Curtis Mayfield - Curtis/Live!

We're A Winner!

this is a great live album Curtis Mayfield recorded at New York City's Bitter End in the very early 70's (pre SuperFly days). This is SO 1970's that you can even hear members of the audience yelling out "Right On!". He does some hits by the Impressions ("People Get Ready", "We're A Winner", "Gypsy Woman"), some new (at the time) songs, and they all come off beautifully. PLUS two bonus tracks, including a live version of Superfly from 1973. An intimate setting, good recording, and great music with a message. I love this CD. Great live Soul music at its' best. March 12, 2008

Classic live album

A damn fine live album, made up of some Impressions hits ("People Get Ready", "Mighty Mighty (Spade and Whitey)", "Check Out Your Mind", "Gypsy Woman", "We're a Winner") that sound urgent and fresh even without the harmonies. They're also considerably rawer and funkier than the Impressions' smooth originals You also get a few songs that never found their way onto a studio album - I love the minimalist funk of "Stare and Stare" especially, with Curtis taking a memorable wah'ed guitar solo, though I also like the spiritual "I Plan to Stay a Believer". And a cover of the Carpenters' hit "We've Only Just Begun", believe it or not. He also totally reworks several songs from Curtis! - I actually prefer this version of "The Makings of You" to the more famous studio take, because the simpler arrangement allows us to focus on the Curtis' knowing lyrics, while "We the People Who Are Darker Than Blue"'s funk section is transformed into an exciting percussion breakdown, and "(Don't Worry) If There's a Hell Below, We're All Going to Go" actually takes on what is close to a proto-rap arrangement - not in the vocal delivery, but in the emphasis on the awesome percussionist, Harry Gibson. To make things better, Curtis' between-song raps show his easygoing sense of humor - unlike a lot of live stage banter, it sounds natural rather than forced. He actually sounds interested in talking with the audience, rather than shouting out generic "All right, New York! Are you ready to rock? I can't hear you, over all the roooock!" comments. I have a couple small complaints, neither of them related to the music: the sound quality is kinda shoddy, and there's no variety whatsoever in the arrangements. But it's worth it for the guitar solos on "Stone Junkie" alone. February 23, 2008

certainly the greatest live soul recording ever...

Another reviewer wrote that they think this is one of the best live albums ever, and I would be inclined to agree. This is Curtis at the top of his game- the songs, the band, everything is in place on this recording- the venue is intimate and the crowd is pumped, reponding positively to Curtis' politically-charged lyrics and pushing him deeper into the music. The Impressions songs are updated to a sleek, funky sound and the 70's material is delivered in a righteous,soulful style. This album is the bomb.
May 20, 2007

Saltine Like Me (Whitey's Review)

'Curtis Live' is often heralded as one of the finest live performances ever recorded. I think that's a bit of a streatch, even though it is a fine disc, and even allowing for my Cracker roots. I do believe Curtis had the capacity to produce an elite disc, but the track selection would certainly have to include some of his choice compositions which are omitted here, such as 'Keep On Pushin' and 'I'm So Proud'. There is ample room in the setlist for these gems, considering the inclusion of numbers such as 'Stare and Stare' and 'The Makings of You'. Nevertheless, I thank Rhino Records and Curtis and Crew for taking me back on a nostalgic trip to Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan in the early 1970's, where the black student union held beer bashes in the Student Center every other Friday (I was in the first high school class allowed to drink at age 18), and always supplied a Curtis Mayfield or Funkadelic sound-alike band for our impaired enjoyment.

I prefer the stipped down band Curtis brought to The Bitter End in New York's Greenwich Village in January of 1971. Sans strings and horns, it's easy to groove to Curtis' funky wah-pedal rhythm guitar, and Henry Gibson's (NOT the "verrrrrryyyy interesssting..." Henry Gibson from 'Laugh-In') wonderfully understated percussion sounds throughout the concert. Joseph 'Lucky' Scott doesn't turn up the volume on his bass until Curtis kicks into the Constitutional sounding 'We the People..." on track 14, but when he does it cranks the concert into high gear. Aside from 'Check Out Your Mind' and 'Gypsy Woman', the previous tracks really wouldn't benefit from a thundering bass anyway. The excellent trio of 'We're a Winner' (with its sweet aside of, "Lordy, mercy, we're movin' on up"), the unlikely but thoroughly perfect 'We've Only Just Begun' (Curtis can almost make you forget Karen Carpenter's smooth delivery with his own silken strains), and the evangelizing 'People Get Ready' benefit most from subdued support for Mayfield's soulful vocals.

Lacking the black consciousness and experience with the ghetto and serious drug abuse, I have trouble identifying with some of the tracks, and much of it just seems way too dependent upon racial awareness for a white guy. At times, especially on the more laid back tracks such as 'People Get Ready', there is a bit too much crowd noise generated in the intimate confines of this club-like atmosphere. Unlike many white concertgoers, however, at least our black brothers and sisters know when to kick in with a "That's right", or "Tell It" from the front row.

My favorite track on the disc is '(Don't Worry) If There's a Hell Below We're All Gonna Go', with Curtis delivering the chorus in a manner all but screaming RAP MUSIC! Scott's prominent bass lines are now joined by some slick lead guitar by Craig McCullen as the concert hits a peak. Rhino wisely added the bonus track 'Superfly' from a 1973 performance in Chicago, this time with a horn section present. This last track was recorded by radio station WTTW and sounds distant in contrast to the intimate feel one gets from The Bitter End recordings.

The 2000 Rhino remastered reissue of this recording comes nicely packaged with extensive liner notes detailing Mayfield's career, dating back to the 1950's, and culminating with his passing in 1999. Despite listing the tracks three times, however, Rhino fails to offer the running times, something many CD producers have apparently decided is superfluous information. Another curious aspect of the disc is assigning Curtis' between song monologues with the audience 'track status'. This disc really only contains 13 seperate songs (the second bonus track is simply the edited version of track one which was released as a single for AM radio), but it's listed as 18 tracks. The term 'rap' of course meant 'to discuss openly' in the 1970's, but Rhino's treatment of these asides makes one at least expect some Muhammad Ali-like rhythmic rhyming. Not. Nevertheless, a choice disc from a choice artist, even for Saltines like me. December 3, 2005

Lacking

ONLY(guitars, congas, bass, drums. PERIOD)It would be a fantastic CD if the band would've had some horns..e.g. there are no saxaphones or trumpets..The REAL Curtis Mayfield fan will recognize this because Mayfield is not only NOTED for his LYRICS, but for Particular MUSIC SOUND..I'm still a huge MAYFIELD fan, but was disappointed on this one. October 13, 2005

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