10 Best Live Rock Albums
1. Alive! - KISS
With KISS fast becoming a premier concert draw, the band was still in a state of crisis. Though thousands of people were turning up at the band's gigs, not nearly as many were actually going out and buying their records. In one last effort to boost sales, the band decided to put out a live record out of financial desperation.
What became a final hoorah for the band became the launchpad of their career, with songs that were given a shot of energy because of the live production. While these songs were already familiar for die-hard fans, the way tunes like "Strutter" and "Nothin to Lose" came to life on stage was something that was severely lacking on the band's previous releases.
The album has notoriously come under fire in recent years for having artificial enhancements added to it, leaving the album not 100% live. However, that subtle fact does not diminish the album's power of putting you right in the center of the crowd for one of the best rock and roll shows ever to be put on stage.
The album starts with announcing KISS as "the hottest band in the land." After a tour-de-force rock performance like this, the band certainly has the punch to back up such an accolade.