Ticket 2 Ride

The 1970s was the heyday for live albums, before the practice of editing performances, adding new/correcting, and using tapes and other augmentations. Back then, generally what you heard was what was played and sung.

The sound could be raw, the vocals rough and the tempo variable. The good old days, when music was real, and ticket prices were cheap!

Here are 10 live albums that I overlooked or did not like when they first came out. I’ve since taken another listen and have a different view of the album. Who says old rockers can’t have a change of heart?

Live: You Get What You Play For (1977) – REO Speedwagon. I was not a fan until I heard “Golden Country” live. This live album was before most of their radio hits. They were a hard rockin’ band, and this live album shows it. If you want the later hits live, there are several collections. This is a guitar album without the pretty effects.

Live Bullet (1976) – Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band. I liked a couple of Bob Seger tunes (“Night Moves”, “Turn the Page”) but was never a fan-atic of him. This double album presents Seger like he was at the time, a rockin’ dude from a blue collar city. My only issue with this set list is the number of covers, otherwise this is a solid show.

One More From The Road (1976) – Lynyrd Skynyrd. I wasn’t much of a Skynyrd fan in those days. I was picky about the Southern Rock I listened to, and “Freebird” was not on my playlist. The band was at this juncture hitting on all cylinders and accumulating a list of hits, other than that song I just mentioned. This album isn’t perfect but it’s a tribute to the members of the band, some of which would perish in the plane crash the following year.

Viva! Roxy Music (The Live Roxy Music Album) (1976) – Roxy Music. Recorded during live shows 1973-1975. This recording featured an expanded lineup with John Wetton and Eddie Jobson, to go along with Ferry, Thompson, Mackay and Manzanera. To be honest, I prefer the later version of Roxy, but this weird glam period is pretty freaky. Not everyone is into this noisy, pre-punk, romanticized rock, but Roxy Music could do it.

Seconds Out (1977) – Genesis. I bought this album when it first came out, but for some reason I wasn’t enamored with it. Until a couple of years ago I do t think I had played it more than two or three times. Maybe it was the set list. I wasn’t bothered that Peter Gabriel was gone. This is the last full live album with Steve Hackett, so I’ve listened to it for that reason. Hackett is the main Genesis member who plays the old stuff in concert.

Live: Blow Your Face Out (1976) – J. Geils Band. This was one of the best American rock bands in their prime. Their fame came late in the game and then they broke up. This band was just as good as Aerosmith. They were at their best live. This album was overlooked. For some reason, the early albums just didn’t click with a broader audience. Feel the energy in this album and how this band mesmerized a live audience.

The Beach Boys in Concert (1973) – The Beach Boys. This was before the band became essentially an oldies act. There are a few of their early hits on here, but mostly there are tunes from recent albums, albums that didn’t sell, but still had some nuggets. This version of the band included Blondie Chaplin (guitar/vocals) and Ricky Fataar (drums), who brought a new energy and songwriting chops to a band that was beached. The early 1970s albums didn’t project the magic of the early 1960s, but there were some solid tunes like “Sail On Sailor” and “Leaving This Town.” Brian Wilson didn’t tour with them and his songwriting input was sporadic.

Cheap Trick at Budokan – (1979) Cheap Trick. I thought Epic Records released the two worst songs as singles. I totally ignored this album, even after I rediscovered Cheap Trick in the 1990s, I avoided this album. Finally, I stumbled over it. The rest of the first album and the sequel, released in (1994) have the best material. I still skip over “I Want You to Want Me” and “Ain’t That a Shame.”

Emerson, Lake & Palmer in Concert (1979) – Emerson, Lake & Palmer. ELP was pretty much over when this album was released. The tour this album was recorded from was a financial nightmare for the band, and their album Love Beach was a sad end to this era. When this album was released, only some of the concert material made the single album, which was scaled back from the planned double-album. Years later, this album was released in a two-CD format called Works Live, and it included the additional songs. It’s not a bad album, but it does lack the energy and originality that ELP had in earlier years.

You Can’t Argue with a Sick Mind (1976) – Joe Walsh. On his way to becoming an Eagle, this is a pretty good album, but somehow didn’t impress me initially. The band backing him up is great, and when Joe is serious, and not trying to be a wise-ass, he’s awesome on stage. One wishes the setlist was longer. There is a radio broadcast from 1981 available on CD, that’s the only other solo Joe Walsh concert available (of course there may be bootleg sets out there).

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There are others that could have been on this list. Maybe there will be a part II…