Jam bands have been around for decades, but there was a time in the 1990s when they were held in especially high regard. With acoustic mavens like Dave Matthews, Dispatch, Jack Johnson and others, the extended song became beloved. Listeners wanted to float on their music for hours like a long daydream.
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But it wasn’t just the acoustic, almost island songs that Matthews and Johnson played that were appreciated. It was also the soaring guitar solo, the never-ending rhythms, the chord changes, the impromptu improvisations. Jam bands were the thing.
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As such, many of them have released lives albums over the years that included much longer versions of their popular songs, as well as longer versions of deep cuts. Below, we highlight six jam band albums that everyone should own.
1. Live at Red Rocks, Dave Matthews Band
Recorded live during a show on August 15, 1995, and released in 1997, this double album was technically the second live album from the Charlottesville, Virginia-born group. Their first album, Remember Two Things, was released in 1993. But this one feels more like the real deal. The band is more polished, so, they can go off on extended jams. There’s a nearly 14-minute version of “Seek Up” and a nearly 13-minute version of the instrumental, “#36.” On the album, Matthews and the musicians shine.
2. A Live One, Phish
Released in the summer of 1995, this album opens with the bright and fluffy, “Bouncing Around the Room” that sets the table ideally. On the double album, there is a 12-plus-minute version of the song “Stash,” and a nearly 21-minute rendition of the popular Phish song “You Enjoy Myself.” But wait there’s more: on the second disc, there is a nearly 31-minute (!) version of the song “Tweezer.”
3. Live from the Fall, Blues Traveler
The New York City via Princeton, New Jersey-born rock group was known for its frontman and killer harmonica player John Popper. Well, Popper demonstrated his skills on this live album in a way no one could assail. With a 15-plus-minute version of the band’s song, “Mountain Cry,” and, perhaps the highlight, a nearly 20-minute mashup of the band’s “Sweet Talking Hippie” and John Lennon’s “Imagine,” this double-disc, released in 1996 and recorded in 1995, kicks butt.
4. Live/Dead, The Grateful Dead
The first official live album from the grandpappy of all jam bands, this record was put together via a series of shows in the spring of 1969. It was released in the winter of that same year and includes a 23-plus-minute opening song, “Dark Star.” There is also a 15-minute “Turn On Your Love Light” and nearly-11-minute “Death Don’t Have No Mercy.”
5. A String Cheese Incident, The String Cheese Incident
Released in 1997, this album from the Colorado-born jam band includes songs from a single show in their native state recorded earlier that year. The record includes two nearly-10-minute songs, a few nine- and eight-minute songs, and even a 12-minute rendition of the tune “Land’s End.”
6. At Fillmore East, The Allman Brothers
Released decades before most of the albums on this list, At Fillmore East came out in 1971. The album was recorded over a few shows earlier that year. It includes an iconic 22-minute version of the band’s famous song, “Whipping Post,” along with a 19-plus-minute version of Willie Cobbs’ song “You Don’t Love Me.”
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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