Concert Albums Worth Listening To In Full

The best concert albums, like the concerts themselves, succeed in two ways. They often reveal something new about the artist or the songs performed. Different arrangements, or extended jams, shake off the familiarity of the studio versions, giving the musicians an opportunity to experiment, and the audience a chance to be surprised. They also feed off the energy of the audience, bringing a fervor to the music that studios recording often lack. The perfection produced in the studio, through multiple takes, and multi track recording, stands in contrast to the sometimes ragged, but more vital sound captured on stage. Her are a few of my favorite albums worth listening to top to bottom.

Sam Cooke, Live At The Harlem Square Club 1963

Cooke was at the height of his popularity when this show was recorded in a small night spot in the Overton neighborhood of Miami. RCA planned to release it as One Night Stand, but changed their minds because they viewed it as “too gritty” with raw vocals inconsistent with the pop image of Cooke at the time. A year later he was shot dead in Los Angeles, and the show didn’t get released until 1985. What executives saw as a gritty and raw is one of the most powerful live shows on record. Ranging from “Chain Gang” and “Cupid” to “Having A Party,” Cooke gets progressively more fevered as the show goes. Listening to the recording, you can feel the sweat in the room as he and the crowd shout back and forth to each other. You also begin to wonder where his music would have gone had his life not been cut short.

Little Feat, Waiting For Columbus

Little Feat is the prototypical band whose studio recordings were good, but never matched the energy of their live performances. Waiting For Columbus comes from a series of seven shows in August, 1977 in London and Washington D.C. Over four sides on the double L.P., the band, backed by the Tower Of Power horn section, plays many of their most popular tunes including “Oh Atlanta,” “Time Loves A Hero,” and “Willin’.” The extended jam on “Dixie Chicken” includes a rollicking piano solo by Bill Payne, with Lowell George and Paul Barrere trading guitar licks. My favorite track is the swampy “Spanish Moon.” Lowell George’s voice never sounded better with his deep growl.

Joni Mitchell, Shadows and Light

Recorded in 1979 at the Santa Barbara Bowl, Shadows And Light primarily features music from Mitchell’s albums Court And Spark, The Hissing Of Summer Lawns, Hejira, and Mingus that saw her moving in jazz-oriented direction. Her band for the show included the all star line up of Jaco Pastorius on bass, Pat Metheny on guitar, Don Alias on drums, and Michael Brecker on saxophones. Apart from the excellent musicianship, Mitchell’s vocal range and intonation are a marvel to behold.

The Replacements, The Complete Inconcerated, Live

The Replacements were well known for their dissolute lifestyle, raucous live shows, and getting banned from Saturday Night Live. This triple L.P. album recorded in 1989 at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, was originally released as part of the Dead Man’s Pop box set 2019. In 2020, it was re-released as a stand alone for Record Store Day. Twenty-eight tracks cover the breadth of their career. Notably, the band was comparatively sober for the show, and the performances were strong.

Everybody’s Talkin’, Tedeschi Trucks Band

As with Little Feat, the Tedeschi Trucks Band is best seen, and heard, live. Recorded over three nights in October, 2011, the album opens with the Fred Neil penned title track made famous by Harry Nilsson. It’s a beautiful song, but when Derek Trucks meets Susan Tedeschi’s improv vocals with harmonizing guitar licks the effect is sublime. While it’s tempting to classify them as a jam band, their roots really are in southern rock, blues and gospel, and they flawlessly blend the genres into their own style. Trucks is among the best guitarists performing today, and Tedeschi’s throaty growl, while reminiscent of Bonnie Raitt, makes her a true original. Meanwhile, their band is, to borrow an old term of high praise, crackerjack outfit.