Customer Reviews

Live at Carnegie Hall

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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"!

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.

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.

Chicago was my first favorite group, and when I was given thisexpensive album as a gift [thx again :-)], I guess at first I wasn'treally that into it. I guess there was a great deal of improvisation and earthy imperfect live-performance feel that I wasn't used to, together with a sound quality that I now see is derided by some as a less-than-great. But I often enjoy just putting an album on and going about other tasks, and sometimes they grow on you. My opinion of this one came 'round. I started to enjoy the plentiful improvisation of the piano and guitar players, along with the flutist and others. The band really puts out, doing all their great hits with enthusiasm and at length, rather than glossing over them in a medley and then subjecting the audience only to new stuff, as a cheaper act might do. I didn't know it at the time, but Terry Kath, the late guitar player, was one of the best I would ever hear. He really goes to town on this album and I recommend it, on that basis. Great ones like Hendrix and Kath do casually, off the cuff, imperfectly or not, what the good ones try very hard to fit into their acts. I see now, after some years away, that Mr. Kath has come to be held in that sort of regard by others, and that my opinion of him was not so off-the-mark. The band apparently has expressed concern about the sound quality of this recording. They have said that Carnegie Hall doesn't do well with amplified music, and recording a full-horn rock band is already a tough task. I guess they just aren't that super-high on it. That's understandable, and I guess if someone's telling you not to buy this expensive one, and just go and buy some other one that's supposed to be better, then great. I'd give the album three or four stars if I were really focusing on the sound quality issue, but I'm not. I'm focusing on what it means to me, overall, as music. For those of us who already let this album grow on us, despite all its imperfections, there's no turning back. It's too late. Not the best sound quality, I guess, but I simply don't care. If you're really into early Chicago, then I don't see how you can avoid getting this one.

Shame on the reviewers who were so critical of this CD! I do realize that this has technical flaws (making me give it four and one-half stars for that reason), HOWEVER, it still rocks! There are some songs included that I personally don't care for, but it is still interesting to hear so many great early songs from the original members and L-O-N-G jams such as on SOUTH CALIFORNIA PURPLES and SING A MEAN TUNE KID. It gives a refreshing picture on a group that eventually turned into a "loung act" playing alongside Neil Diamond. When this was recorded the group was creative with a hard-rock edge. Hearing this for me has been like reliving the first few times I heard the Beatles' "WHITE ALBUM" because I knew some of the songs but was introduced to many great songs in a big bunch. Favorites to me are FANCY COLORS and HAPPY CAUSE I'M GOING HOME because of the strong positive emotions produced with the pretty melodies. Maybe the live Japan CD is superior (I haven't heard it) and I was dissapointed in BEGINNINGS for abruptly ending without any attempt to reproduce the wonderful single version, but wow, how can you guys be so critical of such a fantastic live album. The energy is high and the music soars! It is worth twenty bucks and then some! I only wish I could have seen this lineup instead of the sad "tribute band" playing in Las Vegas hotels now. Look to the past with this group and hopefully you will see why I feel so strongly about this CD!

I just found this album on LP(used)and was knocked out by the sound and clarity of it-the vocals are great and the stereo separation is excellent-the talking among Terry Kath, Peter Cetera,Robert Lamn, and others between songs is interesting -the Terry Kath guitar solos are excellent-the whole band is excellent--why this went out of print on CD is hard to figure out-it is one of the best live albums of the seventies! This needs to be released again on CD-I do not have the book included with the LP set (it was not in the 4 LP box) but I hope it is included on the CD set--I am currently looking for a used CD copy until hopefully it is released again!!!!!!!!!!

Back in 1972, when I was 14, I remember saving and saving to buy this 5 record set. Back then I was into groups that used horns extensively, and Chicago was one of my favorites. Although I enjoyed the set here I was also just a little disappointed. Maybe because I wanted this so bad it could never live up to my expectations. Over the years I began to see how good this collection really is.

This series of concerts was recorded over a period of a week and is of course based on their first 4 albums. All your early Chicago hits are here, including "Beginnings", "Colour My World", "Make Me Smile", etc. What I like about this collection the most is that they just didn't get up there and run off the hits. There are some great obscure Chicago songs here. Some of my favorites are "Happy cause I'm going Home", a great even more upbeat version of "Introduction" off their first album, and "Free". The best song on this set, though, is "I'm a Man" which ends the second encore and JUST rocks. The one problem I still have to this day is "A song for Richard and his Friends". This was a political comment on their opposition to Richard Nixon and Vietnam. However it just basically says nothing and comes off sounding stupid. The only redeeming quality of this is that it sets up a great rendition of "25 or 6 to 4".

Overall I do so love this set. I would highly recommend this to any Chicago fan, any music fan, and especially anyone who enjoys creative live sets.

Chicago at Carnegie Hall was the first album I sunk my teeth into as a High schooler. I could'nt put it down. After many years,(I'm 42 now)and somehow loosing my whole record collection,I decided this CD would be one of the first in my collection of the new media...CDs. Once my kids(teens) heard this CD, I have lost it again...only to continuously find it in their CD players.

to begin with i have to say that this is the first album i ever owned-having stolen it from my brother! everything that i would later value as a musician is found on this set:group interplay, great use of color and dynamics, the value of the moment unvarnished,and the belief that each player must shine. i love almost all of the tunes-except "i don't want your money"- and think some are better than the originals-"beginnings", "in the country" and "happy 'cause i'm going home". the sound though is very dull on these cd's as compared to even the vinyl. this set is in bad need of re-mastering and hopefully they will get around to it. last,the packaging is a big disappointment compared to how luxurious -by '70's standards- the original boxset was. they need to include the pictures that came with the album even if they can't put in the 2 wallposters and the booklet from the original! still, all in all,it contains lots and lots of great music performed by a band who loved their music and loved playing.worthwhile at any price.

My first vinyl LP I bought was Beatles "Revolver" and the favourite song was "Got to get you into my life". Why? Beacuse of the horns, of course. Later, -69, I heard Chicago, "Questions 67&68" and I was knocked out for good. Since then Chicago is a very big and important piece in my life. "Live at the Carnegie Hall" is a very good "...the best of Chicago. The early years:" They are playing and singing so well. They don't try to do "nasty" things around the song. They are giving the songs respect and the audience knows it, so they are "with the band all the time". Today I have more than 800 LP's and nearly 100 CD's. And if I had to choose one of them it would be "Live at the Carnegie Hall". It simply the best live performance of contemperary music. All the songs are so good.