Live at the Paramount [Extra tracks, Live, Original recording remastered]

The Guess Who | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 8, 2000)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Extra tracks, Live, Original recording remastered
• Label: Buddha
• ASIN: B00004VW2I
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (55 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #107,563 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

The 1972 release of this live LP, recorded over two nights in Seattle, broke the Top 40; this reissue tops it by adding six unissued performances from those shows! Powerhouse versions of American Woman; Albert Flasher , and Runnin' Back to Saskatoon are still here, but so are live performances of their hits No Time; These Eyes; Share the Land; Rain Dance , and more!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars they made the best even better, August 23, 2000

By 

Steve Marshall "Steve" (St. Louis, MO USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Live at the Paramount (Audio CD)

Hot on the heels of their recent Canadian tour, The Guess Who just released an expanded version of Live at the Paramount. The new disc features new liner notes and photos, plus six bonus tracks, for a total of 75 minutes of great music. Originally recorded over two nights at the Seattle venue, this album dispelled any previous notions that they were `just a pop band.' Paramount showed in no uncertain terms that The Guess Who could rock with the best of them. One listen to the 17-minute rendition of "American Woman," "Pain Train" or "No Time" makes that point perfectly clear. The album has stood up to the test of time, and remains one of the most popular in the band's catalog.

For the new CD, the producers went back to the original 16-track master tapes from the first show (the second night was deemed "a waste of tape") and remastered the whole shebang. The songs were restored to their original order in the set, and the sound quality couldn't be better. Most of the stage banter between songs has been restored as well. The Paramount shows were two of the first to feature new guitarist, Don McDougall, and he fit in perfectly. His vocals and guitar work added a lot to the group, and he brought in additional songwriting abilities to boot.

Starting with an blistering version of "Pain Train," the album gets off to a rocking start as soon as you hit the play button. The song's a showcase for Kurt Winter's searing guitar licks, and he really lets loose. The band played three new songs during the show, the first of which was "Runnin' Back to Saskatoon." Critics considered the song a bold move at the time, because the chorus reads like a lesson in Canadian cities. Be that as it may, the one thing that you can't argue with is that it's a great song and a longtime favorite among fans.

Up next is the first of the bonus tracks (and a personal favorite), "Rain Dance." Unfortunately, the song sounds a bit anemic here--suffering from either a poor mix, or just a lackluster performance. The segue into "These Eyes" doesn't help. To go from a rocker like "Rain Dance" into a pop ballad just doesn't work. The band stays in a retrospective mood for the next few songs--"Glace Bay Blues" and vocalist Burton Cummings' solo spotlight, "Sour Suite." Fans who owned the original vinyl will notice the intro to "Glace" is louder than it was originally.

From this point on, the CD rocks. "Hand Me Down World" is a bit slower than the studio version, but still sounds great. The medley of "American Woman" and "Truckin' Off Across the Sky" was the highlight of the original album, and the same holds true here. The big difference is the intro to "Truckin'." The original had a different solo overdubbed at the beginning of the song. The new CD has no overdubs at all, so the song will sound noticeably different to those who were familiar with the original.

"Share the Land" also sounds great, but the hurried tempo in which it's played makes you think that they're just playing it because they have to. The CD comes to a close with a killer version of "No Time." The only things missing from the original vinyl are the stage banter from the end of the album (where Burton says "Seattle! Seattle, Washington!") and the lyrics. The stage banter was apparently taken from the second night. As for the lyrics, the producers opted for new liner notes and photos instead (the photos that were in black and white on the original sleeve are now in color). Live at the Paramount is a perfect example of taking a great album and making it even better.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A real sense of the occasion, July 16, 2001

By 

R.J. (Toronto, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Live at the Paramount (Audio CD)

The original Live At The Paramount has always been a sentimental favourite of mine, but this re-release with extra tracks is truly an outstanding album. It's sentimental to me, because Running Back to Saskatoon blew me away back in 1972 and made me a young Guess Who fan immediately. Another reviewer here said it best, Pain Train just explodes right off the bat. It fits much better at the beginning of the concert, where it actually occurred. The Guess Who really hit a peak at this time I think, the Kurt Winter era is much underpraised, with all due respect to Randy Bachman. Burton Cummings is in superb voice and is brilliant on "Saskatoon" especially.

Imagine my reaction during the 2000 Running Back Through Canada tour stop in Toronto when the Guess Who launched into the Paramount version of American Woman (whatchoo gonna do baby, now that the Roast Beef's gone?) Brilliant! It's long and ragged at times, but I love that long version of American Woman on this album. New Mother Nature is missing its twin No Sugar Tonight (a shot at Bachman no doubt, who wrote the latter) but it rolls along nicely on its own in a mid-tempo groove. Additional added numbers like "Sour Suite" and "Hand Me Down World" work beautifully, and the sound seems a lot sharper. Outstanding live album. For similar albums from the era try Guess Who #10 (hard to find outside Canada) and Rockin' (ditto).

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The classic live Guess Who album made even better by great remastering and bonus tracks to boot!!!, July 12, 2008

By 

Jason P. Pumphrey "the movie & music man" (Falls Church, Virginia United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Live At The Paramount [EXTRA TRACKS] [LIVE] [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED] (Audio CD)

What else can I say,This is a great live Guess Who album made even better by six bonus tracks nearly doubling it in length!!! The original album only had 7 tracks but this great reissue expands the total to 13 cuts for a more complete Guess Who live experience,add to that the awesome remastering and cool liner notes and you have one great package,and besides that it's cheap too(I mean the price tag,not the content,I picked this up brand new for less than five bucks!)This is one time that bonus cuts actually make the album better(The Elton John "Here and There" 2 disc set is another great example!),theres no filler here,just great Guess Who in concert!!! The Guess Who "Live At The Paramount" rocks!!! Two thumbs up! Way up! A+