Similar Albums:
- Artist: Chicago
- Rating:
- Release Date: 1971 10
- Total Time: 168:38
- Type: Live
- Genre: Rock
Review
After issuing three consecutive studio double LPs, Chicago topped themselves with this four-album live box set. As the title suggests, At Carnegie Hall, Vols. 1-4 (Chicago IV) (1971) finds the band at the venerable New York City venue during a five-night stand (April 5-April 10) in the spring of 1971. The septet -- which includes the respective talents of Terry Kath (lead guitar/vocals), Robert Lamm (keyboards/vocals), Peter Cetera (bass/vocals), Danny Seraphine (drums), Lee Loughnane (trumpet/vocals), James Pankow (trombone), and Walter Parazaider (woodwinds/vocals) -- were at their unquestionable peak of initial popularity. Their previous three double LPs continued extended runs on the pop album chart and likewise spawned a number of hit singles. So by the time the group hit the Big Apple for these shows, they were among the hottest things happening. Chicago's set list is wholly representative of the material from Chicago Transit Authority (1969), Chicago II (1970), and Chicago III (1971) and includes several extended multi-song medleys from each. The band winds its way through muscular versions of the epic "Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon," "Travel Suite," as well as lengthy renderings of deeper cuts such as "South California Purples," "Fancy Colours," and the ten-minute-plus opening "In the Country." One of the set's most notable highlights is the politically charged "For Richard and His Friends." The lengthy and well-jammed-out cut is both groovy and propulsive. However, the acoustics at Carnegie Hall are quite frankly not (and really never have been) properly suited for heavily amplified music. While the percussion and electric guitars are clearly audible, the woodwind and brass section come off sounding extremely thin and devoid of any real timbre. This is unfortunate, as a primary component of the band is the contrasting textures between the two. Enthusiasts seeking a much more sonically accurate portrait should by whatever means necessary locate the Live in Japan 1972 two-CD set -- which also includes tracks from Chicago's fifth effort. ~ Lindsay Planer, All Music GuideTracks
CD 1
| Track Title | Composers | Performers | Time |
| In the Country | Terry Kath | Chicago | (10:34) |
| Fancy Colours (Lyrics) | Robert Lamm | Chicago | (5:16) |
| Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is? [Free Form Intro] | Robert Lamm | Chicago | (6:22) |
| Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is? (Lyrics) | Robert Lamm | Chicago | (3:26) |
| South California Purples (Lyrics) | Robert Lamm | Chicago | (15:35) |
| Questions 67 and 68 (Lyrics) | Robert Lamm | Chicago | (5:36) |
| Sing a Mean Tune Kid (Lyrics) | Robert Lamm | Chicago | (12:54) |
| Beginnings (Lyrics) | Robert Lamm | Chicago | (6:29) |
CD 2
| Track Title | Composers | Performers | Time |
| It Better End Soon: 1st Movement | Robert Lamm | Chicago | (2:55) |
| It Better End Soon: 2nd Movement (Flute Solo) | Robert Lamm, |
Chicago | (5:01) |
| It Better End Soon: 3rd Movement (Guitar Solo) | Robert Lamm, Terry Kath | Chicago | (2:43) |
| It Better End Soon: 4th Movement | Robert Lamm | Chicago | (3:09) |
| It Better End Soon: 5th Movement | Chicago | (2:09) | |
| Introduction | Terry Kath | Chicago | (7:11) |
| Mother (Lyrics) | Robert Lamm | Chicago | (8:21) |
| Lowdown (Lyrics) | Peter Cetera, |
Chicago | (3:59) |
| Flight 602 (Lyrics) | Robert Lamm | Chicago | (3:33) |
| Motorboat to Mars | Chicago | (3:00) | |
| Free (Lyrics) | Robert Lamm | Chicago | (5:05) |
| Where Do We Go from Here? | Peter Cetera | Chicago | (4:08) |
| I Don't Want Your Money (Lyrics) | Robert Lamm, Terry Kath | Chicago | (5:24) |
CD 3
| Track Title | Composers | Performers | Time |
| Happy 'Cause I'm Going Home | Robert Lamm | Chicago | (7:57) |
| Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon: Make Me Smile | Chicago | (3:31) | |
| Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon: So Much to Say, So Much to Give | Chicago | (1:00) | |
| Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon: Anxiety's Moment | Chicago | (1:09) | |
| Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon: West Virginia Fantasies | Chicago | (1:31) | |
| Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon: Colour My World | Chicago | (3:27) | |
| Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon: To Be Free | Chicago | (1:22) | |
| Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon: Now More Than Ever | Chicago | (3:25) | |
| A Song for Richard and His Friends | Robert Lamm | Chicago | (6:59) |
| 25 or 6 to 4 (Lyrics) | Robert Lamm | Chicago | (6:35) |
| I'm a Man (Lyrics) | Steve Winwood, Jimmy Miller | Chicago | (8:52) |
