Chicago at Carnegie Hall
Encyclopedia
Chicago at Carnegie Hall is the first live album
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.
While touring in support of Chicago III
, Chicago booked themselves into the 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 album
s, 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 over the years to 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
didn't like how the band sounded at Carnegie Hall:
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.
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
band Chicago
Chicago (band)
Chicago is an American rock band formed in 1967 in Chicago, Illinois. The self-described "rock and roll band with horns" began as a politically charged, sometimes experimental, rock band and later moved to a predominantly softer sound, becoming famous for producing a number of hit ballads. They had...
and was initially released in 1971 as a four LP
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
vinyl box set on Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
. It was also available for a time as two separate 2-record sets.
While touring in support of Chicago III
Chicago III
-Personnel:*Peter Cetera - bass, vocals*Terry Kath - guitar, vocals*Robert Lamm - keyboard, vocals*Lee Loughnane - trumpet, vocals*James Pankow - trombone*Walter Parazaider - woodwinds, vocals*Danny Seraphine - drums...
, Chicago booked themselves into the Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
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 album
Double album
A double album is an audio album which spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically records and compact discs....
s, 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
The Chicago Transit Authority (album)
The Chicago Transit Authority is the eponymous debut album by the Chicago-based rock band The Chicago Transit Authority, who would later be known as Chicago. It was recorded and released in 1969.-History:...
), 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 over the years to 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
Live/1975-85
Live/1975–85 is a live album by Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band. It consists of 40 tracks recorded at various concerts between 1975 and 1985. It was released as a box set with either five vinyl records, three cassettes, or three CDs...
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
James Pankow
James Carter "Jimmy" Pankow is an American trombone player, songwriter and brass instrument arranger best known as a founding member of the rock band Chicago.-Early life:...
didn't like how the band sounded at Carnegie Hall:
Side one
- "In the Country" (Terry KathTerry KathTerry Alan Kath , born in Chicago, Illinois, was the original guitarist and founding member of the rock band Chicago...
) – 10:35 - "Fancy Colours" (Robert LammRobert LammRobert William Lamm is an American keyboardist, singer and songwriter who came to fame as a founding member of the pop rock band Chicago...
) – 5:15 - "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?" (Robert Lamm) – 9:47
Side two
- "South California PurplesSouth California Purples"South California Purples" is a song written and sung by Robert Lamm for the rock band Chicago and recorded for their debut album The Chicago Transit Authority .The song quotes the opening line from The Beatles' "I Am the Walrus:"...
" (Robert Lamm) – 15:35 - "Questions 67 and 68Questions 67 and 68"Questions 67 and 68" is a song written by Robert Lamm for the rock band Chicago and recorded for their debut album The Chicago Transit Authority , with Peter Cetera and Lamm singing lead vocals...
" (Robert Lamm) – 5:36
Side three
- "Sing a Mean Tune Kid" (Robert Lamm) – 12:54
- "BeginningsBeginnings (song)"Beginnings" is a song written by Robert Lamm for the rock band Chicago and recorded for their debut album The Chicago Transit Authority, released in 1969. Lamm also provided lead vocals...
" (Robert Lamm) – 6:27
Side five
- "Introduction" (Terry Kath) – 7:10
- "Mother" (Robert Lamm) – 8:21
- "Lowdown" (Peter CeteraPeter CeteraPeter Paul Cetera is an American singer, songwriter, bassist and producer best known for being an original member of the rock band Chicago, before launching a successful solo career...
/Danny SeraphineDanny SeraphineDaniel Peter "Danny" Seraphine is an American drummer, record producer, theatrical producer and film producer, best known for being the original drummer and founding member of the rock group Chicago, a tenure which lasted from February 1967 to May 1990.-Early life:Danny Seraphine was born in...
) – 3:58
Side six
- "Flight 602" (Robert Lamm) – 3:31
- "Motorboat to Mars" (Danny Seraphine) – 3:00
- "FreeFree (Chicago song)"Free" is a song written by Robert Lamm for the rock band Chicago and recorded for their third album Chicago III , with Terry Kath singing lead vocals. It was the first single released from this album, and peaked at #20 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100....
" (Robert Lamm) – 5:15 - "Where Do We Go From Here" (Peter Cetera) – 4:08
- "I Don't Want Your Money" (Terry Kath/Robert Lamm) – 5:23
Side seven
- "Happy Cause I'm Going Home" (Robert Lamm) – 7:56
- "Ballet for a Girl in BuchannonBallet For A Girl In Buchannon"Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon" , a nearly thirteen-minute song cycle/suite from Chicago's 1970 album Chicago II, was the group's first attempt at a long-format multi-part work....
" - 15:25- "Make Me SmileMake Me Smile"Make Me Smile" is a song written by James Pankow for the rock band Chicago. Part of Pankow's Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon song cycle/suite, it was recorded for their second album Chicago II...
" (James PankowJames PankowJames Carter "Jimmy" Pankow is an American trombone player, songwriter and brass instrument arranger best known as a founding member of the rock band Chicago.-Early life:...
) – 3:31 - "So Much To Say, So Much to Give" (James Pankow) – 1:00
- "Anxiety's Moment" (James Pankow) – 1:09
- "West Virginia Fantasies" (James Pankow) – 1:31
- "Colour My WorldColour My World (Chicago song)"Colour My World" is a song written by American musician James Pankow, one of the founding members of the rock/jazz fusion band Chicago. Part of Pankow's Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon song cycle/suite, it was recorded for their second album Chicago II...
" (James Pankow) – 3:26 - "To Be Free" (James Pankow) – 1:22
- "Now More Than Ever" (James Pankow) – 3:26
- "Make Me Smile
Side eight
- "A Song for Richard and His Friends" (Robert Lamm) – 6:58
- "25 or 6 to 425 or 6 to 4"25 or 6 to 4" is a song written by American musician Robert Lamm, one of the founding members of the rock/jazz fusion band Chicago. It was recorded for their second album, Chicago , with Peter Cetera on lead vocals. The song was edited and released as a single in June of the year 2009, climbing to...
" (Robert Lamm) – 6:35 - "I'm a ManI'm A Man (Spencer Davis Group song)"I'm a Man" is a song written by Spencer Davis Group singer-songwriter Steve Winwood and record producer Jimmy Miller.-Original version by the Spencer Davis Group:...
" (Jimmy Miller/Steve WinwoodSteve WinwoodStephen Lawrence "Steve" Winwood is an English international recording artist whose career spans nearly 50 years. He is a songwriter and a musician whose genres include soul music , R&B, rock, blues-rock, pop-rock, and jazz...
) – 8:51
Bonus Disc (2005 Rhino edition)
- "Listen" (Robert Lamm) – 4:16
- "Introduction" (Terry Kath) – 6:37
- "South California Purples" (Robert Lamm) – 12:41
- "Loneliness Is Just a Word" (Robert Lamm) – 2:44
- "Free Form Intro (Naseltones)" (Robert Lamm) – 5:58
- "Sing a Mean Tune Kid (Robert Lamm) – 10:51
- An Hour In The Shower: "A Hard Risin' Morning Without Breakfast"/"Off to Work"/"Fallin' Out"/"Dreamin' Home"/"Morning Blues Again" (Terry Kath) – 6:00
- "25 Or 6 to 4" (Robert Lamm) – 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
- Peter CeteraPeter CeteraPeter Paul Cetera is an American singer, songwriter, bassist and producer best known for being an original member of the rock band Chicago, before launching a successful solo career...
- bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... - Terry KathTerry KathTerry Alan Kath , born in Chicago, Illinois, was the original guitarist and founding member of the rock band Chicago...
- guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, vocals - Robert LammRobert LammRobert William Lamm is an American keyboardist, singer and songwriter who came to fame as a founding member of the pop rock band Chicago...
- keyboardKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, vocals - Lee LoughnaneLee LoughnaneLee Loughnane , born 21 October 1946 in Elmwood Park, Illinois to Juanita Wall and Philip Louis Loughnane, is an American trumpeter, flugelhorn player, vocalist, and songwriter, best known for being a founding member of the rock band Chicago.- Biography :...
- trumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
, background vocals - James PankowJames PankowJames Carter "Jimmy" Pankow is an American trombone player, songwriter and brass instrument arranger best known as a founding member of the rock band Chicago.-Early life:...
- tromboneTromboneThe trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
, percussion - Walter ParazaiderWalter ParazaiderWalter Parazaider is best known for being a founding member and saxophone player for the rock band Chicago. He also plays the flute and other woodwind instruments in the band, including clarinet. On the hit "You're Not Alone," he played backing rhythm guitar.Parazaider began playing the clarinet...
- woodwinds, percussion, background vocals - Danny SeraphineDanny SeraphineDaniel Peter "Danny" Seraphine is an American drummer, record producer, theatrical producer and film producer, best known for being the original drummer and founding member of the rock group Chicago, a tenure which lasted from February 1967 to May 1990.-Early life:Danny Seraphine was born in...
- drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....