have been cool? Obviously, but at the same time, we don’t live in Narnia, and unless they were playing for two hours, it’s hard to find fault with their selections.
So, while it’s true that at this point the internal relationships in Slipknot were falling apart at the seams, it’s clear to see that that brewing tension and anger within the group resulted in one of the most brutal, high energy, rage fuelled and theatrical performances i’ve ever seen, and in my head will go down as the definitive document of the world’s best nu-metal band.
Royal Albert Hall 2005 (Cream)
Cream are undeniably one of the most important groups in rock music history. During their short, less than five year run, three master musicians in Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce, and Ginger Baker, took psychedelic rock, blues, and jazz into markedly groovier, dirtier territory. As such I reckon every metal band from Sabbath to Cannibal Corpse owe them a hell of a lot, a real “walk so we could run” situation. So when news of their reunion surfaced in 2005, tickets reportedly sold out in minutes. After hearing these recordings of the various dates, it’s clear why the hype was so big. Like with Slipknot, I have to give big props to the production here. The songs are great in their original iterations anyway, but sonically, with it being the 60s, they sound a bit light, or weedy, for lack of a better word. Obviously I didn’t expect Cream to make the heaviest record ever in 1966, but the point being with the clarity of modern recording, the band has so much more punch here, and sound a thousand times more muscular and bright, much to their benefit. Not only does this attenuate how brilliant Jack and Ginger’s grooves are, but also gives an extra clarity and shimmer to Eric’s guitars, and on the whole makes the album sound utterly immaculate. In fact, as far as performances go generally, I’m prepared to die on the hill that basically every version here practically dwarfs the original. Take the opening number ‘I’m So Glad’ for example. The original is pretty catchy and charming, decently frenetic too I suppose, but this live version seems so much more together. The riffs come through clearer from Eric and sound a fair bit catchier as a result, the solo absolutely rules, the group vocals work a hell of a lot better, the groove is super solid and sharp, and Jack’s main vocals have this sort of aged yet laid back swagger filled quality that serves the song so well. The same goes for virtually every song here, so instead of going by song, I’ll probably go by musician instead, to demonstrate just how awesome this performance is.
Take Jack for example. Not only do tracks like ‘Sleepy Time Time’, ‘Deserted Cities of the Heart’, ‘Born Under a Bad Sign’, and of course the immortal ‘White Room’, have absolutely fantastic bass playing to the point where I’m near perpetually gobsmacked at the skill and quality of the grooves, but his vocals are brilliant too. On a lot of the previously mentioned tracks, as alluded to earlier, Jack’s older age has given him the ability of sounding so much more soulful and effortlessly cool, while still belting out some incredible melodies. I’d argue ‘Politician’ is a prime example. The groove and vocal performance on that track is absolutely awesome, dishing up the perfect amount of sleaze needed for the song. He also employs a slightly more dramatic delivery on parts of songs like ‘White Room’ that come across way more emotive than I ever thought they would. There’s also his occasional use of the harmonica on tracks like ‘Rollin’ and Tumblin’’ or ‘Sitting on Top of the World’, where it either lends the track a great sense of fun like with the former, or just bolsters the forlorn melancholia on the latter. In any case, like with most of what Jack or anyone in this band does, you can tell that he’s an absolute master of his craft.
Then there’s Eric. His guitar work is also integral to a great deal of the songs here. There’s the blusier cuts like ‘Spoonful’, ‘Sunshine of Your Love’, ‘N.S.U’, or of course ‘Crossroads’, a track that Clapton definitively made his own, where his gritty tone, relentlessly funky melodies and acrobatic solos result in maybe the only time I’ve ever scrunched faced at a track this “non-heavy.” I know I’ve used this phrase a fair bit but my god, the swagger is immeasurable. Then there’s other tracks like the aforementioned ‘I’m So Glad’, ‘Stormy Monday’, or set highlight ‘We’re Going Wrong’, where Eric offers up a slightly more sophisticated, melancholic, almost loungy sound that gives it a genuinely cinematic quality, particularly on the latter track, where, paired with Jack’s impassioned vocals, sounds so forlorn and dejected it’s hard not to feel genuinely moved. Furthermore, while Jack may take on a bulk of the vocal duties, Eric’s contributions in that area are certainly not to be overlooked. Where Jack has slightly more swagger, when you take a listen to Eric’s performance on ‘Outside Women Blues’, ‘Badge’, or ‘Stormy Monday’, he definitely leans into the lighter soulful sides of things, which not only makes for some fantastic and quite graceful performances, but also balances the vocal dynamic between him and Jack incredibly well. Bring those together and the harmonies speak for themselves.
Then there’s Ginger, the very reason I got into Cream in the first place. Given how complementary I’ve been to the others, it should be no surprise I think this is one of his finest showings too. Throughout the gig, he delivers an absolute masterclass in versatility on the drums. The more straight-ahead rock beats on ‘Outside Women Blues’, ‘N.S.U’, ‘Deserted Cities’, and of course ‘Sunshine of Your Love’ are fantastic, as he delivers super-infectious, dare I say danceable beats with a great touch of jazz flair. Not to mention that his fill work is utterly phenomenal, particularly on tracks like ‘I’m So Glad’ with its bombastic toms, or ‘Stormy Monday’ which has some brilliant snare rolls. Speaking of jazz earlier, if a few things are clear here, it’s that Ginger obviously has a great love for jazz, and also that he is an absolute master of the swing beat. Just take a listen to ‘Spoonful’, ‘Sleepy Time Time’, or the fantastic ‘Pressed Rat and Warthog’ among others and you can see just how effortlessly cool his drumming style is. The groove-o-metre is off the chart. In addition, the latter track also has Ginger taking up lead vocals as a kind of bizarro kids book narrator, and the results are joyous.
There are also other moments where Ginger’s playing takes centre stage though, and they’re perhaps his most ingenious of all. Take his drumming on ‘We’re Going Wrong’ for example. Somehow, using just toms and hi-hat, Ginger creates the perfect frenetic backdrop in which this musical storm takes place, masterfully guiding Jack and Eric through its many peaks and troughs with almost orchestral intensity. Obviously though, I couldn’t possibly talk about Ginger without mentioning ‘Toad.’ first emerging at the end of Cream’s debut, it’s Ginger’s chance to show everyone exactly what he can do, and boy does he. There’s not really a great deal I can say about it that hasn’t been said already, but he’s able to take us through a litany of different styles in it’s ten-minute run, from effortlessly laidback jazz beats, to truly unbelievable fill work, utilising every drum to its highest potential, and also giving us an idea of his love of African rhythms, which he accomplishes flawlessly. I don’t think I’m over-exaggerating when I say this solo could very easily make a case for him being one of the world’s greatest drummers. Not least also because he did this whole gig with crippling arthritis.
So, I think I’ve gone on long enough about this now but as a final statement I’ll ask this question: where else will you find a live album that is not only fantastically performed, but due to the skill of the people involved, can serve as a masterclass in music itself at a core level? I can only think of one.
Well, that’s it for part one. Yes, I said part one! You thought I was stopping after three? Not a chance, after all, I’ve still got another nine fantastic recommendations up my sleeve. So, come back next time when I’ll be talking about some great live recordings from punk rock’s originators, the rave gig to end all rave gigs, and a recording of the biggest show to date from the best band in the world. If that’s not a hook I don’t know what is.
