What's The Best Live Album Of All Time?

The guys in Gooseneck were having this debate recently: What's the greatest live album ever recorded?

There are so many great live records -- from the Allman Brothers At Fillmore East to The Who Live At Leeds -- but which one is best? What's your desert island live record?

Well, we couldn't agree on a winner, so we conducted a highly-scientific survey of music fans to determine the greatest live album of all time.

Here are the results: 

 

Let's take a look at the top 3 picks:

#1 -- The Allman Brothers, Live at Fillmore East

This is an amazing recording of the Allmans at the height of their powers, captured over two nights in March, 1971. 

You might be surprised to learn that the Allmans were not headlining these shows at Fillmore East, Johnny Winter was. But their act was so dominant that by the third night promoter Bill Graham had the Allmans closing the show.

Because they weren't headliners, the Allmans were paid just $1,250 for each night of these shows. It's a good this we have this priceless recording from those nights!

#2 -- Little Feat, Waiting For Columbus

Many of us in Gooseneck voted for this as our favorite. Not only do we love Little Feat, but also the addition of Tower of Power horns on this album makes it the obvious choice.

Of course there are lots of amazing live albums. But for us, the combination of Little Feat and Tower of Power horns on Waiting For Columbus takes the cake. 

One thing that made Waiting For Columbus so special was the addition of Tower of Power's horn section. Listen back to tracks like "Spanish Moon" and the horns will give you goose bumps. 

Indeed, Emilio and Doc and the boys from TOP horns played on all kinds of records, but arguably this is their greatest contribution to another band's sound. Waiting For Columbus captured both bands at the height of their powers.

#3 -- The Band, The Last Waltz

No argument here -- this is another amazing classic. Not only is the music great, but also there's the added drama of the dissolution of The Band and the revealing Scorsese-directed movie that chronicles it. 

Hard to believe it's been more than 40 years since The Band brought together their friends on Thanksgiving 1976 and threw one of the greatest rock 'n roll parties of all time. 

Luckily for us, they got Martin Scorsese to document the event in what is probably the greatest concert movie of all time, The Last Waltz. In fact, this isn't just a concert movie, it's a great documentary that captures the life and times of The Band and their influence on music and culture in the 70s.

To coincide with its 40th anniversary, there are some new and expanded versions of the concert album that are worth checking out.

Apart from the music itself, one of our favorite moments is when Neil Young comes on stage and Robbie Robertson points out the copious amount of cocaine clearly visible on Neil's nose. Whoops!

 

What's your favorite live record? Do you agree or disagree with these picks? Leave a comment and let us know!

 

 

Related Resources

If you like bands like Little Feat and The Band, you might also like Gooseneck's latest record, Flyin' High. Get a free copy at this link or by clicking on the image below:

 

 

 

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