Five Live Albums You Really Should Own

Many people (myself included) aren't big fans of live albums. They are too often purely money grabs by music labels and/or artists themselves as they attempt to cash in on their popularity by quickly assembling and marketing a new release without having to write or record new songs. But even more often, live albums disappoint because, let's face it, the majority of artists today don't sound anywhere nearly as good without the polish that comes from a studio. Despite this, true fans always seem willing to bite the bullet and shell out for live albums from their favorite acts. 

Still, every once in a while there's a live album of such quality or significance that it's definitely worth the money. If you're a fan of pop, rock, soul, or R&B, here are five "lives" you really should give a listen to:

Paul McCartney - Tripping the Live Fantastic

The Beatles last concert (apart from their famous 1969 one-time performance atop the Apple studios roof) was in 1966. The band, however, continued making music until their breakup in 1970. This means many of the Beatles best and most popular recordings were never performed live by them. As solo acts, John, George and Ringo rarely performed Beatles tunes in concert and when they did, they most often stuck to those they had composed themselves (e.g., George’s "Here Comes the Sun" and Ringo’s "Octopus’s Garden".) 

Tripping the Live captures tracks from Paul’s 1989-90 world tour, which marked the first time hits from classic Beatles albums like Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and Abbey Road were ever performed in concert. (Incidentally, the famous recordings of what purportedly are Linda McCartney’s horrible backing vocals during "Hey Jude" supposedly came from the concerts chronicled on this album.)

Highlights: "The Long and Winding Road", "Things We Said Today", "Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End"

The Supremes - The Supremes at the Copa 

Recorded in 1965, back in the days when the top acts still headlined in nightclubs or on the Vegas strip. The Supremes were one of the very first black artists invited to perform at the famous Copacabana in New York City. These performances helped elevate them to the top of Motown roster and paved the way for the label’s other artists (like Marvin Gaye and The Temptations) to also play the club.

Highlights: "Stop! In the Name of Love", the group’s vocal segue into "Baby Love"

Bruce Springsteen - Live 1975-85

Box sets used to be reserved for artists who had been in the business for 25 years or more, or whose early recordings were somehow never commercially available before. This release (issued in November of 1986) changed all that and now it seems anybody that’s had more than three albums issues a box set. Live 1975-85 captures ten years of Springsteen during the height of his popularity and does its best to recreate the experience of his legendary 3-4 hour concerts.

Highlights: "Rosalita", "Born to Run", "Jersey Girl"

The Fixx – React

As mentioned earlier, many bands don’t sound anywhere nearly as good live as they do in the studio. Synth pop/new wave group The Fixx bucked this trend and lead singer Cy Curnin’s haunting voice is just as rich and penetrating on this album as it is on any of their studio tracks.

Highlights: "Saved By Zero", "Secret Separation"

The Jacksons – Jacksons Live

For as much attention as Michael Jackson has received for his solo efforts and his early work with The Jackson 5, the years he spent in between as part of The Jacksons are often overlooked. The Jacksons were essentially a disco-infused continuation of the Jackson 5 (with brother Randy taking the place of Jermaine) except the group now took far more creative control of their music. From 1976 to 1980, The Jacksons released four albums that spawned hits like "Shake Your Body Down", "Enjoy Yourself", "Heartbreak Hotel" and "Lovely One". Jacksons Live chronicles the group's Triumph tour (named by Rolling Stone magazine as one of the best tours of the era) and includes hits from the J5 as well as Michael’s solo debut, Off the Wall.

Highlights: "Can You Feel It", "Off the Wall", the brothers’ extended banter before the "I Want You Back/ABC/The Love You Save" medley.