A really great live album can transform a career as mentioned above, but none took the mainstream US by surprise as much as Depeche Mode’s 101. Before then, they were mostly known to radio listeners as the one-hit wonders behind “People Are People,” much on the same level in their heads as A-ha are today. Little did they know that DM had a massive following, especially in Southern California where they became a bona fide stadium band. This was most folks’ introduction to their decade of work before and was a great primer to their best album to follow, Violator.
As for shear spectacle, nothing touches Peter Gabriel at his peak. Some will argue he was better with Genesis or on his earlier artsy albums, but I think his best was after his second hit in a row, the album US. Along with a stellar band and singer Paula Cole, Gabriel put on a show that not only broke ground in staging and spectacle, but held up better in audio only than most studio albums. You’re still better off watching this on DVD or streaming, but an hour with this one with great headphones only works wonders.
Speaking of live spectacle, U2 (along with Pink Floyd) practically invented the bloated stadium tour complete with so much staging you rarely noticed the band. But before then, when it was simply four Irish lads and their instruments, U2 cemented their star status with the simply majestic U2: Live at Red Rocks. The acoustics of the natural arena and the zeal of Bono’s bravado as a young man came to life on tracks like “40” and “Two Hearts Beat As One,” and for most of us are the essesntial versions we still hear in our heads.
To be continued …
Rock out with DJ Moose Sat., Oct. 5, at The Sofo Tap’s DILF, hosted this month by rock god Jinx Titanic.