15. Get Yer Ya Ya’s Out! The Rolling Stones In Concert (1970)

There have been several official Rolling Stones live albums (and equally as many bootlegs) but Ya Ya’s deserves special attention as the one true showcase of the band at the absolute peak of its not inconsiderable powers. This 1970 release features the Stones’ best line up at full capacity, manhandling songs from the recent records Beggars Banquet and Let It Bleed with a tough, take-no-prisoners approach which anticipated the era of arena rock without ever condescending to its least attractive, overblown tendencies. These Stones were genuinely live wire and frightening — check out Mick’s fully invested character study on the “Midnight Rambler” if you don’t believe us. Most live albums are novelties or trivial add-ons. In the case of Ya Ya’s, this is something near perfect that you need to hear.