The 100 Greatest Live Albums of All Time

Our editors put their stamp of approval on the 100 best-ever albums culled from live performances.

Prefer CDs? Find the list on shiny disc here.

The 100 Greatest Live Albums of All Time

Sinatra At The Sands [with Count Basie & His Orchestra]

Live 1966 "The Royal Albert Hall Concert" The Bootleg Series Vol. 4

Live At Leeds (25th Anniversary Edition)

Featured Artists

Customer Discussions: 100 Greatest Live Albums

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Discussion	Replies	Latest Post
THE BEST Live Albumn of All-Time	9	2 days ago
Live After Death	2	2 days ago
No Allman Brother Band - Live at Fillmore East ???	27	1 month ago
glaring omissions	215	1 month ago
Best livealbuns	0	2 months ago
Top Live Albums	1	April 2010
Obvious Omissions	0	April 2010
Blue Oyster Cult - "On Your Feet Or On Your Knees" blows "Extraterrestrial" out of the water	4	January 2010
Muse?	0	December 2009
Anything missing?	2	December 2009
Instead of the Denver wildlife concert ...	0	November 2009
greatest live albums	6	November 2009

› See all 81 discussions... › Start a new discussion

Browse More of the Greatest

Explore more definitive 100 Greatest of All Time album lists in a variety of categories, including:
• 100 Greatest Debut Albums of All Time
• 100 Greatest Romantic Albums of All Time
• 100 Greatest Singer-Songwriter Albums of All Time
• 100 Greatest Indie Rock Albums of All Time
• 100 Greatest Jazz Albums of All Time
• 100 Greatest World Music Albums of All Time
• 100 Greatest Live Albums of All Time

Selection Criteria

There are plenty of live albums issued solely as afterthoughts or contract fulfillments, but there are plenty that are as transcendent as the best concert experiences, all with zero lines at the bathroom. For this particular list we came up with the following criteria:

• Only one album per artist.
• Albums were performed live in front of an audience, but don't necessarily have to be culled from a single performance.
• No EPs or singles—this list is about albums
• We decided to limit this list to music, which means no comedy. We wanted to save those records for a separate list for laffers.

Of course, our editors exercise their judgment regarding quality and/or historical significance. If you disagree with our choices (and there's a good chance you will), let us know in the customer discussions at the bottom of the page.

50 Albums for $5 Each

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