7 live albums from 1973-1977 that changed the history of...

Today we will focus on the period 1973-1977. This period can rightly be called "golden" in the history of such bands as Kiss, Led Zeppelin, Status Quo...

Want to know the secret to the perfect live album? Then we give the floor to legendary Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash:

"First of all - a live album should be live. It should be honest, sincere... It should be mixed qualitatively, but not too much - otherwise you can lose its main ingredient... Sincere feelings and energy - that's what's really important for any live record. The listener needs to catch the character of the album. He needs to convey all that frenzied energy that comes out during the concert...".

Well - all of the above qualities are inherent in the albums we are going to talk about today!

The best live albums from 1973-1977....

Perhaps, many people will have a question: why this period - 1973-1977? It's simple: this period is considered to be "golden" when talking about live albums... Let's make sure of it!

Hawkwind - Space Ritual (1973)

Space Ritual is a double live album by British rock band Hawkwind, recorded in December 1972 and released by United Artists in May 1973. The record received its "space" name for a reason: when listening to the album, you are literally carried away into some strange, spacious environment, full of possibilities....

Usually, Hawkwind strived for maximum purity of sound... But not in the case of Space Ritual. It is the raw live sound that is present here! The very sound that makes the listener feel the splendour of the concert: a hypnotic show with marvellous sounds, flashes and buzzing guitars....

Rory Gallagher - The Irish Tour '74 (1974)

The Irish Tour '74 is a live album by Rory Gallagher, recorded by the musician during a tour of Ireland in January 1974.

Blues guitarist Joe Bonamassa once said:

"The Irish Tour '74 is the exact album that introduced me to the work of Rory Gallagher... I was about 14 years old and I was looking through my dad's albums... And as soon as I heard it I thought, 'Wow! Now I'm hooked on this guy for life...'" I was struck by the album cover, the American version, where Rory is in a flannel shirt, overgrown hair... He was just the best guitarist, singer and songwriter. It was a crazy combination of talent and work ethic. I never met him, but just from his music I felt like I knew everything about him... It's uncompromising!"

Yes, Rory Gallagher's '74 album The Irish Tour is truly magical... But you know what the hardest part about processing live recordings is? Grinding out the rough edges, you might not notice when you start grinding out the magic...

Kiss - Alive! (1975)

Despite all the respect for this band, it should be noted that the first three Kiss studio albums were far from perfect... Yes, they wrote great songs! But the band clearly lacked production... And now, with the help of Alive!, Kiss showed themselves in their element! Even today, after all these years, the album radiates authority and aggression... It is imbued with an all-consuming, all-American self-confidence.

Gene Simmons: "All we had was ourselves. The label was on the verge of bankruptcy because all the money was invested in the Johnny Carson album... That's when we decided to throw caution to the wind: 'If this is the end, we'll quit. We'll go out in flames..." I don't think we absolutely didn't care. We just got in touch with what we knew best: ourselves!"

Peter Frampton - Frampton Comes Alive! (1976)

In mid-1975, former Humble Pie guitarist Peter Frampton boldly announced himself as a successful solo artist. Within a year, Frampton's Comes Alive! broke all known sales records, turning Peter into one of rock music's greatest stars!

Previously, most live albums were just fingerprints of the artist performing their most popular songs... But that certainly can't be said for Frampton Comes Alive! The release spent almost 2 years in America's top 40!

The Stooges - Metallic K.O. (1976)

Never before has a performer and an audience worked so hard. Metallic K.O. is considered not just one of the greatest, but also one of the most virtuosic live albums in the history of music!

You may not see firecrackers and broken glass, but you can easily visualise Iggy, half-naked and bleeding....

Metallic K.O.. - is an epic live album. Epic if only because it reminds us that rock'n'roll is much more than just music....

Led Zeppelin - The Song Remains the Same (1976)

The Song Remains the Same is one of the strongest live albums in the history of rock music... It is said that Led Zeppelin borrowed a lot from what came before... But even if they did: you have to hand it to them, because they managed to take the source material to a completely different level!

Jimmy Page was always a true original in his own right! But all this amazing chemistry that reigned in the band turned the blues compositions into something grand! Something that the world obviously didn't expect to hear ...

Status Quo - Live! (1977)

When Status Quo decided to record a live album in 1976, their next decision was obvious: the band travelled to the harbour town of Glasgow! The recording took place in the historic Apollo Theatre, with the help of the Rolling Stones' mobile studio.

"The facilities at the Apollo were by no means perfect. The acoustics were, frankly, 'no good'! The stage was unusually high, making Rossi dizzy..." - recalled later the band's bassist, Alan Lancaster.

Actually, this is exactly the atmosphere that was felt on the finished album.

According to Rick Parfitt, no overlays were made on the recording:

"Never mind that it's a little ragged around the edges... That's exactly how we liked it!"