The 5 Best Live Albums Of All Time

Every music fan knows that the best of the best artists are even better live. A produced and official recording of a song can be perfect down to the last detail, but the artists who keep us coming back to the musical heights of the '60s and '70s bolstered their appeal and their fame by cutting live albums. Plenty of live performances have been immortalized through recordings, and as time has passed, even more have been released as official records, but these five albums stand out as the pinnacle of the live album.

A live album at its best is not just a slightly altered take of songs that fans already love. It takes risks, either subtle or noticeable, in the style and sound of the music that alters a beloved track without losing its core substance. These albums can also be enhanced when the concert itself has a special weight, but not exclusively. Some of the most memorable live albums ever will appear on this list, as well as some more underrated collections, with each record capturing a one-of-a-kind sound from their particular artist — and still existing today as the most entertaining and insightful portraits of said artists. These are our picks for the five best live albums ever recorded.

This album's title track, which inspired the record's concept, was released first in 1955 and slowly became Johnny Cash's signature song. Written during Cash's time in the military, "Folsom Prison Blues" was brought fully to life on "At Folsom Prison" in 1968, where he performed for the inmates he sings of. Cash's country style is exceptionally well suited to a live recording, where his passion and bravado make themselves even more apparent in his performances. "At Folsom Prison" was a major success upon release, peaking at No. 13 on the Billboard 200 in late August and holding a spot for an astounding 124 weeks.

There is an undeniable electricity to the album, where Cash's exchanges with the inmates make the weight of every song noticeably heavier. His iconic voice tears through his standards like the titular "Folsom Prison Blues," "I Still Miss Someone," and "Jackson," leaving nothing to be desired. The grit of the recording is evident across the album's 16 tracks over 45 minutes, and there is truly not a moment wasted. Johnny Cash is a legendary artist for many reasons, but this live album is likely the most defining of his lengthy career, and makes clear from even its first listen that it's among the best live albums of all time.

Bob Dylan's live recordings make up many of the best live records of the '60s and '70s, from 1966's "The Royal Albert Hall Concert" to "Before the Flood (Live)" with The Band, but it's the record from his legendary 1975 tour that tops them all as one of the greatest live albums ever. Released as part of The Bootleg Series, "Bob Dylan Live 1975: The Rolling Thunder Revue" packs greatness into just about every moment of its 22 songs across an hour and 41 minutes. Upon its 2002 release, the album peaked at No. 56 on the Billboard 200 and held a spot for nine weeks.

Many of Dylan's most memorable tunes are given a fresh take here, with songs like "Mr. Tambourine Man" and "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" taking on a deeper tone and perhaps finding their truest sound, and songs like the album-opening "Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You," "The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll," and "I Shall Be Released" finding their most invigorating and electric sounds that bring the crowd to life. There simply isn't a bad or even disappointing rendition on any track of "The Rolling Thunder Revue," and though it isn't often cemented among live album greatness, it's an incredibly moving listen for any fan of classic rock 'n' roll.

Immortalized in a Martin Scorsese film that truly captures what it was like to be a '70s rock 'n' roll fan, this celebrated farewell performance from one of the genre's most influential groups — and many of its legendary friends — was as electric an event as nearly any other live performance. "The Last Waltz" was about as hyped up as a concert can be, and took place on Thanksgiving Day in 1976 in San Francisco. There's a noticeable memorability in each of the album's many tracks, which rock as hard as ever on the big stage. Upon the album's release with the film, "The Last Waltz" charted on the Billboard 200 in April of '78, peaking at No. 16 over the summer during a 21-week stint.

With several hours of recorded material, the album takes on each of The Band's eras with a number of musical guests. They're joined by Paul Butterfield, Eric Clapton, Neil Diamond, Van Morrison — and feature notably memorable performances of "Helpless" with Neil Young, "Coyote" with Joni Mitchell, and a handful of tracks with Bob Dylan. Their solo cuts of "Up on Cripple Creek," "The Weight," and "Rag Mama Rag" also stand out among the staggeringly loaded tracklist. "The Last Waltz" has everything a live performance should, and it's filled with life and an undeniable joy that was a perfect goodbye to this era of The Band.

Jimi Hendrix was perhaps best known for his live guitar playing, and his generational talent was often on display on excellent live records, but this album in particular stands out among the greatest ever. Released in 2007, "Live at Monterey" expanded upon the 1986 album "Jimi Plays Monterey." Though the 10-song, 43-minute record was only a slight commercial hit, peaking at No. 123 on the Billboard 200, it's one of Hendrix's most memorable records.

Hendrix's magnetic stage presence is evident throughout the record, though perhaps most evident in his clear enjoyment of playing "Like a Rolling Stone," which doubles as one of the grooviest and warmest recordings on the record. "Killing Floor" and "Wild Thing" are other album standouts, the former showing off his supernatural guitar skills and the latter taking full control of a seven-and-a-half-minute runtime. "Live at Monterey" showcases the mythical artist at his most creatively compelling, and his vibrant performance on both vocals and guitar vaults the record ahead as one of the all-time best live albums.

The final chronological album on this list, recorded decades later in the '90s, is a live album that defined this generation's music for many fans. "MTV Unplugged in New York" was a defining record for Nirvana, recorded at the height of the band's popularity a few months before Kurt Cobain's suicide, and released around seven months later in November of 1994. At a tight but fleshed-out 14 tracks and 54 minutes, Nirvana takes on a number of their early memorable tracks as well as six covers. Commercially, "MTV Unplugged in New York" was a major success, further catapulting the band's legacy with a No. 1 placement on the Billboard 200 and 100 total weeks on the chart.

There are a number of unforgettable anthems on the record, each with a distinct feel compared to its original version (from Nirvana or otherwise). Their rendition of David Bowie's "The Man Who Sold the World" is especially excellent, as is the opening track "About a Girl" and the closing "Where Did You Sleep Last Night." "MTV Unplugged in New York" captures Nirvana's sound at its most raw and emotionally moving, as it lets Cobain's voice take on the often heartbreaking lyrics with an intimacy that studio recordings didn't find as strongly. There's a magic evident on this record on each listen, and we would be remiss not to mention Nirvana's stunning opus among the best live albums of all time.