Chicago - the band
 

I have an old school CD player, if you can believe it. So here I am drinking a nice Cab. Making pizza. And playing Chicago GH. And just damn. What a great band.

I came across this the other day.

1974 New Year's Rockin' Eve. Beach Boys on background vocals, Terry Kath on bass and Peter Cetera on guitar. Excellent !

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My older brother had a 65 or whatever VW Bug with a Kraco 8 track and some of those ****ty 6" round speakers with the perforated chrome grills when this album came out. CTA was pretty inspirational stuff to a 10 year old dork in the passenger seat of his older brother's car..

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Saw them twice in the early 70's....a very popular band then.

Tickets were all the same price then...general admission. The early birds got the best area to stand/sit. The second time I saw them the waiting line, for doors to open got worse and worse until the shoving broke a glass door down and injured a few fans.

I was in the stream of people that got shoved thru with no chance of doing otherwise.

We saw them a few years ago. There is only one original member left. They sounded great.

They changed direction entirely with the death of Terry Kath. Still a fantastic band, just not my cup of tea after that. I very much prefer their early sound, their harder rocking sound, to the later ballad centric sound. No arguing their success with that sound, though, probably far more successful than they would have been with Kath still around.

Saw them live with Little River Band maybe 25 years ago. I have IX on vinyl and If You Leave Me Now on CD.

Best part imo is the varied sounds they are so good at. Lots of brass and an almost Motown sound earlier and then a very yacht rock (not at all an insult IMO) sound later. From Wishing You Were Here to Saturday in the Park to If You Leave Me Now. Just epic stuff all around. I had read they are one of a few bands who purposely made it about the band as a whole and not the individuals within.

Could they possibly be the greatest band ever? No Tell Lover, Color My World, 25 or 6 to 4....I mean seriously every song is just full of depth and texture and effort. BIG FAN!

I'm feeling the vibe man, love it!!!

I know nothing about Chicago, but I heard Old Days today. I remembered it from my youth, and then this post appeared. Just had to comment.

I was not a super fan, but I bought this belt the summer of 76, when I was a senior in high school.

I just put it around my waist, and it appears to have shrunk by several inches…🤪

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1767847105.jpg

Make Me Smile is essential for my funeral party sound track.

Oop. Funeral Party Soundtrack sounds like a brand new thread...

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My father, who was a musician and band leader in the late 40s, was dismayed when my older brother brought home the CTA debut album. My father loved it. And he was a firm believer that no father could reasonably be expected to have the same taste in music as their son.

About 10 years later, we introduced him to Aja. He was floored.

only the first 2 albums are worth it. First one particularly.

If you have the time you should watch the "Now More Than Ever" Documentary, It's pretty good. Snortatorium!

My older brother had a Chicago poster on his wall when we were teens. He used to listen to their albums all the time. Make Me Smile was his favorite song. He never got to see them in concert but he still likes their music. I do too which is why I saw the best Chicago tribute band, Leonid and Friends, recently.