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According to Billboard chart statistics, Chicago is second only to the Beach Boys as the most successful American rock band of all time, in terms of both albums and singles. Judged by album sales, as certified by the R.I.A.A., the band does not rank quite so high, but it is still among the Top Ten best-selling U.S. groups ever. If such statements of fact surprise, that's because Chicago has been singularly underrated since the beginning of its long career, both because of its musical ambitions (to the musicians, rock is only one of several styles of music to be used and blended, along with classical, jazz, R&B, and pop) and because of its refusal to emphasize celebrity over the music. The result has been that fundamentalist rock critics have consistently failed to appreciate its music and that its media profile has always been low. At the same time, however, Chicago has succeeded in the ways it intended to. From the beginning of its emergence as a national act, it has been able to fill arenas with satisfied fans. And beyond the impressive sales and chart statistics, its music has endured, played constantly on the radio and instantly familiar to tens of millions. When, in 2002, Chicago's biggest hits were assembled together on the two-disc set The Very Best of Chicago: Only the Beginning and the album debuted in the Top 50, giving the band the distinction of having had chart albums in five consecutive decades, the music industry and some music journalists may have been startled. But the fans who had been supporting Chicago for over 30 years were not.
Chicago marked the confluence of two distinct, but intermingling musical strains in Chicago, IL, in the mid-'60s: an academic approach and one coming from the streets. Reed player Walter Parazaider (born March 14, 1945, in Chicago, IL), trumpeter Lee Loughnane (born October 21, 1946, in Chicago, IL), and trombonist James Pankow (born August 20, 1947, in St. Louis, MO) were all music students at DePaul University. But they moonlighted in the city's clubs, playing everything from R&B to Irish music, and there they encountered less-formally educated, but no-less-talented players like guitarist Terry Kath (born January 31, 1946, in Chicago, IL; died January 23, 1978, in Los Angeles, CA) and drummer Danny Seraphine (born August 28, 1948, in Chicago, IL). In the mid-'60s, most rock groups followed the instrumentation of the Beatles -- two guitars, bass, and drums -- and horn sections were heard only in R&B. But in the summer of 1966, the Beatles used horns on "Got to Get You into My Life" on their Revolver album and, as usual, pop music began to follow their lead. At the end of the year, the Buckinghams, a Chicago band guided by a friend of Parazaider's, James William Guercio, scored a national hit with the horn-filled "Kind of a Drag," which went on to hit number one in February 1967. That was all the encouragement Parazaider and his friends needed. Parazaider called a meeting of the band-to-be at his apartment on February 15, 1967, inviting along a talented organist and singer he had run across, Robert Lamm (born October 13, 1944, in New York, NY [Brooklyn]). Lamm agreed to join and also said he could supply the missing bass sounds to the ensemble using the organ's foot pedals (a skill he had not actually acquired at the time). Developing a repertoire of James Brown and Wilson Pickett material, the new band rehearsed in Parazaider's parents' basement before beginning to get gigs around town under the name the Big Thing. Soon, they were playing around the Midwest. By this time, Guercio had become a staff producer at Columbia Records, and he encouraged the band to begin developing original songs. Kath, and especially Lamm, took up the suggestion. (Soon, Pankow also became a major writer for the band.) Meanwhile, the sextet became a septet when Peter Cetera (born September 13, 1944, in Chicago, IL), singer and bassist for a rival Midwest band, the Exceptions, agreed to defect and join the Big Thing. This gave the group the unusual versatility of having three lead singers, the smooth baritone Lamm, the gruff baritone Kath, and Cetera, who was an elastic tenor. When Guercio came back to see the group in the late winter of 1968, he deemed them ready for the next step.
In June 1968, he financed their move to Los Angeles. Guercio exerted a powerful influence on the band as its manager and producer, which would become a problem over time. At first, the bandmembers were willing to live together in a two-bedroom house, practice all the time, and change the group's name to one of Guercio's choosing, Chicago Transit Authority. Guercio's growing power at Columbia Records enabled him to get the band signed there and to set in place the unusual image the band would have. He convinced the label to let this neophyte band release a double album as its debut (that is, when they agreed to a cut in their royalties), and he decided the group would be represented on the cover by a logo instead of a photograph. Chicago Transit Authority, released in April 1969, debuted on the charts in May as the band began touring nationally. By July, the album had reached the Top 20, without benefit of a hit single. It had been taken up by the free-form FM rock stations and become an underground hit. It was certified gold by the end of the year and eventually went on to sell more than two million copies. (In September 1969, the band played the Toronto Rock 'n' Roll Festival, and somehow the promoter obtained the right to tape the show. That same low-fidelity tape has turned up in an endless series of albums ever since. Examples include: Anthology, Beat the Bootleggers: Live 1967, Beginnings, Beginnings Live, Chicago [Classic World], Chicago Live, Chicago Transit Authority: Live in Concert [Magnum], Chicago Transit Authority: Live in Concert [Onyx], Great Chicago in Concert, I'm a Man, In Concert [Digmode], In Concert [Pilz], Live! [Columbia River], Live [LaserLight], Live Chicago, Live in Concert, Live in Toronto, Live '69, Live 25 or 6 to 4, The Masters, Rock in Toronto, and Toronto Rock 'n' Roll Revival.) To Guercio's surprise, he was contacted by the real Chicago Transit Authority, which objected to the band's use of the name; he responded by shortening the name to simply "Chicago."
When he and the group finished the second album (another double) for release at the start of 1970, it was called Chicago, though it has since become known as Chicago II. Chicago II vaulted into the Top Ten in its second week on the Billboard chart, even before its first single, "Make Me Smile," hit the Hot 100. The single was an excerpt from a musical suite, and the band at first objected to the editing considered necessary to prepare it for AM radio play. But it went on to reach the Top Ten, as did its successor, "25 or 6 to 4." The album quickly went gold and eventually platinum. In the fall of 1970, Columbia Records released "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?," drawn from the group's first album, as its next single; it gave them their third consecutive Top Ten hit. Chicago III, another double album, was ready for release at the start of 1971, and it just missed hitting number one while giving the band a third gold (and later platinum) LP. Its singles did not reach the Top Ten, however, and Columbia again reached back, releasing "Beginnings" (from the first album) backed with "Colour My World" (from the second) to give Chicago its fourth Top Ten single. Next up was a live album, the four-disc box set Chicago at Carnegie Hall, which, despite its size, crested in the Top Five and sold over a million copies. (The band itself preferred Live in Japan, an album recorded in February 1972 and initially released only in Japan.) Chicago V, a one-LP set, released in July 1972, spent nine weeks at number one on its way to selling over two million copies, spurred by its gold-selling Top Ten hit "Saturday in the Park." Chicago VI followed a year later and repeated the same success, launching the Top Ten singles "Feelin' Stronger Every Day" and "Just You 'n' Me."
The next Top Ten hit, "(I've Been) Searchin' So Long," was released in advance of Chicago VII in the late winter of 1974. The album was the band's third consecutive chart-topper and another million-seller. "Call on Me" became its second Top Ten single. Chicago VIII, which marked the promotion of sideman percussionist Laudir de Oliveira as a full-fledged bandmember, appeared in the spring of 1975, spawned the Top Ten hit "Old Days," and became the band's fourth consecutive number one LP. After the profit-taking Chicago IX -- Chicago's Greatest Hits in the fall of 1975 came Chicago X, which missed hitting number one but eventually sold over two million copies, in part because of the inclusion of the Grammy-winning number one single "If You Leave Me Now." Chicago XI, released in the late summer of 1977, continued the seemingly endless string of success, reaching the Top Ten, selling a million copies, and generating the Top Five hit "Baby, What a Big Surprise." But there was trouble beneath the surface. The band's big hits were starting to be solely ballads sung by Cetera, which frustrated the musicians' musical ambitions. They had failed to attract critical notice, and what press attention they were given often alluded to Guercio's Svengali-like control as manager and producer. Chicago determined to fire Guercio and demonstrate that they could succeed without him. Shortly afterward, they were struck by a crushing blow. Kath, a gun enthusiast, accidentally shot and killed himself on January 23, 1978. Though he, like most of the other members of the band, was not readily recognizable outside the group, he had actually had a large say in its direction, and his loss was incalculable. Nevertheless, the band closed ranks and went on.
Guitarist Donnie Dacus was chosen from auditions and joined the band in time for its 12th LP release, which was given a non-numerical title, Hot Streets, and which put prominent pictures of the bandmembers on the cover for the first time. The sound, as indicated by the first single, the Top 20 hit "Alive Again," was harder rock, and the band's core following responded, but Hot Streets was Chicago's first album since 1969 to miss the Top Ten. Chicago 13 then missed the Top 20. (At this point, Dacus left the band, and Chicago hired guitarist Chris Pinnick as a sideman, eventually upping him to full-fledged group-member status.) 1980's Chicago XIV, the last album to feature de Oliveira, didn't go gold. By 1981, with the release of the 15th album, the poor-selling Chicago -- Greatest Hits, Vol. 2, the band parted ways with Columbia Records and began looking for a new approach. They found it in writer-producer David Foster, who returned to an emphasis on the band's talent for power ballads as sung by Cetera. They also brought in one of Foster's favorite session musicians, Bill Champlin (born May 21, 1947, in Oakland, CA), as a full-fledged bandmember. Champlin, formerly the leader of the Sons of Champlin, was a multi-instrumentalist with a gruff voice that allowed him to sing the parts previously taken by Kath. With these additions, the band signed with Full Moon Records, an imprint of Warner Bros., and released Chicago 16 in the spring of 1982, prefaced by the single "Hard to Say I'm Sorry," which topped the charts, leading to a major comeback.
The album returned Chicago to million-selling, Top Ten status. Chicago 17, released in the spring of 1984, was even more successful -- in fact, the biggest-selling album of the band's career, with platinum certifications for six million copies as of 1997. It spawned two Top Five hits, "Hard Habit to Break" and "You're the Inspiration." The renewed success, however, changed the long-established group dynamics, thrusting Cetera out as a star. He left the band for a solo career in 1985. (Pinnick also left at about this time, and the band did not immediately bring in a new guitarist.) As Cetera's replacement, Chicago found Jason Scheff, the 23-year-old bass-playing son of famed bassist Jerry Scheff, a longtime sideman with Elvis Presley. Scheff boasted a tenor voice that allowed him to re-create Cetera's singing on many Chicago hits. The split with Cetera had a negative commercial impact, however. Despite boasting a Top Five hit single in "Will You Still Love Me?," 1986's Chicago 18 only went gold. The band recovered, however, with Chicago 19, released in the spring of 1988. Among its singles, "I Don't Want to Live Without Your Love" made the Top Five, "Look Away" topped the charts, and "You're Not Alone" made the Top Ten as the album went platinum. Another single, "What Kind of Man Would I Be?," originally found on the album, was included as part of the 1989 compilation Greatest Hits 1982-1989 (which counted as the 20th album) and became a Top Five hit, while the album sold five million copies by 1997. At the turn of the decade, Chicago underwent two more personnel changes, with guitarist DaWayne Bailey joining and original drummer Danny Seraphine departing, to be replaced by Tris Imboden. Chicago Twenty 1, released at the start of 1991, sold disappointingly, and Warner rejected the band's next offering (though tracks from it have turned up on compilations). Chicago, however, maintained a loyal following that enabled it to tour successfully every summer. In 1995, Keith Howland replaced Bailey as Chicago's guitarist.
The same year, the band regained rights to its Columbia Records catalog and established its own Chicago Records label to reissue the albums. They also signed to Giant Records, another Warner imprint, to release their 22nd album, Night & Day, a collection of big band standards that made the Top 100. They were now able to combine hits from their Columbia and Warner years, resulting in the release of the gold-selling The Heart of Chicago 1967-1997 and its follow-up, The Heart of Chicago, Vol. 2 1967-1998 (their 23rd and 24th albums, respectively). In 1998, they released Chicago 25: The Christmas Album on Chicago Records, and they followed it in 1999 with Chicago XXVI: The Live Album. In 2002, Chicago began leasing its early albums to Rhino Records for deluxe repackagings, often with bonus tracks. And the success of The Very Best of Chicago: Only the Beginning demonstrated that their music continued to appeal to fans.
William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
01. Introduction 02. Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is? 03. Beginnings 04. Questions 67 and 68 05. Listen 06. Poem 58 |
07. Free Form Guitar 08. South California Purples 09. I'm a Man 10. Prologue, (August 29, 1968) 11. Someday (August 29, 1968) 12. Liberation |
1. Movin' In 2. The Road 3. Poem For The People 4. I the Country 5. Wake Up Sunshine 6. Make Me Smile 7. So Much To Say, So Much To Give 8. Anxiety's Moment 9. West Virginia Fantasies 10. Colour My World 11. To Be Free 12. Now More Than Ever |
13. Fancy Colours 14. 25 Or 6 To 4 15. Prelude 16. A.M. Mourning 17. P.M. Mourning 18. Memories Of Love 19. 1st Movement 20. 2nd Movement 21. 3rd Movement 22. 4th Movement 23. Where Do We Go From Here |
01. Sing a Mean Tune Kid 02. Loneliness Is Just a Word 03. What Else Can I Say 04. I Don't Want Your Money 05. Travel Suite: Flight 602 06. Travel Suite: Motorboat to Mars 07. Travel Suite: Free 08. Travel Suite: Free Country 09. Travel Suite: At the Sunrise 10. Travel Suite: Happy 'Cause I'm Going Home 11. Mother 12. Lowdown |
13. An Hour in the Shower: A Hard Risin'... 14. An Hour in the Shower: Off to Work 15. An Hour in the Shower: Fallin' Out 16. An Hour in the Shower: Dreamin' Home 17. An Hour in the Shower: Morning Blues Again 18. Elegy: When All the Laughter Dies in... 19. Elegy: Canon 20. Elegy: Once Upon a Time.... 21. Elegy: Progress? 22. Elegy: The Approaching Storm 23. Man vs. Man: The End |
01. In the Country 02. Fancy Colours 03. Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is? [Free Form Intro] 04. Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is? 05. South California Purples 06. Questions 67 and 68 07. Sing a Mean Tune Kid 08. Beginnings 09. It Better End Soon: 1st Movement 10. It Better End Soon: 2nd Movement [Flute Solo] 11. It Better End Soon: 3rd Movement [Guitar Solo] 12. It Better End Soon: 4th Movement 13. It Better End Soon: 5th Movement 14. Introduction 15. Mother 16. Lowdown |
17. Flight 602 18. Motorboat to Mars 19. Free 20. Where Do We Go from Here? 21. I Don't Want Your Money 22. Happy Cause I'm Going Home 23. Make Me Smile 24. So Much to Say, So Much to Give 25. Anxiety's Moment 26. West Virginia Fantasies 27. Colour My World 28. To Be Free 29. Now More Than Ever 30. A Song for Richard and His Friends 31. 25 or 6 to 4 32. I'm a Man |
01. A Hit By Varese 02. All Is Well 03. Now That You've Gone 04. Dialogue, Pt. 1 05. Dialogue, Pt. 2 |
06. While the City Sleeps 07. Saturday in the Park 08. State of the Union 09. Goodbye 10. Alma Mater |
01. Dialogue, Pt. 1 02. A Hit by Varese 03. Lowdown 04. State of the Union 05. Saturday in the Park 06. Make Me Smile 07. So Much to Say, So Much to Give 08. Anxiety's Moment [instrumental] 09. West Virginia Fantasies [instrumental] 10. Colour My World 11. To Be Free [instrumental] 12. Now More Than Ever |
13. Beginnings 14. Mississippi Delta City Blues 15. A Song for Richard and His Friends 16. Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is? [Free Form Intro] 17. Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is? 18. Questions 67 and 68 19. 25 or 6 to 4 20. I'm a Man 21. Free |
01. Critics' Choice 02. Just You 'N' Me 03. Darlin' Dear 04. Jenny 05. What's This World Coming To |
06. Something in This City Changes People 07. Hollywood 08. In Terms of Two 09. Rediscovery 10. Feelin' Stronger Every Day |
01. Prelude to Aire 02. Aire 03. Devil's Sweet 04. Italian from New York 05. Hanky Panky 06. Life Saver 07. Happy Man 08. (I've Been) Searchin' So Long |
09. Mongonucleosis 10. Song of the Evergreens 11. Byblos 12. Wishing You Were Here 13. Call on Me 14. Woman Don't Want to Love Me 15. Skinny Boy |
01. Anyway You Want 02. Brand New Love Affair, Pts. 1 & 2 03. Never Been in Love Before 04. Hideaway 05. Till We Meet Again |
06. Harry Truman 07. Oh, Thank You Great Spirit 08. Long Time No See 09. Ain't It Blue? 10. Old Days |
01. 25 Or 6 To 4 02. Feeling Stronger Every Day 03. Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is? 04. Saturday In The Park 05. Colour My World 06. Just You 'n' Me |
07. Make Me Smile 08. Beginnings 09. Wishing You Were Here 10. (I've Been) Searchin' So Long 11. Call On Me |
01. Once or Twice 02. You Are on My Mind 03. Skin Tight 04. If You Leave Me Now 05. Together Again 06. Another Rainy Day in New York City |
07. Mama Mama 08. Scrapbook 09. Gently I'll Wake You 10. You Get It Up 11. Hope for Love |
01. Mississippi Delta City Blues 02. Baby, What a Big Surprise 03. Till the End of Time 04. Policeman 05. Take Me Back to Chicago 06. Vote for Me |
07. Takin' It on Uptown 08. This Time 09. The Inner Struggles of a Man 10. Prelude (Little One) 11. Little One |
01. Alive Again 02. The Greatest Love on Earth 03. Little Miss Lovin' 04. Hot Streets 05. Take a Chance |
06. Gone Long Gone 07. Ain't It Time 08. Love Was New 09. No Tell Lover 10. Show Me the Way |
01. Street Player 02. Mama Take 03. Must Have Been Crazy 04. Window Dreamin' 05. Paradise Alley |
06. Aloha Mama 07. Reruns 08. Loser With a Broken Heart 09. Life Is What It Is 10. Run Away |
01. Manipulation 02. Upon Arrival 03. Song for You 04. Where Did the Lovin' Go 05. Birthday Boy |
06. Hold On 07. Overnight Caf� 08. Thunder and Lightning 09. I'd Rather Be Rich 10. The American Dream |
01. What You're Missing 02. Waiting for You to Decide 03. Bad Advice 04. Chains 05. Hard to Say I'm Sorry/Get Away |
06. Follow Me 07. Sonny Think Twice 08. What Can I Say 09. Rescue You 10. Love Me Tomorrow |
01. Stay the Night 02. We Can Stop the Hurtin' 03. Hard Habit to Break 04. Only You 05. Remember the Feeling |
06. Along Comes a Woman 07. You're the Inspiration 08. Please Hold On 09. Prima Donna 10. Once in a Lifetime |
01. Beginnings 02. Purple Song 03. 25 or 6 to 4 04. Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is? |
05. I'm a Man 06. Questions 67 and 68 07. Liberation |
01. Niagara Falls 02. Forever 03. If She Would Have Been Faithful 04. 25 or 6 to 4 05. Will You Still Love Me? 06. Over and Over |
07. It's Alright 08. Free Flight 09. Nothin's Gonna Stop Us Now 10. I Believe 11. One More Day |
01. Beginnings 02. Purple Song 03. I'm a Man 04. 25 or 6 to 4 |
05. Questions 67 and 68 06. Liberation 07. Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is? |
01. Heart in Pieces 02. I Don't Wanna Live Without Your Love 03. I Stand Up 04. We Can Last Forever 05. Come in from the Night |
06. Look Away 07. What Kind of Man Would I Be? 08. Runaround 09. You're Not Alone 10. Victorious |
01. Beginnings 02. Purple Song 03. 25 or 6 to 4 04. Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is? |
05. I'm a Man 06. Questions 67 and 68 07. Liberation |
01. Explain It to My Heart 02. If It Were You 03. You Come to My Senses 04. Somebody Somewhere 05. What Does It Take 06. One from the Heart |
07. Chasin' the Wind 08. God Save the Queen 09. Man to Woman 10. Only Time Can Heal the Wounded 11. Who Do You Love 12. Holdin' On |
01. Intro Song 02. Purple Song 03. 25 or 6 to 4 04. Questions 67 And 68 |
05. Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is? 06. Liberation 07. I'm a Man 08. Beginnings (Finale) |
01. The Little Drummer Boy 02. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen 03. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas 04. The Christmas Song 05. O Come All Ye Faithful 06. Child's Prayer 07. Feliz Navidad |
08. Santa Claus Is Coming to Town 09. Christmas Time Is Here 10. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! 11. What Child Is This? 12. White Christmas 13. Silent Night 14. One Little Candle |
01. Beginnings 02. Purple Song 03. I'm a Man 04. Questions 67 and 68 05. Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is? 06. 25 or 6 to 4 07. Liberation 08. Hollywood 09. In Terms of Two |
10. What's This World Coming To 11. Darlin' Dear 12. Feelin' Stronger Every Day 13. Jenny 14. Critic's Choice 15. Just You 'N' Me 16. Rediscovery 17. Something in This City Changes People |
01. Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon 02. (I've Been) Searchin' So Long 03. Mongonucleosis 04. Hard Habit to Break 05. Call on Me 06. Feelin' Stronger Every Day 07. Just You 'N' Me |
08. Beginnings 09. Hard to Say I'm Sorry/Get Away 10. 25 or 6 to 4 11. Back to You 12. If I Should Ever Lose You 13. (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher |
Disc: 101. Make Me Smile02. 25 Or 6 To 4 03. Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is? 04. Beginnings 05. Questions 67 And 68 06. I'm A Man 07. Colour Of My World 08. Free 09. Lowdown 10. Saturday In The Park |
11. Dialogue (Part I & II) 12. Just You 'N' Me 13. Feelin' Stronger Every Day 14. (I've Been) Searchin' For So Long 15. Wishing You Were Here 16. Call On Me 17. Happy Man 18. Another Rainy Day In New York City 19. If You Leave Me Now |
01. Old Days 02. Baby, What A Big Surprise 03. Take Me Back To Chicago 04. Alive Again 05. No Tell Lover 06. Love Me Tomorrow 07. Hard To Say I'm Sorry/Get Away 08. Stay The Night 09. Hard Habit To Break 10. You're The Inspiration |
11. Along Comes A Woman 12. Will You Still Love Me? 13. If She Would Have Been Faithful, ... 14. Look Away 15. What Kind Of Man Would I Be? 16. I Don't Wanna Live Without Your Love 17. We Can Last Forever 18. You're Not Alone 19. Chasin' The Wind 20. Sing, Sing, Sing (w/ The Gipsy Kings) |