Johnny Cash’s At Folsom Prison is listed at No. 3 and Jimi Hendrix’s Jimi Plays Monterey at No. 18 in a MusicBrainz transcription of Rolling Stone’s “50 Greatest Live Albums of All Time.” Those positions belong to one publication’s editorial ranking—not an objective, universal canon—and the original Rolling Stone list and its methodology have not been verified here.
What the ranking says about Cash and Hendrix
The MusicBrainz list-series record identifies Rolling Stone’s feature as dated April 29, 2015. Its transcription places Cash’s At Folsom Prison at No. 3 and Hendrix’s Jimi Plays Monterey at No. 18. The transcription is the available basis for these exact positions; it does not establish how the magazine chose or scored the albums. MusicBrainz’s list-series record is a database source, not the original Rolling Stone feature.
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The distinction matters: “greatest” is a critical judgment. No vote count, scoring formula, or statistical measure is established for this ranking. Its positions are useful as a record of one editorial selection, not proof that one album is objectively better than another.
Why other “greatest live albums” lists differ
NME published a separate list, “The 50 Greatest Live Albums Ever.” In NME’s ranking, At Folsom Prison is No. 5, not No. 3. NME also discusses Hendrix in connection with Woodstock: Music From The Original Soundtrack And More and separately addresses a Monterey festival set. These are different editorial choices, not corrections to Rolling Stone’s positions. NME’s list should therefore be read as its own selection.
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When comparing live-album rankings, useful questions include what event or venue was captured, how the performances differ from studio recordings, whether the release documents one concert or draws on several dates, and what the recording preserves about the performers and audience. These are ways for listeners to assess a live record; they are not a verified account of either publication’s scoring criteria.
Hendrix: do not confuse Monterey with Fillmore East
Jimi Plays Monterey is the Hendrix title identified at No. 18 in the Rolling Stone transcription. Hendrix’s official site separately documents Band of Gypsys: it contains six live recordings from two Fillmore East performances on January 1, 1970, with Hendrix on guitar, Billy Cox on bass, and Buddy Miles on drums. The page names “Machine Gun,” “Who Knows,” “Message To Love,” and “We Gotta Live Together” among the recordings. Those details describe Band of Gypsys, not Jimi Plays Monterey. Hendrix’s official music catalog provides the artist-side release context.
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Cash’s broader live catalog
Cash’s official release catalog includes other live releases, among them Man in Black: Live in Denmark 1971 and The Highwaymen Live – American Outlaws. The catalog page dates those listings November 27, 2015, and May 20, 2016, respectively; those are the page’s listing dates, not necessarily the original recording dates. Their presence establishes that At Folsom Prison sits within a wider live-release catalog, but the catalog does not verify detailed recording facts about the Folsom album. Cash’s official music catalog lists the releases.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to read the list as a listener
A live album can be compelling for different reasons: the force of a performance, the relationship between performer and audience, the event it preserves, or the way familiar songs change onstage. A ranking can point listeners toward recordings to explore, but its order cannot substitute for those differences. For these two entries, the defensible takeaway is specific: the MusicBrainz transcription records Rolling Stone’s placement of Cash at No. 3 and Hendrix at No. 18, while another outlet’s list places Cash at No. 5.
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