When you think ‘Live’ albums you immediately think of Rock, and when you think about the great Live Rock albums of the past few decades some immediately jump out – Thin Lizzy’s ‘Live and Dangerous’; UFO’s ‘Strangers in the Night’; Deep Purple’s ‘Made in Japan’; Humble Pie’s ‘Performance: Rockin’ the Fillmore’ and add to that your personal favourites….
All classics and all very much a part of Rock’s great history. But when you think of the state of music today, all the bootlegs and downloads floating about what really stands out as a classic rock album of, I don’t know, say the last ten or maybe even twenty years?
Have there been any? Sure classic artists from Bad Company to Bowie, Cream to Led Zeppelin have all released live albums during that time, but could you consider any of them real classics?
Earlier this year a band you may not have even heard of put out a live album to mark their 25th anniversary. There was no fanfare, just a handful of dates and no big label budget. But you know what I for one feel comfortable mentioning it in the same breath as some of those lofty releases. For e you see the ‘Live album’ is all about capturing that experience – taking the music laid down in the studio and taking it to new places injecting it with more bite, letting those guitars wail! I want to close my eyes and feel I’m there, and if I have been there I want that ‘Live album’ to capture what that felt like. I want to feel the excitement, relive that night, reach out and touch the music… More