Best Live Album – 2012 Ultimate Classic Rock Awards

As we continue our 2012 Ultimate Classic Rock Awards, the Best Live Album category features a pretty special group of offerings. You've got both archival live releases as well as some classic bands getting up onstage and finally hitting the record button for the first time.

We start off our list of nominees with AC/DC, who recently issued the'Live at River Plate' album, a disc that digs a little deeper into their catalog than their past live releases.

It was great to see Bachman and Turner back on stage together in recent years, and they commemorated the occasion with the 'Live at the Roseland Ballroom, NYC' album.

Though Janis Joplin has long since left this mortal coil, at least we had the Big Brother and the Holding Company 'Live at the Carousel Ballroom 1968' concert release to bring her energy back into focus for today's generation.

The Doors' classic performance at the Hollywood Bowl was restored both visually and in audio form, allowing a handful of past tracks that weren't available to now be able to see the light of day for 'Live at the Bowl '68.'

Led Zeppelin's 'Celebration Day' was one of the most highly anticipated releases of the year, coming five years after the band's one-night-only performance in London in 2007 and showing that even though reunions have been few and far between, they're still one of the greatest rock bands of all-time.

Motorhead was intent on providing as much live content as possible this year. 'The World Is Ours, Vol. 1' took listeners to three separate concerts, including a full 17-song set from Santiago, Chile as well as choice performances from shows in New York City and Manchester, England. Meanwhile, 'The World Is Ours, Vol. 2' found the group digging deeper into their live archives, serving up the band's 2011 Wacken Open Air festival performance in all its glory, as well as material from their Sonisphere and Rock in Rio shows.

Night Ranger ramped things up and turned it back down for their '24 Strings and a Drummer -- Live and Acoustic' collection. Ozzy Osbourne's 'Ozzy Live' got a double-vinyl release this year, taking fans back to an era where Osbourne was just getting his solo start with the late great Randy Rhoads on guitar.

And the list winds up with Twisted Sister, who dug into the past for their raucous 'Live at Hammersmith' two-disc offering, and the Who, who served up the 'Live at Hull' album from their 1970 recording that was previously featured on the 'Live at Leeds' super-deluxe box set.

There you have it -- eleven quality live albums that arrived this year. It's now time to vote for your favorite. You have until Jan. 15, 2013 to make your pick for the 2012 Best Live Album, with the winner being announced the following day (Jan. 16, 2012).