Jazz Kat Posted May 25, 2005 Report Posted May 25, 2005 Man they could of been remembered as a great band, but they turned into shit in the 80's. Man when I listen to Chicago Transit Authority, Chicago 2, 3, 4, and 5, I say wow, what great playing, arrangements, etc.. Then when I listen to their 80's crap, it's like two different bands, completely. I hate they did that stuff! I will always love their early stuff, but hearing their pop contemporary 1980's crap just makes me cry. Quote
GregK Posted May 25, 2005 Report Posted May 25, 2005 Man they could of been remembered as a great band, but they turned into shit in the 80's. Man when I listen to Chicago Transit Authority, Chicago 2, 3, 4, and 5, I say wow, what great playing, arrangements, etc.. Then when I listen to their 80's crap, it's like two different bands, completely. I hate they did that stuff! I will always love their early stuff, but hearing their pop contemporary 1980's crap just makes me cry. ← well, yeah, they pretty WERE a different band by then. Terry Kath was dead and Peter Cetera completely took over. Quote
BFrank Posted May 26, 2005 Report Posted May 26, 2005 That live Carnegie Hall box was the last thing I bought. Quote
chris olivarez Posted May 26, 2005 Report Posted May 26, 2005 By the second one I was becoming convinced that they were going down the shit chute. Quote
Dave James Posted May 26, 2005 Report Posted May 26, 2005 They should have quit after their second album. Boy, but that first one when they were still the Chicago Transit Authority...man, that one just burned. I think I wore out the grooves from repeat playings of "I'm a Man." My main bands in the same CTA time frame were Cold Blood, Pacific Gas & Electric and The Sons of Champlin. Season that same pot with some Dan Hicks & The Hot Licks, top it off with a little Lee Michaels and you should be good to go. Up over and out. Quote
Tony Pusey Posted May 26, 2005 Report Posted May 26, 2005 Funny you should mention Cold Blood, Dave, I was wondering when we might see some reissues just the other day.I also dug the Sons and of course the peerless dan Hicks! Quote
Jim Alfredson Posted May 26, 2005 Report Posted May 26, 2005 A lot of good bands never made it out of the 80s. The 80s were an evil time. Quote
clifford_thornton Posted May 26, 2005 Report Posted May 26, 2005 Season that same pot with some Dan Hicks & The Hot Licks, top it off with a little Lee Michaels and you should be good to go. ← I think the word 'pot' is the operative one here... Quote
Free For All Posted May 26, 2005 Report Posted May 26, 2005 (edited) The "top 40" horn bands of the 70s-80s are what initially pointed me in the jazz direction. Chicago, BS&T, Tower of Power, The Crusaders - listening to these ultimately led me to check out the jazz guys, like JJ-via-Wayne Henderson. As corny and redundant as some of these groups became, you don't hear much music on the radio these days that has much if any "arranging". The horn bands had a recognizable sound. I played in a copy band in HS and learned a lot of those Chicago/BS&T/Crusaders horn parts. It's funny, the only singers who could cover Peter Cetera's high vocals were the ladies. I'll bet pretty much every HS from that era at some point copped a Chicago tune title as a dance "theme". "Feelin' Stronger Every Day", "Colour My World", "Beginnings", "Just You'n Me", "I've Been Searchin' So Long", etc. etc. etc. The band Chicago was started by a bunch of DePaul students. Their manager also owns "Demon Dogs", a pretty good hot dog place under the el tracks on Fullerton near DePaul. They have Chicago memorabilia everywhere and play nothing but Chicago on the sound system. I like the band, but if I worked there and had to listen to it every day I'd probably go postal. Edited May 26, 2005 by Free For All Quote
Chrome Posted May 26, 2005 Report Posted May 26, 2005 Mmmmmm ... Demon Dogs! I used to live just a couple of blocks from there ... I'll never forget the smell of Demon Dogs gently wafting through the air as I got off the El ... they were my introduction to the whole Chicago hot dog stand culture! One of the many, many things I miss about Chicago. The band Chicago was started by a bunch of DePaul students. Their manager also owns "Demon Dogs", a pretty good hot dog place under the el tracks on Fullerton near DePaul. They have Chicago memorabilia everywhere and play nothing but Chicago on the sound system. I like the band, but if I worked there and had to listen to it every day I'd probably go postal. ← Quote
Joe G Posted May 26, 2005 Report Posted May 26, 2005 You're the meaning in my life You're the inspiration You bring feeling to my life You're the inspiration Wanna have you near me I wanna have you hear me sayin' No one needs you more than I need you Do women really want to hear mush like that? Sounds pretty damn clingy to me. I apologize if anyone's got an ear worm now. I know I do. Quote
Man with the Golden Arm Posted May 26, 2005 Report Posted May 26, 2005 this past weekend at the ice cream stand downtown the cone slinger girls were bemoaning the music of the high school prom that was the night before. i asked if they played "Colour My World"? they laffed heartily. i guess that shit still transcends generations. Quote
Chrome Posted May 26, 2005 Report Posted May 26, 2005 What happened?!?! Demon dogs is closed....or is closing soon. ← Quote
sal Posted May 26, 2005 Report Posted May 26, 2005 What happened?!?! Not exactly sure, Chrome. I'm disappointed as well....ate many dogs there throughout my life. Demon dogs is closed....or is closing soon. ← ← Quote
Robert J Posted May 26, 2005 Report Posted May 26, 2005 You're the meaning in my life You're the inspiration You bring feeling to my life You're the inspiration Wanna have you near me I wanna have you hear me sayin' No one needs you more than I need you Do women really want to hear mush like that? Sounds pretty damn clingy to me. I apologize if anyone's got an ear worm now. I know I do. ← Oh god - I was in a band (late high school) and we played that tune more than a few times. I had that electric piano thing going well as I recall (cringe). I do remember Catera wrote in some odd keys or there were some changes you wouldn't expect. Still, early 80s shite. (Oh no - another bad memory - accompanying a singer who belted out "Let's hear it for the boy" (Madonna) Now that's ear worm (or grub) torture. Now that I think of it, I accompanyed a lot of bad 80s tunes for singers. Quote
Guy Berger Posted May 26, 2005 Report Posted May 26, 2005 They should have quit after their second album. Boy, but that first one when they were still the Chicago Transit Authority...man, that one just burned. I think it's alright, not great. Guy Quote
Big Al Posted May 26, 2005 Report Posted May 26, 2005 For me, they’ve been boring from album one! HOWEVER, I’ve always been a sucker for “Hard Habit to Break.” Something about the bridge before the last verse, the vocals doing that “just can’t go on” over the David Foster schmaltz that was so prevalent back then, and then that fadeout. My GOD that fadeout!!! I always used to get mad at radio stations that faded the song out right as the fadeout was beginning! I know..... I need help! Quote
JSngry Posted May 26, 2005 Report Posted May 26, 2005 If you really like those first 2 or 3 Chicago albums, you owe it to yourself to check out two albums by another Windy City band, The Buckinghams, from 1967 & 1968 (before Chicago per se existed). These were both produced and arranged by James William Guercio (Chicago's producer through most of the 1970s). Both Buckinhams albums have more than a few moments that will strongly remind you of Chicago (the band). Based on the recorded evidence, it could well be argued that the style of those early albums owed more than a little to Guercio! The songwriting on these Buckinghams albums isn't always the greatest, but the arrangements and production definitely point at things to come in the near future out of Chicago Transit Authority/Chicago, and Time & Charges was actually a bit of an "underground sensation" in certain rock critical circles of the time. Anybody who finds/found the CTA album "innovative" or some such will likely be surprised at what they hear in these albums! Quote
Free For All Posted May 26, 2005 Report Posted May 26, 2005 What happened?!?! Not exactly sure, Chrome. I'm disappointed as well....ate many dogs there throughout my life. Demon dogs is closed....or is closing soon. ← ← ← Wow, that's a drag. It seemed like a good location, right under the el. I know they got me many times from the smell alone. I wonder if it will continue to be a hot dog joint? I guess change is inevitable, but it's still depressing. Quote
Dave James Posted May 26, 2005 Report Posted May 26, 2005 (edited) Tony, The last catalog from Collector's Choice featured two Cold Blood reissues, their self-titled debut and, I think, Sisyphus. Lydia Pense's take on "I'm a Good Woman" from that very first album remains to this day one of my all-time favorites. Jim, Was this the same Buckinghams that did "Kind of a Drag" or am I mixing them up with sombody else? Up over and out. Edited May 26, 2005 by Dave James Quote
A Lark Ascending Posted May 26, 2005 Report Posted May 26, 2005 I love the first three albums. I think I aclimatised to the sound of brass/reeds on those records. Good tunes, interesting arrangements, a distinctive sound. Dodgy political thinking! I wonder if they still dedicate their albums to 'the revolution'? Quote
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