The Best Live Albums

Cheap Trick At Budokan (CD 6484) marks its 35th anniversary this year. Sound Opinions devoted a recent episode to the album, interviewing the members about it. While many rock bands in the 1970s released live albums as a culmination of their success, At Budokan established Cheap Trick's success. Their previous albums had sold modestly in the U.S. but had done well in Japan, and this live recording finally introduced them to a huge audience in their native country, eventually selling three million copies. At Budokan succeeded aesthetically as well as commercially; Rolling Stone named it one of the 500 greatest albums of all time (ML156.4.R6 A16 2005).

The album's anniversary prompted a discussion among the library staff of the best (or a least their favorite) live albums, and everyone with an opinion knew they couldn't list them all. But here's a starting point in no particular order.

• The Who Live at Leeds (CD 1727)
• Charley Parker Jazz at Massey Hall (CD 3185)
• Charles Mingus Mingus in Wonderland (CD 10504)
• Miles Davis The Complete Concert: 1964: My Funny Valentine and "Four" & More Recorded Live in Concert (CD 3518-3519)
• Johnny Cash At Folsom Prison and San Quentin (CD 10659)
• James Brown The Apollo Theater Presents, in Person, the James Brown Show a.k.a. Live at the Apollo (CD 3605)
• Daft Punk Alive 2007 (on order)
• Woodstock (Annex CD (Box 36))
• Nirvana MTV Unplugged in New York (CD 1504)
• Queen Live at Wembley's 86 (CD 9349-9350)
• Keith Jarrett La Scala (CD 11098)
• Jaco Pastorius Live in New York (various volumes)
• Chet Atkins, Jerry Reed & Suzy Bogguss Live in Nashville (on order)
• Metallica Live Sh*t: Binge & Purge (CD 13043-13045)
• Black Sabbath Live at Last (on order)
• Weather Report Live in Tokyo (CD 19269-19270)
• Bob Marley Babylon by Bus (CD 11495)
• Cream Wheels of Fire (CD 9916-9917 Disc 2)
• Any CD entitled at Fillmore

What do you think the best live albums are? Post your suggestions.