18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the great live rock albums, September 29, 1999
This review is from: Live at Carnegie Hall (Audio CD)
This is my first CD review (usually I write math. articles), but I just had to set things straight after having read some negative reviews. Don't belive it. This triple CD is one of the best live rock recordings ever(on a par with Deep Purple's "Live in Japan" or Rare Earth's Live album)! It is rough and wild and beautiful, and fortunately not digitally "re-mastered". There are those superb vocal moments of "Does anybody really know what time it is?", "Color my world", "I am a man", "Beginnings" and others, great piano, flute, and guitar solos, there are many 10 minute or so intense instrumental passages. Some of those are better than others, but for a 3CD set there are very few weak moments. My personal favorite is the 15 minutes "South California Purples"!
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Chicago at it's best, April 22, 2000
This review is from: Live at Carnegie Hall (Audio CD)
This is Chicago's best album, far and above their later efforts. The talent of each musician is clearly showcased in the unique rhythms and timing that they used. A live album shows off the capabilities of a band, and on this album they had no equal. The only other live album near the stature of this one is Live at Fillmore East by the Allman Brothers Band. Live at Carnegie Hall is only for people who have the time to relax and pay close attention to what they hear, because there is so much to appreciate here. I listen to all of it at one time as I roll my 18-wheeler away, and the miles roll past quickly with this recording. It's the standard as far as I am concerned; I have the original LP release, and this is still far and away my favorite recording. Bands today don't play this way, with the funky rhythms and horn section. Powerful and moving is what it is.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An Interesting Live Document of Early Chicago, May 17, 2003
This review is from: Live at Carnegie Hall (Audio CD)
Recorded during a week of performances at Carnegie Hall in 1971, this live set of Chicago definitely has some exciting moments. The 3-CD package contains tunes from the band's first three albums, which certainly offer a wealth of material from which to choose for a live record. The group plays through an eclectic selection of material including all of their hits charted up until that point. Highlights include solid versions of "Beginnings" and "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?", the latter preceded by an inspired avante-garde piano solo section featuring Bobby Lamm.
There is a lot of jamming on this CD, with guitarist Terry Kath given lots of room to stretch out and show his chops. Great extended versions of "South California Purples", "Sing a Mean Tune Kid" and "It Better End Soon" are true documents of Kath's unique guitar prowess that seemed to get lost in Chicago's later recording efforts.
Superb drummer Danny Seraphine and Peter Cetera on bass really cook on most of the tracks, walking a nice line between rock and jazz in their approach to laying down a rhythmic foundation for the band. Danny has always had a reputation in the music industry as a cutting edge musician on his instrument, but Peter, best known for his polished tenor as an 80's balladeer, is often forgotten as a bassist. He truly shines on this live outing, and this disc is worth a listen just as a reminder of Peter Cetera's first-rate musicianship.
The disc does suffer from a few flaws, however. First, and foremost, is the recorded mix of the band. True, this album was recorded live in 1971, but it seems whoever was involved in the engineering of the recording had a lot to learn. The mix is very dry and the separation of the instruments and vocals in the stereo mix is weak. The horns are separated so much that they have no blend, with Jimmy Pankow's trombone sounding like a kazoo isolated on the left side of the mix.
The other problem is that, despite some terrific renditions of most of the tunes, a few of the performances are less than stellar. "25 or 6 to 4" sounds tired and lumbering, only saved by a cool Terry Kath guitar solo.
"Make Me Smile", another of Chicago's Top Ten hits, finds Terry Kath practically screaming the lead vocal, shunning any attempt to blend with the background vocal arrangements.
These are minor criticisms, as "Chicago At Carnegie Hall" is an essential CD for anyone interested in this great band and how they were breaking musical ground in the early'70's while maintaining an enormous level of popularity that was to continue for years to come.
Essential Chicago.
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