Five Double Live Classics

Status Quo - 'Live!' (1977)

Recorded over three nights in October 1976 and the Glasgow Apollo, this gem probably marks the high point of Status Quo's career before they began the long slide into becoming a cheesy parody of the band they used to be. This is Quo at their heaviest and purest. Tracks like Roll Over Lay Down, Backwater, Big Fat Mama and especially Is There A Better Way roll from the speakers like boogie powered steam rollers and just lay waste to everything in their path. But the twin highlights have to be the extended versions of Forty-Five Hundred Times and Roadhouse Blues (the old Doors number, first covered by Quo on the Piledriver album), both of which turn into extended jams that show just what good players the band in fact were.

Crash Street Kids - 'Live From The Waist Down (2010)

With the concept trilogy of The Supersonic Star Show completed, what better way for Arizona glam focused retro rockers Crash Street Kids to celebrate than to record and release a good old fashion double live album. Recorded in a small club in their home town in front of a fanatically loyal crowd over two nights, this album is a live document that stands up their with the best of them. With a set drawn from right across the preceding three studio albums, Live From The Waist Down shows just what a classic rock band in the making CSK are, from the opener - C'mon C'mon C'mon to the closing chords of Penthouse, the band take a listener on a thrill ride of rock and roll excellence that really does make you feel like your there in the crowd. And with cuts like Cigerettes and Star Fuckers, Space Rock time Bomb, The Kids On Dope, Mandy and The Leapers and a storming cover of the Mott the Hoople classic All The Young Dudes on offer, and presented in their rawest and striped down form, full of the pure joy of glam rock enthusiasm your left asking just one question. 'Why the hell aint this band better known'

REO Speedwagon - 'Live: You Get What You Play For' (1977)

 Although some people, especially in the UK, may find it hard to believe, before MTV and the power ballad hits, REO Speedwagon were a damn fine hard edged rock and roll band. This double live set, recorded in various Mid West venues on the band 1976 US tour proves the point in fine style, there's not a cheesy power ballad in sight as the REO boys layout a solid hard rocking set which includes rock and roll classics like Son Of A Poor Man, Lay Me Down, Riding The Storm Out and their break through US single Keep Pushin'. But to me the true highlights are the guitar and vocal interplay on 157 Riverside Avenue and a cracking version of the Chuck Berry classic Little Queenie. 

Demon - 'One Helluva Night: Live In Germany' - (1990)

 NWOBHM outfit Demon may not be a household name, but as a cult draw on the underground scene, especially in Germany they have few equals. So its hardly surprising that when they decided to release a live album, they recorded it in Germany. This album is basically a full set recorded at The Rockfabrik in Ludwigsburg at the tail end of the band 'Taking The World By Storm' tour in 1989. Demon as a live animal is a slightly different beast from their by then slick progressive metal style of their later studio output, live they reverted to the old school NWOBHM sound of their first two albums, but it still works fine. Whilst tracks like Life Brigade, Living In The Shadows and Life On The Wire do loose some of the studio majesty, they are instead fitted with a new pair of bollocks and are reformed in a fire of glorious angry politically aware metal attitude. Throw in a couple of quieter spine tingling moments like the wonderful Remembrance Day and a load of uptempo rebel rousing classics such as One Helluva Night, Wonderland and Night Of The Demon and you've got a live document that should be owned and cherished by metal fans everywhere.

Hawkwind - 'This Is Hawkwind - Do Not Panic' (1984)

Not so much a double live album, this classic from space rock gods Hawkwind is in fact an archive live set recorded in 1980 at the Lewisham Odeon on the bands Levitation tour coupled with a 12" single recorded at the 1984 Stonehenge free festival. Both sections of this one are well worth a listen. The Lewisham tracks are note worthy for the fact Ginger Baker is the drummist on show and include a storming high energy versions of Psi Power and Shot Down In The Night and a rendition of Angel of Death that by contrast is slowed down to a glorious spaced out sleaze. Of the two Stonehenge tracks Stonehenge Decoded is a tripped out acid improvisation which show a side of the Hawks that had been often neglected since the early 70's, and Watching The Grass Grow is a classic number from Nik Turners Inner City Unit (with Mr Turner guesting) given the Hawkwind treatment. Over all a pretty damn good record.

Five 70's Brit Rock Gems.

Widowmaker - 'Widowmaker' (1976)

Widowmaker were a bit of a supergroup whose members had previously cut their teeth in Hawkwind, Spooky Tooth, Mott The Hoople, Chicken Shack, Lindisfarne and Love Affair. Arriving on the UK scene around the time of the punk explosion assured their ticket to obscurity in their home land, although they did achieve some degree of recognition in the US. Their 1976 debut album is a bit of a fave of mine, mixing as it does rockers like On The Road, with some spine tingling softer tracks such as Pin A Rose On Me and Straight Faced Fighter. However to me the stand out cut is the anthem Leave The Kids Alone - a true lighter waver if ever there was. Widowmaker released one more album 'Too Late To Cry' in 1977 then fell apart soon after as various members went on to other projects.

Groundhogs - 'Split' (1971)

Having started out as a blues band backing the likes of John Lee Hooker in 1960's by the early 70's the Groundhogs had evolved into one of the UK's most innovative acts with the emotive and experimental guitar stylings of Tony McPhee backed up and driven on by the exciting rhythm section of bassist Peter Cruickshank and drummer Ken Pustelnik. This album, their fifth marked their high point both musically and commercially, peaking at number 5 in the UK album charts and saw them performing the track Cherry Red on Top of the Pops. The first side of this one consists of the four part Split suite, a work that describes a panic attack. The second side feature more typical 'Hogs material including the laid back Junkman and the bouncy and driven aforementioned Cherry Red - a track that was to become the bands signature number. This line up was to record one more album, the equally noteworthy 'Who Will Save The World' before Pustelnik left and the band entered an era of having a fliud line up that continues til this day.

Status Quo - 'Ma Kelly's Greasy Spoon' (1970)

Before the big hit singles and after the Carnaby Street faux-psyche era Status Quo went through a bit of a transitional phase as the pseudo hippy pop songs gave way to the blues and the boogie. Marking this transition is this little gem. This is the first album to feature the trade mark boogie shuffle, but on this one its heavier, more urgent and hungrier than on any other following records. Tracks like Spinning Wheel Blues, Juniors Wailing and Is It Really Me / Gotta Go Home, are raw and aggressive slices of blues fueled energy that feature some of Mr Rossi's most impressive guitar work and sees the Coghlan / Lancaster Rhythm section at their most driving. However the ghost of the old psychedelic Quo still haunts the grooves, Roy Lynes had not yet vanished down under at this point and his wailing organ, along with tracks like Shy Fly and April, Spring, Summer and Wednesdays lend a trippy feel to break up the boogie. Add in the almost metallic feel of Daughter and you have a sound and groove that Quo never quite managed to recapture.

Stray - 'Mudanzas' (1973)

Formed around the core duo of guitarist Del Bromham and vocalist Steve Gadd, Stray were a band who never quite got the breaks they deserved. treading the fine line between bluesy hard rock and raw edged prog they put out a string of impressive albums between 1970 and their split in 1977, of which, in my min at least, this is high point. Featuring hard rockers lie As Soon As You've Grown alongside mellower moments such as Oil Fumes And Sea Air this is an LP that delivers on all fronts. Mr Bromhams guitar work is especially noteworthy and the quality of the song writing on this one is to die for. Stray reformed in the 1990's and are still gigging and recording to this day.

The Pirates - 'Out Of Their Skulls' (1978)

Originally the backing band for Johnny Kidd, backing him on all hit 1960's hit singles, The Pirates called it a day shortly after Kidds death in 1966. However a late 70's reformation lead to them being caught up in the then booming pub rock and R&B movement. With a line up of Mick Green, Johnny Spence and Frank Farley they recorded this, the first of several albums to great critical acclaim. With a live side one that includes classics and standards like Shakin' All Over, Lonesome Train and Please Don't Touch; coupled with a flip side of cracking originals and new tunes such as You Don't Own Me and Gibson, Martin, Fender this is a real gem of a hard edge rock and roll album that still sounds as fresh now as it did back in the day. The Pirates carried on, on and off until Mick Greens sad death in 2010