Category Archives: Great albums

Great albums, List

The 30 Best Live Albums according to Hallgeir

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live header

Live albums, a lot of people doesn’t like them, I love’em! I am not very concerned with sound quality. What I mean is that I like good sound on the recordings, but a lot of factors that are more important; the “feel”, the energy, the collection of songs and the general performance. It is nice to have good quality, but sometimes the energy of a show comes through even on bad recorded concerts.

When I decided to make this list I also made the decision not to do a “critics” list, my list should be made of my “love of the album”, not it’s place in history. It has to be a list of albums that I enjoy listening to, records that excite me, that has good versions of familiar songs and fantastic versions of songs that maybe isn’t that good on the studio albums.

Some of the albums will have long posts other will have shorter descriptions and more videos, all depending on my mood.

Should I include bootlegs?
At first I meant to do that, but I will do another list with my favourite unofficial live albums and outtakes. This list consists of legal, officially released live material.

Some of the records where bootlegs at some point, but have been released officially at a later stage. I have chosen to not limit my choice to one album per artist. If an artist have more than one live album that should be considered, well I have considered all of them and included them if I think they belong on the list.

When we did our lists of albums by favourite artists to include on our About us page, we decided not to include live albums. But we did, I included one and Egil included two! I included At Folsom Prison by Johnny Cash. Now, you would think that this meant that it has to be my favourite live album. That is not the case. That list was limited to just one album per artist, and therefore gives a wrong impression. It is not a list of favourite albums. If it where I believe Egil would have three or four more Dylan albums on his list, I would also have included more than one album by some artists.

What I’m trying to explain is that there are artists on that list that have better live albums than At Folsom Prison (not many, but they do exist…).

My list has Spotify links if the albums are on Spotify, and I have included YouTube videos from the concerts recorded when I have found them.

The first entry will be posted later today…

 

– Hallgeir

Posts in this series:
Introduction
27. On Stage by Elvis Presley
28. One for the road by The Kinks
29. Waiting for Columbus by Little Feat
30. Wings over America by Wings

Great albums, Steve Earle

Steve Earle – Train a Comin’

Steve Earle - Train a comin

“This ain’t no part of no unplugged nothin — God, I hate MTV”
~Steve Earle (Liner notes)

I got to thinking,…if I don’t make this record now, I won’t get the chance to make it. .. I’m singing the best I’ve sung in years. Mainly [because of] no dope. Heroin relaxes your vocal cords, it lowers the top of your range a little bit, and then when you try to sing over it…
~Steve Earle (to SPIN in 1995)

I wish I’d never come back home
It don’t feel right since I’ve been grown
I can’t find any of my old friends hangin’ ’round
Won’t nothin’ bring you down like your hometown

Hometown Blues – From Later With Jools Holland 1995:

Wikipedia:

Released February 28, 1995
Genre Folk, country, country rock, bluegrass
Length 40:21
Label Warner Bros.

Train a Comin’ is an acoustic studio album by Steve Earle. The album, Earle’s first in five years, was released in 1995. In addition to Earle, it features Peter Rowan, Norman Blake, Roy Huskey, and Emmylou Harris. The album was nominated for a Grammy for Best Contemporary Folk Album.

steve earle 1995

 

If you see her out tonight
And she tells you it’s just the lights
That bring her here and not her loneliness
That’s what she says but sometimes she forgets

Sometimes She Forgets:

Continue reading Steve Earle – Train a Comin’ →

Elvis Presley, Great albums

Great Albums: Elvis Presley – On Stage

Elvis Presley On Stage

 I missed the closeness of a live audience. So just as soon as I got out of the movie contracts I started to do live performances again.
~Elvis Presley (NYC press conference – june 9, 1972)

This is an absolutely stunning live album, the best official live album from Elvis (slightly better than “That’s the Way It Is”).

The album was recorded Feb 17-19 in 1970, Elvis was just starting his Las Vegas run (the “Vegas years” – 1969-76) & the Band & backing groups sounded great.

Elvis las vegas

Released June 1970
Recorded February 17-19, 1970 International Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada
Genre Rock
Length 31:57
Label RCA

Elvis las vegas 2

Elvis’ idea of bringing in white gospel singers with black soul singers was really genius on his part because he covered the whole gamut of music
~Joe Moscheo (The Imperials)

  Continue reading Great Albums: Elvis Presley – On Stage →

Great albums, Great Concert, Music Calendar, The Who

Today: The Who played “University of Leeds” in 1970 – 43 years ago

The_who_live_at_leeds

Rolling Stone hailed it as the best ever live album, and they may still be right…
~Chris Jones (BBC – 2007)

From youtube:
The Who at Leeds for their greatest live in 1970! it’s the ONLY VIDEO of this concert!
Fortune Teller (0:00 to 0:05) – Happy Jack (0:06 to 0:13) – I’m a Boy (0:14 to 0:33) – A Quick One While He’s Away (0:34 to 2:09) – Christmas (2:10 to 3:05) – Pinball Wizard (3:06 to 3:22) – Go to The Mirror (3:22 to 3:26) – Smash The Mirror (3:27 to 3:35)- Tommy’s Holliday Camp (3:36 to 3:45) – We’re Not Gonna Take It (with See Me, Feel Me) (3:46 at the end)

1970 Original LP – Full Album:

The Who Live At Leeds

Wikipedia:

Released 16 May 1970
Recorded 14 February 1970,
University of Leeds,
Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire,
England, United Kingdom
Genre Rock
Length 36:24
Label Decca/MCA
Producer Jon Astley, Kit Lambert, and The Who

Live at Leeds is The Who’s first live album, and is the only live album that was released while the group were still actively recording and performing with their best known line-up of Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, John Entwistle and Keith Moon. Initially released in the United States on 16 May 1970, by Decca and MCA and the United Kingdom on 23 May 1970, by Track and Polydor, the album has been reissued on several occasions and in several different formats. As of 2005, the album is ranked number 170 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

The album has been cited as the best live rock recording of all time by The Telegraph, The Independent, The New York Times, the BBC, and Rolling Stone. It is included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, and in Q magazine’s list of Loudest Albums of All Time. A Rolling Stone readers’ poll in 2012 ranked it the best live album of all time.

Shakin’ All Over:

 Release History:

  • The original LP was released on 16 May 1970 in stereophonic format. The album was reissued on Compact Disc in 1985 by MCA in the US, and in 1987 by Polydor in Germany.
  • In 1995, the album was reissued as a remixed CD including more songs than the original vinyl edition, as well as song introductions and other banter that had been edited out of the original release. For the remix, new vocal overdubs from Daltrey, Townshend and Entwistle were recorded to address occasional flaws in the original tapes or performances.
  • In 2001, the album was released again as a part of the Universal Deluxe Edition series. The Deluxe Edition includes more chat between the songs, and the entirety of the band’s Tommy set as performed at Leeds. Again, new overdubs from the vocalists were employed at select points.
  • In October 2010, Universal Music announced the impending release of a 40th Anniversary edition of the album which would not only contain the full Leeds show from 14 February 1970 but also the band’s complete performance from Hull which was recorded the following evening as well as a heavyweight vinyl reproduction of the original six-track album, memorabilia and a replica 7 Inch Single of ‘Summertime Blues/ Heaven & Hell’. This performance had previously been unavailable because of a problem with the recording of John Entwistle’s bass guitar on the first six songs. To fix this problem his performance at the Leeds show was overdubbed over these tracks of the Hull performance using digital technology.

Fortune Teller:

Album of the day

Other February 14

Continue reading Today: The Who played “University of Leeds” in 1970 – 43 years ago →

Great albums, Music Calendar

Gene Clark released Two Sides To Every Story in January 36 years ago

Gene Clark – Two Sides To Every Story

Released January, 1977
Recorded 1976
Genre Country rock
Label RSO
Producer Thomas Jefferson Kaye

Gene Clark will always be best remembered for years  as a vocalist with the Byrds. A fine legacy to be sure, but the shame of it is that there was far more to Clark’s body of work than that; he was a superb songwriter, one of the founding fathers of country-rock, and recorded a number of fine albums with an impressive array of collaborators whose quality far outstripped their modest sales figures.  (Read more at allmusic.com)

This is an album that has been difficult to get. But now it is finally beeing rereleased on cd (according to Uncut magazine), it was planned released in the summer of 2011, sadly it didn’t happen. I’m hoping all legal issues have been solved now, and that we finally can get a new and, hopefully, remastered version of this forgotten masterpiece. Update: I read somewhere that august 2013 is the new release month for the re-issue, fingers crossed!

Edit: I have done a bit research on different releases, and there appears to have been at least two cd releases before. Well, I cannot find them and have to wait for the much talked about re-release.

I have an old vinyl lp that I have ripped to digital format (I have put the record player away on the loft somewhere…), it doesn’t sound as good but it’s what I got at the moment. I really look forward to getting the re-issue.

Allmusic:
Two Sides was Gene Clark’s last solo album for a major label. Signed to RSO Records shortly after his wildly experimental (and occasionally engaging) 1974 Elektra album, No Other, which is often cited as his masterpiece, Clark and producer Thomas Jefferson Kaye released this. Two Sides is a much lower-key affair, and it succeeds on many more levels than the more heralded No Other. Clark’s explorations into country music are much more at home on this album, as tracks such as “Mary Lou” and “Kansas City Southern” demonstrate. Oddly, one of the highlights of this record is a non-Clark composition, the traditional “In the Pines,” which showcases Clark’s brilliant (and underrated) vocal ability. The following year would see Clark team up with ex-Byrd mates Roger McGuinn and Chris Hillman on the forgettable McGuinn, Clark & Hillman project. Two Sides shows Clark in full command of his awesome gifts. Essential for Gene Clark enthusiasts.

– Matthew Greenwald

Two Sides To Every Story came out in January 1977 (exact date ?), and for the most part offered more characteristic Gene Clark country-rock. The ballads are the highlights on the records, especially “Give my love to Marie”, “Hear the wind” and the last two songs on the album are outstandig.

Track listing

  1. “Home Run King” (Clark)
  2. “Lonely Saturday” (Clark)
  3. “In the Pines” (Traditional)
  4. “Kansas City Southern” (Clark)
  5. “Give My Love to Marie” (James Talley)
  6. “Sister Moon” (Clark)
  7. “Marylou” (Obie Jessie, Sam Ling)
  8. “Hear the Wind” (Clark)
  9. “Past Addresses” (Clark)
  10. “Silent Crusade” (Clark)

Give My Love to Marie:

The Critics then didn’t fare well with the album, they were , as always, extremeley negative towards Gene Clark. This didn’t help with his self esteem, and the terrible review in Rolling Stone must have felt like the last nail in the coffin of his career. He never released an album on a major label after this.

Rolling Stone Magazine:

To those who admire Gene Clark, Two Sides to Every Story is a heartbreaker—in the worst way. (“Is this the dullest album ever made?” was my original opening sentence. “Probably” would have been the second.) Lugubrious to the point of laughableness, the once-classy Clark creeps through a series of Gibranian ballads that is so Antonioni-slow the songs actually seem to stop. Dead. Like this. Bereft of either interest or ideas, this plodding work can only be described as California-liturgidical.
Interlarded among the endlessness are some lame bluegrass (“Home Run King,” “In the Pines”), listless rock & roll (“Marylou”) and the worst train song ever (“Kansas City Southern”). Producer Thomas Jefferson Kaye is a great help, offering an interminable supply of nothing but the moldiest clichés.

This is terribly unjust and a review that is not possible to understand when listening to the album. This is an undiscovered treasure, a record that sometimes even surpasses No Other, his masterpiece.

Uncut Magazine:

Even with the chaos and missteps, this is a record that overcomes its flaws, offering moments of hard-won beauty and open-hearted grandeur from an artist fighting for his career.

Sister Moon (audio) with Emmylou Harris:

Featured guest musicians include Emmylou Harris, Byron Berline, Doug Dillard and Al Perkins. Like most of Clark’s albums, it failed to get far on the charts.

Album highlight, Hear The Wind:

– Hallgeir

Posts on Gene Clark at JV