Customer Reviews

Live

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

 

 

Different sound than "Romantic Warrior"? Oh yes. Way!! Different band (Still Stanley though - a big plus. Also, Joe Farrell is back). Different sound (No guitar; brass and vocals added). But like Miles, Chick is "forever" challenging us, to open up our ears. Hard to find, but well worth it. (One draw though on the cd: edited-down versions -from the original vinyl release - of "The Musician" and "So Long Mickey Mouse". This was done to keep the package at a 2-disc-set.)

The other reviewers said it all, this is great music, as best as they come. However, buyer be ware, two tracks are "circumsized" (Music Magic and So Long Mickey Mouse). The only other term I would use cannot be put in print here, and to do that to such great music is very disappointing.

I remember when this came out. I was still disappointed that the other RTF (Chick,Stanley,Al and Lenny) broke up. However through the years I have learned to love this recording.
Great horn work. Great synthesizer work by chick and and great drumwork by Gerry Brown. (I think)
Gayle Moran is even bearable as a vocalist. (I was always a little biased against her because I thought she broke up the original group. I dont' think that is true, just my perception)
ANYWAY, if you are a Chick fan you can't go wrong. But if you are looking for RTF like Romantic Warrior, you are barking up the wrong tree.

I saw RTF on the Musicmagic Tour, had the multi disk vinyl set as soon as it became available in the 70's. I am still stunned by the horn section and the drummer, Corea and Stanley Clarke are brilliant, the song writing is phenomenal. I have had engines searching for this CD for a year and a half, and I am NOT disappointed. It's like finding the lost recording of Monk & Coltrane in the Library of Congress: It's another chance to be thrilled by my favorite artists. If you liked Musicmagic, you'll love this. ****** (6 stars)

First I have to laugh at the reviewer who gave this album one star, ha-ha-ha! OK, now that I got that out the way, on to the album. How can one review perfect music? what is perfect music? I guess it is a very personal thing... for me it is not just chops or clever arrangements, it is music that speaks to the heart, that has the ability to uplift and touch the listener. I get that feeling from Return To Forever Live, it captures that vibe perfectly, even better than the studio record. If I had to compare it with another album, I'd pick Santana's Lotus, another album with that inspirational, devotional quality. This music comes at the height of Chick Corea's creative powers (many musicians experienced that creative peak between 1970 and 1977) and is seasoned with soulful vocals from Gayle Morris and Stanley Clarke, a richly colorful brass band, and a battery of keyboards that include the Moog, the Fender Rhodes, the Mellotron and the Hammond B3. The only thing missing is the guitar, but Chick's extended solos are so spectacular that they make you forget that Mr. Di Meola is no longer part of the band. No fusion fan will be disappointed with this album - particularly the prog-heads, who love 20-minute epics and lengthy solos, will eat it up. However there are some moments that are closer to "straight jazz" - a couple of jazz standards, and a long "unplugged" piece, Serenade. Overall, though the album definitely leans towards the progressive side of things, and somehow it feels like a goodbye song to an entire era. Maybe foreseeing things to come, Chick decided to give it all he had, perhaps more, and we can consider ourselves fortunate to have a beatiful document of that spirit.

It looks as if this cd is not available any more. If you can get a copy ... do it. This is as good as music gets.. period.

No question about this as a pinnacle of RTF's performance recordings. On that, cheat the system somehow and make it SIX stars. Before this CD was released, I'd already converted my vinyl set to digital, spending an hour or two of meticulous editing to clean out any significant pops and surface noise, and to connect the split tracks into seamless performances.

And here lies my subtracting a star: I don't know what the CBS production team was smoking when they decided to amputate a few tracks here. You want to take out some filler from a pop group? Fine. But these are real, live, innovative, truly gifted musicians. We might as well delete some of the "repetitive" parts in a Beethoven symphony, or shorten the third quarter of the Super Bowl. Instead of paying for two incomplete CD's, I'd have much rather spent the extra few bucks for a three-CD complete set.

That said, I am SO glad to have a pristine Musicmagic filling almost a half-hour. Surgical abuses aside, this is a brilliant evening's show.

I would say this was the best live recording set up by chick corea ever.Very difference from the others RTF's materials but far better in most way (i would say). Most of the songs from Musicmagic are featured here with fantastic extended solos and intros(could get enough). These are the tunes that first turned me on to the music of c corea ever since. I owned the original 4LPs set and also bought the cd-set with the red cover. In the RTF red cover cds, certian portion found on the LPs were omitted from the cd including the part when chick introduces the musicians- which was really dissappointing, as the response and reaction between the audiences and the band created an upheld feeling as tho you were there at the show. Also the extended intro to 'so long mickey mouse' too was cut. However, it was still very good consider some of the materials needed to be removed to allow the 4 LPs to fit into the 2cds set. I hope this new release with today's tech.would contain the complete recordings. If 'quality' and 'timeless' tunes are what you looking for, go get it. Been listening to them for over 25 years, still sound great and fresh today. ..A t the same time, I was longing for Chick to try some of these songs in the Elektric band format, that would be mind blowing esp. for tune like 'endless night'. Comment | Permalink

I love there studio albums from the days of Airto and Connors up to the classic lineup of Corea, Clarke, DiMeola and White. But, this live double header is to artsy fartsy for me. And who the hell is that woman singing! And why! This is classic fusion jazz! It should be insrumental for crissake! Save your money. I wish I did.
J. Guida