if you never got to see your favorite
band in concert then these may be the
next best thing
spoken
welcome to watchmojo.com and today we’re
counting down our picks for the top ten
live rock albums
for this list will only be looking at
standout live musical albums that work
in their own right rather than just
serving as a soundtrack to a live film
we’re excluding those that are more
famous as concert performances captured
for video or DVD
stronger phone number 10 at Fillmore
East the Allman Brothers Band
Susan says the face
despite being viewed as an average set
of nights by the band this live album is
considered by many to be the group’s
finest hour following two albums and 300
live dates in 1970 the Allman’s wanted
to give the people at home a taste of
what they were all about
although released as a double LP at
Fillmore East contains a mere seven
songs including a 23 minute take of
whipping post
it was a quick seller unlike their slow
burning studio outings and topped out at
number 13 on the Billboard top pop
albums chart
number nine Frampton Comes Alive Peter
Frampton
while Peter Frampton’s studio offerings
held steady sales figures he was far
from a household name in the mid-70s all
of that changed when this monster was
let loose selling 50,000 copies on day
one
to date it has sold over 11 million
copies
described by his label bosses as
outrageously better live
Frampton had additional shows recorded
and expanded the album into a double one
after the music was deemed too damn good
for a single disc
Frampton Comes Alive spent ten weeks on
the top of the albums chart and was
still charting over a year later
spawning three top 20 hits
number eight alive kiss
although absolutely huge live the band’s
album sales never really reflected this
this band’s explained was because the
album’s didn’t reflect the band as a
live entity
it seems the KISS Army was right as a
live provided both the band and their
record label with their first top 10
album putting them very much on the map
although it was also rife with
accusations of post-show studio
tinkering gene Simmons has denied these
claims by stating that the band’s budget
would not have allowed it
number seven How the West was won Led
Zeppelin
although the band’s concert film the
song remains the same is hugely popular
to this triple live record is all killer
no filler
accorded over a pair of dates in
California in 1972 How the West Was one
debuted at number one on the Billboard
200 31 years after the band left the
stage
uncovered dusted off and remastered by
guitarist Jimmy Page the set showcases
Led Zep at their peak and has been
widely cited as one of the best live
albums ever read at the sky was great I
wanted to have tomorrow
number six MTV Unplugged
in New York nirvana should be released
following Kurt Cobain’s suicide the
performance captured on this album seems
in retrospect almost like a farewell
tribute to the frontman son
packed with Nirvana hits the band’s
setlist also included a number of covers
about death or mental health including
David Bowie’s the man who sold the world
number five live rust Neil Young and
Crazy Horse
light years away from neil young’s
previous live offering time fades away
live rust was gold certified in 1980 and
topped out at number 15 on the Billboard
Pop Albums Chart
in a move only young could make the
album is made of a collection of US
shows he put on while touring in support
of rust never sleeps which was
ironically another album that was mostly
recorded live
backed by Crazy Horse this set is rough
rocking and ragged which is just as it
should be
number four get your Yaya’s out the
Rolling Stones in concert The Rolling
Stones
at least partly in response to a widely
distributed bootleg LIBOR than you’ll
ever be this set became the first live
LP to hit number one on the UK charts it
also topped out at number six in the
United States
recorded during their live 1969 return
to live performances the majority of the
album’s tracks come from the band’s two
night stand at Madison Square Garden
notable as the first stones album to
feature Co guitarist Mick Taylor in full
the tour during which get your Yaya’s
out was recorded also saw the likes of
BB King Chuck Berry and I can tina
turner as opening acts
number three cheap trick at Budokan
cheap trick and now the very definition
of big in Japan
mildly successful in the US and the
go-to opening act for many bigger names
cheap trick was inexplicably popular in
Japan despite having never toured the
country
when the band finally did arrive in the
Land of the Rising Sun they were greeted
with a Beatlemania like reception
intended as a Japanese only release the
live album cheap trick at Budokan gained
serious ground in North America as an
import
it sold more than three million units
hit number four on the US charts and
struck number one on the Canadian charts
hello I’m Johnny Cash number two at
Folsom Prison Johnny Cash I hear the
train a-coming
it’s rolling around a bin what’s he rock
no was he a rock star oh yes I’m stuck
in Folsom Prison and time peeps drag and
all Johnny Cash had wanted to perform at
a prison ever since releasing Folsom
Prison Blues in 1955 but the idea
wouldn’t be greenlit until a change of
record label staff in 1967 but I shot a
man in Reno just to watch him
and with drugs flushed from his system
the man in black knew his audience and
delivered a set loaded with songs
dealing with prison murder hard crimes
and tough times made a good run but I
run too slow they overtook me down in
Juarez Mexico
the album was a country number one and a
crossover top 15 hit reigniting Cash’s
career and eventually selling three
million copies at low friend bought a
gold my belly flop Medina carcass in the
county G before we unveil our top pick
here are a few honorable mentions
I saw 10,000 people
Oh
you candle burned out long before your
legend ever
I want to yell yourself I wanna get you
them don’t just say
number one live at Leeds the hoop
just
loud raucous and hard charging this is
the live album by which all live albums
are or should be judged
after Pete Townsend ordered several
tapes of recordings of live shows they
had done in the u.s. in the late 1960s
the who took to the campus of the
University of Leeds to find material for
their first live ep
in February of 1970 the who delivered
and recorded a blistering set of covers
alongside the band’s own classics that
eventually became the legendary live at
Leeds
Oh
imagine
the venue has since been declared a
national landmark owing directly to the
historical importance of the lp which is
often considered one of the best live
rock albums ever
do you agree with our list what’s your
favorite live album for more
adrenaline-fueled top 10s published
every day be sure to subscribe to
watchmojo.com
band in concert then these may be the
next best thing
spoken
welcome to watchmojo.com and today we’re
counting down our picks for the top ten
live rock albums
for this list will only be looking at
standout live musical albums that work
in their own right rather than just
serving as a soundtrack to a live film
we’re excluding those that are more
famous as concert performances captured
for video or DVD
stronger phone number 10 at Fillmore
East the Allman Brothers Band
Susan says the face
despite being viewed as an average set
of nights by the band this live album is
considered by many to be the group’s
finest hour following two albums and 300
live dates in 1970 the Allman’s wanted
to give the people at home a taste of
what they were all about
although released as a double LP at
Fillmore East contains a mere seven
songs including a 23 minute take of
whipping post
it was a quick seller unlike their slow
burning studio outings and topped out at
number 13 on the Billboard top pop
albums chart
number nine Frampton Comes Alive Peter
Frampton
while Peter Frampton’s studio offerings
held steady sales figures he was far
from a household name in the mid-70s all
of that changed when this monster was
let loose selling 50,000 copies on day
one
to date it has sold over 11 million
copies
described by his label bosses as
outrageously better live
Frampton had additional shows recorded
and expanded the album into a double one
after the music was deemed too damn good
for a single disc
Frampton Comes Alive spent ten weeks on
the top of the albums chart and was
still charting over a year later
spawning three top 20 hits
number eight alive kiss
although absolutely huge live the band’s
album sales never really reflected this
this band’s explained was because the
album’s didn’t reflect the band as a
live entity
it seems the KISS Army was right as a
live provided both the band and their
record label with their first top 10
album putting them very much on the map
although it was also rife with
accusations of post-show studio
tinkering gene Simmons has denied these
claims by stating that the band’s budget
would not have allowed it
number seven How the West was won Led
Zeppelin
although the band’s concert film the
song remains the same is hugely popular
to this triple live record is all killer
no filler
accorded over a pair of dates in
California in 1972 How the West Was one
debuted at number one on the Billboard
200 31 years after the band left the
stage
uncovered dusted off and remastered by
guitarist Jimmy Page the set showcases
Led Zep at their peak and has been
widely cited as one of the best live
albums ever read at the sky was great I
wanted to have tomorrow
number six MTV Unplugged
in New York nirvana should be released
following Kurt Cobain’s suicide the
performance captured on this album seems
in retrospect almost like a farewell
tribute to the frontman son
packed with Nirvana hits the band’s
setlist also included a number of covers
about death or mental health including
David Bowie’s the man who sold the world
number five live rust Neil Young and
Crazy Horse
light years away from neil young’s
previous live offering time fades away
live rust was gold certified in 1980 and
topped out at number 15 on the Billboard
Pop Albums Chart
in a move only young could make the
album is made of a collection of US
shows he put on while touring in support
of rust never sleeps which was
ironically another album that was mostly
recorded live
backed by Crazy Horse this set is rough
rocking and ragged which is just as it
should be
number four get your Yaya’s out the
Rolling Stones in concert The Rolling
Stones
at least partly in response to a widely
distributed bootleg LIBOR than you’ll
ever be this set became the first live
LP to hit number one on the UK charts it
also topped out at number six in the
United States
recorded during their live 1969 return
to live performances the majority of the
album’s tracks come from the band’s two
night stand at Madison Square Garden
notable as the first stones album to
feature Co guitarist Mick Taylor in full
the tour during which get your Yaya’s
out was recorded also saw the likes of
BB King Chuck Berry and I can tina
turner as opening acts
number three cheap trick at Budokan
cheap trick and now the very definition
of big in Japan
mildly successful in the US and the
go-to opening act for many bigger names
cheap trick was inexplicably popular in
Japan despite having never toured the
country
when the band finally did arrive in the
Land of the Rising Sun they were greeted
with a Beatlemania like reception
intended as a Japanese only release the
live album cheap trick at Budokan gained
serious ground in North America as an
import
it sold more than three million units
hit number four on the US charts and
struck number one on the Canadian charts
hello I’m Johnny Cash number two at
Folsom Prison Johnny Cash I hear the
train a-coming
it’s rolling around a bin what’s he rock
no was he a rock star oh yes I’m stuck
in Folsom Prison and time peeps drag and
all Johnny Cash had wanted to perform at
a prison ever since releasing Folsom
Prison Blues in 1955 but the idea
wouldn’t be greenlit until a change of
record label staff in 1967 but I shot a
man in Reno just to watch him
and with drugs flushed from his system
the man in black knew his audience and
delivered a set loaded with songs
dealing with prison murder hard crimes
and tough times made a good run but I
run too slow they overtook me down in
Juarez Mexico
the album was a country number one and a
crossover top 15 hit reigniting Cash’s
career and eventually selling three
million copies at low friend bought a
gold my belly flop Medina carcass in the
county G before we unveil our top pick
here are a few honorable mentions
I saw 10,000 people
Oh
you candle burned out long before your
legend ever
I want to yell yourself I wanna get you
them don’t just say
number one live at Leeds the hoop
just
loud raucous and hard charging this is
the live album by which all live albums
are or should be judged
after Pete Townsend ordered several
tapes of recordings of live shows they
had done in the u.s. in the late 1960s
the who took to the campus of the
University of Leeds to find material for
their first live ep
in February of 1970 the who delivered
and recorded a blistering set of covers
alongside the band’s own classics that
eventually became the legendary live at
Leeds
Oh
imagine
the venue has since been declared a
national landmark owing directly to the
historical importance of the lp which is
often considered one of the best live
rock albums ever
do you agree with our list what’s your
favorite live album for more
adrenaline-fueled top 10s published
every day be sure to subscribe to
watchmojo.com
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