The Guess Who - Live at the Paramount

the guess who live CD

I had a cassett version of this album from the 70's. the CD version is fantastic plus some extra tracks. brought back a lot of memories.
Great!!
August 8, 2008

A Very Addictive CD

Since I got this Saturday before last, I must have played this thing at least 20 times (much to the detriment of my neighbors, but I'm trying to enlighten them, right?). This has to rank as one of the best live albums ever. Here the Guess Who had gone through three personnel shifts in as many years, and they still sound tight. This is a document of a seriously kick-butt rock and roll band, and to hear it freshly remastered (with a bunch of extra material) is a revelation. Winter and McDougal play so well off of each other, Cummings is in top form, and Kale and Peterson drive the band along with clockwork precision. What I always enjoyed about the original release was (like The Allman's 'Live At The Fillmore') is that they threw in new material, so you weren't just getting a live 'greatest hits' package. 'Runnin' Back To Saskatoon' is one of my all-time favorites from these guys, and 'Truckin' Off Across The Sky' is a happily demented piece and 'Glace Bay Blues' puts the new guy in the spotlight- and that there is what I think made this band so good- it wasn't one or two people running the show- everybody was involved and had a stake in the band's success. 'Pain Train' is a much better opener than 'Albert Flasher' on the cassette I had for years (started buying those in '71- I always thought 8-tracks were too Rube Goldbergian). 'Albert', though, is a great piece of piano rock, and it gets a good showing here . Of the new material, 'Rain Dance' and 'Sour Suite' are my favorites, 'Hand Me Down World'and 'No Time' showcase some great harmonys, while 'These Eyes' and 'Share The Land' are kinda weak sounding, but, hey, I love this CD nonetheless. If you want to hear a touring band at top form, this is one of the best. July 10, 2007

This Tune is Homegrown...It's the Great Northern: Guess Who Live!

This was one of my favorite records back in high school. In LP format, RCA tried to cram most of the concert onto one piece of vinyl. For its' time the single LP clocked in at nearly 70 minutes, and it easily could have been turned into a double live package. Happily, this 2000 Buddah re-issue adds six songs left off of the original release. Hailed by the late Lester Bangs as a proto-punk masterpiece when it was originally released, Live at the Paramount, after 35 years, has clearly stood the test of time for being simply one of the greatest live rock records by a legendary Canadian band that was at the the top of their game. Listening to this cd now for me, brings back fond memories of having seen The Guess Who for the first time at the old Buffalo War Memorial Auditorium in October 1972. Even without Randy Bachman, and maybe because of his absence, The Guess Who were freed to rock and sing out with a brash, devil may care and uniquely proud Canadian attitude. The audience was rowdy and their enthusiastic shouts and comments are preserved on this crisp sounding live performance. John Einarson's liner notes are informative about the makings of this record. The Guess Who, with Burton Cummings at the helm from 1971 to 1975, were a very versatile and tight combo, able to move seamlessly from accousic folk and blues, to piano jazz, to ballads, to flat out hard rock anthems. It's no accident that this record is at the top of my best of Canadian rock records list. The extended blues/rock/scat jam "American Woman" is raunchy and powerful and as others have noted, it's worth the price of admission alone! A live strident glorious rock and punk performance that captures the real essence of one of the greatest Canadian rock bands at their musical best, Live at the Paramount is a must for Guess Who fans and it is an indispensible record to add to any essential rock collection. The "roast" beef on this one is that good! June 19, 2007

Best live CD ever - period.

Burton Cummings is in top voice, the band is in top form - anyone who doesnt own this is missing out on something incredibly good. May 22, 2007

Had the 8 track long ago

I keep hearing bits from this album on Deep Tracks on my XM radio and they take me back to the 8 track I had in the 70's not knowing it was an edited recording. I just ordered this cd.Can't wait to have this expanded edition. April 24, 2007

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