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.
The original release was a single LP with a cover featuring the MoMA version of Pablo Picasso'sThree 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.
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