At Carnegie Hall - CHICAGO***

In The Country/Fancy Colours/Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is/South California Purples/Questions 67 & 68/Sing A Mean Tune Kid/Beginnings/It Better End Soon/Introduction/Mother/Lowdown/Flight 602/ Motorboat To Mars/Free/Where Do We Go From Here/I Don't Want Your Money/Happy 'Cause I'm Going Home/Ballet For A Girl In Buchannon/A Song For Richard & His Friends/25 Or 6 To 4/I'm A Man

At Carnegie Hall was a live mammoth four disc box set recorded in April 1971. It is a measure of the group’s then commercial appeal that it achieved such a high chart placing in the USA. (US:3)

“At the time of this series of concerts, Chicago were at the top of their game and it's fully on display here. Sure, there's the occasional shaky attack in the horn section, the pitchy vocal line, and some balance problems, but considering the sophisticated arrangements and the powerful tunes few bands of the time, or now, could have pulled this off as well.”

“This marked the first time a rock band had ever played a week at Carnegie Hall. All the shows were sold out. From a musical standpoint, this can act as a substitute for the first three albums, as Chicago plays all the best cuts from all three albums, which basically means each album almost in its entirety.”

“A great hidden gem from the past. If you are a Chicago fan for the musicianship and not the pop music hits, then this is an album you will really enjoy. Recorded over four nights at Carnegie Hall there is a wide variety of their classic hits along with many other less familiar compositions.”

“I am a fan, but I would never recommend this album to anyone. It satisfies the curiosity but not musically, mainly because the live material sounds a little sluggish and the sound quality of the recording is terrible. The song selection is OK, but I rarely come back to this one and when I do I am always disappointed.”

“Recorded long before the band's later pop hits, this features them as one of the best bands from the jazz-rock scene. From the well known hits to longer pieces with instrumental sections with a lead role for the horn section, this pretty much sums up what early Chicago were all about. This is not the easy listening Chicago that's so hard to listen to today. This was a soulful, rockin' band, with a killer horn section, an excellent rhythm section, with outstanding vocalists and arrangements.”

“Anyone looking for the best example of Chicago as a great band has it right here. Their improvisational powers are at a peak and their best early hits are here.”