Nothing hits quite like a solid, well-produced live classic rock album. And I’d be bold enough to say that the following live albums are even better than their studio versions. Let’s take a look, shall we?
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Keep in mind that this list is all a matter of personal opinion. Though, I doubt few would consider these live albums bad.
1. ‘Unleashed In The East’ by Judas Priest
Judas Priest makes our list of live albums that were better than studio versions with Unleashed In The East. Before this record came out in 1979, a lot of the band’s releases had engineering and production problems. This is likely because Judas Priest didn’t have as high of a budget back then, and records were not exactly cheap to produce.
When Unleashed In The East came out, it became something of a cult classic. So many of Judas Priest’s early-career classics are on this album, and they all sound incredible.
2. ‘Made In Japan’ by Deep Purple
Made In Japan by Deep Purple showcases the real raw power of this English hard rock outfit. Songs like “Smoke On The Water” and “Highway Star” sound beautiful as studio versions, but nothing tops the way they sound live. The energy is on another level on this album, and some would say that it’s one of the greatest live albums ever produced in the 20th century.
3. ‘Live At Leeds’ by The Who
This is probably the most famous example of live albums that are better than studio versions. The Who was, at its core, a live band through and through. Their recorded studio works are amazing, but they were just so amazing to experience live.
Live At Leeds might lack some of fans’ favorite tunes, considering it came out before Who’s Next and Tommy. But the whole of this live record is bursting at the seams with energy. They were really at their strongest on this album.
4. ‘Near The Beginning’ by Vanilla Fudge
This one is a bit of a wild card. Near The Beginning by psychedelic rock band Vanilla Fudge is technically a hybrid album. One side of the record is full of studio recordings, and the other side is basically one long singular jam session that shows each member of the band kicking off their own solos. The live side absolutely blows the studio side out of the water. Though, the whole of Near The Beginning is essential listening for any fan of psych-rock.
Photo by Fin Costello/Redferns
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