CHICAGO
Chicago is an American rock band formed in 1967 in Chicago, Illinois. The self-described “rock and roll band with horns” began as a politically charged, sometimes experimental, rock band and later moved to a predominantly softer sound, generating several hit ballads. The group had a steady stream of hits throughout the 1970s and 1980s. According to Billboard, Chicago was the leading US singles charting group during the 1970’s. Over the course of their career they have had five number-one albums and 21 top-ten singles. Second only to The Beach Boys in Billboard singles and albums chart success among American bands, Chicago is one of the longest-running and most successful rock groups, and one of the world’s best-selling groups of all time, having sold more than 100 million records. (More from Wikipedia)
Until Chicago came along with their Roman numeral series, the Outsiders had perhaps the most boring series of album names of the time: Besides the first that was named for their hit song, Time Won’t Let Me – and was originally going to be called simply The Outsiders – the others were Album #2, The Outsiders In and Happening Live!. Their recordings had judicious use of horns and paved the way for other bands like Blood, Sweat and Tears, the Buckinghams and Chicago that were more heavily dominated by their brass sections.
(February 2010)
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“Feedback” starts off with feedback-drenched guitar echo that is among the best I have heard – certainly better than “Free Form Guitar” on Chicago’s first album Chicago Transit Authority, or the side-long “Cambridge 1969” by John Lennon and Yoko Ono that was included on their follow-up to Two Virgins, Unfinished Music No. 2: Life with the Lions – then again, Index went on to do a real song rather than just waving their guitar in front of the amp.
(March 2011)
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The Beatles made the decision in August 1966 to quit touring and become strictly a studio band – few rock bands have done this as it is difficult to make a living as a musician on album sales alone. This freed them to be experimental in their later albums by creating music that would be nearly impossible to recreate in an arena. I am reminded of a comment that one band made who performed at the college when I was a freshman at North Carolina State University (I think it was Chicago). Audience members were calling out requests; at one point, one of the bandmembers said: “No, we haven’t learned that one yet.” It didn’t occur to me for decades that turning out a song in a studio and learning to play it live at a concert could be two very different things.
(June 2015)
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I decided this year that it was way past time that I made a big-time purchase at Maynard’s Music, “the” record store on the Mississippi Gulf Coast; and I made off with a half shelf of great finds. I have made 11 (!) orders from my buddies at Bomp! mailorder in Burbank, California in 2019, though I already told them that they could put off delivering the last 2 until after the first of the year.
While at my 50th High School Reunion, I kept a promise to look over my good friend Cynthia Jennings’s record collection. I took the records with me to my brother Tom’s house in Winston-Salem where I was staying, and I started going through them the day after – two big boxes full. I figured, maybe I would take home 20 or 30 albums like usual when I do a little record-shopping on a trip; but I kept finding albums that I did not have yet. She had a bunch of Chicago albums, but not the first two that I already had. Same with Joni Mitchell – no overlaps that I could remember. It kept going on and on like that. When I finally got to the end, I had found precisely one album that I wanted but already had – Beck, Bogert & Appice. Coincidentally, that happened to be the album that was on top of the haul from Maynard’s Music on my record racks back home. Naturally I took that one also. The albums are still at my brother’s house, though hopefully, I have arranged a caravan that will eventually bring them down here by the end of next year.
(Year 10 Review)
