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My Five Favorite Live Albums: A ‘Plethora of Pop’ Prompt Strikes Again
In no particular order
Sometimes I wonder if Plethora of Pop editor Pierce McIntyre has a lawn chair set up in my brain. There’s no other explanation for how he consistently comes up with writing prompts I simply cannot resist. The latest challenge, however, may indicate that I have claimed a small space in his brain.
The Plethora of Pop prompt for February is “Favorite Live Albums,” and it comes roughly one month after I wrote a piece ranking Bruce Springsteen’s live albums. If this was a subconscious attempt to keep me from including any Bruce in this article, well, Pierce should have known better.
Not that this is an easy list to compile. Midway through my fifth decade on the planet, I have encountered some amazing live albums. Fortunately, the prompt specifies “favorite” rather than “greatest.” This is important because while 1968’s At Folsom Prison by Johnny Cash is undoubtedly one of the all-time great live albums, it’s not one of my all-time favorites. The same is true of The Who Live at Leeds and The Allman Brothers Band At Fillmore East.
Not including those among my favorites will seem like heresy to some (especially the Allman Brothers fans), but I would be just as baffled at you leaving off Thin Lizzy’s Live and Dangerous…
