Jim's Gems: Bowie, Elvis, Planxty... the 10 greatest live albums
Jim Comet, centre, picks David Bowie and the Velvet Underground amid his favourite live albums
While I’m a huge music fan I’m not generally a fan of live albums and generally tend to avoid them.
Most are overdubbed and doctored in the studio to make them sound more like studio recordings which kind of defeats the whole purpose.
However, there are a few exceptions, where a genuine attempt is made to capture the essence of the live performance, warts and all.
I’ve chosen what I think are the 10 best examples of the genre. Enjoy and feel free to disagree.
I’m a huge Bowie fan so I’m biased, but this is probably my favourite live album.
Recorded over two nights in the Tower Philadelphia in 1974 during the Diamond Dogs tour. It came at a difficult time for Bowie.
He was broke and suing his former manager, his personal life was all over the place, the band threatened to strike for more money, and there was cocaine… lots of it.
The show itself involved lots of props which didn’t always work. The hydraulic chair he used during ‘Space Oddity’ went out of control during one gig, nearly killing him.
Despite all this, the record is excellent. Musically, he’s transitioning into his ”plastic soul” period and there are new arrangements of old songs with a band featuring New York guitarist Earl Slick for the first time.
You can feel the tension and intensity coming through on the record. This period is very well documented in Alan Yentob’s Cracked Actor documentary.
Recorded live in San Francisco during an extensive US tour using proper recording equipment, which for The Velvets is unusual.
The band, which features Doug Yule replacing recently-departed John Cale are in fine form and deliver great versions of classics such as ‘Pale Blue Eyes’ and ‘What Goes On’, plus some new songs that would later appear on the Loaded album.
When I lived in my parents' house I used to regularly sneak a “funny cigarette” out the bathroom window before going downstairs to the front room where I’d put this on, switch off the lights, and listen to this really loud. It felt like being at the gig.
Recorded between California and San Francisco with the 11-piece Caledonia Soul Orchestra, this is Van when he was at the top of his game.
It comes at the end of that amazing creative run that began in 1968 with Astral Weeks, and all those classic albums are represented.
Stand-out tracks are the stunning versions of ‘Caravan’ and ‘St Dominic’s Preview’, and the incredible rendition of the Ray Charles standard ‘I Believe To My Soul’, which he still performs.
Shortly after this tour ended, Morrison sacked the entire Caledonia Soul Orchestra, went and recorded Veedon Fleece and disappeared for three years.
Imagine a live album recorded on a shoestring budget almost 60 years ago still having the power and intensity to knock you off your feet when you listen to it. A rare trait in a live album but not in this case.
This album really captures the euphoria, intensity and energy of an early James Brown performance which must have been akin to an evangelical experience.
And that’s just offstage. Onstage the energy from the band is electric. Listening to the album today, it’s still an edge-of-the-seat experience.
For me, the tightness of the musicians and the sudden sharp tempo changes throughout what is a relatively short performance (bereft of the usual hits) is the icing on the cake.
It’s 1966. The times truly are a-changing and so is Bob Dylan.
In this case, the change which began in 1965 involves Bob going electric and not all the fans are happy.
This is his first return to the UK since transitioning and for the first half of the show, he does an acoustic set which is warmly received.
However, once the amps are switched on for the second half the mood changes, and the booing and heckling begins. Unfazed and unbowed, Dylan goes on to deliver one of the greatest performances of his career.
The version of ‘Ballad Of A Thin Man’ is the best I’ve ever heard. Imagine there are people listening to this today thinking “I was there …. and I was booing him”.
I had to include Neil Young in this list and there’s quite a few to choose from. For me, this one is the best.
Recorded in early 1971 in Massey Hall, Toronto, this is basically Neil on his own doing what he does best. Delivering an up-close and personal performance of some of the greatest songs ever written.
Lots of the songs included were new and many would appear on Harvest a year later. Rumour has it producer David Briggs wanted to release these stripped-down versions of the songs instead of the embellished studio versions.
Perhaps he has a point for some, particularly in the case of ‘A Man Needs A Maid’ which works much better on just the bare piano.
Now for the serious business. The penultimate live album by arguably the finest voice in music.
This is Aretha at the height of her superpowers on the back of a creative run of seven iconic studio albums.
Recorded in San Francisco with the King Curtis band that included Bernard Purdie and Billy Preston, she sails through classics such as ‘Dr Feelgood’ and ‘Respect’, while delivering an incredible ‘Bridge Over Troubled Waters’.
The highlight for me vocally is the rendition of ‘Make It With You’. Ray Charles joins at the end for ‘Spirit In The Dark’.
It began for me in 1993 when Leagus O'Toole did a No Disco special on Planxty on RTÉ television.
Though I knew of Planxty, I had never actually listened to them until then and I was absolutely blown away, as were half the country.
The documentary regenerated huge interest in the band and thankfully, they subsequently decided to reform for two shows in Vicar Street.
The shows which sold out immediately were amazing. Christy Moore always said he wanted to rerecord the albums and here’s the next best thing.
The original line up playing those songs better than ever before. The perfect gateway album for anyone not familiar with their work.
Widely regarded as the greatest live album and concert film ever, The Last Waltz has retained an elevated status that sets it apart from others within the genre for decades.
The film - featuring an all-star cast - is a celebration of the career of The Band and a farewell as the group go their separate ways.
Closer scrutiny tells a different story. In reality The Band were in tatters, struggling to finish an album. The break wasn’t amicable.
Robbie Robertson had had enough and wanted out. The others didn’t. Elsewhere, Dylan was at an artistic crossroads and was in the middle of a divorce, while Van Morrison had just returned with an album that wasn’t well received.
The performances however remain magnificent, especially those from The Band themselves. Barney Hoskyns’ book, Across The Great Divide, is an essential read about the group.
I know I’ve included Bowie already but this one is personal because it was recorded at the Point Depot in 2003.
I was there so technically I’m on the album … somewhere. It remains one of the most amazing gigs I’ve ever been to.
On what would turn out to be his final tour, Bowie had assembled a band that included Earl Slick and Mike Garson, along with others able to interpret his vast and diverse back catalogue.
They didn’t disappoint. For nearly three hours we were treated to classic after classic and an encore featuring three songs from Ziggy. One of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences.
- Jim Comet is a Cork-based DJ and music aficionado
While Elvis made his most important music in the 1950s, his greatest performances were onstage in Las Vegas in 1970 with one of the greatest backing bands ever.
An essential band for a brief period in the early 1990s, this album recorded in Indiana captures them at their best.
On the 1984 Ocean Rain tour one of the best bands ever added a last-minute extra midnight show. I was lucky enough to be there.
A legendary gig in the most unlikely of settings. The amazing version of ‘Old England’ and about 10 people playing mandolins on ‘This Land Is Your Land’. Those of us that were there know.
