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Chicago at Carnegie Hall

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Chicago at Carnegie Hall is the first live album and fourth album overall by American band Chicago and was initially released in 1971 as a four LP vinyl box set on Columbia Records. It was also available for a time as two separate 2-record sets. A quadraphonic mix of the album was proposed, but was never done, possibly due to the band's objection to the record being released in the first place. This is the only Chicago album of their first ten releases not to have a Quadraphonic release in any format.

Background

While touring in support of Chicago III, Chicago played Carnegie Hall for a week in April 1971 and recorded all of their shows. Deciding that most of the songs performed there (virtually, the first three double albums, together with the new "A Song for Richard and His Friends") were worthy of release, producer James William Guercio compiled a mammoth four-LP box set collection for release as Chicago's fourth album (that distinction being responsible for the album's nickname of Chicago IV).

Columbia were very skeptical on the risk the extended set posed, and with a decrease in royalties to counter that fear (a similar situation befell their 1969 debut The Chicago Transit Authority), Chicago released Chicago at Carnegie Hall that October to a mixed reaction. While the set sold very well, reaching #3 in the US (but failing to chart at all in the UK), the critics found the album too long - and even indulgent with its moments of tune-ups. The band themselves have remained divided through the years over the merits of the album.

Despite poor sound quality, Chicago at Carnegie Hall went on to become the best-selling box set by a rock act, a record which stood until the release of the Live/1975-85 5 LP live box set by Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band in 1986. It is still the best-selling 4-LP set.

The original LP release of this set contained two giant posters of the band, a poster of Carnegie Hall's exterior, an insert about voting information, and a 20-page softcover booklet containing photos of the band members playing during the concert and a full touring schedule from their first tour through their 1971 U.S. tour on the back.

In 2005, Chicago at Carnegie Hall was remastered and re-issued on three CDs by Rhino Records with much improved sound quality, a bonus disc of eight tracks of alternate takes and songs not on the 1971 edition, plus recreations of nearly all the original posters and packaging.

One member of the band, James Pankow, did not like how the band sounded at Carnegie Hall:

I hate it. The acoustics of Carnegie Hall were never meant for amplified music, and the sound of the brass after being miked came out sounding like kazoos.[3]

Track listing

Original Vinyl

Volume one

Side one

  1. "In the Country" (Terry Kath) – 10:35 (Lead singers: Terry Kath, Peter Cetera)
  2. "Fancy Colours" (Robert Lamm) – 5:15 (Lead singer: Cetera)
  3. "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is? (Free form intro)" (Lamm) – 6:20[4]
  4. "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?" (Lamm) – 3:47 (Lead singer: Robert Lamm)

Side two

  1. "South California Purples" (Lamm) – 15:35 (Lead singer: Lamm)
  2. "Questions 67 and 68" (Lamm) – 5:36 (Lead singers: Cetera, Lamm)

Volume two

Side three

  1. "Sing a Mean Tune Kid" (Lamm) – 12:54 (Lead singer: Cetera)
  2. "Beginnings" (Lamm) – 6:27 (Lead singer: Lamm)

Side four

  1. "It Better End Soon" - 15:55
    1. "1st Movement" (Lamm) - 2:54 (Lead singer: Kath)
    2. "2nd Movement (Flute solo)" (Lamm/Walter Parazaider) - 5:00
    3. "3rd Movement (Guitar solo)" (Lamm/Kath) - 2:42
    4. "4th Movement (Preach)" (Lamm/Terry Kath) - 3:09 (This has completely different words from the corresponding section in the original version.) (Lead singer: Kath)
    5. "5th Movement" (Lamm) - 2:09 (Lead singer: Kath)

Volume three

Side five

  1. "Introduction" (Kath) – 7:10 (Lead singer: Kath)
  2. "Mother" (Lamm) – 8:21 (Lead singer: Lamm)
  3. "Lowdown" (Cetera/Danny Seraphine) – 3:58 (Lead singer: Cetera)

Side six

  1. "Travel Suite: 1. Flight 602" (Lamm) – 3:31 (Lead singer: Lamm)
  2. "Travel Suite: 2. Motorboat to Mars" (Seraphine) – 3:00
  3. "Travel Suite: 3. Free" (Lamm) – 5:15 (Lead singer: Kath)
  4. "Where Do We Go from Here" (Cetera) – 4:08 (Lead singer: Cetera)
  5. "I Don't Want Your Money" (Kath/Lamm) – 5:23 (Lead singer: Lamm)

Volume four

Side seven

  1. "Happy Cause I'm Going Home" (Lamm) – 7:56 (Lead singers: Lamm, Cetera)
  2. "Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon" (James Pankow) - 15:25
    1. "Make Me Smile" – 3:31 (Lead singer: Kath)
    2. "So Much to Say, So Much to Give" – 1:00 (Lead singer: Lamm)
    3. "Anxiety's Moment" – 1:09
    4. "West Virginia Fantasies" – 1:31
    5. "Colour My World" – 3:26 (Lead singer: Kath)
    6. "To Be Free" – 1:22
    7. "Now More Than Ever" – 3:26 (Lead singer: Kath)

Side eight

  1. "A Song for Richard and His Friends" (Lamm) – 6:58 (lead singer: Lamm)
  2. "25 or 6 to 4" (Lamm) – 6:35 (lead singer: Peter Cetera)
  3. "I'm a Man" (Jimmy Miller/Steve Winwood) – 8:51 (Lead singers: Kath, Cetera, Lamm)

2005 Rhino edition remastered

Disc 1

  1. "In the Country"
  2. "Fancy Colours"
  3. "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is? (Free form intro)"
  4. "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?"
  5. "South California Purples"
  6. "Questions 67 and 68"
  7. "Sing a Mean Tune Kid"
  8. "Beginnings"

Disc 2

  1. "It Better End Soon - 1st Movement"
  2. "It Better End Soon - 2nd Movement (Flute solo)"
  3. "It Better End Soon - 3rd Movement (Guitar solo)"
  4. "It Better End Soon - 4th Movement (Preach)"
  5. "It Better End Soon - 5th Movement"
  6. "Introduction"
  7. "Mother"
  8. "Lowdown"
  9. "Travel Suite: 1. Flight 602"
  10. "Travel Suite: 2. Motorboat to Mars"
  11. "Travel Suite: 3. Free"
  12. "Where Do We Go from Here"
  13. "I Don't Want Your Money"

Disc 3

  1. "Happy 'Cause I'm Going Home"
  2. "Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon - Make Me Smile"
  3. "Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon - So Much to Say, So Much to Give"
  4. "Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon - Anxiety's Moment"
  5. "Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon - West Virginia Fantasies"
  6. "Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon - Colour My World"
  7. "Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon - To Be Free"
  8. "Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon - Now More Than Ever"
  9. "A Song for Richard and His Friends"
  10. "25 or 6 to 4"
  11. "I'm a Man"

Bonus Disc

  1. "Listen" (Lamm) – 4:16
  2. "Introduction" (Kath) – 6:37
  3. "South California Purples" – 12:41
  4. "Loneliness Is Just a Word" (Lamm) – 2:44
  5. "Free Form Intro (Naseltones)" – 5:58
  6. "Sing a Mean Tune Kid – 10:51
  7. "An Hour in the Shower: A Hard Risin' Morning Without Breakfast/Off to Work/Fallin' Out/Dreamin' Home/Morning Blues Again" (Kath) – 6:00
  8. "25 or 6 to 4" – 6:21

Chicago at Carnegie Hall (Columbia 30865) reached #3 in the US during a chart stay of 46 weeks. It did not chart in the UK.

Personnel

Production

  • Produced by James William Guercio
  • Engineers – Don Puluse, Bud Graham, Hank Altman, Aaron Baron and Larry Dahlstrom
  • Recorded at Carnegie Hall, New York, NY (by Location Recorders)
  • Mixed at Columbia Recording Studios, New York, NY
  • Art Direction – John Berg/Virginia Team
  • Artwork – Fuding Cheng
  • Poster Design – Ron Coro
  • Photography – Allen Goldblatt and Fred Lombardi
  • Poster Photo – Frank Laffire
  • Lettering – Beverly Scott

References

  1. ^ [1] allmusic - At Carnegie Hall, Vol. 1-4
  2. ^ https://www.allmusic.com/album/r3845
  3. ^ Chicagotheband.com: "History, Section VII"
  4. ^ Original Album C30866/AL30866 Columbia
  5. ^ http://www.chicago-web.net/Chicagoboard1/ChicagoCarnegieTexte.html
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