The 30 best live albums, led by Jerry Lee Lewis’s Live at the Star Club

A ranked list of the 30 best live albums ever places Jerry Lee Lewis’s Live at the Star Club, Hamburg (1964) at number one and Maze featuring Frankie Beverly’s Live in New Orleans (1981) at number 30. Live at the Star Club is described as a badly mixed recording that nonetheless captures a feral, high‑velocity performance; the write‑up says it “should be a disaster.

Instead, it’s almost indecently exciting,” and quotes Rolling Stone: “It’s not an album,” gawped the review, “it’s a crime scene.” James Brown’s Live at the Apollo (1963) is praised as atmospheric and electrifying, while Bob Dylan’s 1966 Manchester Free Trade Hall set (often miscredited as the Royal Albert Hall) remains tensely gripping — the famous “Judas!” moment is noted and the piece adds: “NB: on Spotify, it doesn’t happen, because – wait for it – all the between‑song chat has been edited out.” The list spans genres and eras.

Beyoncé’s Homecoming: The Live Album (2019) is called “sparkling” and singled out for its marching‑band‑assisted Coachella set; Sylvester’s Living Proof (1979) is highlighted as an exceptional disco live record; Hawkwind’s Space Ritual (1973) was even advertised with the line “88 minutes of brain damage.” Other entries note distinctive release circumstances — Otis Redding’s six‑CD Live at the Whisky a Go‑Go is described as the best way to hear him live, and Bob Marley’s Live!

(1975) is recommended in its unedited deluxe edition because it so vividly captures the crowd and atmosphere.

Key Topics

Culture, Jerry Lee Lewis, Star Club, Hamburg, James Brown, Bob Dylan