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  4. It’s a good call, but I would counter with Dire Straits / Alchemy…… not only does it have the definitive versions of Sultans and Telegraph Road, it has the gorgeous uncredited instrumental intro to Tunnel of Love.

    From a purely personal perspective, I would also add Genesis / Seconds Out – its never going to be seen as one of the greatest ever in the global perspective, but it was the album that I have fond memories of listening to when growing up and one I often go back to (and after all, isn’t one of the things that makes music great, the memories it conjures up).

  5. Allman Brothers – Live At Fillmore East
    Van Morrison – Too Late To Stop Now
    Beach Boys – In Concert
    Blue Oyster Cult – On Your Feet Or On Your Knees
    Doors – Absolutely Live

    … all great akcbums.

  13. I love live akcbums. And there are so many good ones.

    Seconds Out is a big favourite. As are Waiting For Columbus and It’s Too Late To Stop Now.

    In addition, how about:

    Made In Japan – Deep Purple
    All The World’s A Stage – Rush
    Live Bullet – Bob Seger
    Wings Over America (even though it’s a triple)
    The Bootleg Series Vol 5, Live 1975 – Bob (probably a better option than the 14 CD box of the entire Rolling Thunder recordings and it fits the thread’s theme of double akcbums)

  18. The Koln Concert – Keith Jarrett arrived to find a rubbish piano instead of his expected Bosendorfer, so has to improvise and work with the instruments limitations. It’s great, it’s absolutely epic, you can hear him losing his shit on the piano as he plays. He pretty much disowned the album later tho.

  19. There won’t be much love for this album on here, but Status Quo Live from 1977 is just wonderful. The band are at their peak, the songs are brilliant, check out the superb fifteen minutes of Roadhouse Blues, and the energy and noise from the Glasgow crowd is just a joy to behold. No wonder Francis Rossi was worried about the balcony collapsing.

  20. Ok which live album do you actually listen to a lot.

    Pour moi

    Stop Making Sense
    Rolling Thunder Bootleg Series
    Bob Marley Live At The Roxy
    Lou Reed Live In Italy
    Midnight Oil Live At Goat Island
    Curtis Mayfield at Ronnie Scott’s
    Derek and The Dominoes live

  22. This is a great thread, because for the last nine months I’ve been attempting to listen to Every Double Live Album From The Seventies, the format’s golden years. Expect a thread to drop with ratings and slatings towards the end of the year (still 400 tracks to go on the big playlist). So a few new ones here to me, like Commander Cody – so obscure seventies double lives please add – I listened to The Osmonds Around The World, a live double from 1975, at the weekend if you need inspiration.

      • I might tap out at about 100 by the end of the year. ‘Listening to Every Live Album for the seventies’ will probably become ‘As many Live albums from the seventies as I can listen to by the middle of December.’ That seems a reasonable goal. There will be a law of diminishing returns, and am excluding classical and live comps like the Greasy Truckers mentioned above. I have listened to 67, and have another 24 or so on Spotify lined up. A few – The Carpenters in Japan for example, and an Isaac Hayes/Dionne Warwick set, are not on it so will have to find a youtube link.
        A seventies double live also needs releasing in the seventies. Gatefold sleeve, big photo of the gig on the front etc. – so the endless retrospective live recordings of concerts released since then don’t count. otherwise surely there are thousands.

        • Re: “otherwise surely there are thousands”

          Yes – even if you restrict yourself to Grateful Dead archival releases from the 70s, there are still – literally – hundreds.

            • Sadly, though, “Europe ’72” was a live triple album, rather than a double.
              Live triple albums from the 70s deserve their own thread, really.
              I suppose there weren’t too many of them.
              Let’s see…

              The Band – The Last Waltz (mentioned elsewhere on this thread)
              Yes – Yessongs
              Santana – Lotus
              Wings – Over America
              ELP – Welcome Back My Friends to the Show that Never Ends
              Keith Jarrett – Solo Concerts: Bremen/Lausanne

              Erm … I can’t think of any more at the moment. Maybe you can.

                • OK – now we move on to quadruple live LPs of the 1970s.

                  The first one I can think of is Chicago IV – Live at Carnegie Hall.

                  And then … let’s see … no, I can’t think of any others.
                  Come on … there must be one or two apart from Chicago….

                  • As far as I know, the longest live album released in the 1970s was Keith Jarrett’s “The Sun Bear Concerts”, which was a 10 LP set.

                    Obviously, there have been plenty of longer 1970s live recordings released in subsequent decades. One that immediately comes to mind is the Grateful Dead’s “Europe ’72: The Complete Recordings” (known to Deadheads as “The Trunk”). This is a 73-CD set.

  23. As sticking to the question Uncle asked is apparently for the birds. I’ll chuck in off the top of my head in no particular order…
    Keith Jarrett Live at the Blue Note.
    Bill Evans Sunday at the Village Vanguard.
    The Quintet – Jazz at Massey Hall.
    Erroll Garner – Concert by the Sea.

  24. The Name of This Band is Talking Heads is a wonderful double live album illustrating two stages in the band’s development. For me the second disc is the greatest recording of a live concert I have ever heard.

  27. Steven Wilson’s Home Invasion live at the Royal Albert Hall is really pretty great.

    Television Live At The Old Waldorf. It’s all the best tunes and all the best performances but not necessarily in the right order.

  29. Bruce and The Seeger Sessions Band Live in Dublin – Great atmosphere and fantastic re-arrangments of some of the older songs – Open All Night especially…
    The other Bruce (Hornsby) and The Noisemakers – Here Come The Noisemakers – lots of excellent improvisation.
    A couple from this year…
    Jeffrey Martin – Alive July 25th 2025 – A great intro if you’re not familiar with this magnificent songwriter.
    The Specials – Live From The Cathedral – I wasn’t really into The Specials when they were in their pomp and I now think that was my loss. I started listening to them more since Terry passed and this is beautifully recorded and lots of fun.

  30. The three live albums that I’ve heard more than any other all deserve consideration, and I don’t think any of them have been mentioned so far:

    1. Marillion – Real to Reel. The Marillos always add an extra gear when playing live, and RtoR has some storming versions of early classics. The closing one-two of Garden Party and Market Square Heroes is terrific.

    2. Pink Floyd – Is There Anybody Out There? I was too young for the original Wall tour, so this is as close as I’ll get. My favourite album brought thumpingly to life, with the added bonus of the extra tracks The Last Bricks (nicely moody) and What Shall We Do Now? (listen to The Wall again, duh!).

    3. Hawkwind – Live Chronicles. The best of the mighty ‘Wind’s countless live sets (yes, for me it’s better than the classic Space Ritual). Songs about Elric, narration from Hawkwind chum Michael Moorcock, and the opening cry of “The saga that men call THE CHRONICLE OF THE BLACK SWORD!!!” Boom! And we’re off!

  32. Can I add 2 more for consideration (both doubles):
    Deep Purple – Made In Japan
    Dire Straits – Alchemy

    Led Zeppelin – Song Remains The Same is nearly in with a shout, but eclipsed by the superior How The West Was Won set (but that one is a triple, so fails to meet the criteria)

  33. I’ll add “Blow Your Face Out” by the J.Geils Band. Peter Wolf was one of the great front men and his extensive rap leading up to “Musta got Lost” is exciting and hilarious. The band also does justice to “Where did our love go?” and a few other soul classics. Wolf’s memoir is also a very enjoyable read. Aside from a five-year marriage to Faye Dunaway, he met and partied with a remarkably wide range of famous folk.

  34. Much played by me (as well as “On Your Feet”, “Made In Japan” and “Strangers In The Night”

    Lynyrd Skynyrd – “One More From The Road”
    Humble Pie – “Rockin The Fillmore” (sides 1 & 4)
    KISS – “Alive”
    Lou Reed – “Rock n Roll Animal” (just “Sweet Jane” really)
    Peter Frampton – “Frampton Comes Alive”

  37. Hot August Night by Neil Diamond – this was a secret pleasure as it was my Mum’s record! Fantastic selection of songs and the recording is wonderful.
    4 Way Street – CSN&Y – not perfect, but worth it just for the version of Ohio.
    Mad Dogs & Englishmen – Joe Cocker – surely a career peak
    Before the Flood – Bob Dylan and the Band
    David Live & Stage – David Bowie – both are terrific
    Night After Night – Nils Lofgren

  39. It’s time for the annual best live album thread, then?

    This far down and nobody has mentioned Live…in the Heart of the City/Live at Hammersmith?

    David with Moody blues licks and some proper Paice on the drums – what’s not to like?

  41. Any thoughts on the best Zappa live album? My vote goes to Road Tapes Vol 1, which has a concert from Edmonton in Canada sometime in 1968. Think it’s recorded in some sports hall or likewise. Anyway, the Canucks are enthusiastic, Frank appreciative of this and we end up with, inter alia (that’s your actual Latin), a great version of The Orange County Lumber Truck (“a cheesy bandstand medley”) as well as an early version of Holiday in Berlin. Great fun.

  43. The correct answers – Van, Rory and The Allman Brothers have been mentioned. And another vote for Before the Flood from me. And I’ll add Joni’s Miles of Aisles to the lengthening list.

    • Interesting, I love them both but oddly I don’t have it though I have loads of their akcbums. I shall investigate forthwith.

      Lindley not credited with lap steel which strikes me as odd.

      • @Twang The album is available to listen to on Spotify and YouTube and can be bought for £7.80 on MusicMagpie. Buy it now! You won’t regret it.

        In the actual CD booklet Lindley is credited with playing: Hawaiian guitar, bouzouki, oud, fiddle and guitar. Plus some vocals. He is brilliant throughout, of course.

        It’s an acoustic set (albeit amplified) which may preclude full on “lap steel” but he plays the Hawaiian on his lap with steel strings and a slide!

    • Actually, come to think of it, I have another one which is a favourite:

      https://www.discogs.com/master/1831238-Michael-Nesmith-Live-At-The-Britt-Festival

      The whole concert is on YouTube.

      He was more than a Monkee (although, for me, being a Monkee was exemplary) and this double set shows him at his best. Jorge Jorgenson on guitar and Red Rhodes on pedal steel.

      Incidentally, the Cooking Vinyl release (which I have) has a dreadful cover which was unlikely to attract casual buyers but the Edsel reissue has a more acceptable cover which I have printed as a replacement. Yours faithfully, A Nerd.

    • I can’t see that anyone has mentioned Joni Mitchell’s “Shadows and Light”. Someone should!

      I saw Pete Oxley’s band “Hejira” last night – they base their set on that album, which is ambitious but they pull it off – they were wonderful.

  46. Buena Vista Social Club at Carnegie Hall is rapturous. The audience are in a state of absolute adoration, comparable to Bob Marley Live! (At The Lyceum), or, in its own sweet way, Slade Alive!!

  47. Alive 2007 by Daft Punk is the best live double album.

    It’s pretty much the only one that has it all: captures a significant show, completely hyped crowd, an act at the peak of their powers and renditions of all the songs that are different to, and in many cases better than, their album equivalents.

    Honourable mentions to Live at the Lyceum, Dylan 66, Frampton Comes Alive, VU 1969, Bill Withers, Donny Hathaway, Aretha at Fillmore West, Ramones It’s Alive, and Portishead Roseland NYC Live

  51. There is the hybrid – a live double that combines brilliance and unadulterated shite (plus a studio track to mix things up further).
    I’m referring to Roy Harper’s Flashes From The Archives Of Oblivion
    It’s bookended by Home. It opens with a studio version of that song and closes with a wonderful live version of the same.
    It’s got some great material – the versions of Commune, Me An My Woman and Too Many Movies are all fantastic.
    Then there is the side where he wastes everyone’s time fucking about with Keith Moon. Totally disposable garbage.

  52. Has anyone mentioned “Monk in Tokyo” by The Thelonious Monk Quartet (2CD)?
    It’s a good’un – probably my favourite Monk live recording.
    If you like Monk and haven’t heard it, track it down.

  55. I forgot about this for some reason when listing above, but The Live Adventures of Mike Bloomfield and Al Kooper is one of my all time faves. I remember picking up a copy (along with a few other albums) when CBS must have been deleting their mono catalogue around 1970. I much prefer it to the studio Supersession.

    I guess it has to be one of the first proper rock live albums. I know there were live albums before then, but they were compromised by screaming girls – this was recorded in 1968 and suddenly you have a grown up audience.

  56. Has anyone mentioned Tangerine Dream’s “Encore” yet? Let’s creck its credentials:

    1. It’s a double live album
    2. It was released in the 1970s
    3. It’s really good!

  57. I forgot to mention Roadwork by Edgar Winter’s White Trash. Brilliant properly live album and you won’t get an entire side of “Tobacco Road” anywhere else. I can already see the tumbleweed…

    • Iron Maiden – Live After Death makes the cut
      UFO – Srrangers In The Night is a shoo in
      Whitesnake – Live… in the Heart of the City deserves a mention
      Ozzy Osbourne – Tribute nearly makes it in
      Black Sabbath – Live Evil should be there, apart from the fact it’s Ronnie James Dio singing
      Judas Priest – Live and Metallica – Live Shit Binge & Purge don’t quite do the job

      Kiss – Alive is definitely NOT in the running

  63. I checked the Wikipedia entry, was only half of 10cc who mainly identified as a “studio band”, I watched this last night, was pretty good, they didn’t include any live footage though

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