For all the slings and arrows retrospectively cast at the titans of '70s rock, the notion that these bands were somehow callow opportunists who'd sacrifice their authenticity and musical spirit to climb a few more slots on the chart is one  that never applied to Fleetwood Mac. Although the band was one of the dominant rock-adjacent musical forces in the late '70s, Fleetwood Mac was also always one of the quirkiest "big" bands around, due both to their long and varied history and the intensely weird interpersonal dynamics. Today, they only seem like a mainstream band because their unique approach became so popular that it defined the mainstream sound of the era. And while that sound found its purest representation on this lineup's three '70s studio albums, Fleetwood Mac was also a singular and powerful live presence, delivering generous and rewarding sets during their imperial period. While they certainly weren't the Grateful Dead, and they largely stuck to the same set list throughout their tours, there were a few shows in the band's history that have become somewhat legendary, among them their August 1977 three-show run at the Forum in Los Angeles.Rumours Live documents the first of the sold-out shows, which finds the band returning to their hometown during the height of their powers, in the middle of the tour. To be fair, the material doesn't diverge too much from the set list that the band relied on during the tour but the energy of this performance is electric. Of course, Stevie Nicks is the focal point throughout, and the nonchalant way she introduces "Rhiannon"—"This is a song about a witch"—is absolute peak Stevie, but this recording also demonstrates how strong of a performer she was during this era, whether it's the vocals that waver between clear harmonies and full-throated belting, or more discrete highlights like the gut-punching "oooooh" she delivers halfway through "Dreams." This show also demonstrates the often-ignored strengths of Fleetwood Mac as a band. When they find their groove—which is often on Rumours Live—it's a sight to behold, with a loose, rollicking confidence that can only come from a group of players absolutely locked into one another. Although many of the songs are delivered in relatively faithful versions, when the band does get playful with arrangements (bouncy, twangy "Over My Head," twitchy, proto-New Wave "Blue Letter," jammy, guitar-forward "I'm So Afraid") or stretch out (extended jams on "Rhiannon," "World Turning" and "Gold Dust Woman"), the deep symbiosis that these players had is abundantly clear. That's further emphasized in the encore, which is introduced with "We don't have any more songs so we're gonna jam around." They proceed to play a-now iconic number ("The Chain"), the song that opened—and thematically defined—Rumours ("Second Hand News"), and one of the best songs ever written by anyone in the band (Christine McVie's "Songbird") to close out the show in a fashion that is loose, loving, warm, and absolutely without peer. © Jason Ferguson/Qobuz

Fleetwood Mac's 1980 double-album Live was released as a way for the physically, emotionally, and creatively exhausted group to continue the winning streak that saw them dominate the last half of the '70s with Fleetwood Mac, Rumours, and Tusk. The band recorded audio and video at every one of the 112 (!) dates they played between October 1979 and September 1980 and then proceeded to put together an album that putatively represented a Tusk tour date. In that regard, Live was perhaps the apotheosis of the Frankenstein-ed "live" album. The 2-LP set didn't just combine recordings from multiple dates on the Tusk tour ... it pulled in songs from multiple tours to present a weird, idealized version of "a Fleetwood Mac concert." The original release threw in a few cuts from the Rumours tour, a song originally released by Buckingham Nicks ("Don't Let Me Down Again") that the Mac performed on tour in 1975, and even a couple of studio rarities ("Fireflies" and a cover of the Beach Boys' "Farmer's Daughter"). However the album may fail as an accurate piece of documentary audio it more than succeeds as a cohesive piece of rock 'n' roll. While some tracks do occasionally suffer a bit from the vagaries of live performance—a cracked voice here, a late guitar melody there—thanks to the embarrassment of riches in their song pool and given that the band was at the peak of their powers, the selection of their best individual performances yielded excellent results, and nearly all of the tracks bristle with energy, vibrancy, and a sense of creative electricity that was surely a bit of a crapshoot on such a long and grueling tour. And, in some cases—"Over and Over" and "Never Going Back Again" especially—the live versions captured here are actually superior to the studio takes, gaining an intensity and immediacy that accentuates their inherent drama. This new edition continues in the original's tradition, tacking on a third disc of live rarities that's similarly wide-ranging, including tracks recorded on the Mirage tour which happened two years after Live was originally released. While those extras feel (obviously) tacked on—more than an encore, but less than a standalone show—they also lack the flowing context of the main album and feel far more disjointed in their presentation. Nonetheless, getting to hear the Rumours band take on "The Green Manalishi (With The Two-Pronged Crown)" at the Oklahoma City State Fair Arena in 1977 or a transcendent version of "Songbird" from the tail end of the Tusk tour in Arkansas is still quite thrilling. © Jason Ferguson/Qobuz

You have to be really sure of your concerts to be able to release a fifth live album after only 18 years career time. But stage performances are such a speciality for Coldplay that Chris Martin's group can allow themselves to release this Live In Buenos Aires album rather an eighth studio album, which is being eagerly awaited their fans... Recorded during the A Head Full of Dreams World Tour, this album captures (with amazing sound quality) the powerful 15th of November (2017) show in the Argentinean capital. As per usual, the four Brits play with the constant participation of a totally devoted crowd. U2 often put on these types of shows, Coldplay being their most obvious successors. From the stadium hymn (Viva La Vida) to the early classics (Yellow, Clocks), Coldplay put on a real electric fiesta. © Clotilde Maréchal/Qobuz

Wilco barely had time to figure out just what sort of band they were going to be when they cut their first album, 1995's A.M., and it wasn't until they hit the road that they began to fully emerge from the shadow of Uncle Tupelo, the band co-founded by Wilco leader Jeff Tweedy. As Wilco developed a distinct sonic personality of their own, Tweedy became more ambitious as a songwriter, exploring thematic and melodic elements he'd never considered before, and the band was a very different animal when it returned to the studio to cut its second album. Released in 1996, Being There was a stunning leap forward for Wilco, a sprawling double-disc set that confirmed they were far more than just another Midwestern alt-country outfit. Jay Bennett joined Wilco following the recording of A.M., and while his guitar work was solid, it was his keyboards that expanded Wilco's sonic palette and helped redefine their attack, sharpening their rock moves, sweetening their pop side, and adding a sinewy groove throughout. Tweedy, Bennett, and their bandmates (Max Johnson on fiddle, banjo, mandolin, and Dobro; John Stirratt on bass; and Ken Coomer on drums) developed a new sense of daring, willing to bounce from indie rock noisemaking ("Misunderstood"), nervy autobiographical studies ("Red-Eyed and Blue"), and retro-pop stylings ("Outta Mind [Outta Sight]") to boozy Stones-influenced rock ("Monday") and country weepers more emotionally layered than they'd even tried before ("Say You Miss Me"). While there was still twang in Wilco's formula, Being There broke them out of the alt-country ghetto, confirming they were as versatile as any band in the indie rock firmament, and they consistently sounded joyous and fully in command regardless of the detours they took. Being There's 19 tracks are individually outstanding, and taken together, they add up to a three-way cross between Neil Young's Harvest, the Rolling Stones' Exile on Main St., and Big Star's 3rd that still leaves room for some impressive tricks of its own. If Being There isn't Wilco's best album, it's the one that staked their claim as an important American band, and it's a rich, dazzling experience from beginning to end.© Mark Deming /TiVo

SAY YOU WILL provided a particularly intriguing chapter in the Fleetwood Mac saga, with Christine McVie leaving and Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham rejoining the band. LIVE IN BOSTON is the concert document that reflects this dramatic shift in the group. Not to be confused with a similarly titled disc that presents a 1970 show with Fleetwood Mac's Peter Green-led lineup, this recording was taken from a 2003 performance at Boston's Fleet Center. The release is more of a visual than an aural offering--the two DVDs here include footage originally taped for the PBS series SOUNDSTAGE. Aided by a coterie of back-up musicians and featuring the rock-solid rhythm section of John McVie and Mick Fleetwood, the Mac once again proves it can shake the loss of yet another important member. The audio portion naturally consists of the band's biggest hits, which come across vibrantly. Buckingham's guitar playing finds this underrated maestro in impressive form, whether he's rocking out on "Eyes of the World" or nimbly picking his way through "Big Love." Buckingham's former paramour Nicks also makes her distinctive presence felt on the poignant "Landslide" and her solo tour de force "Stand Back."© TiVo

Originally released as a limited-run LP for 2014's Record Store Day before Modular issued a digital version later that year, Live Versions is a live album from Australian psych rockers Tame Impala. Made up of nine beautifully recorded tracks captured during a 2013 performance at the Riviera Theatre in Chicago, Illinois, the record features tracks spanning all the way back to the band's self-titled 2006 EP. With its great production values and a superb set list featuring excellent cuts like "Desire Be Desire Go" and "Feels Like We Only Go Backwards," Live Versions is one of those rare live albums that could easily double as a best-of compilation for new fans, while offering enough in the way of new experiences that die-hard Tame Impala devotees will want to get in on the action. © Gregory Heaney /TiVo

This two-fer reissue combines two live albums released by the Ray Brown Trio in the 1980s, The Red Hot Ray Brown Trio, featuring pianist Gene Harris and drummer Mickey Roker along with bassist Brown, recorded at the Blue Note nightclub in New York in November and December 1985, and Bam Bam Bam, with the trio consisting of Brown, Harris, and drummer Jeff Hamilton, cut in December 1988 at the 2,000-seat Kan-i Hoken Hall in Toyko. Harris, whom Brown had lured from obscurity and retirement in Idaho, was something of the bassist's protégé during this period, so it is not surprising that Brown actually takes a back seat on much of the music here, allowing Harris to be showcased. To listen to these albums, you would think Harris, not Brown, was the leader. The bassist does reserve at least one important solo for himself in each set, giving an expressive arco introduction to the surprising selection "Love Me Tender" (the Elvis Presley song) on the first disc and returning to the bow on an attractive interpretation of Rodgers & Hammerstein's "If I Loved You" from Carousel on the second. Hamilton also gets some spotlight time on the second disc, notably with a showy solo during "Rio" and a hand-drumming part in "A Night in Tunisia." But it's Harris who carries the programs in each concert, and he proves an imaginative soloist, particularly during a version of Gershwin's "Summertime" in Tokyo that has the enthusiastic audience clapping along. The pianist could ask for nothing more than the platform Brown has provided for him on these albums. © William Ruhlmann /TiVo

Eurythmics released this belated live album nearly five years after We Two Are One, which would prove to be the duo's last record together for a decade. It's a chronological run-through of the group's hits (with some of their stronger album tracks interspersed) with the songs culled from the parent album's respective tours. There are some notable players in their live bands including once-and-future Blondie drummer Clem Burke, future Curve member Dean Garcia, and Eddie Reader (frustratingly, it is not noted who played which tours). The performances are spirited with Annie Lennox's vocals as rapturous as the studio counterparts. Some of the earlier, more new wave-inflected material sounds a bit thin and anemic while the more organic songs from Be Yourself Tonight fare better. Coming far after the Eurythmic's commercial peak, Live 1983-1989 received little interest upon its 1993 release and most fans would be more likely satisfied with the less-complete greatest-hits package issued two years earlier.© Tom Demalon /TiVo

Mark Oliver Everett, or "E," as he is more commonly known in rock & roll circles, did something magical in 2005 with the brilliant and moving double CD Blinking Lights and Other Revelations. According to his website, E was sitting in his L.A. backyard smoking a cigar, not wanting to tour, when he had the idea for an Eels concert with strings and a band that played melodica, celeste, lap steel, pump organs, and whatever else. And, like everything else he does, he went and put that band together: seven pieces with no proper drummer. This concert, recorded at New York's venerable Town Hall, was also filmed (the DVD contains eight more songs than the CD as well as interviews and other goodies). From the start, the gig feels special. E begins with "Blinking Lights (For Me)." His acoustic guitar sweetly introduces the set; the strings enter on the second verse. The sheer deadpan emotion calls the demons out of hiding and, as he looks at the world around him, he asks them to leave. Then Big Al's autoharp commences to start the theme for "Blinking Lights," and Chet plays a haunting celeste as the strings court the melody. But the drama begins on "Bus Stop Boxer," with its ambiguous introduction and assertive lyrics. One would think that, with nothing but a suitcase percussion kit, this would be the Eels "unplugged," all lilting and tender. There is plenty of that kind of intimacy here -- in fact the set is drenched with it -- but rock & roll makes an appearance on "Trouble with Dreams," and there's a hillbilly shake to "Hey Man (Now You're Really Living)." The choice of covers here is spectacular as well: there's a hurried yet acceptable version of the Left Banke's "Pretty Ballerina" and a moving read of Bob Dylan's "Girl from the North Country." It's Chet's piano winding its way through the strings that provides an elegant yet spare backdrop for E's vocals there. The reverbed electric guitar that accompanies E's acoustic starts off the finest cover on the album, with E's read of Johnny Rivers' classic "Poor Side of Town." The version of "Novocaine for the Soul" on this set is so full of drama and tension that it's almost unbearable. The charm and nuance in these songs make for an essential document for Eels fans, and provide an inaccurate but utterly engaging portrait of E's songs in front of an audience. With Strings: Live at Town Hall has power and subtlety as well as pomp. E is walking the razored edge of his sometimes elegant, sometimes ragged performance, but offers no apologies. But then, he wouldn't be E if he did. The final cut here is also the final track from Blinking Lights, "Things the Grandchildren Should Know," and with the lap steel whining in the background and the strings shimmering around his voice, E lays out an acceptance of his life such as it is, whether he turns out like his father or not. There is something so powerful in his deadpan delivery that it can embarrass the listener. And yes, folks, that's a good thing. This is a document -- nothing more, nothing less -- and as such it's charming, beautiful, ragged, and honest. What more can you ask for?© Thom Jurek /TiVo

Arriving nearly 30 years after their last studio release (1976's Whistling Down the Wire), this double disc is a long-awaited return from Crosby & Nash, whose time has been spent in various permutations of CSN both with and without Neil Young. For better and worse, little has changed in the duo's approach. Their spare piano and acoustic guitar-driven melodic folk-rock propelled by those terrific harmonies remains consistent. On the downside, their songwriting problems -- which made their previous outings both as a pair and even with Stephen Stills such hit-and-miss affairs -- haven't improved. The mellow, adult contemporary sound doesn't help matters either, as it coats even the best songs with an amiable yet edge-free sheen that gets monotonous over the 20-song, 75-minute playing time. It's difficult to fault the positive messages, but the simple, occasionally simplistic lyrics range from charming to cloying. The opening "Lay Me Down" successfully reintroduces those patented sumptuous harmonies -- still intact after all these years -- over softly strummed guitars and just the hint of percussion. What both Crosby and Nash have lost, though, is their sense of a hook. Most of these tunes meander around searching for memorable choruses to strengthen clunky, sometimes obvious and forced lyrics. "They Want It All"'s vague recriminations about the greedy lack all sense of the mystery and imagination that typify their best work. The most potent tune is "Puppeteer," one of the few where the throbbing melody is strong enough to support the words. Like most double albums, this would have made a stronger single disc, especially since the combined time barely breaks 75 minutes. Nothing is unlistenable, and Crosby and Nash, along with some talented veteran (but ultimately faceless) backing musicians like bassist Lee Sklar and drummer Russ Kunkel, apply plenty of effort and craft into polishing every track. Both singers haven't lost a step vocally either, as their unaccompanied a cappella turn on the haunting "Samurai" plainly shows. Yet for all of Crosby and Nash's obvious work and dedication to this project, these songs seldom rise above the pedestrian. Undeniably pleasant but little more, this falls into the "good try" category. These two agreeable journeyman songwriters can't write enough quality material for a single disc, let alone a double, even after an extended hiatus.© Hal Horowitz /TiVo

For Keith Jarrett, this extremely satisfying concert with the Standards Trio on two CDs is a personal landmark, the first for-the-record sign that he had recovered from the chronic fatigue syndrome that laid him low for three years in the late 1990s. Indeed, by the time this Paris gig took place, he had come all the way back -- his technical facilities intact (a handful of smeared notes aside), his inventiveness bubbling over. Old cohorts Gary Peacock (bass) and Jack DeJohnette (drums) are back, too, regenerating their propulsive, swinging, collective E.S.P. at will. Not too much has changed from the pre-illness days, though the focus is very much on classic bebop now -- with Bud Powell getting a good deal of attention with an outstanding "Bouncing With Bud" and a terrific "Hallucinations" that has an atypically funny false ending. Jarrett's bebop runs on "Groovin' High" are astonishing, "Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams" is appealingly jaunty and carefree, and ballads like "'Round Midnight" and "Prelude to a Kiss" revert to the melodic simplicity that was cultivated during Jarrett's down time. Even though the Standards Trio has been one of the most prolifically recorded groups of its era, only the final encore, "When I Fall in Love," had been recorded before by this group. So even those who think they have enough material by this group will be rightly tempted to invest in this document of Jarrett's resurrection.© Richard S. Ginell /TiVo

The Big Picture finds Elton John in strong form, turning in a by-now-predictable collection of ballads and pop songs designed to appeal to the adult contemporary audience. The difference is inspiration. With Made in England, John and his collaborator Bernie Taupin showed signs of life, and they continue that winning streak here. There may be nothing new on The Big Picture, but it's well-crafted professional pop, demonstrating John's knack for catchy pop hooks and his way with a ballad. As with any latter-day John album, hits like "Something About the Way You Look Tonight" are balanced out by some filler, but the key to the album is how album tracks like "Recover Your Soul," "If the River Can Bend," and "The Big Picture" carry emotional and melodic weight. It's a solid effort from one of pop's most reliable artists.© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo

Daryl Hall and John Oates came back to the Troubadour to record and film the material for this combination CD/DVD 35 years after they played their first Los Angeles show at the club. Taken from performances on May 22 and May 23 of 2008, the 19 songs occupy two CDs, the accompanying DVD presenting a filmed document of the same versions of the tunes. Most of their biggest hits are executed, along with a few of their more warmly regarded lesser-known titles, like "When the Morning Comes," which was on their Abandoned Luncheonette album the year they first played the Troubadour. Hall & Oates had already issued some live recordings prior to this release, but for what it's worth, six of these songs were never before available on a concert release, including "Everything Your Heart Desires." The duo sing well and professionally as expected, and while the arrangements might be a little less fancy than those heard on the studio prototypes (it's a little odd to hear their guitars take such prominence on "Maneater," for instance), the backing of horns and rhythm section from their band creates a pretty full sound. With better and more definitive versions of the famous songs here having been long available elsewhere, it's hard to recommend this as a necessary purchase, though devoted Hall & Oates fans should be pleased. The well-filmed DVD differs from the CD, incidentally, in the inclusion of separate interviews with Hall and Oates about various aspects of their career, each lasting about five minutes each.© Richie Unterberger /TiVo

The second recording by Charlie Haden's Quartet West is similar to the music that the group (bassist Haden, tenor saxophonist Ernie Watts, pianist Alan Broadbent, and drummer Larance Marable) would play for the next decade. Among the highlights of this well-rounded set (one of the band's most definitive releases) is "First Song" (Haden's most memorable composition), Miles Davis' "Blue in Green," and a lengthy exploration of Ornette Coleman's "Lonely Woman." An excellent showcase for Haden in a straight-ahead setting and for Watts, whose passionate sound perfectly fits the band. Highly recommended.© Scott Yanow /TiVo