[wanderlust]

No bootlegs

[The Sewer The Sewer]

Got to be 1981 for me

[wanderlust]

My faves were actually RATTUS BRITTANICUS and FORGOTTEN HEROES but these were never offically released only through the website and at gigs...

[IamCoop]

Gotta be Hammy Odeon or X-certs for me, All live closley coming behind.

[PaulinLondon]

Hammerschmidt Odeon for me. I listen to it so loudly in the headphones ( ) I can't tell whether it's the music or the red plonk that's given me the headache.

Anyone bought any wine from the Aldi supermarket chain

God it's shite !

[Claireinblack]

[Eddy Burnel deux]

BBC HAMMERSMITH ODEON 81

deffo the one...sound quality + note perfect rendition makes it no.1 for me...

[Eddy Burnel deux]

wouldn't mind a live recording of the Roundhouse gig though - i reckon that could be a close second.....anyone copied it off the DVD that I could half inch??? I don't have the technology to do it!!

[gizzard]

Hammy Odeon for me also.

The band at their live peak.

[PaulinLondon]

[paulinblack]

PPP beats them all for me!

Paul

[**Dutchess**]

I don't own / have never heard any of the official live releases, so I can't vote on the poll. But the poll makes it quite clear which one I should get if I should consider buying one! (If it's still available, that is...) Thanks for that

Mariet

[Freddie Laker]

Hammy Odeon for me.

[icecube]

Hope and Anchor, easy choice!

Contains the full set.
Ok, not the range of stuff on it (only had the first 2 albums to go at) but very interesting set, including some unusual stuff such as Tits, Mean to Me, In The Shadows. Great banter from Hugh and a landmark in their career.

Positively dislike these cobbled together live releases, what's the point?
Also, these official releases that don't contain the full set. So, pretty much all of them really!


Would love to see a few official live releases (from the vaults) 77-82 please!

[ThruBeingCool]

Hope & Anchor for me too!

How I wish I'd been at any of those gigs in '77

[Alias]

Good question, I ran my pointer up the list a few times, hovering over a great album only to see another one. First one that caught my eye, working from the bottom up, as is my wont, was the Apollo one, and it's one that will always hold a special place in my heart, having been lucky enough to have been there, true, but also from having a home taped copy of the gig from Radio Clyde that was on regular rotation at Casa Alias for a long long time. Hammy Odeon I listened to a bit of the other night and liked what I re-heard, I thought the version of TMTLTH was brilliant, especially the intro that sounds like a much more modern piece of music Listen to in now- with it's digitaly precise drums and Dave's Sub-Bass, it sounds pretty Industrial, a bit DAF too. I remember really looking forward to hearing this album when I first got it, but mibee being a wee bit dissapointed that it wasn't the once and for all block rocking live album I hoped had been recorded somewhere. All Live...was the next album I noticed, and strangely the first album I thought of when I read the title of this thread. I've definetyly got a soft spot for All Live, some cracking versions of some songs on there, and still a regular play in the Stranglers rotation on my hifi. Good selection of extras too added to the tracks from the vinyl release, but a distinct drop in recording quality too, I seem to remember, on a few of them. I noticed Live X too - another album I played to death over the years, but also probably the last Mk1 album I replaced in the inevitable, but still a bit hasty, switch to CD. I don't think I looked back on it too fondly, but it was funny re-listening to the album years after first getting into it and finding that, amongst some pretty cool, pretty definative recordings, I knew every little nuance- each and every shout, pause, interaction, roar, "2-3-4!" etc etc etc .
But in the end as soon as I saw Hope and Anchor listed I went for that. Class album.

[Arthur Streeb-Greebling]

Hard to choose but if I have to it'll be X-Certs.

[MULLY]

Very similar thought process as Alias - and it was a tough choice. But the H&A recording(s) are probably the one live performance I play the most and so gets my vote.

[yellowcakeuf6]

Have to agree with Arturo on this'un. Live X-CERTS ....for sheer 'impact' value, being the first time I'd ever heard them 'live'. H&A a close second though.

Mind, I also quite liked 'Albert'.......... strings in any recording giving me the horn.....like!

[Arthur Streeb-Greebling]

[theraven1979]

I'm surprised All Live only gets 2 votes (1 of them mine)

jim

[evonx]

Voted for the BBC-one. Close 2nd is the Live X Certs which is simply because that was for a long time the only live recordings i had.

All Live and All... never did much for me, mind you its a good album but not one that has been played often at the vonx household.
Both Access all Areas and Coast to Coast are my faves from the Mk2 and 3 line-ups.

[The Sewer The Sewer]

I did like All live as a close 2nd - For Mk 2 - 5 Live 01 was my fav.

But as a late comer to The Stranglers, personally speaking this was the peak of perfection - La Folie was just a very underrated album that should have really got more attention than it did. And more should still be played from it live (And Feline)

[gizzard]

[icecube]

[Unbroken]

COAST TO COAST for the mix, the sound and the set list !!!

[Samarkand]

All Live... for me. Best sound quality and mix, the band still a force to be reckoned with.
BBC Hammersmith is good, but I'm surprised it's faring so well - the sound is a bit flat - it's not vibrant enough.
Hope & Anchor is just too rough and ready - more like a good bootleg than an official album.

[gizzard]

[yellowcakeuf6]

[MANUINBLACK]

x certs for me

[suchi]

[Rich]

[icecube]

[gizzard]

[icecube]

[gizzard]

[icecube]

[Mad Hatter]

Is this a cryptic quiz? Can anyone join in?

[doninblack]

It has to be Apollo Revisited for me, for purely personal reasons.

[johnnyg1968]

live at the hammy odeon for me. apollo revisiteds sound lets it down

[wadey1]

GROPE AND WANKER

LOVE HUGH'S SAVAGE WIT BETWEEN THE SONGS, SUCH AS

"WHOS GONNA BE THE FIRST YOUNG LADY TO TAKE ALL HER CLOTHES OFF"
"THE DEMON OF THE SEAMEN, AND I DONT MEAN THAT AS A NAUTICAL TERM."
"ANY SCHOOL KIDS HERE WELL U SHOULD BE IN BED..... WITH SOMEONE."

PLUS AMAZING VERSIONS OF SCHOOL MAM, WALK ON BY, PEASANT AND ZE NUBILES.

[gjinblack]

No contest.
Hope and Anchor.
You can't beat a band in the early days when it's all coming together. Living, drinking, writing together. They're one animal and it shows.

[adam_neil]

Hard for me to name just the one favourite so..

MKI - Hammy Odeon '81
MKII - Access All Areas
MKIII - 5 Live '01



Adam

[IamCoop]

Heard 5 live 01 the other day - rather enjoyed it tbh. Doubt it'll get many spins though now PR's gone.

[adam_neil]

You heard Access All Areas Coop?


Apart from the Albert Hall release I don't think the band have put out a live release that rivals it ever since.

Remember paying £16.99 for it at my local HMV in about '97 or something thinking "blimey this is dear!!". Played it to death though so guess I got ma money's worth, like.



Adam

[IamCoop]

No I haven't. At least, not to my knowledge! Worth splashing out is it?

coop

[adam_neil]

[IamCoop]

nice one buddy!

[Alias]

[PaulinLondon]

[Jake]

I'm going for All Live its the ear I first saw them, its the best quality recording to my mind and also captures a classic live feel cracking rival versions to the studio versions with Always the Sun, Toiler and on the reissue Souls

[theraven1979]

I guess it must be an age thing cos I voted for the same

Jim

[adam_neil]

I've never really rated All Live, whilst it's good I much prefer the set lists of Hammy Odeon '81 & X Certs. Thats what it boils down to for me - the sound quality on all three releases is bang on perfect.
But when you have nuggets such as Family, How To Find...,JLNOE etc in my view the likes of Always The Sun, Was It You etc just pale in comparison.

I can happily listen to say Hammy Odeon 81 from beginning to end every time, like last week at 11pm was slowly frying an awesome Sirloin while demolishing a great Pinot Grigio and was trying my best not to pogo me tits off around the kitchen!


I must give a mention to some of Hugh's quotes from these 3 - absolutely hilarious.

"Someone say wanker, where is he!?" (obvious great quote)

"I have it on good authority that there's about five planets in alignment...!!" etc - pure Hugh..

"So if there's 30,000 people here & 21,000 free condoms were given out that means there's 9,000 wankers out there!" Classic.


Adam

[johnny sox]

bbc sessions 1977- 1982

[theraven1979]

The intro to Toiler on "All Live..." on repeat - sheer bliss


Jim

[Claireinblack]

I can't decide which i like best, so have loaded them all onto my i-pod, and will listen to them all on hols......

[Skin Deep]

Live X-Cert by a mile !! Bloomin' marvelous !!

Guess it's an age thing as already said by someone. I'm 43 this year don't you know?

[devo]

what about the LIVE IN MILAN bootleg or THE TAMING OF HUGH AT POOLE,I've seen these on the net are they any good and what are they worth to pay.

[Sir Grim]

This surely depends on which period Stranglers you prefer. I've voted for All Live, but Death comes a very close 2nd. I would have picked Hammy Odeon or Apollo for tracklistings, but I don't think the quality of the recordings does the band proud.

[suite 35]

Am gonna go for live x, which just whiskered it over hope and anchor.
This is mainly because its the first ever stranglers album i bought.
Oh, and the setlist/playing are amazing.