I’m more of a studio kind of music aficionado, but there are a few outstanding live albums I enjoy, in particular because they include at least a song that, in my opinion, had its best version ever in front of a live audience; here’s the list of those live albums I love, including the songs in question.
Ordered by release date:
| Album | Year | Artist | Links | Preferred Song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| “En Obras 1980” | 1980 | Manal | Spotify, YouTube | “Doña Laura” |
| “Wide Awake in America” | 1985 | U2 | Spotify | “Bad” |
| “101” | 1989 | Depeche Mode | Spotify | “Never Let Me Down Again” |
| “MTV Unplugged in New York” | 1994 | Nirvana | Spotify | “All Apologies” |
| “El Último Concierto” | 1997 | Soda Stereo | Spotify: A & B | “Hombre Al Agua” |
| “Viveza Criolla” | 2000 | Divididos | Spotify | “Salir A Comprar” |
| “Live at Montreux 2003” | 2007 | Yes | Spotify, YouTube | “Awaken” |
Some observations:
- The quality of Manal’s “En Obras 1980” recording is terrible. I don’t want to imagine what kind of hardware setup they had available back then.
- Soda Stereo’s “Último Concierto” ends, of course, with Gustavo Cerati’s epic closing line: “Gracias… totales!” (“Thanks… totally!”)