5 Classic Rock Live Albums That Show Artists at Their Best

In the classic rock era, live albums played a large part in the way artists connected with their fans. If a backer of an act couldn’t make it out to one of their shows, at least they could pick up a disc that captured these artists at their very best.

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While it’s true some live albums could come off as forgettable, there are several that stand out as essential. Here are five that locate the concert magic of some of the biggest acts in classic rock.

Rock of Ages by The Band (1972)

Many rock writers have commented on how The Band’s studio magic wasn’t all that easy for the quintet to capture when they played live. And yet, there are several excellent concert documents that demonstrate they could indeed make the switch. There’s Before the Flood, which immortalized a reunion tour with Bob Dylan, and The Last Waltz, their fond farewell with friends. Best of all, however, is Rock of Ages, which caught them at the peak of their skills. On top of that, their sound was embellished by sympathetic horn charts courtesy of the legendary Allen Toussaint.

Live Bullet by Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band (1976)

Seger was on the cusp of a major breakthrough with the album Night Moves when he and the Silver Bullet Band recorded Live Bullet in their home environs of Michigan. Those local fans knew well the material the national audience hadn’t yet discovered. And there was a lot of that material, so much so that Seger was able to make it a double LP. A funny thing then happened: The live recordings started to get the kind of radio airplay that had eluded the studio versions. Also included: “Turn the Page,” one of the best live performances of one of the best songs about, coincidentally enough, the act of performing live.

Frampton Comes Alive! by Peter Frampton (1976)

Sometimes, it takes the concert experience to present the full scope of an artist. Peter Frampton is the case study most often cited. His solo career after leaving Humble Pie positioned him as a journeyman who wasn’t quite ready for prime time, despite estimable songwriting, singing, and guitar-playing skills. Frampton Comes Alive! was helped by the fact that his 1975 album Frampton was his best yet, giving him an excellent foundation for a live show. The main selling point (and no it’s not the talk box, although that was cool) is Frampton himself, an indefatigable and enormously engaging performer who warranted the exclamation point in the title.

Cheap Trick at Budokan by Cheap Trick (1978)

Cheap Trick were three albums into their career in 1978, by which time they’d established themselves as worthy heirs to the power pop tradition of bands like Badfinger and Big Star. But there was concern they might get stuck in a rut of being critically acclaimed, but commercially forgotten. Who knew they’d be so big in Japan? In much the same fashion as the Seger and Frampton albums listed above, Cheap Trick started receiving airplay like never before, especially with their crowd-pleasing version of “I Want You to Want Me,” a runaway hit single.

One for the Road by The Kinks (1980)

Consider this one a long-belated victory lap by The Kinks. When they were at the peak of their artistic powers in the ’60s, they faced a ban on playing in America due to the chaos of their first U.S. tour. By the time they were touring America in 1979 and 1980, they were a much different beast than they had been in their Village Green/Arthur days. But the arena rock space they occupied very much suited a live album. You get both excellent recent songs (“Misfits”), as well as muscular takes on some of their all-time classics (“Where Have All the Good Times Gone?”).

Photo by Ian Dickson/Redferns