This live double-album from English blues-rock band Humble Pie was recordedover two days in May 1971 at the famous Fillmore East Club in Manhattan, whichclosed a month later. Humble Pie were made up of singer and guitarist SteveMarriott, guitarist Peter Frampton, bassist Greg Ridley and drummer Jerry Shirley.The best-selling single from the album was ‘I Don’t Need No Doctor’, which hadbeen a hit for Ray Charles in 1966. There is also a great 20-minute jam on DrJohn’s ‘I Walk On Gilded Splinters’, which showed why Humble Pie were such adynamic live act. Just before Performance was released, in November 1971,Frampton, who plays some fluid and powerful solos, left the band.

A double-album recorded between July 1967 and April 1968, Wheels Of Fire is arepresentative slice of Cream at their best. With Disc One recorded live (atWinterland Ballroom and Fillmore West) and Disc Two recorded at AtlanticStudios in New York, it is clear what Cream brought to both settings. Jack Bruce,Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker have remarkable musical empathy and theycombine for a superb rendition of Robert Johnson’s ‘Crossroads’. They also showtheir ability to bring something fresh to blues classics with a fine version ofHowlin’ Wolf’s ‘Sittin’ On Top Of The World’. ‘Toad’, which is an epic 16-minutetour de force, includes one of the finest ever drum solos from Baker. The albumtopped the charts in the US and reached No.3 in the UK.

Exit… Stage Left was put together around the world: recorded in Scotland andCanada and edited and mixed in France. The album, Rush’s second live recording,was a re-affirmation of their progressive rock musical beliefs (“We didn’t change,everybody else did!” say the liner notes) and is a favourite among their fans. Youcan hear the audience singing along on ‘Closer To The Heart’, and other highlightsinclude ‘Red Barchetta’, ‘Beneath, Between And Behind’ and ‘Jacob’s Ladder’.Alex Lifeson’s guitar blends with Geddy Lee’s huge bass tones and Neil Peartshows again why he was one of the best rock drummers in the world. The albumreached No.6 in the UK and was certified platinum in America after selling amillion copies.

One of the best live albums from the heavy metal era, No Sleep ’Til Hammersmithcaptures Lemmy Kilmister (singer and bassist), “Fast” Eddie Clarke (guitar) andPhil Taylor (drummer) in dynamic form. In the book Overkill: The Untold Story OfMotörhead, biographer Joel McIver describes No Sleep ’Til Hammersmith as “thepeak of the Lemmy/Clarke/Philthy line-up’s career”. The album title was playful (itwas recorded in Norfolk, Leeds, Newcastle and Belfast, and the band did not playLondon’s Hammersmith Odeon on the tour) and shows Motörhead in theirnatural element – playing fast, frenetic and forceful metal. Highlights includepower-driven versions of ‘Bomber’ and ‘We Are (The Road Crew)’ and there is anice touch from Lemmy, who says, “This is a slow one so you can get mellowedout,” before launching into a furious ‘Capricorn’.

Three years after live tapes had been made at Madison Square Garden during LedZeppelin’s record-breaking 1973 tour, guitarist Jimmy Page went into the studioto mix the songs for release as The Song Remains The Same. The album wasreleased alongside a film of the concert. The band powered through versions of‘Rock And Roll’, ‘Heartbreaker’ and ‘Whole Lotta Love’, and there is a 29-minuteversion of ‘Dazed And Confused’ which shows off John Bonham’s skill as apercussionist. There is also a fine version of ‘Stairway To Heaven’, the Page andPlant that remains one of the greatest works in 20th-century rock.

Grateful Dead were one of the most popular touring bands of the 60s and theirlive double-album from 1969 shows why. With no shortage of candidates toconsider among the best live albums of all time, Live/Dead “was our first liverelease and it remains one of our best-loved albums”, said drummer BillKreutzmann. “Its appeal was that it took great ‘you-had-to-be-there’ live versionsof songs like ‘Dark Star’ and ‘The Eleven’ and put them right in people’s livingrooms.” The artwork for the album was created by Robert Donovan Thomas andthe music inside showcased the talents of band members such as TomConstanten on organ. As well as stirring versions of the Dead’s own songs,including ‘Feedback’, there is also a moving blues cover of The Reverend GaryDavis’ classic ‘Death Don’t Have No Mercy’, on which Jerry Garcia sings withmournful elegance.