Cornell 5/8/77 [3 Discs]

This 3 CD release shares more qualities with the old 2 LP live album "Dead Set" released back in the 80s (I had it on vinyl and later on CD as well) than many recent compilations. The performances are quite strong (the singing is still rather uneven), and the recording quality is good enough to justify putting on CD. This compares favorably with a lot of the more recent Live Dead compilation sets that have become something of a cottage industry. I just returned the 10 CD Live box set (The Music Never Stopped), which was terribly sub-par and amateurish and releasing much of it should have qualified as a misdemeanor. It's still not quite as technically polished or a consistent 'bravo' performance level as Dead Set (recorded in S.F. on News Years Eve 1979/80), but close enough. The price is reasonable and the packaging (with extended booklet and multiple photos) is deluxe by today's standards. You can get this Cornell set and a used copy of "Dead Set" (and actually dig the musical performances and recording quality) for about the same price as the Live box set, but you won't have to suffer through (or skip) the >60% dreck.