Ten absolutely stunning live albums from the 1970s

Status Quo - Live

Status Quo were renowned for their live performances. Glasgow audiences were always lively. That’s an ideal combination brought together over two nights at the Glasgow Apollo in October 1976 for this double album released in March 1977.

This absolute rocker of an album captured Status Quo live with all the energy and rawness they had on stage. The crowd was bouncing, the band was sure they could see the balcony area moving up and down from the stage. Status Quo responded to the crowd, playing a hit-packed set with verve and aggression. There was little in the way of overdubs and production added later, so the album is pretty true to the two nights, flaws, and all.

Genesis - Seconds Out

This live double album from Genesis was another key milestone for the band. They had been adjusting to Peter Gabriel’s departure and had recorded a couple of well-received studio albums with Phil Collins as lead singer. This album dipped heavily into their Gabriel-led back catalogue with the new lineup performing those on stage. It was to be the last album featuring Steve Hackett who left the band in 1977 when it was released. 

The recordings are mainly from June 1977 gigs in Paris. Widely regarded by fans as a masterpiece the playing performance and production are immense. The old songs sound amazing under Collins’ lead and stand up extremely well to the originals. The newer songs fit in perfectly too. It's a perfect take of the band at that time, looking back at their music and forward too. You won't find many live albums capturing performances better than this