I’ve finally made it through the sixth show and I couldn’t be happier with my purchase. I’ve been taking my time and giving each show its proper due, and taking time off between listens because the set lists are fairly similar. Every show is chock full of highlights and the sound quality is remarkable considering when and how it was recorded. Every instrument and vocal has a place in the mix and I don’t hear anything that would prevent me from wanting to listen to the entire set whenever I had the inclination. I don’t really care what anyone thinks about the mix, as everyone has their own opinion on the subject, but I think it sounds great and the performances are absolutely extraordinary. Anyone who loves this period of Chicago deserves to hear this epic set. Warts and all, it was definitely worth the price of admission…..for me anyway.
Three shows in so far and enjoying it immensely, having sat on it for over a month before cracking the plastic.
Merchbar has it for $161.99. Shipping and tax takes it to $181.95 Chicago At Carnegie Hall Ie 16 Cd Set CD I was lucky enough to see them live in April '69, before CTA was released. They were the opening act for Hendrix.
Wow. Was it at the Whiskey in LA by any chance? They were the house band at the Whiskey as CTA and that is where Hendrix first heard Kath and was impressed.
Sam Houston Coliseum in Houston. Didn't know what to expect, but they were really good. What was also cool, was that their first album was a double and only cost $3.99.
I suggest checking out reviews of Merchbar before buying from them: Merchbar Reviews | Read Customer Service Reviews of merchbar.com
Just finished listening to the final concert. I listened to them all. For me, a big Chicago fan since the beginning, I found this to be an exciting, energetic and thoroughly enjoyable listening experience. To my ears, this set does an excellent job of documenting Chicago's musical prowess, circa 1971. It is, indeed, a most welcome new addition to my music collection.
I have been following the thread since this project was announced. I got the project and it is like anything early Chicago. It blows anybody away. The pan posts are gone. Check out Rick Beato’s review of Make Me Smile on YouTube. They had a rhythm section then second to none.
Agree. What makes the difference, in my opinion, is the quality of the playing here. I love the first three albums, they're masterpieces, but Carnegie takes the material to a new level. The arrangements are tight, but never stiff, never lose that funky edge, and leave space for letting go and getting loose and wild - then back to tight in a dime. It vaguely reminds me, in the jazz field (I hope I'm not offending any jazz purist) what Thad Jones / Mel Lewis were doing at the same time, in the same city, every Monday night at the Village Vanguard. I think every jazz/rock fan might like to check out that band. You can't touch what Jones was doing at the time, he was an alien - but I feel I recognise something of that spirit here. What a time that was, for music.
Thad Jones / Mel Lewis Orchestra represented a more traditional jazz strain. I'd rather compare Chicago to contemporary big bands led by Don Ellis, Gil Evans, Charlie Haden, or Toshiko Akiyoshi & Lew Tabackin. British jazzers of that era were pursuing a similar direction, e.g. Mike Westbrook, Graham Collier, Michael Gibbs, or Neil Ardley.
Well I was thinking That Jones Mel Lewis not because of their experimental side but because of the funky, bluesy, swinging, tight/loose feeling which I see in Chicago and is certainly there, more than in the bands you mention I think (except maybe the later Gil Evans). Yes Jones was rooted in the tradition as his starting point, but with this band he took a direction which was completely his own and - to my taste - unmatched by any of his peers (except, again, Gil Evans). Again, just my opinion. Not meaning to put down any of those great bands, big fan of Mike Westbrook, saw him live on various occasions. Cheers!
I ordered before I saw your reply. Thanks for the heads up, but I was lucky or they've cleaned up their act. I ordered late Tuesday night, 10/12, received a shipping confirmation on Thursday, 10/14, and received my box today, Thursday, 10/21. All of the correct discs were in the box. I like the plastic sleeves and wish everyone did that.
I had pre-ordered this set, and I was so disgusted when I started listening to it, so I put it aside, and finally decided today that I will suffer through all 16 discs. While there are all sorts of problems with the mix, there is one thing that stands out, which doesn't make sense. There is hardly any low end in the music; the bass sounds like rubber band. It wouldn't have been hard to EQ these recordings a bit to take that into account. As it is, the mix sounds like it's coming through a telephone. The harshness of the sound makes it really painful to listen to. Part of this could be because when you have aging musicians with poor hearing, their hearing loss is mostly at the high end, so the mix was EQed so it sounded good to them. (I have some hearing loss in the treble, and this is still too harsh for me.) In addition, the way they put Terry Kath's guitar so far to the right of the soundstage is wrong; he was in the center, and his guitar and voice should be in the same location. This is a trend with live recordings; on a lot of Grateful Dead recordings, Jerry's guitar is far to the left, and it's unsettling; you'd never hear it like that at a concert. Part of this may be because it's one of the horn guys who oversaw the project, and wanted the horns to be prominent, but if you were crafting a soundstage, you'd spread out the horns as much as possibles rather than stick the guitar far to one side. I remain disappointed, and will hold on to the set until it's out of print then sell it on eBay. Oh, and I noticed that there are still absolutely no reviews of this set on any major music publication. None at all. This is surprising given the notoriety of these shows, and it means that Rhino did not send out any review copies. Because they knew what the reviews would say.
No offence, but little of what you say makes any sense to me. Kath's guitar has ALWAYS been on the right on these records, since the album was first released. And the horns ARE spread across the soundstage, bone-left woodwind-center trumpet-right, much as they've always been. So it's not like they tried to "craft a soundstage", at all. The soundstage is pretty much the same as it's always been. And it works. The bass I'm hearing is huge, fantastic. Yes the horns are on the bright side, everybody's already acknowledged that, so what... Let it Be is not perfect, and Pluto's not a planet anymore either... Life's not perfect. But the music is awesome Cheers!
I don't recall the original, but it seems like Keith's guitar is pushed out of the way. It would have been a mistake an 1971, and it's a mistake now.
No, not all live albums are mixed like that. It's become a trend recently, but usually when you have a guitarist as good as he is, that instrument is centered.
