Live
Live album by
Return to Forever
Released1978
RecordedMay 20–21, 1977
VenuePalladium Theatre, New York City, USA
GenreJazz-rock
Length49:12 (LP)
167:15 (4LP/3CD)
151:46 (2CD)
LabelColumbia
ProducerReturn to Forever
Return to Forever chronology
Musicmagic
(1977) 		Live
(1978) 		Return to the Seventh Galaxy: The Anthology
(1996)
Chick Corea chronology
Musicmagic
(1977) 		Live
(1978) 		The Mad Hatter
(1978)
Alternative covers
Live 2CD cover (1992, US).
Alternative cover
Live: The Complete Concert 2CD cover (2000, US).
Alternative cover
The Complete Columbia Albums Collection (2011) 5CD boxed set cover
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]

Live is a concert recording by fusion band Return to Forever. It was recorded at the Palladium in New York City on May 20th & 21st, 1977 as part of the tour to support the Musicmagic album. This was the only tour to feature the 1977 group, which included original members Chick Corea, bassist Stanley Clarke and saxophonist Joe Farrell, along with keyboardist/vocalist Gayle Moran (previously in Mahavishnu Orchestra), and a six-piece horn section.

Originally released as a single LP, the album was re-issued in 1978 as a four LP set called Return to Forever Live: The Complete Concert, which contained the full concert as heard by those who attended, including extended sections of dialogue and audience applause.

Release history

The original release was a single LP with a cover featuring the MoMA version of Pablo Picasso's Three Musicians. A greatly expanded version of the album was released in 1978 on four LPs as Return to Forever Live: The Complete Concert, showcasing the entire two-hour-and-forty-minute concert. This Complete Concert release features a plain dark blue cover with a stylized 'RTF' logo and contains the entireties of pieces that had been edited down for the original one LP release, including a version of "Spanish Fantasy"; the intro to which was previously released in edited form as "Chick's Piano". Also included are spoken introductions to songs by Stanley Clarke, including one in which he is heckled by the audience for announcing the concert's final piece.

In June 2011 Columbia (Sony) released a five CD boxed set, Return to Forever, The Complete Columbia Albums Collection which includes the entire 1977 Live: The Complete Concert recording on three CDs together with 1976's Romantic Warrior and 1977's Musicmagic studio albums.[2]

In September 2011 the three CD version Return to Forever Live: The Complete Concert, 3-Record Set was released in Japan as a Blue-Spec CD limited boxset reproducing the original Japanese 1978 four LP boxset. However, this 2011 reissue features "The Endless Night" and "Musicmagic" as one track each, instead of the original splits and fades of each song.

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Chick Corea, except where noted.

Live

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."So Long Mickey Mouse"Stanley Clarke6:53
2."The Musician" 7:03
3."Chick's Piano" 4:35
4."Musicmagic"Corea, Gayle Moran6:29
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The Moorish Warrior and Spanish Princess"Clarke6:39
2."Come Rain or Come Shine"Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer3:19
3."The Endless Night (part I)"Corea, Moran8:00
4."The Endless Night (part II)"Corea, Moran7:14

Live: The Complete Concert – original vinyl pressing (1978)[4LP]

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Opening '77" 7:07
2."The Endless Night (part 1)"Corea, Moran12:14
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The Endless Night (part 2)"Corea, Moran8:19
2."Introduction of Musicians" 3:44
3."The Musician" 14:03
Side three
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Introduction / Hello Again"Clarke7:41
2."So Long Mickey Mouse"Clarke11:01
3."Musicmagic (part 1)"Corea, Moran3:46
Side four
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Musicmagic (part 2) / Applause"Corea, Moran23:45
Side five
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Introduction / Come Rain or Come Shine / Fine and Dandy"Mercer, Arlen; Kay Swift, James Warburg3:55
2."Serenade" 15:01
Side six
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The Moorish Warrior and Spanish Princess"Clarke19:30
Side seven
No.TitleLength
1."Introduction / Chick's Piano Solo"17:05
Side eight
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Spanish Fantasy" 11:20
2."On Green Dolphin Street"Bronisław Kaper, Ned Washington9:21

Live: The Complete Concert (US, 1992)[2CD]

Disc one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Opening '77" 7:10
2."The Endless Night / Introduction of Musicians"Corea, Moran20:23
3."The Musician" 6:58
4."Stanley's Introduction" 1:24
5."Hello Again"Clarke6:02
6."So Long Mickey Mouse"Clarke6:43
7."Musicmagic"Corea, Moran27:26
Disc two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Introduction / Come Rain or Come Shine / Fine and Dandy"Mercer, Arlen; Kay Swift, James Warburg3:55
2."Serenade" 14:53
3."The Moorish Warrior and Spanish Princess"Clarke19:20
4."Stanley's Introduction" 2:02
5."Spanish Fantasy" 24:46
6."Chick's Closing Introductions" 1:09
7."On Green Dolphin Street"Bronisław Kaper, Ned Washington9:35

Live: The Complete Concert – 3 Record Set (Japan, 1993)[3CD]

Disc one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Opening '77" 7:07
2."The Endless Night (part 1)"Corea, Moran12:14
3."The Endless Night (part 2) / Introduction of Musicians"Corea, Moran12:02
4."The Musician" 14:03
Disc two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Introduction / Hello Again"Clarke7:41
2."So Long Mickey Mouse"Clarke11:01
3."Musicmagic (part 1)"Corea, Moran3:46
4."Musicmagic (part 2) / Applause"Corea, Moran23:45
Disc three
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Introduction / Come Rain or Come Shine / Fine and Dandy"Mercer, Arlen; Kay Swift, James Warburg3:56
2."Serenade" 15:03
3."The Moorish Warrior and Spanish Princess"Clarke19:39
4."Introduction / Chick's Piano Solo" 17:08
5."Spanish Fantasy" 11:53
6."On Green Dolphin Street"Bronisław Kaper, Ned Washington8:49

Live: The Complete Concert – 3 Record Set (Japan, 2011)[3CD]

Disc one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Opening '77" 7:09
2."The Endless Night"Corea, Moran20:30
3."Chick Corea: Spoken Intro of the Musicians" 3:43
4."The Musician" 14:04
Disc two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Stanley Clarke: Spoken Intro to Hello Again / So Long Mickey Mouse" 1:38
2."Hello Again"Clarke6:02
3."So Long Mickey Mouse"Clarke10:51
4."Musicmagic"Corea, Moran27:57
Disc three
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Come Rain or Come Shine / Fine and Dandy"Mercer, Arlen; Kay Swift, James Warburg3:55
2."Stanley Clarke: Spoken Intro to Serenade" 0:58
3."Serenade" 13:56
4."Chick Corea: Spoken Intro to The Moorish Warrior and Spanish Princess" 1:05
5."The Moorish Warrior and Spanish Princess"Clarke18:16
6."Stanley Clarke: Spoken Intro to Chick Corea's Piano Solo" 2:01
7."Chick's Piano Solo" 14:31
8."Spanish Fantasy" 11:21
9."On Green Dolphin Street"Bronisław Kaper, Ned Washington9:30

Personnel

Chart performance

Year Chart Position
1978 Billboard 200 155[3]
1978 Billboard Jazz Albums 12[3]

References

  1. ^ Yanow, Scott. "Return to Forever - Live: Complete Concert (1978, Remastered 1992, 2CD) album review | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 20 July 2011.
  2. ^ Payne, Doug (14 July 2011). "Return to Forever - The Complete Columbia Albums Collection (2011, 5CD Box Set) album review". dougpayne.blogspot.com.
  3. ^ a b "Return to Forever - Live: Complete Concert (1978) | Awards | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 27 October 2013.

External links

Return to Forever
Chick Corea
Authority control databases
Categories