Recorded in November 1975, Greatest Stories Live showcases the legendary live performance styles of acoustic troubadour and noted activist Harry Chapin.
Recorded over three nights on-stage in California, the double-LP set features all the hits as well as a few notable album cuts that put the musician's musical and personal skills out on the line for all to see.
There are the obvious inclusions of touching hits, like "W*O*L*D," "Taxi," and of course the father-son anthem "Cats in the Cradle." "Mr.
Tanner" and the heartfelt "I Wanna Learn a Love Song" also come across great in the live environment, a setting that was clearly the singer/songwriter's forte.
Chapin has a fantastic rapport with the audience throughout the set, and it comes through with incredible results on his humorous banter before and during the rousing and set-highlighting "30,000 Pounds of Bananas," a great track about Scranton, PA, and a runaway fruit truck.
Sure it may sound a little hokey, but Chapin is a true showman and the fun he has on-stage transfers directly into the joy of listening to the record.
A fine musician and individual, Chapin's Greatest Stories Live comes close to living up to its name and is a fitting document of a man whose boundless joy and insight shined through in his music.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dreams Go ByHarry Chapin | Harry Chapin | Play | 04:54 | 11 MB | 28 MB |
| 2 | W*O*L*DHarry Chapin | Harry Chapin | Play | 05:04 | 11 MB | 29 MB |
| 3 | Saturday Morning | Harry Chapin | Play | 03:05 | 7 MB | 15 MB |
| 4 | I Wanna Learn a Love SongHarry Chapin | Harry Chapin | Play | 05:04 | 11 MB | 28 MB |
| 5 | Mr. TannerHarry Chapin | Harry Chapin | Play | 05:17 | 12 MB | 28 MB |
| 6 | A Better Place to BeHarry Chapin | Harry Chapin | Play | 09:59 | 22 MB | 50 MB |
| 7 | Let Time Go Lightly | Harry Chapin | Play | 04:56 | 11 MB | 24 MB |
| 8 | Cat's in the CradleHarry Chapin, Sandy Chapin | Harry Chapin | Play | 04:04 | 9 MB | 22 MB |
| 9 | TaxiHarry Chapin | Harry Chapin | Play | 06:53 | 15 MB | 38 MB |
| 10 | CircleHarry Chapin | Harry Chapin | Play | 07:21 | 16 MB | 45 MB |
| 11 | 30,000 Pounds of BananasHarry Chapin | Harry Chapin | Play | 11:28 | 26 MB | 60 MB |
| 12 | The Shortest Story | Harry Chapin | Play | 02:25 | 5 MB | 11 MB |
| 70 mins | 161 MB | |||||
| 70 mins | 382 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ron Bacchiocchi | Clavinet, Handclapping, Percussion, Synthesizer |
| 2 | Ed Bednarski | Clarinet |
| 3 | Tim Bryant | Design |
| 4 | Ken Caillat | Engineer |
| 5 | Greg Calbi | Engineer, Mastering |
| 6 | Harry Chapin | Composer, Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic), Liner Notes, Primary Artist, Vocals |
| 7 | Sandy Chapin | Composer |
| 8 | Stephen Chapin | Piano, Producer, Synthesizer, Synthesizer Strings, Vocals (Background) |
| 9 | Steve Chapin | Piano, Producer, Vocals |
| 10 | Tom Chapin | Banjo, Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Vocals (Background) |
| 11 | Glen Christensen | Art Direction |
| 12 | Terry Dunavan | Assistant Engineer |
| 13 | Micky Erbe | Mixing Supervision |
| 14 | Chrissy Faith | Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 15 | Cheryl Ferrio | Handclapping, Vocals |
| 16 | Howie Fields | Drums |
| 17 | Paul Gabriel | Handclapping |
| 18 | Susan Graham-White | Vocals |
| 19 | Fred Kewley | Producer |
| 20 | Jimmy Keyes | Handclapping |
| 21 | David Kondziela | Vocals (Background) |
| 22 | Paul Leka | Arranger, Clavinet, Keyboards, Piano, Producer |
| 23 | Michael Masters | Cello |
| 24 | Tim Moore | Keyboards, Piano |
| 25 | Bruce Morgan | Mixing |
| 26 | Mark Mundy | Vocals |
| 27 | Ronald Palmer | Guitar, Vocals |
| 28 | Don Payne | Bass |
| 29 | Kathy Ramos | Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 30 | Raeanne Rubenstein | Photography |
| 31 | Allan Schwartzberg | Drums |
| 32 | Allen Schwarzberg | Drums |
| 33 | Tim Scott | Cello |
| 34 | Frank Simms | Vocals (Background) |
| 35 | George Simms | Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 36 | Bob Smith | Handclapping |
| 37 | Bob Smith | Handclapping |
| 38 | Ken Smith | Handclapping, Percussion |
| 39 | Tom Smith | Handclapping |
| 40 | Mike Solomon | Mixing |
| 41 | Scott Spray | Handclapping |
| 42 | Bob Springer | Castanets, Chimes, Congas, Handclapping, Percussion |
| 43 | John Stewart | Mixing |
| 44 | John Tropea | Guitar, Guitar (Electric) |
| 45 | Betsy Wager | Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 46 | Doug Walker | Bass, Guitar, Guitar (Electric), Vocals (Background) |
| 47 | Big John Wallace | Bass, Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 48 | Sue White | Vocals (Background) |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |