It was a rite of passage for any serious rock band. When a live album wasn't confirmation of a band's elevation to legendary status, it was the release that kicked down the door.
From Kiss to Cheap Trick to Peter Frampton and beyond, rock's illustrious history is littered with live albums that sold millions, doing more to break a band than any number of studio releases.
For others, the live album was more about consolidation. About taking stock. About celebrating past success as much as current status.
Some bands never bettered those live albums. And while the live recording has lost its status – being gently relegated to "bonus disc" status over the years – those original 70s albums (perhaps unsurprisingly, nine of our ten choices are from that decade) are still landmarks.
We're spoilt for choice. So there's no Alive! No Alive II. No Tokyo Tapes. No Unleashed In The East. No Made In Japan. No Live At Leeds.
Instead, we've got 10 albums whose light is undimmed after all this time. 10 albums that captured their subjects at their absolute, thrilling best. 10 albums no record collection is complete without.
