Customer Reviews

Live Adventure

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Steven Curtis Chapman sings wonderfully! On this live CD, it sounds as if he were singin in a studio! True talent that's God-given!

My ultimate favorite song on the CD is "For the Sake of the Call." You truly feel the soul in this song.

He is a very versatile artist. His journey through the music biz is a treat on this live album.

His live version of "No Better Place" is not to be missed. Same goes for Family Talk, this man is a laugh a second! His comments about his kids in that trak should be the standard for all comedians. I am especially honored that he came up here to Seattle for this lovely bit of entertainment. Wish I could have been there. Notice how the audience's enthusiasm for the sing-alongs slowly wanes as time goes on? Poor Steve....My only complaints are a) he didn't do "In This Little Room", and b) he only did part of "When You Are a Soldier". Other than that, this is da bomb! Die-hard SCC fans (like myself), especially, will find this a real treat. Two thumbs up.

When this came out over 5 years ago, this was a great live album showcasing where Steven was at that point. The amazing thing is he has become so much more of an artist since then. A newer and better compilation, "Greatest Hits" which came out in 1997 includes two Abbey Road versions of material from "Signs of Life" ("The Walk" and "Lord of the Dance") as well as two great new songs ("Not Home Yet" and "I am Found in You"). The parts in this live album where Steven talks are very personal and touching, and the overall energy in the album is tremendous. However, the "sound" is really not as crisp and clean as his usual studio efforts, which loses something especially for all the guitar work. All of the really great tracks on this album are on "Greatest Hits" which I believe is a much better introduction to his music.

This has some good songs on it captured in a live concert setting with some interaction from SCC and the crowd. HAs some good songs sung live like " The Great Adventure" "For the Sake of the Call" and "I will be Here." A great intro to SCC songs that captures the live aspect of his music.

In early 1993, Steven Curtis Chapman, on a roll with the success of the previous year's The Great Adventure, started to make a Christmas album for release in the fall. Later in the spring, just after completing his Great Adventure tour, he scrapped that effort in favor of a live album and video. (He would pick up the Christmas album again in 1995 and release it in the fall of that year as The Music of Christmas.) The Live Adventure was the result; it was a wise move, for it capitalized on his newfound status as most popular contemporary Christian music (CCM) artist.

The Live Adventure and its corresponding video capture a later (if not the last) concert on the Great Adventure tour: Seattle, WA, in early May 1993. This tour was a logical one to use as the basis for a live album, not only because it came on the heels of the successful album but because it captured his first national tour in huge concert halls with a band. The results are generally excellent: every song from The Great Adventure is played (and sung) better here than on the original studio album, and the same argument can be made for just about every other song on the album. Don't miss the excellent versions of "More to This Life" and "For the Sake of the Call," the latter of which is greatly improved from the overproduced studio version.

But The Live Adventure was also important for introducing Chapman's personality to the public. In the many cuts featuring Chapman's talking to an audience, the singer comes across as a man of integrity deeply devoted to his family. He also clearly communicates well on a practical level with his evangelical audience. Stories of Chapman's strong character had been making the rounds for years in the CCM industry; now, some of that was on display for the public that had not yet seen him in concert.

I only have one quibble. The concert must have lasted only about an hour-and-a-half (estimating based on the roughly 1 hr. 40 min. length of the 1994 Heaven in the Real World concert), so I guess it's understandable that Chapman would put so many of his ballads in an acoustic melody. Still, I'd rather have heard two or three of them played completely instead.

Some people have said that a live album should have been released later in Chapman's career. But while Chapman undoubtedly improved in many respects as a live performer as the years went by, it was standard at that time to release a live album after three studio albums. (For confirmation, just look at the careers of then-CCM superstars Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith.) Chapman had already broken that mold by releasing five studio albums prior to a live album. Additionally, live albums were on their way out by then; live videos were becoming the norm, as they sell better than live albums. That's why Chapman's second and most recent live release, of the Declaration tour of 2002, is only on video. (These days, if artists release live albums at all, they normally do so as low-priced EPs. The low price for consumers enables the artists to have a better shot at making back their investment. See Jars of Clay's Live Monsters for a recent example.)

The Live Adventure does not hold up quite as well as it did when I bought it back in September 1993, perhaps because it captures Chapman at the end of his country/pop phase. Immediately afterwards he moved into, and since then has stayed in, a mostly pop/rock mode, adjusting as time progresses to be more current musically. I considered the album excellent back then and undoubtedly would have rated it five stars. Over time, however, it has come to sound a bit dated, so I'm giving it four stars instead. Nevertheless, the album still provides a very good introduction to Chapman's live persona.

Don't get me wrong, there's a lot to like about this album. I've maintained for years that studio albums do not do justice to what SCC can really do. He tends to really open up and shine when he performs live. That's probably what prompted this release.

Looking back, though, this was much too early in his career to put out a live album. Since it was released so early, it only scratches the surface of the depth of his live music. Still, it shows us his heart, especially in his interaction with the audience. We begin to see the man behind the songs and capture his energy and passion. I'm definitely looking forward to his next live release!

Larry Hehn, author of Get the Prize: Nine Keys for a Life of Victory

I got this CD a long time ago (11 years), when it came out. The concert was awesome. Anyway, you should get your own copy, and not download it illegally off the internet. It's worth it. I've been a constant fan of Steven Curtis Chapman, and will continue to. Family talk is hilarious, and shows the honesty (or lack of) of childhood. My favorite song is Busy Man...you should have seen it...ah the styles of the 90s. Haha. Get this CD...get it now. CDnow.

I have had this CD for a long time now and even though I have other great SCC CDs I always seem to pull this one out again and again.It is a constant source of inspiration.Songs like "More to this life " and " For the Sake of the call" are special and all in all make this a must for any SCC fan.Get it for your collection soon.You wont regret it.

I'm usually not too big a fan of live albums, but this one was pretty good. There are some really good songs that could be and have be sung at weddings. The album is pretty good quality, and has a good feel. I was slightly bored a couple of times, but I would reccomend this album to anyone who likes SCC. Favorite Songs; Go There With You, I Will Be Here.

Steven Curtis Chapman is at his best in this concert format from the Seattle Kingdome in May 1993. The music outstanding and his intensity in the music is what makes this one of the top performers in the contemporary Christian format. The music spans all of his albums to The Great Adventure. Definitely top notch.