Customer Reviews

Love You Live

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

1) It contains the only officialy released live versions of the overlooked mid-70s classics If You Can't Rock Me, Fingerprint File, and Star, Star, and all sound excellent

2) The version of Hot Stuff on here is better than the album version in my opinion, for what that's worth to you.

3) Good performances of the smash hits You Can't Always Get What You Want and Sympathy For the Devil.

4) A smoking version of Happy

5) The blues and early rock tracks Mannish Boy, Crackin' Up, Little Red Rooster, and Around and Around.

Now if you are a casual fan, you should get Get Yer Ya Ya's Out first. In fact, even the new Live Licks contains more hits than Love You Live if that's what you're looking for. But for the more seasoned fan, there are performances on here from every Stones era up to this point - very early songs, several from the 68-72 years, and at least one song from each 73-76 album. It's a great snapshot of the band at a crucial stage of their development.

Having said that, I can't give it five stars for a couple reasons. First, it's not as good as Ya Ya's. Second, there are a couple terrible performances. Jumpin' Jack Flash is just awful , due to Mick's lack of effort on vocals. I've only been able to get through this track once. If you want this one live, buy Flashpoint or Ya Ya's. In my opinion the Flashpoint version is the best, but anything's better than the one on this album. But when you take this double album as a whole, there is much more good than bad, and several great moments.

This is the best live Stones album since Get Yer Ya-Yas Out. Really enjoy it. Had it on 8-track "back in the day" and finally got the CD version. Band sounds terrific throughout, especially in the club setting. Like the Stones? You'll like this one.

I really like to hear Keith Richards do that faster live version of "Happy" in concerts. This Stones standout represents one of those instances in which a great song is slightly marred by having the studio version ("Exile on Main Street") performed too slowly. Actually, altho "Happy" is just right, a few songs on "Love You Live" are a little too fast, like "Get Off of My Cloud" and "Star Star." But overall, it's cool--this recording of concerts in Paris and Toronto is fast-paced, potent rock and roll.

This set has all the songs you want to hear in a Stones concert, like "Honky Tonk Women," "You Can't Always Get What You Want," and "Tumbling Dice." Disk Two begins with Chuck Berry, Howlin' Wolf, etc. stuff, like "Around and Around" and "Little Red Rooster." The sound quality and performance are a bit spotty, but they certainly are not on the last four songs: "It's Only Rock 'N Roll," "Brown Sugar," "Jumpin' Jack Flash," and "Sympathy for the Devil." What better choices to end a Stones concert can there be! The middle two are the Stones' best rockers ever, in my view, and all four give the band opportunities to open up. This was LP side four in college, and always the choice in parties and car stereos. The soloing is terrific, again, fast paced, and the band is ever so tight, everything clicking perfectly. Keith Richards and Ron Wood are fabulous on guitar, and there are blistering leads on the last three of the four songs. Billy Preston shines on keyboards. "Love You Live" is great live Stones for sure.

Awesome live album, for a long time my favorite live album by any group. The version of Sympathy and Get what you want is spectacular. Only down part of this album is the recording mix, album needs to be remastered to clean up sound. This live album better than flashpoint or stripped as far as overall performances but be careful on high quality sounds systems if you are into true clean sound.

The Stones always featured some great piano/keyboard work. In the early days Ian "Stew" Stewart played some great Otis Spann influenced Chicago blues. In addition Brian Jones, one of rock's most versatile instrumentalists, who played everything from flutes and harmonica to sitar and mirimba, as well as piano and organ. Then consider the great output of Nicky Hopkins aka "Edward" during the Begger's Banquet, Let It Bleed, and Exile recordings. Even today, when on tour, the band's in the more than capable hands of Chuck Leavall. That brings us to 1977's Love You Live. Who steps up to fill the slot, the inimitable, late great Billy Preston. Employing some brillant organ and soulful vocals, Billy spices up If You Can't Rock Me and Honky Tonk Woman. Nice job Billy!

But the real reason why I grab this CD and run out to my car for some good crusin' music is for the El Mocambo sides. Here we find the boys on familar turf; Howlin' Wolf, Chuck Berry, Muddy Waters and Ellis McDaniels, (shame on you if you didn't recognize Bo Diddly's real name). El Mocambo is surely the greatest recording capturing The Stones stripped down to the bone. Raw and unbridlled in a small Toronto Club, the band positively sizzles. For my money, they never sounded better!!!!!!!!!!!How can you not love 'em live!!!!!!

It is common opinion (and, by the way, I agree with it) that "Love you live" and "Get yer ya ya's out" are probably Stones' best live albums. Nevertheless, as for the "inspiration" and the characters of these works, there are some important differences: if, on the one hand, "Get yer ya ya's out" is a solid, compact and upright rock and roll record, on the other hand "Love you live" seems to be more nervous and powerful, maybe because of the age of the recording (1977: echoes from the punk movement?), sketching a various and full-of-energy profile of the Band through a double set record. Talking about some tracks in detail, the CD, after the ouverture "Fanfare for the common man", starts with "Honky tonk women" (one of its best-known versions), followed by "If you can't rock me"/"Get off of my cloud" (mixed together) and "Happy", that let the listener almost breathless. After such highlights as "You can't always get what you want" (after Ron Wood's solo, the crowd in Paris and Mick Jagger singing together the chorus: thrills...) and the side recorded at "El Mocambo", the final rush with "It's only R'N'R'", "Jumping Jack Flash" and "Brown sugar" (and others, of course) is the knock-out punch. Add some classics ("Tumbling dice", etc.) and the result is a milestone in the rock and roll landscape.

Exhilarating and enticing is Mannish Boy and Around and Around. I can skip my morning expresso by waking up to this high voltage recording.

My other favorite on this CD is Crackin' Up. Mick is his racy, hyperactive singer throughout the CD and I highly recommend it.

This live recording has some great music on it. Especially enjoyable is the small-house set of old blues numbers. However, all the songs are well-done, with great finesse and energy, and this is a very satisfying Rolling Stones live album. Four and a half stars.

This album was recorded and released while The Rolling Stones will still one of the hottest acts in the business, burning up the chart with their authentic brand of rock. This 2 - disc set captures the band at their best. Raw, raunchy and brilliant, "Love You Live" is peak Stones live.

"Honky Tonk Women" starts the proceedings off nice on disc one. Next, they stormtroop their way through a medley "If You Can't Rock Me" and "Get Off My Cloud", followed by blazing version of "Happy", sung by a maniacal Keith. "Hot Stuff" comes off pretty well, and "Star Star" is excellent. "Tumbling Dice" is taken at a slower, bluesier pace than usual, but they pull it off well. "Fingerprint File" is grooves thanks to some keyboard solos by Billy Preston. "You Gotta Move" comes off nicely. "You Can't Always Get What You Want" is also very good, but I'm disappointed that they cut off the tag featuring Keith's standard speed guitar solo.

Disc 2 kicks off with mini - blues set. Starting off with a sweltering "Mannish Boy", they seem to know the material very well. "Crackin' Up" is nice and cheery, and "Little Red Rooster" is flawless. They cover Chuck Berry "Around And Around" with panache. Next comes the hits. "It's Only Rock 'N' Roll" features eloquent licks played by Kieth and Ronnie. "Brown Sugar" features the boogie - woogie piano stylings of Ian Stewart. "Jumpin' Jack Flash" is done with flare, although it is very hard to understand what Mick is singing. Closing the album is a fiery eight - minute version of "Sympathy For The Devil" that bests any other version of the song.

In conclusion, this truly is a great live album. The band proves that they are really "The Greatest Rock 'N' Roll Band" and that they are legends.

To preface this review:

A. I am a self-professed Monster Stones Fan
B. I love all Stones era's (I do not believe the world stopped turning when Mick Taylor left the band)
C. I think Punk Rock was good for the Stones, it kicked them in the pants and helped to inspire Some Girls
D. I like Ron Wood (I even listen to his solo albums)
E. I do not have anything against Billy Preston in theory

As far as obligatory mid-70's Double-Live albums go, this is not horrible and the band deserves some extra credit by trying to do something different, filling up side three with a club show blues set. Unfortunately there are serious problems. First however, the highlights:

A. The Fanfare / Honky Tonk opening is cool
B. The If You Can't Rock me / Get Off My Cloud medley is a good idea
C. Happy and Starf@&#%*r rock out like nobody's business
D. Gotta give the band credit for doing the deep-funk Fingerprint File live (they ought to consider pulling this weird gem out of mothballs for the upcoming tour)
E. It's Only Rock and Roll, JJF, Sympathy, etc. are all fine

Where most other reviewers seem to disagree with me is the blues set: I have always thought it was wretched. In theory, I think the idea of the Stones ridding themselves of all but a few key sidemen and getting down with some blues standards in a sweaty, smokey bar is a gift from God. My problem with this El Mocambo set is the execution. Why is it crap?

A. Billy Preston's clavinet?
B. Mick Jagger's smarmy I'm a-Studio 54-jetset-superstar-playing-at-being-a-bluesman-while-drinking-champagne vocals?
C. Ronnie not yet integrated into the band well enough?
D. Keith phoning it in?

I cannot put my finger on it but I am pretty sure A and B are strongly contributing factors. Although Billy Preston is a very capable keyboardist, I have never understood the prominence the Stones allowed him in their band during this period. If you listen to the bootlegs from this tour, they were letting him sing not one but two of his own songs, something which they have never let Ronnie (or Bill Wyman for that matter)do. If anything, these songs need Ian Stuart's barrelhouse piano, not the ingratiating crapola Billy Preston is playing here. Finally, I think Mick just sinks this these songs with execrable insincerity.

So there.