Live albums can go a lot of different ways. Maybe a performer just plays the hits, and they do not sound much different than what one gets on the radio. That is boring.
But when you capture a performer at their best (and their best should almost always be something from a live performance), it needs to be exposed to the masses. That is real talent we are hearing. It gets no better.
The live recordings that follow are from different decades. Two are from the 1990s, and only one is a true musical artist from that decade. Each is a classic, though.
These live albums deserve a lot more attention than they get
Alison Krauss and Union Station - Live (2002)
There is something about Krauss's voice that is so pure live that one might believe she is simply mouthing the words while someone plays some pre-recorded music. That is not the case, though. That is simply how good Krauss is. But the talent of she and her band does not stop there; everyone is extraordinary.
This was recorded at the Louisville Palace in April 2002, and the engineering is pristine. And the band does not let us down. There are 25 songs total, including winners such as "I am a Man of Constant Sorrow." Slower numbers like "Ghost in This House" prove the band's brilliance best, however.
James Taylor - James Taylor Live (1993)
Taylor doesn't give us a short outing here, either. The double-set features 30 songs that stretch over the singer-songwriters' catalog from the late 1960s to the early 1990s. There are fantastic melodies and harmonies throughout. Taylor also rarely tries to do too much and lets the stories in the songs find their own way.
Still, there will be a favorite of yours somewhere in the set. "Country Road" and "Fire and Rain" are there and sound every bit as good as the original studio recording. There are hidden gems such as "Copperline" and "New Hymn" as well, however.
Suede - Love and Poison: Live at Brixton Academy, 16 May, 1993 (2021)
As opposed to the previous two listings in this article, Suede's recording happened all in one day. On May 16, 1993, the band turned out this piece of magic, cuddled together from fantastic B-sides and the group's self-titled debut album. It is loud and hints at glam, but make no mistake, this is a rock record.
The record captures Suede at its earliest, and arguably, its best. They are just raw enough to sound an earth away from the over-produced albums that would follow their third album, Coming Up. If you want something that is the best of what the 1990s offered, this album is it.
David Bowie - Live Santa Monica '72 (2008)
By the time this album was recorded, Bowie had delivered the greatness of Ziggy Stardust. The trick with this was that the original Santa Monica recordings were a bootleg, but a very good one. Let's step back a bit from that, though. The recording was what it was, but it captured Bowie in his full Bowie-ness, and what is better than that?
The recording is not perfect. There is a lot of his, but you still get Bowie being Bowie, and the Spiders sound amazing. There is a reason the bootlegs were iconic, and Bowie is that reason.