Chicago - 50th Anniversary box set of previously unreleased live recordings?

I saw a post on IMWAN referencing a Chicago Box Set IMWAN • [2017-12-??] Chicago Live Box Set

This is the post it talks about from Tim Jessup's FB page:

In 1970, Chicago was invited to perform during the record breaking Isle of Wight music festival in the U.K. Chicago's fiery performance and extended jams, including iconic performances by Terry Kath, Peter Cetera and Robert Lamm, were recorded by the Pye Studios remote truck, out of London. In September, I transferred that iconic 1" 8-track recording onto my Pro Tools system on behalf of Rhino Records and the Warner Music Group. After extensive restoration and nearly three months of mixing, I turned Chicago's 8-track 1" tape recording into nearly 50 isolated tracks of audio, to create an extremely detailed HD presentation of Chicago's 1970 performance. Never before released, the band's iconic performance was mastered today in Los Angeles and will be released before Christmas, as part of Rhino Record's upcoming 50th Anniversary box set of previously unreleased live Chicago recordings. The mix includes the entire 90 minute performance on two CDs. Robert Lamm has called it an "enhanced mix" as it sounds like a modern mix of a vintage concert event, with detail far beyond what was possible in 1970. You will find a new appreciation, not only for Terry Kath's amazing improvisational skills, but also for Danny Serefine's completely off-the-hook drumming, and Peter Cetera's spot on vocals. It has been an honor to work with the original Chicago line-up and to polish this recording up as they have never been heard live before. Truly a labor of love. *Also to be released on vinyl!!!

 

I'll have this, thank you.

 

I found this follow up post by Tim on the Terry Kath fan group FB page :

To fans of Terry: I want you to know that I went to extremes to work with Terry's guitar tone and his vocals on this upcoming release. It's not often a mix engineer gets to have tracks as precious as these in his hands. I approached them as a museum curator might prepare a Van Gogh for display. Terry has a seperate, automated 48 Bit Masssnberg EQ for each of his guitar's pick-up positions. Due to a relatively thin sounding recording, I also re-amped his entire performance through Three vintage guitar amps simultaneously, and blended them into his original track for a truly muscular sound. The Isle of Wight mix is a continuous timeline and includes the band tuning up, soundchecking and noodling on their instruments before they are introduced. Terry is also heard commenting on songs during the show, as he introduces the song "Mother" and also talks about the upcoming album, Chicago III. Ironically, Chicago was the very first rock concert I ever attended, in 1971. I was all of 14 years old then and I've always had a special reverence and awe for Terry. The Isle of Wight recording demonstrates exactly why Terry had no equal. He was not just "better than Hendrix", he was in a league entirely his own. This mix gave me an entirely new appreciation for his genius. I'd like to see Rhino Records also release the Isle of Wight recording as an HD 24 Bit/96 KHz Blu-Ray. It is easily doable, as that is the resolution of the mix.

Have a safe and joyful Holiday. I'll post when I hear a firm release date ~ TJ

 

I wonder what complete set list was.

Setlist.com only lists six songs.

 

OK, I'm going to warn you now, you little piece of dangerous plastic... Look out credit card!!!!..

 

Any info on the other shows planned for the box? I hope they'll stick to their classic early years.

 

Oh yes please!!!! This one goes on the list!

 

Not that I could find. That was asked on FB and Tim Jessup said that he didn't know. I would guess career spanning if it's for the 50th anni?

I'm with you in hoping that it's focus is the early years.

 

nice to see love go into the project

 

Much obliged. I'm now watching this thread, and have applied to the TK Fan Group page.

 

I’m in for this but wish we had more concrete details. Surely, if this was coming out before Christmas, we’d already have a release date. Maybe they mean before next Christmas? Haha

 

Vinyl? I'm so all over this!

 

But could one call this iconic?

 

Here's to the powers that be. If you want to guarantee sales, make sure the box is from the Kath Era only.

 

if it's more than$25.00 i am getting a lawyer because i will feel abused

 

I hope the sound and mastering are good. The live 1975 set was a massive letdown

 

I have not been able to find anything on the web to confirm this release, so I'm not optimistic about a pre-Christmas release--but that said, here's an tantalizing news item mix engineer Tim Jessup posted to Facebook's Terry Kath Fan Group just before Thanksgiving:

In 1970, Chicago was invited to perform during the record breaking Isle of Wight music festival in the U.K. Chicago's fiery performance and extended jams, including iconic performances by Terry Kath, Peter Cetera and Robert Lamm, were recorded by the Pye Studios remote truck, out of London. In September, I transferred that iconic 1" 8-track recording onto my Pro Tools system on behalf of Rhino Records and the Warner Music Group. After extensive restoration and nearly three months of mixing, I turned Chicago's 8-track 1" tape recording into nearly 50 isolated tracks of audio, to create an extremely detailed HD presentation of Chicago's 1970 performance. Never before released, the band's iconic performance was mastered today in Los Angeles and will be released before Christmas, as part of Rhino Record's upcoming 50th Anniversary box set of previously unreleased live Chicago recordings. The mix includes the entire 90 minute performance on two CDs. Robert Lamm has called it an "enhanced mix" as it sounds like a modern mix of a vintage concert event, with detail far beyond what was possible in 1970. You will find a new appreciation, not only for Terry Kath's amazing improvisational skills, but also for Danny Serefine's completely off-the-hook drumming, and Peter Cetera's spot on vocals. It has been an honor to work with the original Chicago line-up and to polish this recording up as they have never been heard live before. Truly a labor of love. *Also to be released on vinyl!!!
​

Lots of excitement in the fan group, of course, and Tim was generous in answering my question about dynamic range on the new release:

Gardo Extraordinary news, and clearly a labor of love! Thank you.
One quick question: were you able to preserve a healthy dynamic range? I’m so hoping that Rhino didn’t ask for a brickwalled super loud mastering.
Tim Jessup Gardo the way IOW is mixed, it didn't require much compression at all. Within the mix, I used a lot of parallel compression to preserve transients and dynamics, while making everything sound bigger and more intimate. If you've looked closely at photos from the actual show, you'll see that only 3 mics were used on Danny's drums, the kick drum mic on s boom is nearly 3 feet from the drum and positioned above it. In this mix, Danny's drums sound close mic'd and you really hear the detail of his complex stick and pedal work. At times, he sounds like he is playing double bass drums, yet he is going that fast with one foot! I have not yet heard Dave Donnelly's master, and he may still be tweaking on it. But the mix did not at all require the crushing blow of a brick wall limiter. That would be contrary to the philosophy of the entire mix, which brings forth all the minute detail possible.
​

With The Terry Kath Experience, Terry's daughter's documentary on her father's life, out on DVD 12/12, it looks like good times for Kath-era Chicago fans this year and next.

 

I'm looking forward to it if it happens. On the TK Experience, while it didn't really shed too much new light on anything (although, I was never aware of any issues between him and Cetera!), it did a beautiful job assembling the thoughts of band members and friends as it put his time with Chicago in chronological perspective. As a pretty big fan of early Chicago, I'd say it's definitely worth owning.

 

Chicago was at IoW '70 too... Was there anything not awesome at this particular festival?...

 

The thought occurs: Does any mastering engineer ever admit to brickwalling? ("Yep, I squashed the hell out of those newly discovered Robert Johnson recordings!") Just to be clear, this is in no way a criticism of Mr. Jessup or his work.

 

A good question, but Tim’s answer indicates a) he knows exactly what I’m asking about and b) he tried to mix so that dynamics would be preserved—delivering a big sound by other means. So I’m hopeful.

 

It's also interesting to me that mixing engineers can try to mix in such a way that mastering engineers will be less likely to want to exercise brute force moves.

 

I'm hopeful, too.

 

This has the potential to either really help the overall listening experience, or go horribly awry. Time will tell.

 

Thanks for this. I checked yesterday and today to see if there was already a thread—used the forum search engine and the keyword Chicago—but nothing appeared. I usually get better results with a Google search—should have tried that too. Wish the forum search worked better....