Perhaps Ray Monette can shed some light as to why it wasn't, was it finished but witheld, never mixed, etc...? Any thoughts are always appreciated Ray :)
I had the pleasure of getting a letter years ago from Mike Urso and he said it was not released as In Concert was selling well. As we all know, there's two sides to every coin.
I had the wonderful pleasure of speaking with Pete via phone in 1995...as a Rare Earth fan, a dream come true! What a gentleman. Even Ken Folcik answered a letter of mine...great musicians and true gentlemen! Yeppers.
I am a big music collector and do a lot of trading shows. Sadly, there aren't any Rare Earth shows circulating that I know of...some soundboard tapes from the 69-74 glory days would be awesome. 5 years ago someone sent me a cassette from a show @ Harpo's in Detroit from 1980 which I put onm cassette...almost the full show and it's amazing. It's definitely Pete, Gil, Eddie, Mark, Ray and the bassist I assume is Mike. Pete and Eddie steal the show...the intro to Big John is played lightning fats with Pete's high hat cymbals and Eddie's timables...makes ya want to get up and dance. I sent a copy to Pete and he was kind of enough to comment and actually listen to it. Nice guy...I've YET to see the All Stars. I did see Rare Earth in 1992...the guys all signed my In Concert poster...I got to shake hands with Eddie...what a moment. :)
Yes, it was very disappointing that the Chicago concert never made it. I heard someone saying the recording wasn't good enough sound qualitywise, but I never believed that. It was assigned a catalogue number on the RE label and I can't see why they'd do that before checking the sound quality.
Re the cassette, do you still have it? Lucky you!! That must be well worth hearing. There are one or two things on utube eg Get Ready, Celebrate. They are from Midnight Special and California Jam as far as I recall. They are well worth looking at if you haven't seen them. The links are in one of the threads on this forum.
Live In Chicago was pressed. Copies have been circulated, they exist but obviously it is mega rare.
The original master tapes are in the vaults of Motown and have been catalogued. the album was recorded at the Arie Crown Theater and the track listing is on the discography page on rareearthworld.
One source that has heard these recordings suggest the quality is far better than the official "poor quality" excuse. It was more than likely withdrawn from release due to the political goings on rather than the quality.
Do you think Motown might have had second thoughts because it was essentially the same set as In Concert? To Rare Earth fans that wouldn't have mattered because the jamming sections would have changed, and its the jamming parts that made the band so special.
This recording shouldn't be sitting in the Motown Vaults. It would make a worthy release if it came out now. Was it originally planned as a single LP or a double LP? Motown could repackage In Concert and add the Chicago concert in a 2CD release. That would be far more interesting than the previous compilations they've put out. OK, same hits but played live!
Yes, it was very disappointing that the Chicago concert never made it. I heard someone saying the recording wasn't good enough sound qualitywise, but I never believed that. It was assigned a catalogue number on the RE label and I can't see why they'd do that before checking the sound quality.
Re the cassette, do you still have it? Lucky you!! That must be well worth hearing. There are one or two things on utube eg Get Ready, Celebrate. They are from Midnight Special and California Jam as far as I recall. They are well worth looking at if you haven't seen them. The links are in one of the threads on this forum.
Dave
I personally think it was the inner turmoil going on at the time that caused it to be scrapped. The same goes for the material from the Frank Wilson sessions.
I do have that show, yes. I have to correct something I said. I actually transferred the tape to cd and it sounds really good. I forget what songs are on it. I'll dig it up tonight.
I have seen those videos. i'd love to see a DVd of all old Rare Earth footage. Wishful thinking probably.
Ralph, now we know Russ was behind the controls then the quality can not be in question. It is probably worth pointing out that this lp was around the time of the 1st big split as well.
Was it common to press up a few demo copies before they got the full treatment?
I would doubt if the album was not released due to poor sound quality. I know my brother Russ did that date and his credentials are impeccable.
Thank you for that Ralph
Now all fingers seem to be pointing to the turmoil and infighting post-Ma.
I do wonder what else was done during that Chicago concert(s). 8 songs and about 70 minutes...I'd assume most bands would do at least 90 minutes for s show. Maybe Ray or Pete could shed some light on this.
I would doubt if the album was not released due to poor sound quality. I know my brother Russ did that date and his credentials are impeccable.
Thank you for that Ralph
Now all fingers seem to be pointing to the turmoil and infighting post-Ma.
I do wonder what else was done during that Chicago concert(s). 8 songs and about 70 minutes...I'd assume most bands would do at least 90 minutes for s show. Maybe Ray or Pete could shed some light on this.
The songs "Tobacco Road" and "Hum Along And Dance" were in t setlist for a 1980 show I have. I wonder if they were played during the time Live In Chicago was recorded. They both sound great...Hum Along is song that would've fit perfectly in the set with the other new songs.
What probably makes this set extraordinary is..........MARK,EDDIE,PETER.....hell of a nucleus.I saw them exactly 1 month b4 this show....in NY.They hit it......w/GIL,MIKE,RAY.RE............at their best.Then they broke up.....in 74.
What probably makes this set extraordinary is..........MARK,EDDIE,PETER.....hell of a nucleus.I saw them exactly 1 month b4 this show....in NY.They hit it......w/GIL,MIKE,RAY.RE............at their best.Then they broke up.....in 74.
Hi Mike. New poster, long time Rare Earth fan. Saw them outdoors at Junge Stadium in Joplin MO with Dr Hook and, I believe, Sugarloaf. Early 70's. Been keenly watching the developments here and would love to get a hold of this new live set. What do I have to do? My friends said I didn't just like Rare Earth, I was obsessed with Rare Earth. The funny thing is I'm mainly a classical music listener. You just never shake the popular music that grabs you as an adolescent. Heaven help the recent and current generations. Oh no......I'm turning into my father.
I smell BOOTLEGS appearing very shortly via ebay. Keep it to yourself and wait for an official release. Tight and Hot is already being sold online because of your original source.
Unfortunately, that will probably be an issue. I wish I could assure you my motives are not for profit, but alas, I cannot. You know, if this ended up on YouTube and the powers that be noticed the interest, well......we just might get our wish.
I just read my previous post and realized it didn't come out quite the way I intended. What I meant was it would be very difficult for me to prove I have no interest in profiting by bootlegging, especially after my 1st post came right after the discovery. Several months back I listened to a bit of Get Ready from this set that someone on this board cued me into. From what I remember the technical quality was not up to "In Concert" standards. Pete is probably right, but.....there's not going to be another opportunity to hear or record the band in it's prime as those days are long gone, and fans would put up with a lot of technical or ensemble issues for ths opportunity. How's the performance/recording of Celebrate and Big Brother, my two favorites? Is the organ intro more pronounced as in the studio version? That always bothered me on "In Concert".
Wait for an official release? Now why would that happen? What could possibly lead to a sudden change of heart after four or five years of excuses?
I doubt any of the regulars on this forum would try to make profit from unofficial copies. I'd like to believe we have too much respect for past and present members of the band.
Someone let Tight And Hot out and it's being sold via various sites at ridiculous prices and yes you are putting an official release in jeopardy if this happens. Well done to you if that is what you want!
Someone let Tight And Hot out and it's being sold via various sites at ridiculous prices and yes you are putting an official release in jeopardy if this happens. Well done to you if that is what you want!
You seem to know a lot fo about Tight & Hot showing up on eBay. You don't know if someone here did that or not. It's wise to not speculate.
I can't see why it would put an official release in jeopardy. On the contrary, it will probably help get it to market at last. If bootlegs do start to appear, then a quick response from Universal would offer some revenue damage limitation. We've waited far too long and at no stage has there been any confirmation that it will be released. Maybe a couple of mights or maybes, but that could go on forever.
Anyway...Anonymous (from Universal??). Here's a promise. One that my friends on the forum might sign up to as well. If Live in Chicago does get an official release on CD, I will buy it, regardless of whether I get my hands on an unofficial copy. I want the track list, the sleeve notes, the artwork. Your company will not lose out on my count.
Tight and Hot? LOL. Different kettle of fish. Live in Chicago is of much greater interest and value.
Count me in as a buyer as well, regardless of possible acquisition of this home brew version. An a/d conversion from vinyl vs. having the master tapes as a source??? Put it on the same cd as "In Concert" and if there is enough ambient information mix a surround version.
Doing a search on quad led me to a site that discussed Motowns involvement. They apparently weren't very interested, with the exception of Stevie Wonder, but a quad mix of Get Ready was made for the Japanese market.
Doing a search on quad led me to a site that discussed Motowns involvement. They apparently weren't very interested, with the exception of Stevie Wonder, but a quad mix of Get Ready was made for the Japanese market.
This would most likely not have suitable multi tracks for a great surround release, but that can depend on the artistry
of the mixing engineer.
I've the QUAD mix of Get Ready, and it is good but quite different from the stereo mix. Silly to speculate on the tapes, as you've likely not heard them.
Curious. How are the rear channels used? Does this release place you in the midst of the band? My prejudices are showing here, but I generally prefer the rear channels implemented to give a sense of space to the recording, and even though Quad might not have been on Motowns mind, the live recordings are more likely to have some tracks( for crowd reaction, and the sense of space that differentiates live from studio recordings) perfectly suited to a surround mix.
Yeah, I wouldn't think Youtube is a good idea myself.
This is the kinda thing that could be passed around between die-hard fans [hint, hint Mike D ] , but I would guess widespread "free" distribution would kill any possibility of it ever being officially released.
MartyB
dutstca (backwards) at yehooooo dott comm - if you wanna reach me Mike D!
Yeah, I wouldn't think Youtube is a good idea myself.
This is the kinda thing that could be passed around between die-hard fans [hint, hint Mike D ] , but I would guess widespread "free" distribution would kill any possibility of it ever being officially released.
MartyB
dutstca (backwards) at yehooooo dott comm - if you wanna reach me Mike D!
] , but I would guess widespread "free" distribution would kill any possibility of it ever being officially released.
