Ten fantastic live albums from the 1980s

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band - Live/1975-85

A box set with 40 songs over five albums/three CDs, this live release in November 1986 is pretty damned amazing. Springsteen had a great live reputation, so wanted to make a real statement in his first live album. As the title shows, it's a series of songs recorded over several years at a variety of concerts. That gave Springsteen plenty of options to select from.

The Boss chose well, there are some epic performances in this one. Plenty of his classic songs and hits too. Springsteen and The E Street band bring their heart, honesty, and superb musicianship to this collection. A thirteen-times platinum seller, this box set ranks as the second-highest live album seller behind Garth Brooks Double Live. It's a must-have of a live album.

Dire Straits - Alchemy: Dire Straits Live

This is an exceptionally good live album, full of Dire Straits’ early classics and with the band and Mark Knopfler in excellent form. It's all the more remarkable when you realize it was recorded in July 1983. Well before their mega 1985 album Brothers In Arms and all the great tracks that brought. 

Alchemy was recorded at the Hammersmith Odeon, London, and features songs from the band's first four albums. Dire Straits, Communique, Making Movies, and Love Over Gold. An absolute peak point in the album is the brilliant 11-minute-long version of their debut hit, “Sultans Of Swing”. The closing track “Going Home”, written by Knopfler for the movie Local Hero runs it close. The album only reached 46 on the Billboard 200 but was in second slot in the UK. It's a great example of the band's live shows.