Classics Live and Classics Live II are a set of albums by American rock band Aerosmith, released in 1986 and 1987, respectively. Together, they constitute the band's second live offering, after Live! Bootleg. Classics Live I has gone platinum while Classics Live II has gone gold.
| Classics Live | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Live album by | ||||
| Released | April 1986 (1986-04)[1] | |||
| Recorded | 1977–1983 | |||
| Genre | Hard rock, blues rock | |||
| Length | 36:03 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Producer | Paul O'Neill, Tony Bongiovi | |||
| Aerosmith live chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| Rolling Stone | [3] |
Classics Live! is made up of concert recordings from 1978 and 1984. Some of the recordings include guitarists Jimmy Crespo and Rick Dufay, who had temporarily replaced Joe Perry and Brad Whitford respectively. Different live versions of most of these songs had already been released on Live! Bootleg in 1978. Venues and dates are not listed on the sleeve, and there is only the all-encompassing and vague statement "These songs were recorded at various concerts between 1977 and 1983." It is not listed which of the four guitarists played on which tracks.
The studio track "Major Barbra" was originally recorded for the album Get Your Wings but remained unreleased. An alternate version is available on the compilation Pandora's Box.
All songs recorded at the Orpheum Theatre, Boston, Massachusetts, February 14, 1984[citation needed], except where noted.
All tracks are written by Steven Tyler, except where noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Train Kept A-Rollin'" | Tiny Bradshaw, Lois Mann, Howard Kay | 3:22 |
| 2. | "Kings and Queens" (Boston Music Hall in Boston, MA March 28, 1978[citation needed] and re-recorded[clarification needed]. Original recording appears on the compilation Pandora's Box) | Steven Tyler, Brad Whitford, Tom Hamilton, Joey Kramer, Jack Douglas | 4:46 |
| 3. | "Sweet Emotion" (Huntington Civic Center, Huntington, WV, Dec. 12, 1982[citation needed]) | Tyler, Hamilton | 5:13 |
| 4. | "Dream On" (Capital Center, Largo, MD, Nov. 9, 1978[citation needed]) | 4:50 | |
| 5. | "Mama Kin" | 3:41 | |
| 6. | "Three Mile Smile / Reefer Head Woman" | Tyler, Joe Perry / Lester Melrose, J. Bennett, Jazz Gillum | 4:54 |
| 7. | "Lord of the Thighs" | 7:05 | |
| 8. | "Major Barbra" (Studio Outtake) | 4:02 |
| Classics Live II | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Live album by | ||||
| Released | June 1987 (1987-06)[4] | |||
| Recorded | 1978–1986 | |||
| Genre | Hard rock, blues rock | |||
| Length | 38:47 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Producer | Paul O'Neill, Aerosmith | |||
| Aerosmith live chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | [5] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | B+[6] |
| Rolling Stone | [3] |
| Chart (1986) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| USBillboard 200[7] | 84 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[8] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
Classics Live! II mainly features tracks recorded at a New Year's Eve show in 1984, with all five original members once again reunited. The other two tracks were the first track of 1985s Done with Mirrors, "Let the Music Do the Talking", and a rendition of 1977s "Draw the Line" from California Jam II. Aerosmith photography by Paul McAlpine
All Songs recorded at the Orpheum Theatre, Boston, Massachusetts, December 31, 1984, except where noted.
All tracks are written by Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, except where noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Back in the Saddle" | 4:40 | |
| 2. | "Walk This Way" | 4:21 | |
| 3. | "Movin' Out" | 5:44 | |
| 4. | "Draw the Line" (California Jam Festival, Ontario Speedway, Ontario, CA, March 18, 1978) | 4:46 | |
| 5. | "Same Old Song and Dance" | 5:45 | |
| 6. | "Last Child" | Tyler, Whitford | 3:42 |
| 7. | "Let the Music Do the Talking" (Worcester Centrum, Worcester, MA, March 12, 1986) | Perry | 5:44 |
| 8. | "Toys in the Attic" | 4:03 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[9] | Gold | 500,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
In 1998, Classics Live! Complete was released outside the U.S, compiling the two albums on one CD.
| Classics Live: Complete | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Live album by | |
| Released | August 1998 (1998-08) |
| Recorded | 1977–1986 |
| Genre | Hard rock, blues rock |
| Length | 76:50 |
| Label | Columbia |
| Producer | Paul O'Neill, Tony Bongiovi |
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | [10] |
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