Chicago - Live At Carnegie Hall Vol. 1 - 4 (Chicago IV)


Year of Release: 2005
Label: Rhino Records
Catalog Number: 76174
Format: CD
Total Time: 223:20:00

I covered the Chicago box set a few years ago, bought all the remastered releases recently, and now the crowning glory of an implausible career is capped off with 4 CDs of Chicago's inconceivable week long run at Carnegie Hall.

Live At Carnegie Hall Vol. 1-4 (Chicago IV) is a landmark live recording, an achievement that will never be surpassed by the band nor anyone else that makes similar music. Rhino has done it again by giving this set the remastered treatment and pulling out all the stops by bringing to light tracks that were unearthed from the archives for this special occasion.

I was a big Chicago fan back in the 70s and I still am. I did not purchase this album when it came out though, I missed it some how, this thing called rock got in the way and they were forgotten for several years. What is so sweet about this recording is that it covers the first three albums, which in my opinion set a standard and will never happen again. Chicago would never sound more progressive and tight than this. After the third album, they were in a continually state of flux. Granted they did make some marvelous music and sell a ton of records, but this is when they were taking a chance, pushing the envelope and doing what no one else was doing. This live set clearly demonstrates that and shows why they changed irrevocably after Terry Kath died. Some of the most incredible lead guitar runs are on these CDs. Not only did they loose a great vocalist, arguably, the best guitarist of the time disappeared without warning at the very height of their success. When you hear ?25 Or 6 To 4? or the previously unreleased ?South California Purples? you know that you are hearing history, a man in his prime showcasing everything at his disposal. The good lord only knows what great heights Kath would have taken his artistry to if he had lived. It is unfortunate that we talk about many great musicians in this context. This is not just about Kath though, it is about Chicago the band, a group of individuals banded together to make a collective sound that dazzled audiences worldwide for decades. It is hard to believe that this album came out in 1971. It sounds more relevant today than ever, 34 years on and it becomes clear that Chicago had the world's music listeners in the palm of their hand. Nothing makes this clearer than hearing all four of these CDs in glorious stereo at a very high volume.

With the exception of the thin CD sleeves, which are thin cardboard that allows the CDs to fall right out, the packaging was little more than I would expect. The original posters are included with the set, there are three-one wall sized the other smaller, of the band, and a black and white shot of Carnegie Hall. The nice booklet has a good write up about the concert series with some great shots included of the band together and individually.

Originally released in 1971 and reissued in 1974, 1990, and 1995 (30865)


Tracklisting:
Disc One: In The Country (10:35) / Fancy Colours (5:15) / Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is? (Free Form Intro) (6:20) / Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is? (3:26) / South California Purples (15:34) / Questions 67 And 68 (5:35) / Sing A Mean Tune Kid (12:53) / Beginnings (6:27)

Disc Two: It Better End Soon (Tracks 1-5) : 1st Movement (2:54) / 2nd Movement (Flute Solo) (5:00) / 3rd Movement (Guitar Solo) (2:42) / 4th Movement (Preach) (3:09) / 5th Movement (2:07) / Introduction (7:09) / Mother (8:20) / Lowdown (3:58) / Flight 602 (3:31) / Motorboat To Mars (2:59) / Free (5:15) / Where Do We Go From Here (4:08) / I Don't Want Your Money (5:22)

Disc Three: Happy 'Cause I'm Going Home (7:55) / Ballet For A Girl In Buchannon (Tracks 2-8): Make Me Smile (3:31) / So Much To Say, So Much To Give (0:59) / Anxiety's Moment (1:08) / West Virginia Fantasies (1:30) / Colour My World (3:26) / To Be Free (1:21) / Now More Than Ever (3:25) / A Song For Richard And His Friends (6:58) / 25 Or 6 To 4 (6:34) / I'm A Man (8:51)

Disc Four: Listen* (4:15) / Introduction* (6:36) / South California Purples* (12:41) / Loneliness Is Just A Word* (2:44) / Free Form Intro (Naseltones)* (5:58) / Sing A Mean Tune Kid* (10:50) / An Hour In The Shower: A Hard Risin' Morning Without Breakfast-Off To Work-Fallin' Out-Dreamin' Home-Morning Blues Again* (5:59) / 25 Or 6 To 4* (6:20)

*Previously unissued

Musicians:
Terry Kath - lead guitar, vocals
Robert Lamm - keyboards, vocals
Peter Cetera - bass, vocals
Danny Seraphine - drums
Lee Loughnane - trumpet, percussion, guitar vocals
James Pankow - percussion, trombone
Walter Parazaider - woodwinds, percussion, vocals

Discography:
Chicago Transit Authority (1969)
Chicago II (1970/2002*)
Chicago III (1971)
At Carnegie Hall, Vols. 1-4 (Chicago IV) (1971/2005)
Chicago V (1972/2002*)
Live in Japan (1972)
Chicago VI (1973/2002*)
Chicago VII (1974/2002*)
Chicago VIII (1975/2002*)
Greatest Hits (Chicago IX) (1975)
Chicago X (1976/2002*)
Chicago XI (1977/2003*)
Hot Streets (1978/2003*)
Chicago Transit Authority: Live in Concert... (1978)
Chicago 13 (1979/2003*)
Chicago XIV (1980/2003*)
Chicago's Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 (1981)
Chicago 16 (1982)
Chicago 17 (1984)
Toronto Rock 'N' Roll Revival 69 [live] (1984)
Chicago 18 (1986)
Live Chicago (1986)
Chicago (19) (1988)
Beginnings Live (1989)
Greatest Hits: 1982-1989 (1989)
Twenty 1 (1991)
Group Portrait (1991)
In Concert (1993)
Live in Concert (1994)
Night and Day: Big-Band (1995)
Chicago Live (1995)
Overtime (1995)
Live [Richmond] (1996)
In Concert [Digmode] [live] (1996)
Live in Toronto (1996)
Great Chicago In Concert (1997)
The Heart Of Chicago 1967-1997 (1997)
Chicago's First Christmas (1998)
Chicago Transit Authority: Live in Concert... (1998)
Chicago 25: The Christmas Album (1998)
The Heart Of Chicago, Vol. 2: 1967-1998 (1998)
25 Years Of Gold (1998)
I'm A Man [live] (1999)
Beat the Bootleggers: Live (1967) (1999)
Chicago XXVI - The Live Album (1999)
Live! (1999)
Rock In Toronto (1999)
Live '69 (2000)
Live (2001)
Live 25 Or 6 To 4 (2002)
The Very Best Of Chicago: Only The Beginning (2002)
Chicago: The Box (2003)
XXX (2006)

*w/bonus track(s)

Genre: Progressive Rock

Origin US

Added: August 29th 2005
Reviewer: Keith "Muzikman" Hannaleck
Score:
Artist website: www.chicagotheband.com
Hits: 2286
Language: english

  

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