good,but not great
read the title.
1 train kept a rollin=woo!!!great!!!
2 kings and qweens=pretty kool
3 sweet emotion=one of the best aerosmith songs ever
4 dream on=best flippin song ever written!!!!!!!
5 mama kin=great!
6 3mile/reefer head=sweeeet....
7 lord thighs=ok,not great
8 major barbra=sucks.no good.pooy.

CLASSICS LIVE
This CD features Aerosmith at their most slick-sounding and consistently rhythmic; the opening "Train Kept A Rollin'" is their most moving version of this song (it's also featured on Get Your Wings and Live Bootleg among others) and the next song "Kings and Queens" - along with #4 "Dream On" - is melodic and melancholly. "Sweet Emotion" is superbly performed, perhaps not any more so than any of their other versions (from Toys In The Attic or Live Bootleg or a half dozen other albums...) but, as said before, it's the most slick sounding version in their career back catalogue. The "side 2" (as is on the cassette version - which was the 1st type I bought...) isn't quite as good, and if you've listened to this CD a few times already, you might find tracks 5-8 pretty boring actually. But it's good kickin' noise to have in the background if you can't stand the oh so terrible silence (whatever!)...; in my opinion "Major Barbara" falls short of the expectations prompted from the lyrics...unless you have a photographic memory, you might go back to that song thinking it's gonna be a tragic-weepytype song, but you'll be disappointed (if you have any taste, that is...). I agree with one or more reviewer(s), that CL#2 is quite better...I'll review that another time.

Memories of early concert fan.
Well the first time I bought classics live was on cassette in 1979. It was the first year I drove a car and put in my first car stereo with a cassette deck. I first saw Aerosmith at Day on the Green in the summer of 1978. I remember how Steven Tyler and Joe Perry seemed to dominate the stage and reach out to the Audience. The closing was Dream On and I don't think Steven Tyler was all together in his mind, I think the reefer smoke from the audience had gone to his head. I really enjoyed the other bands who opened the show, but by the time Aerosmith got through their first set, fans were ready to go home after being in the sun all day.

Maybe not completely worthless... (2 STARS)
Yes this album does only have 8 tracks (7 of them live), the quality of the performance and the production is pretty poor, but it does include some interesting tunes, namely "Three Mile Smile" and "Train Kept a Rollin'" that fans wouldn't expect them to put on the record. That still isn't enough to make a potential listener want to buy, much less create a new Aerosmith fan. In essence, your money is much better spent on "Bootleg" which is a more complete performance and collection of songs (but still only rates 5 out of 10). They need to go through old master tapes of performances and make a killer two disc live set from the 70's a la Zeppelin's "How the West Was Won."

The real attraction is the definitive recording of "Major Barbara." It's better than the recording used on the "Pandora Box Set." That still doesn't make it worth your 10 dollars. "Classics Live 2" is better, but not by much.

Overall: 4 out of 10.

Not as good as part two!
Though it may not sound the best and though the band may not be as tight as they could and should be Classics Live! is still a pretty good live album. It has all the elements it takes to make a good live album, its live and not fixed up in the studio, its got all classic songs by Americas greatest rock and roll band and not to mention greatest riff machine! Steven doesnt sound his best by any means. Trust me he can sound a 1000% better! Its not that he sounds bad but you can tell this was recorded when the drugs were taking their toll on him and the whole band really. In some places the band sounds off time, like they just are not clicking with each other at all. I dont like classics Live! as much as I like part 2 because Joe Perry and Brad Whitford dont play on all the songs here, Jimmy Craspo and Rick Dufay do most the guitar playing, because Joe and Brad hadnt come back to Aerosmith yet when this was recorded. And I am a firm beliver that no one should ever play Joe and Brads licks unlesss its the boys themselvs. One cool thing is 'Major Barbra' which is not a live track but a studio track that was ment for Get Your Wings but never made it onto the album. Its really a great song though. If Joe and Brad were on all the songs and Steven sounded better and the band was tighter then this would be a five star live album but thats what holds it down I mean the two other guitar players dont even play the right guitar solo on 'Kings And Queens!' But if you wanna hear classic live Aerosmith then get one of their other live albums because this is for die hards like myself only!