Customer Reviews

Greatest Stories Live

5 star:		(62)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

What can I say that hasn't already been said? I bought my first copy of this album in 1977 after a buddy in high school recommended it. From that day forward I have been a complete Harry Chapin addict. I have worn out 3 vinyl copies, 2 tapes and fortunately my CD is lasting. It's a special place I can go to when I play this album and I wouldn't want to be without it.

Harry was a special guy. Flawed like the rest of us and he knew it and accepted it. Idealistic but with an awareness of the cruelty of the world. Taught me that the greatest risk isn't looking foolish for trying something that I might not be good at...but that the greatest risk might be getting old and realizing that I never did what I really wanted.

I was 17 years old in 1978 when I saw Harry perform live. My uncle was a musician who had become a local celebrity in upstate NY and who had performed in the studio with a number of well known acts. He mentioned to me that he knew Harry and I should be sure to hang out after the concert because he would talk to each and every fan and loved to mix. Sure enough, after the show (which was amazing...I still remember the guy running up from the crowd, putting his arm around Harry so his friend could take a picture...Harry stopped singing and just started laughing and commenting "I wish I had what you must have smoked"), Harry came out to talk with everyone and sign autographs. Put his hand on my shoulder as he walked in and he stopped and talked to me for quite a while...and when I mentioned my uncle he just laughed out loud and said, "Hell yes, I know him, he was our first lead guitar player back in the days of the Chapin brothers...". What a moment for a 17 year old kid in front of a bunch of buddies.

I played and sang and wrote songs my self in my college days, doing the bars and coffee houses. Always was sure to do at least 3 or 4 Chapin songs. In July 1981 when Harry was killed, my girlfriend at the time held me all night long because I couldn't stop crying.

I'm 41 now and still sing Harry's songs (lately "Tangled Up Puppet" has been about me and my 15 year old daughter) and I own most of his albums. Enjoy Greatest Stories Live. It is a rare and precious treasure. May his song be sung.

There were not many things much better in this world than Harry Chapin in concert, and this 1976 album completely captures the feel good atmosphere of such events. Both of Harry's greatest epic story songs are here, "Taxi" and "A Better Place to Be," along with his two hit singles (because they were short enough for radio play), "Cats in the Cradle" and "W*O*L*D" (which is gleefully adapted to the local radio station). Big John Wallace adds his unique vocals not only to "Taxi" but also the exquisite "Mr. Tanner." As added treats both of Harry's brothers have their own songs, Tom's "Saturday Morning" and Stephen's "Let Time Go Lightly." The evening concludes with Harry's traditional finale "Circle" and then offers as an encore "30,000 Pounds of Bananas," with all of the various endings that Harry considered at one time or another while writing the song.

For those who feel for some unexplainable reason that they only need to have one Harry Chapin album in their CD collection, "Greatest Stories Live" would be my recommendation for that single disc. The man came alive while performing, so there is no better album for remembering Harry where he belongs, on stage, playing and singing his songs until his voice gave out. Given his tragic death, the blurred photograph of Harry on the album cover seems especially poignant. When first released on CD two of the three studio songs on the album, "Love Is Just Another Word" and "She Is Always Seventeen," were cut due to time restrictions. The latter is especially missed and will hopefully be included in the near future.

I bought this album in 1976 and have worn it out (it has been replaced twice). I also have the cassette and CD. It is the first CD I'll put on for friends that ask me about purchasing new music. I also was fortunate enough to see Harry Chapin in concert, it was a really great show. If you are a fan of John Denver, Dan Fogleberg and Jim Croce you will really enjoy this CD. W.O.L.D, Mr. Tanner, Taxi, A Better Place to Be, and Cirle, are songs you will be singing along with very soon.

"Christ, it sounds like the theme from Godfather II!"
Chapin makes this comment after signalling his band to a halt during the intro to the opener "Dreams Go By", because of a banjo solo in that part, played vibrato mandolin style. A dead giveaway right from the start of how this live set is going to feature his often humorous approach to the material. This is also reflected later on in the set in this version of the song "30,000 Pounds Of Bananas", in which Chapin makes a departure just before the last verse, relating his trials and tribulations in coming up with that particular verse. But Chapin was always more than a comedian with a guitar--his material was mostly heartfelt and often as sentimental as anything the younger Billy Joel ever wrote. Quite at odds with the rules of pop music, Chapin came across more affable than charismatic. In that brief period of musical history, you didn't have to be a babe magnet to be a star. Today people think of the "Singer Songwriter Era" as an aberration. After all, pop music is supposed to be about sex or anger, right? Or if there's a "folkie" dimension to it as in the case of artists like Chapin, a sociology or poli-sci aspect. Or if you don't have any of that, you have to be like Joni Mitchell and be versatile in style and/ or one hell of a player. Harry wasn't any of those things. His guitar style was basic accompanist, his songs were more prosaic than poetic. Their arrangements were pretty much predictable. His voice was limited in range and tonal color (just like the man himself says of "Mr. Tanner", a song also present here). He didn't have the melodramatic, almost operatic delivery of Texan contemporary Shawn Phillips. Harry was basically The Man On The Street who had an uncanny ability despite his shortage of the stuff stars are made of to express himself in music. It has become a cliche to say that a musician "sings in a style you can relate to", but Chapin was one of very few artists about which that description is bang on target. Chapin did a later live set called "Legends Of The Lost And Found", which I see is no longer available. A shame, really--that set has a high percentage of material that was never released on any studio album. Anyway, if you're at all curious about any of Steve Earle's antecedents, look to Shawn Phillips and Harry Chapin.

Harry Chapin was an artist that seemed to put out better live recordings, that had much more intensity then any of his studio work. I've listened to alot of his studio driven recordings but nothing will ever compete with this record. The album does have three studio songs pinned at the end but it doesn't disregard the magnitude of his songwriting.

Many folk artists strive for a catchy three minute song with backbeat and sensibility. Chapin never followed that formula. At times, his songs could be long opuses with not much of a chorus to backup. His songs were painted with a very personal, intimate picture of life's dark and virtuous side. This record captures everything anybody needs to know about the man.

The album captivates a very energetic side of exuberance with the opening track "Dreams Go By", but it also exhibits a beautiful portrait of bittersweet remembrance. Another classic, "Mr. Tanner" examines a singer's hopes and visions but with wishful sincerity towards confrontation of ability. The album wasn't just hippie influenced lyrics, but honesty to dreams deferred. Every track told stories of love lost, found and expectant. It seems like many live recordings fail to pickup on what an artist is trying to portray with thier music. This one nails it, seriously.

I love Harry Chapin and this is a great album, but be warned that this CD version is not the full album. It's missing two cuts: Love is Just Another Word, and She is Always Seventeen. I bought this to replace a cassette tape I have had forever and noticed that the number of tracks didn't match. Then I noticed a disclaimer in very small print that these two songs weren't included "due to time restrictions." Personally, I think this is a bit of a ripoff. To make matters even worse, neither of those songs is available as an MP3 download.

I originally bought this on vinyl 20 years ago. I played it over and over. It inspired me to see him twice in concert. His studio albums could never capture the kind of person Harry was or the real excitement of his music. There is so much more energy in seeing him "live" and this album is a great sample of Harry in concert. This album made memories for me and it brings them back anytime I listen to it. I would recommend this as "the" Harry Chapin album to start with.

Let me start out by saying that I was nine years old when Harry died in the tragic car accident. I remember my parents going to a concert of his in Indianapolis and saying that it was the best concert they had ever seen. I began listening to my parent's tape of Harry when I was around 18 driving back & forth from college to home on the weekends. Needless to say there weren't many kids my age into Harry, but I love his work. You can't help but sing along with Harry (and the crowd) on 30,000 pounds of Bananas. There have been several albums since this one, but 'Stories' captures the absolute best of Harry. Harry is at his best live. The 'Bottom Line' collection is also good, but 'Stories' is still the best collection to date. It's interesting to note the difference in Harry's voice from 'Stories' (recorded in 1976) to 'Bottom Line' (recorded in 1980.) The road must have been hard on Harry because his voice is much rougher & deeper in "Bottom Line.' Anyway, buy this album - it's a true classic!

This is a fine "live" album and captures the essence of Harry's early work. From my college days, I have always listened to Chapin songs. While the studio albums are wonderful, it was in his live performances where he truly excelled. A large part of that success was due to his musicians. Not only their musical abilities, but their unique personalities shone through both in recordings and live performances. Two tracks which are my favorites are "Mr. Tanner," a work of depth and emotion and Stephen Chapin's "Let Time Go Lightly."

I gave this "only" 4 stars primarily because this is an incomplete album. While the sound quality is fine, the original vinyl had another track that is not included and I take exception (for what it's worth) to shortcuts which have often been taken when converting earlier works to CD in general, whether is in the arbitrary omission of album tracks or in the use of subsequent tapes rather than original masters.

That being said, this album is a fine example of Harry's early live performances. One can only hope that eventually the remainder of his albums will be released on CD (and properly mastered too). In particular, "Short Stories" and "Legends of the Lost and Found" (the latter of which reveals Harry's slightly older, "more mature" voice) as well as "Sequel" would be most welcome.

I wouldn't necessarily consider myself a fan of Harry Chapin, even though I own four of his albums - just one who appreciates his work. Introduced to Chapin in high school, via my dad, his Live album still remains my favorite; in fact, it's my favorite live album of any artist that I've heard.

There are twelve tracks on the album, spanning the years from the early 1970's through 1976. All of his big hits are on it, including "Cats in the Cradle." What makes this album unique is that the listener not only gets to hear Chapin's raw talent (without all of the tweaking from the studios), but also a glimpse at his personality.

Sometimes live performances just aren't that good - the artist just can't pull it off in front of the crowd. Not the case with Chapin and his band; in fact, I almost prefer his live versions over the studio ones for a couple of reasons: 1) the band takes greater risks; 2) more creativity is demonstrated; and 3) the interplay between the band and crowd is awesome!

Harry Chapin must have had quite a sense of humor, as demonstrated in "30,000 Pounds of Bananas." After he sings the song, he demonstrates to the audience the three alternate endings that he worked on. It is abolutely hilarious and entertaining. Another highlight is getting to hear his brother, Stephen, sing. Wow, what a beautiful voice! The same goes for John Wallace in "Mr. Tanner."

The only disappointment with the CD version is that there wasn't room enough to include the song "She Is Always Seventeen," which was on the original LP. It is an awesome song about a hippie who never grew up.

To sum it all up, if you've never listened to any Harry Chapin with the exception of the radio hits, this album is the best place to start. You will truly get a sense of the man and his music.