What is your favorite Live Recording?

[Johnny Vinyl]

No problem. I won't speak of it again....although this thread is rather silly now isnt it since we can speak of where to get said favorite live recordings.


Perhaps this is the difference between music lovers and gear lovers?

I am a music lover first and foremost, so your comment doesn't hold water as far as I'm concerned. The Rules of the Forum are more important.


John

 

[Jimna]

Like I said, I wont speak of it again.

 

[Ron Party]

Glad this has been worked out. Let's take it to PM. Maybe in the (near) future we can sort out the bit torrent matter. I think there may be a way and this whole forum would benefit from it without running the risk of crossing any lines that are not to be crossed (why does that sound like something out of a Harry Potter story).

 

[RBFC]

Jimna was trying to provide a cool contribution to the forum. As stated, we'll work this out and keep WBF in the clear.

Thanks to all parties for the civility and generosity in this matter!

Lee

 

[Robh3606]

Peter Gabriel Plays Live and Secret World
Genesis Live Seconds Out
Dweezil Zappa Zappa Plays Zappa
Renaissance Live Royal Albert Hall
Frank Zappa Broadway the Hard Way
Gentile Giant Live
Good Rats Live Obscure Local band
Yes Live at Monreux 2003

Just a few of many more

Rob

 

[Ron Party]

Peter Gabriel Plays Live and Secret World
Genesis Live Seconds Out
Dweezil Zappa Zappa Plays Zappa
Renaissance Live Royal Albert Hall
Frank Zappa Broadway the Hard Way
Gentile Giant Live
Good Rats Live Obscure Local band
Yes Live at Monreux 2003

Just a few of many more

Rob

I knew I liked Rob when he described his fondness for JBL speakers, but this even better! Hey Ken, it looks like we have another prog head here!

 

[Robh3606]

Hello Ron

Nothing like making a guy feel welcome! A little off topic may be want to start a new thread but any new bands you recommend?

I didn't even get into

UK Live
Greg Lake Live When he had his own band KB Flower Hour
King Crimson Anything at all
Steve Hackett Live in Tokyo
Kansas
Rush
ELO
Triumvirat Only Studio saw them live
Refugee only Studio I album Wonder
The Nice Compilation 3 cd set
PFM Cook
Nectar
Asia Live in Moscow
John Wetton Chasing the Dragon
Ambrosia

And so on

Rob

 

[RUR]

I knew I liked Rob when he described his fondness for JBL speakers, but this even better! Hey Ken, it looks like we have another prog head here!

Saw that. We're gonna have to resurrect the Prog Thread. ;-)

Rob, I saw GG perform at the Whisky or Roxy (can't recall which) back in '71 or so. Very small venue and they were superb!

 

[Jimna]

Frank Zappa Broadway the Hard Way

One of the best! I have 500gigs of live Zappa Ive managed to collect now. seems like just when I have my favorite show another comes along and takes its spot.

 

[Ron Party]

Hello Ron

Nothing like making a guy feel welcome! A little off topic may be want to start a new thread...

Done! http://www.whatsbestforum.com/showthread.php?1584-Favorite-Progressive-Rock-Live-Albums

 

[cjfrbw]

Gee, I'm surprised I have one that everybody missed "801 LIVE"

 

[rsbeck]

Sinatra: At the Sands

Les McCann & Eddie Harris: Swiss Movement

Albert King: Live Wire/Blues Power

Art Blakey Quintet: Night at Birdland 1 & 2

Cannonball Adderley Quintet: Live in San Francisco

Hendrix: Band of Gypsies

Thelonious Monk: Alone in San Francisco

Joni Mitchell: Miles of Aisles

Leonard Bernstein: Mahler's 1st Symphony Concertbouw Amsterdam

Allman Brothers: Live at Filmore East

Neil Young: Massey Hall

Eva Cassidy: Live at Blues Alley

Michael Tilson Thomas: San Francisco Symphony Mahler Symphony Series

Patricia Barber: Modern Cool

Cream: Wheels of Fire

Donny Hathaway: These Songs For You

 

[rsbeck]

Ones I've played the most in the last year?

Neil Young, Sinatra, Allman Brothers, Hendrix, Donny and Joni.

But, in the past few years, any and all of those can and have gotten stuck in my player for awhile, depending on the current mood.

 

[Johnny Vinyl]

Young, Sinatra, Gilmour's Gdansk are the ones I've played more than any others. Just took out my copy of Three Dog Night: Captured Live at the Forum. Will be giving that a spin after work.

John

 

[Johnny Vinyl]

Picked up the German 180g pressing of Eric Clapton Unplugged today....have never owned it on vinyl before, so this will be a treat.

John

 

[flez007]

HD tracks just released the HD download for it....

 

[naturephoto1]

Certainly one of my favorites is Yessongs by Yes.

Rich

 

[muralman1]

Wow, I just copied and pasted the lists people here were generous to provide. I will make my Christmas list out of a selection of these. Thank you all.

 

[tmallin]

I generally tend to prefer live recordings of the music types I listen to most--classical and jazz. Even in the rock genre, the spontaneity of live recordings often outweighs studio wizardry. Besides the added spontaneity of recordings which are not made in snippets and where there is a real live audience to create a feedback loop between performers and audience, live recordings tend to be recorded with less microphones. Less mikes generally means better sound--again, even in the rock area.

I think it is just a fact that good musicians play better when they have an appreciative audience, regardless of the genre of music. And to the extent that even the best musicians will occasionally make mistakes, I'd rather listen to that type of more human recording than the note-perfect productions which most studios feel obligated to turn out.

As far as actual choices for my favorites, I'll first echo a few that have already been mentioned:

Weavers Reunion at Carnegie Hall 1965
Harry Belafonte at Carnegie Hall
Eva Cassidy, Live at Blues Alley
Chuck Mangione, Land of Make Believe
Sinatra 57
Clark Terry, Live at the Village Gate

Someone else mentioned Patricia Barber's Modern Cool. While I also admire that recording, unless there is another version with the same title, that one is a studio recording. As far as live Patricia Barber recordings go, I'd put Companion on the list.

In terms of audiophile recordings, I'd pick two from the Reference Recordings catalog:

Your Friendly Neighborhood Big Band
Red Norvo, The Forward Look

For any Grateful Dead-Heads out there, I'd put Live Dead on the list, as well as any number of the Dick's Picks recordings--too numerous to mention. These days, however, if I want a Dead fix, I usually just turn on the Greatful Dead Channel on Sirius satellite radio.

Also in the rock area, I'll add my "guilty pleasures" recording: Kenny Loggins, Outside from the Redwoods. Fabulous sound (if your system is not balanced too brightly) and rousing performances. I know, some find Loggins (and Messina) insipid, but not me and especially not here.

I'll also mention the Harry James recordings on Sheffield Lab. While not live recordings, they were made direct-to-disc in a single take per LP side and thus have much of the spontaneity of live recordings and have very simple miking, the main mike being a single-point stereo pickup.

As to Jazz in the Pawnshop, my two cents is that while the recorded sound is outstanding, especially for the time, the performances are not captivating. Try the Red Norvo, The Forward Look recording instead. This was Keith Johnson's first recording with his then-brand-new Ampex 3-track tape recorder, and the liner notes say it was made on 12/31/1957. The sound is every bit as fine as on Pawnshop and the musicians--well, let's just say that they play better jazz.

 

[muralman1]

Another Reference jewel is "Nojima Plays Liszt." I am talking about the first pressing, the RR -25CD, not the new HDCD version. On my system the unmodified recording is more live sounding than any other piano recital in my collection.