Ten brilliant live albums from the 1980s

The 1980s saw quite a change in music after the heady years of the 1970s and the diversity that had. There was certainly plenty of variety in the 1980s, too. But how was this later decade compared to the 1970s when it came to live albums? 

Very strong it seems. The 1980s had many live albums released and many of those are outstandingly good. Some of those are carried forward from the previous decade and released very early in the 1980s. So there is some overlap.

I’ve previously written about ten fantastic live albums from the 1980s. To show that there were plenty of great live alternatives around at the time and lots of variation in style too. Let's look at ten more 1980s live albums that really stood out. I won't list the previous ten again here as they are listed on the link above.

Ten amazing live albums from the 1980s

Scorpions - World Wide Live

Let's start with a superb example of everything a live album should have. This 1985 double album has the German band Scorpions in blistering form and probably at their peak. The band were on tour after releasing their highly popular album from the previous year, Love At First Sting. Six nights of that huge 13 month tour were recorded in the US, France and West Germany for World Wide Live.

Song after song on this album delivers top-quality hard rock and heavy metal. It also delivers great musicianship from the band. That's all matched up with an incredible live atmosphere which stands out on the record. It must surely rank as one of the top live albums of all time, not just of the 1980s.

Two rocking live albums released in the 1980s

Styx - Caught In The Act

This album follows on very well from Scorpions live. Styx delivers exactly what you'd want from them on a live album too. Pomp rock arena style with plenty of heavy guitars and the great voice of Dennis DeYoung. Although this record also has an unusual element for a live album.

Caught In The Act came out in 1984. It was recorded live in New Orleans in 1983, although “Music Time” is the exception. That opening track on the double disc was their new single and was recorded separately in the studio. Putting that one aside, the rest of the album is pretty much their greatest hits live. The atmosphere sounds great on the record, as do most of their songs. “Come Sail Away” is a particular favorite from this album.

Jimi Hendrix - Jimi Plays Monterey 

It may seem odd to have a Jimi Hendrix live album in the 1980s. This 1986 release came posthumously and quite sometime after Hendrix made his huge breakthrough at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival. The festival gave Jimi and The Experience the exposure and opportunity to make their name in the US. Their entire nine song set from the festival is on this album. 

Of course, it was a tragically short career for Hendrix, so the songs on here are all classics of his time with us. His performance at Monterey was visually stunning with his on stage gestures and of course, his blazing finale as he set fire to his guitar before smashing it to pieces during “Wild Thing”. The short set was also amazing musically, as this album captures so well.

Legends with their live sets on record

Kinks - One for the Road

Another excellent live album that has a band showcasing their back catalogue, this time it's during a resurgence of their earlier musical career. The Kinks were at their peak in the 1960s but this double live set caught them on stage in 1979 enjoying a comeback to prominence again. It was released in 1980 and includes a few of their more recent songs backed by their classic hits.

Although many may think of the Kinks as a 1960s band, the album is a great reminder that they are much more than that. If garage rock is a thing, then the Kinks are amongst the top bands in the style. The great guitars, songs, and lyrics on their set here belong just as much in the 1970s and 1980s as elsewhere. It's no lame comeback, and this is the Kinks in top form. 

Eric Clapton - Just One Night

This is another album recorded in 1979 and released in 1980, so it only just qualifies for this list, even if the music was captured in the one prior. Interestingly, it helps show that perhaps not a lot has changed over the subsequent years. During May Eric Clapton is performing in his annual visit over several nights at the Royal Albert Hall in London. He’s pleasing the crowds with his great music, though he may not be completely dazzling them with his amazing guitar skills or creating an electric atmosphere. But it’s still a great night out to listen to and keeping fans very happy.

Just One Night is another example of that. Clapton was recorded in Japan in December 1979 for this double record released in 1980. He’s in pretty good form on the album, and it seems as though the backing band led by Albert Lee has kept him sharp and edgy at times. Clapton sounds brilliant on tracks like “Rambling Mind” and a super version of “Cocaine”, but the star spot is probably when he reverts to the blues on “Double Trouble”. Elsewhere though the album dips to what is still a very satisfactory standard, it's a good night in as a listen and a great album.

Two more brilliant live albums from the 1980s

Depeche Mode – 101

An absolutely brilliant live album will give you that feeling of being in the crowd. You’ll imagine you were there or at the very least really want to have been. That's the case with 101 from Depeche Mode. The 1989 album is paired with a documentary which focuses on their June 1988 concert at the LA Rose Bowl. It was the final night of the band's Music For The Masses tour, gig number 101 in fact!

The crowd that night was an amazing 60,000 sell out, very strong for a band that was still finding their feet in the US. Depeche Mode, though, had plenty of hits behind them and always put on a super live show. This night was no different. Have a listen to the album, and you'll easily get a buzz from the crowd enjoying themselves. If you want a flavor of the show and the album, then zoom in on the final few tracks which are outstanding live. Especially  “Everything Counts” with the way the crowd takes over at the end. You'll want to have been there. 

Siouxsie And The Banshees - Nocturne

Here's one that many people might have missed. Apart from an excellent set of songs from a lively Siouxsie And The Banshees, Nocturne has the added bonus of including brilliant guitar work from Robert Smith of The Cure. Smith had been playing with Siouxsie And The Banshees on tour for a couple of years and became an official band member just before this album was recorded over two nights at the Royal Albert Hall in London in 1983. 

Nocturne was released a few weeks later in November 1983 as a double album. Yet again, we can hear a band at a real peak, and in this case, that's enhanced by Smith's additional presence and exceptional guitar playing. It's a greatest hits and best songs event with some superb raw and stripped-back live versions of those. It is not to be missed and a must-listen if you haven't heard it or played much of this band before now.

A double touch of live jazz genius

Joni Mitchell - Shadows And Light

Having said before that you'd ideally want a great crowd atmosphere to come across on a live record, here’s one that breaks that theory. Joni Mitchell doesn't jump out as an obvious live performer for that sort of gig. But her Shadows And Light album released in 1980 provides an excellent insight into Mitchell’s music as she gives a superb live performance.

The album benefits hugely from the backing band of jazz-based musicians playing with Mitchell. Their interplay with Mitchell’s voice and lyrics is also much enhanced by an amazing recording sound quality. The songs are jazzy, folky and sparkling throughout. Mitchell is very much at her best too. There surprisingly wasn't huge commercial success for Shadows And Light, it’s hard to work out why not when it's such a great live album.

Sting - Bring On The Night

While we are on the jazz theme, here’s another live album that dips into that category. Sting had already made his name in The Police and earned the right to release his first solo album The Dream Of The Blue Turtles in 1985.  On that album, he started to explore jazz themes in several songs. Sting took that a stage further with Bring On The Night, a live album with his jazz musicians band recorded over several nights in 1985 and released in 1986. At that time, it was only for imports in North America. 

With the live-in-concert approach, the jazz elements Sting touched on in his debut album had more space and time to develop. There was more freedom to explore those further and adjust, improvise, and expand on songs from that album. And then to have some lesser-known Police songs added into the mix. I loved this exploration into jazz based on my liking of the music of The Police and then Sting, and it took me to new sounds and styles. It was so refreshing to have a live album not intending to have songs sounding just like their studio versions. 

Pink Floyd - Delicate Sound Of Thunder

This live set from Pink Floyd followed the release of their 1987 album A Momentary Lapse Of Reason. That album was particularly significant as it marked the departure of Roger Waters from the band. Along with a return to more typical Pink Floyd-sounding music. Having got that sound back, the fans were keen to see the band, as it was now with Nick Mason, David Gilmour, and Richard Wright, live on stage with their amazing visual shows.

The album is an excellent extract from five of those shows, recorded in New York in August 1988 and released remarkably quickly a few months later in November 1988. That ties in with the claim of there being no studio overdubbing of the concert recordings, although some minor adjustments were still made to some vocals and an acoustic guitar was added by Gilmour to “Comfortably Numb." It's still pretty minimal by the band's standards. 

The band are very faithful to the old favourites, they still sound as good and familiar as ever, the only difference being that it’s Gilmour’s voice to the fore, with Waters absent. That and the inclusion of several session musicians to help build the live sound fully. Fans lapped it up with Delicate Sound Of Thunder charting well at number 11 on the Billboard 200 and claiming US triple platinum ranking. 

Waters, though, became even more of an ex-fan and past member with regular swipes calling the new albums forgeries. This album may have been eclipsed and subsequently overshadowed by the 1995 live release Pulse, but it’s well worth a revisit as a great set of music as the band evolved post-Waters. Whether Roger likes that or not.

That's the end of this list of ten more amazing live albums from the 1980s. There’s a link above if you want to see the previous ten albums listed. If there’s a comments function where you see this article, do let us know any live 1980s favorites you have that aren't on the two lists. 

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