10 favorite live albums of the pre-CD era (2025)

CSNY - 4 way street
allman brother - fillmore
sting - bring on the night
CSN - allies
neil young - live rust
yes - yesshows
hendrix - band of gypsys
eagles - live
chicago - at carnegie hall
standells - live at pj's

I made that mistake as well for a long time. Turns out it’s great!

There's a lot of people picking Talking Heads' Stop Making Sense, an album released in 1984, and the first CD release of the album was in...1984! How is this pre-CD?

Cold Chisel - Swingshift
Rory Gallagher - Live in Europe
Neil Young - Live rust
Pink Floyd - Ummagumma disc 1
Bob Dylan - Before the flood
Townes van Zandt - Live at the Old Quarter
The Band - Rock of ages
Genesis - Seconds out
Golden Earring - Live
Alquin - On tour

Led Zeppelin: Song Remains the Same
Black Sabbath: Live Evil
Bowie: Stage
Deep Purple: Live in London
Judas Priest: Unleashed in the East

That's why my list goes up to 11. No way was I separating the two JB at the Apollo albums!

01. Procol Harum - Live In Concert With The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra
02. Barclay James Harvest - Live Tapes
03. The Doors - Absolutely Live
04. Deep Purple - Made In Japan
05. Uriah Heep - Live
06. Yes - Yessongs
07. The Rolling Stones - Love You Live
08. CSN & Y - 4 Way Street
09. Traffic - Welcome To The Canteen
10. Roxy Music - Viva!

Honourable Mention:
11. UFO - Strangers In The Night

So hard to pick just 10 but here goes

Allman Brother- At the Fillmore East
Deep Purple- Made in Japan
Rolling Stones- Get Yer Ya Ya's Out
Humble Pie- Rockin The Fillmore
Johnny Winter And- Live
The Who- Live at Leeds
Led Zeppelin- The Song Remains The Same
Jimi Hendrix- Band of Gypsys
Ten Years After- Recorded Live
YES- Yessongs

The only live albums I can recall having & listening to regularly pre-CD

Favourites retaining a sense of appreciation
1. The Jimi Hendrix Concerts - Jimi Hendrix acquired in 1983; totally changed everything. This was/is that "Jimi Hendrix" plus in full flight
2. Band of Gypsys - Jimi Hendrix - wow - Machine Gun blew the mind first listen. Since 1983 the greatest song ever.
3. Between Nothingness & Eternity - Mahavishnu Orchestra - awesome album from the virtuosos
4. Shakti with John McLaughlin - Shakti - fabulous fabulous, particularly back in the naive suburban working class days. The intro to this genre.
5. Friday Night San Francisco - Al Di Meola, John McLaughlin & Paco de Lucía - awesome; we would go to the video store & borrow the video
6. Live at the Regal - BB King - super fun introduction to traditional blues; contrasting Hendrix at time. I loved BB with the green herbs! I still recall having this on cassette & riding my bicycle to university listening to BB King.
7. Jimi Plays Monterey - Jimi Hendrix - purchased on release in 1986. We knew most of those songs but a supreme historic performance

Ex-favourites (ancient history)
8. The Song Remains The Same - LZ listened to 1000's of times from 1980 - 1986
9. Rock 'N' Roll Animal - Lou Reed - a big fan from 1981 to 1983 (until i attended Lou live )
10. Live Rust - Neil Young - always liked this until Mr Young recently lost his...
11. The Last Waltz - The Band - i liked this from 1980 to 1982; very memorable; but i cannot say it changed my life
12. Eagles Live - Eagles - teens listened to this banal drivel. I tried to listen to Seven Bridges Road just now but even this was unbearable.

Zeppelin Song Remains Same
Sabbath Live At Last
Neil Young Live Rust
Hendrix Concerts
Floyd Ummagumma Live sides
Woodstock nowhere perfect,but some good stuff on there I used to always hear
Black Sabbath Live At Last
Iron Maiden Maiden Japan if an EP counts,we wore that cassette tape out back in the day.
U2 Under A Blood Red Sky
Who Live At Leeds (Of course!)
Way back then I wasn’t even aware of all the live albums that existed.

top ten in alphabetical order by artist:

At Fillmore East - Allman Brothers Band
Rock of Ages - The Band
Live At The Apollo 1 & 2 - James Brown
Running On Empty - Jackson Browne
Europe '72 - Grateful Dead
Waiting For Columbus - Little Feat
Turning Point - John Mayall
Miles of Aisles - Joni Mitchell
Get Your Ya-Yas Out - Rolling Stones
Live Rhymin' - Paul Simon​

the encore:

Bless Its Pointed Little Head - Jefferson Airplane
Welcome To The Canteen - Traffic
Hot Tuna - Hot Tuna (live acoustic album)
​

one more for the after-bar:

Rock 'n' Roll Animal - Lou Reed​

to blast through the next morning's hangover:

Stand In The Fire - Warren Zevon​

I just remembered a few bangers:

PiL - Paris au Printemps
Joy Division - Still (second disc)
The Stooges - Metallic KO
Velvet Underground - Live 1969
James Brown - Revolution of the Mind
Bauhaus - Press Eject…

So which one do I take out of my list to add in Old And In The Way?

The Who --- Live at Leeds

Beatles --- (Sweden, Autumn 1963)

Grateful Dead --- Europe 72

Allman Brothers --- Live at Fillmore East

Little Feat --- Waiting for Columbus

Rory Gallagher --- Irish Tour '74

Neil Young --- Live Rust

Jimi Hendrix --- In the West

Various --- Monterey Pop

Various --- Woodstock

Wow, you really like that Black Sabbath album.

Cheap Trick at Budokan
Duke Ellington at Fargo, 1940
Frank Sinatra with the Red Norvo Quintet, Melbourne 1959
James Brown Live at the Apollo
Jerry Lee Lewis at the Star Club
Keith Jarrett, The Koln Concert
Louis Armstrong at Town Hall, 1947
The Band, Rock of Ages
Warren Zevon, Stand in the Fire
Who, Live at Leeds

I really do and I like it quite a bit.I think it’s great!
People aren’t as enthusiastic as I am but it sounds awesome to me.
No other Sabbath live recording captures that deep sludge doom metal sound like this album.
It is completely monstrous and intense even now when I play it.

It’s always been an inside goofy joke,Ozzy says,Okay we’re going to do a number called SWEETLY!

⠀
• The Who—Live at Leeds
• Cheap Trick—Live at Budokan
• Neil Young—Live Rust
• Thin Lizzy—Live and Dangerous
• UFO—Strangers in the Night
• Deep Purple—Made in Japan
• Yes—Yesshows
• Emerson, Lake & Palmer
⠀⠀—Pictures at an Exhibition
• Emerson, Lake & Palmer
⠀⠀—Welcome Back my Friends . . .
• Emerson, Lake and Palmer in Concert
⠀

1. Tokyo Tapes - SCORPIONS
2. Strangers In The Night - UFO
3. On Stage - RAINBOW
4. Unleashed In The East - JUDAS PRIEST
5. All The Worlds A Stage - RUSH
6. Live Bootleg - AEROSMITH
7. Live-Loud-Alive - LOUDNESS
8. At Budokan - CHEAP TRICK
9. Live And Dangerous - THIN LIZZY
10. The Eagle Has Landed - SAXON
=10. Full House - THE J GEILS BAND

Frampton Comes Alive - released when I was in Junior High, I still listen to it in the car.
John Coltrane - Live at the Village Vanguard
Joni Mitchell - Shadows and Light
The Band - Last Waltz
Little Feat - Waiting for Columbus
Laura Nyro - Seasons of Light
Bill Evans - Waltz for Debby
Bill Evans - My Foolish Heart

Lou Reed - Take No Prisoners
Roxy Music - Viva!
Laurie Anderson - United States
Lou Reed - Rock n Roll Animal / Lou Reed Live
Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes -
Reach Up And Touch The Sky
Neil Young - Live Rust
Billy Joel - Songs From The Attic
Peter Gabriel - Plays Live
The Name Of The Band Is Talking Heads
Plastic Ono Band - Live Peace Toronto
Bill Evans - Waltz For Debby

Humble Pie Rockin' the Fillmore
CCR Live in Europe
Grand Funk Live Album
Robin Trower Live
Johnny Winter And Live
Rory Gallagher Live in Europe
Chicago Live at Carnegie Hall
Lou Reed Rock and Roll Animal
Jimi Hendrix Band of Gypsies
King Crimson USA

The Who - Live At Leeds
Procol Harum - In Concert With The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra
Talking Heads - The Name Of This Band Is Talking Heads
Genesis - Seconds Out
Deep Purple - Made In Japan
Grateful Dead - Live/Dead
Little Feat - Waiting For Columbus

Cheap Trick At Budokan
The Beatles At The Hollywood Bowl
Frampton Comes Alive
Live In Japan - The Runaways
Songs In The Attic - Billy Joel
Reckoning - Grateful Dead
Monterey Int'l Pop Festival - Jimi Hendrix / Otis Redding
Wings Over America
Concert For Bangladesh
Live At The Apollo - James Brown