10 Live Albums That Are Better Than Studio Albums

As the Summer of Love came to an end, the Who were at a bit of a crossroads in their career. They could no longer go back to their Mod roots, and their masterpiece Tommy had reinvented what could be done with the rock narrative, telling a story across its entire runtime. Pete Townshend did have some other plans in mind for the follow up, but not before tearing an entire arena to shreds on Live At Leeds.

While the likes of Black Sabbath and Cream were already on the heavier side of rock and roll, half of the songs on here could give those guys a run for their money, as Townshend tears through old bluesy songs with a newfound sense of abandon. Since the last few years had been spent meticulously crafting their rock opera, this is where you get to see the Who at their most uninhibited, with Keith Moon flying across his drum kit and giving you the template for what rock and roll chaos should really sound like.

If the song My Generation sounded like the future of rock and roll back in the '60s, Live at Leeds is the moment where that future becomes reality, reintroducing rock classics like Summertime Blues to a new generation in the process. There are still legends that surround the making of the record as well, including a crack in the foundation of the arena created by the sheer volume of the gig. The era of arena rock hadn't started just yet, but ground zero should really start right here.