The View From My Window - Chicago (the band)
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Chicago V- |
I have been a fan of the immortal Illinois jazz-fusion/pop-rock band Chicago since 1972, when the song "Saturday In The Park" came out. The experimental rock of their "Old Days" was something to behold. It was like nothing ever done before or since. It was very fiery indeed, and was loaded with social and political commentary. My all-time favorite song by anyone is "Saturday In The Park". I also love "Stay The Night", "Along Comes A Woman", "Beginnings", (I've Been) Searching So Long", "Feeling Stronger Every Day", "25 Or 6 To 4", their awesome heavy metal remake of the Spencer Davis Group's "I'm A Man", and Dialogue. The Ballet For A Girl In Buchannon, inspired by Johann Sebastian Bach's "Brandenburg Concertos", and which spawned "Make Me Smile" and "Colour My World", is also incredible, especially live. Chicago V is my favorite album by anyone. They, along with Led Zeppelin, dominated the 1970s. Chicago had a string of five number one albums in a row, and in 1974 and 1975, became the only artist ever, group or solo, to have their entire catalog in the Billboard Top 100 Charts for the years in question. And their stunning debut album, Chicago Transit Authority, is still considered one of the best-selling debut albums of all time. And Chicago V is considered their high-water mark, and in my honest opinion, the greatest album ever released by a US-based rock band. The music and sound is pure technicolor, and is so varied in the styles of music performed that it was unlike anything ever done before by a US-based group. Its only rivals from a pure talent, commercial, and musical standpoint are The Beach Boys "Pet Sounds", and The Eagles "Hotel California". Other great Chicago albums include Chicago (II), III, Carnegie Hall, VI, VII, VIII, X, XI, 16, 17, 81, and 19. Also the never-released Stone Sisyphus, has become a bootleg classic, and is obtainable. Chicago XXX is their current album, featuring the releases "Feel", "King Of Might Have Been", "Love Will Come Back", and other excellent songs include "90 Degrees And Freezing", "Already Gone", "Lovin' Chains", and "Come To Me, Do". And, their early album covers are now considered graphic art masterpieces, and the logo is the most famous in rock history. John Berg and Nick Fasciano conceived the logo in 1970 for the second album, and it is perhaps the only successful attempt at corporate identity in popular music history. It adorns all albums since Chicago II, except for a hint of it on Chicago 21. It was not planned for use on the ill-fated Stone of Sisyphus. The band is now comprised of a few different members since they started, but they still sound really good in most of their songs. They release mostly ballads now, but some of the music still has some serious guts. Chicago started in February 1967, and February 2007 marks their 40th Anniversary since forming in Walt Parazaider's South Side Chicago apartment. The original band members were keyboardist Robert Lamm, woodwinds player Walt Parazaider, trombonist and brass arranger James Pankow, trumpeter Lee Loughname, drummer Danny Seraphine, and guitarist Terry Kath. The first bassist, Peter Cetera, joined after leaving the Chicago-area nightclub band The Exceptions just prior to the band's move to Los Angeles in 1968. They were originally known as the Big Thing, and then were renamed to Chicago Transit Authority, for their first album in 1969. They were renamed Chicago and adopted their logo in 1970, after a threatened lawsuit by the real Chicago Transit Authority. During the height of their '70s success, original guitarist Terry Kath died of an accidental, self-inflicted gunshot wound. Then, in early 1986, Peter Cetera, the great bass player / vocalist, went solo. And then in the early 1990s, original drummer Danny Seraphine was fired. Chicago's story is told on their website, but it would be unfair to go without recognizing the contributions of guitarists Chris Pinnick, Dawayne Bailey, and Donnie Dacus. Even though they don't get mentioned like I think they should, I wanted to get in a good word for them, and a job well done. I'm sure Terry Kath is smiling down on them. Each one offered their own special way of guitar playing to the music, and helped give the music some freshness over the years. Bailey was with them for almost a decade, and was recently inducted into the Kansas Music Hall of Fame, for his work with both Chicago and Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band. Congratulations, Dawayne, for a richly deserved honor. Other members of Chicago have included Laudir de Oliveira, Bill Champlin, Tris Imboden, Keith Howland, and Jason Scheff. De Oliveira came from Brazil, and provided a Latin groove in the mid-and-late 1970s. Champlin came from the Sons of Champlin, a popular San Francisco Bay-area band in the late 60s, and wrote the Grammy Award winning song "After The Love Is Gone" for Earth, Wind & Fire. Tris Imboden joined Chicago as drummer in 1990, and Scheff took over for Peter Cetera when Cetera decided to pursue a solo career. Howland restored some of Kath's style to Chicago's music, which has won him acceptance amnong many of Chicago's fans. Scheff had some big hits, including "What Kind Of Man Would I Be?", "Will You Still Love Me?", and "If She Would Have Been Faithful". However, I consider his best performance with Chicago to be his effort on the title track - his take on Cole Porter's "Night & Day", from the Chicago album with the same name. Although they haven't made the Rock 'N Roll Hall Of Fame yet, they are considered to be one of the finest rock groups ever, and the most prolific hit-making American rock band of all-time. While this figure is debatable, some sources credit them with shipping 120 million units (albums and singles) over their 40-year career. For me, they will always rule! Visit Chicago's official website for the story and the latest on this incredible band. |
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