Four on the Floor – Top Ten Live Albums.

I was having a conversation the other day and as usual it evolved into what’s the best etc and it was mainly about live albums, I also noticed that it was primarily albums between 1973 and 1983 ish, so I thought long and hard, actually not really these ten have been my top ten for most of my life, these are my top ten, if you disagree, I have no issue, there’s bound to be a couple that I have forgotten about or there might simply be a reason why I haven’t picked them, buckle in here we go.

Deep Purple – Made in Japan   10/10.

In my opinion simply the best live album ever, not one overdub, yes I didn’t believe it until I heard the bootlegs of the same performances and listened to the Live in Japan box set which gives you the entire concerts that the tracks are pulled from, the band are on fire, great songs yes there’s other Deep Purple live albums and loads of other “official” releases which to be honest are pretty damn awesome but this simply has never been beaten, it was also the first live album I ever heard, nothing has ever come close to this…….OK!

Blue Oyster Cult – Some Enchanted Evening     8.5/10.

My favourite BOC live album and there are tons of them, I have at least ten “official” live albums from different era’s but I prefer this one, maybe because I’m on it (Tee Hee) why not a perfect score, personally the sound is a bit weedy but still better  than “On Your Feet or on your Knees”  which someone once said was mainly due to them going wireless, I do like all of the live albums by them, but this does take the biscuit, great cover, gets in gets out, some of the later ones simply repeat the greatest hits or resorts to covers (ETL’s Roadhouse Blues which I hate) and while it’s not (its close) my Fave BOC number I don’t think that the version of Astronomy has been beaten in any other live format!

UFO - Strangers in the Night     9.5/10.

This album blew my mind pretty similar to Made in Japan, simply stunning, great songs, great playing Schenker at his best, (the box set that was released recently superb, all of the nights that this album was taken from) I loved the cover (don’t ask me I like what I like) I had discovered them six months previously when Obsessions had been released, that beat me up as up until that point I had never heard anything so sonically superior to what was being delivered by other bands at the time, this was the perfect set list I played the album quite a lot once I had borrowed it and taped it, I couldn’t afford many double albums at the time, the only track that was missing for me was “Cherry”, which in actual fact is the reason it gets it scoring, I don’t know anybody of my age who doesn’t like this album!

 

Kiss – Alive     9.5/10.

The first album I ever heard by Kiss, Christmas morning 1975, my brother got it from my mother and I can’t even remember what I got, that album was played to death over and over again for the next couple of months until my brother started buying the studio albums, they looked great, they sounded great, even on a one speaker Dansett record player, what’s not to like from the opening of “you want the best you got the best etc” it’s a non-stop rock n roller coaster, and if I’m honest its probably the Kiss live album that I go back to time and time again there’s nothing wrong with the others this is simply the best live album they ever did!

Thin Lizzy – Live & Dangerous     9/10.

What’s not to like?  that cover is simply awesome, great sound, the only issue for me is there’s two songs I don’t care for, one is Johnny the Fox and The Rocker, there are better tracks to put on in my opinion, I mean I don’t turn those songs off, but they aren’t my favourite tracks, I never saw a bad concert by them and this is simply the best example for those who couldn’t get to see them in real life, the bands on fire, they never topped this as a live recording, Life was a poor second best for me, the closest for me is when they played Sydney Opera House with Gary Moore and Mark Nauseef, let’s just sit and bask in the glory that is Live & Dangerous!

The Scorpions – Tokyo Tapes     8.5/10.

My brother bought this as an import a week before it was officially released in the UK, oh how I laughed, he had brought a couple of albums earlier in the year but the live album was simply fab, I know I will get asked again but it’s down to tracks, I was never a fan of Uli Jon Roth’s voice and although I do like Hellcat and Polar Nights his voice puts me off just so, and I could do without the rock and roll medley, even Queen couldn’t pull it off, again I never liked any of the following live albums although I would have loved a live album from the Lovedrive tour simply for the additional tracks, Roth’s playing on this album was superb but he had already left before this was released, they were turbo charged after this, but what a great snap shot of what was!

Blackfoot – Highway Song     9/10.

The absolute peak for this band, after this they added Ken Hensley and they were never the same ever again, great album after great album and then this tour blew the roof off the UK  and made a big statement, just listen to the crowd especially on “howay the lads” from the Mayfair, who knew the car crash that was about to happen, this was/is my going out on a Friday night album, can I get a hell yeah, this was their brightest moment out in the sunlight and damn it was good!

Cheap Trick – At the Budokan     8/10.

Probably the weakest of all of the live albums in this top ten, but whenever I listen to it I do get a big cheesy grin all over my stupid face it’s a great album and the very first album I ever heard by them, it was everywhere back in the day I know quite a few of my friends who owned a copy, it was a rites of passage type of thing, I had a friend who literally had twelve different versions of it, in different coloured vinyl, and different sleeves, I believe it was the fifth CD I ever bought, like all of these albums being listed they transport me back to a better time.

Journey – Captured     8.5/10.

Again, the first thing I ever heard by them and I loved it, shame I missed them a week later at the Mayfair supporting Pat Travers, D’oh! I loved this album again a great double live set, with a great cover, who knew that they were about to go on and simply be practically the biggest and best band in the USA for the next few years, a near perfect set list, Perry singing like an angel and the rest of the band literally burning up the stages as they went out everywhere, I’m not sure why they put a studio track on as the last song I’m sure they had plenty of material to fill it up, it’s a small gripe for a rather spiffing album!

Al Di Meola, John Mclaughlin, Paco de Lucia – Friday Night in San Francisco     9/10.

A curve ball I know, but I simply cannot get enough of this particular album, a total guitar fest, I had a couple of friends who saw them on this tour and it simply blew them away, when I was presented with a copy of this album my jaw simply dropped, I eventually was able to see all three artists just not all together on one stage, this has five songs and lasts 41.00 minutes some absolute fantastic technical ability, it simply brings a smile to my face.

Now that’s my ten, it might not be yours I don’t care, its all about the memories, and these albums have been chock block full of memories for me, now you might notice that there’s no Rainbow, Ritchie is there with Made In Japan, lets not get greedy and there are so many great “official” live albums or video’s of that line up so lets not go there, No priest , well to be honest I’m not a fan of the later day live albums Unleashed sounds a little doctored, I’ve heard the bootlegs off that Japan tour and the Bootlegs sound better, the live B-sides from the Killing Machine singles from the Agora ballroom are the best released live tracks I have ever heard from Priest so raw, No Queen, no simply because the officially released material has no balls the bootlegs are so much better, the Houston summit gig is simply wow, the Hyde park gig, even better the Crazy Tour dates are mind blowing, I’m sorry but the tracks speak for themselves, no Aerosmith simply because their bootlegs sound better than the sanitised versions of their Live albums, no Frank Marino his Live album is awesome but he leans in too heavily on the Hendrix vibe for me, nothing from Fish, there’s too many to choose from and to be honest his voice is shot most of the time, No Wishbone Ash Live dates the list can go on and trust me it does, the ten of my list are pretty consistent, they might move position but  they rarely drop out of the top ten, No ACDC, I prefer their bootlegs it’s all about personal choice and that’s mine, it’s all subjective like what you like, enjoy music it’s all subjective, YouTube is a great leveller there is so much stuff that’s not under the control of the artist, some awesome some great, and some that frankly shocking but it can still be good, I don’t care, music simply lifts the spirit, even bands you don’t like, to other people the stuff you like lifts you it’s all good in the hood, until next time play your music loud and enjoy…..Toodles.