Description
Live! at Carnegie Hall is a live album by the American power rock trio Glass Harp featuring guitarist Phil Keaggy, independently released on Canis Major in 1997, a division of John August Music. The live album was recorded at Carnegie Hall on November 21, 1971, with Lewis Merenstein producing.
28 minutes of «Can You See Me»? A daunting proposition, but one I would be ready for – one day. After all, this is Phil Keaggy! That’s what I told myself when I picked up this CD. “Oh, no,” I can hear you say — “too much hippie music!!” Some of the preconceived notions about this CD recorded in 1971 in New York City at one of the world’s most prestigious venues. Opening for the Kinks that night, this Ohio band had 45 minutes and, according to the CD’s adequate liner notes, the band was ready. They had opened for all the heavies that came thru the Midwest: Traffic, Yes and Grand Funk just to name a few. They often played to audiences of 20,000 or more. Carnegie Hall seemed small compared to that – still, the band was worried that the New York audience would not take to them or that they wouldn’t play well enough They needn’t have worried. Nearly 54 minutes of music here. Yes, Phil Keaggy is the showcase. He is quite phenomenal, getting loads of various sounds and ideas. Add to that some blinding speed and accuracy — and most important, never losing the sense of melody in the music and you have Phil at his best. But it isn’t only him. It is the band’s chemistry. John Sferra (drums and guitar) and Keaggy had been in hands together since junior high. Dan Pecchio added bass, flute, harmonica and a strong singing voice to the band. They also had a top rate presence in Lewis Merenstein who had produced the Van Morrison albums Astral Weeks and Moondance. It is one of those things that just worked. It could happen that way in the magical late ‘60s, early ‘70s This CD will not bore you. Remember the period in which it was recorded. Set aside time to enjoy it. Yes, there is a drum solo – a short and creative one, at that. Get an earful of Keaggy – he is amazing here. Dig the interplay of these guys. Togetherness. A very fitting view of the band live. Another thing – at this time the entire band were believers. There are no holds barred on the lyrical presentation. BF 53:51 [Ken Scott, The Archivist, 4th edition]
> Apple Music (https://music.apple.com/us/album/glass-harp-live-at-carnegie-hall/425439945)
CD tracklist:
01. Look In The Sky – 10:16
02. Never Is A Long Time – 3:33
03. Do Lord – 3:59
04. Changes – 6:27
05. Can You See Me – 28:56
Note: Available at Bandcamp: https://glassharp.bandcamp.com/album/live-at-carnegie-hall
The self-titled debut album by Glass Harp was released on Decca Records in 1970, recorded at Electric Lady Studios and produced by Lewis Merenstein. A second Decca album, Synergy, followed in 1971 with the attendant touring and press coverage. Plans were put in place to produce a third album – a live project – to be recorded at Carnegie Hall on November 21, 1971. The Kinks had top billing that night. Glass Harp were to open the evening with a 45-minute set, which would actually run eight minutes overtime, with the band receiving a thunderous ovation at the end of their hour-long set. The show was recorded with the help of a mobile recording unit parked outside with Merenstein producing. As it turned out, though, it was decided that another studio album should be scheduled for release ahead of the live project. The outcome, It Makes Me Glad, would be the third and final contemporary release for the band. Soon afterwords Phil Keaggy left the band. His last concert date with Glass Harp was August 8, 1972 in New York. Thus the scheduled live album never was released, until the re-united band released the recording independently on CD in 1997.
Upon leaving Glass Harp Phil Keaggy launched his solo carrier. His first solo album, ‘What a Day‘, was released in June 1973. The album had been recorded in Cleveland over just six days in January 1973…all performed by Keaggy, with a single engineer in the room. Keaggy soon moved to California, where he joined the pioneering Christian country rock band Love Song for a short periode of time. The summer of 1974 Keaggy re-located at the east coast. Keaggy soon joined singer/songwriter Paul Clark, together with the rhythm section of Love Song, and this constellation recorded two albums billed as Paul Clark and Friends, Come Into His Presence released in 1974 and Good To Be Home released the following year. In 1976 Keaggy released his sophomore solo album, Love Broke Thru, and the following year he also recorded a live album together with 2nd Chapter of Acts, entitled How the West Was One. Many more solo albums followed.
On his 1981 album, ‘Town To Town‘, Keaggy describes the live concert at Carnegie in the song «Wished You Were There» (“We performed the Carnegie Hall live set/ And gave them more than we expected”). And the track «I’ve Just Begun (Again)» from the 1988-release ‘Sunday’s Child‘ actually starts of with a shirt sample from the Carnegie concert.
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