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Stranded in Chicago!

Beginnings

3 votes

25 or 6 to 4

4 votes

Free

0 votes

Saturday in the Park

4 votes

Just You & Me

0 votes

Call on Me

1 votes

Old Days

1 votes

You are on My Mind

0 votes

Baby What a Big Surprise

0 votes

John Cougar Lunchbucket Sep 14 2011 08:41 AM

You're about to be stranded on a desert island for eternity, but before you go you get to choose one song from jazz horn rockers Chicago to accompany you on the island. But wait! There's a catch. You may only select from the below choices, one from each of their "numbered" albums (excluding IV, the live at Carnegie hall album, and IX -- the Greatest Hits). I am including Chicago "I" which was really The Chicago Transit Authority. The album known today as Chicago II was actually just called 'Chicago' -- they went to proper Roman numerals with the release of Chicago III and continued through Chicago XI and the death of Terry Kath. Then they went to 'Hot Streets' and although they returned to the numerals eventually, they've been on the total AC/pop shiite tip for the next 30+ years. Um, I guess you can write in a choice. The candidates here just rep their albums I guess. Here are your choices: Beginnings (CTA) [youtube]WWflYSmEXPY[/youtube] 25 or 6 to 4 (Chicago II) [youtube]bgT91H5U19Q[/youtube] Free (Chicago III) [youtube]4syrlNUydQw[/youtube] Saturday in the Park (Chicago V) [youtube]TwryFOYTKac[/youtube] Just You & Me (Chicago VI) [youtube]R3zIj-MJZ14[/youtube] Call on Me (Chicago VII) [youtube]3QeFyp0Zans[/youtube] Old Days (Chicago VIII) [youtube]UY-kFODaZqE[/youtube] You Are On My Mind (Chicago X) [youtube]vxrxX-nCILY[/youtube] Baby What a Big Surprise (Chicago XI) [youtube]FJor9MRk5d8[/youtube]

Edgy DC Sep 14 2011 08:51 AM Re: Stranded in Chicago!

Looking for "Feelin' Stronger Every Day" and "Wishing You Were Here" (which gets points for a funky bridge and Beach Boy backup vocals) but I find neither, and so I struggle. Leaning toward the first.

Frayed Knot Sep 14 2011 08:52 AM Re: Stranded in Chicago!

Ah yes, my first favorite band.

sharpie Sep 14 2011 09:00 AM Re: Stranded in Chicago!

"Make Me Smile" must be on that list in order for me to vote.

Willets Point Sep 14 2011 09:05 AM Re: Stranded in Chicago!

"Saturday in the Park" just for being a fun, summer song with fake Italian.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Sep 14 2011 09:15 AM Re: Stranded in Chicago!

sharpie wrote: "Make Me Smile" must be on that list in order for me to vote. What happens when you limit the songs to 1 per album -- and half of them are double albums. You can write it in if you like.

metsguyinmichigan Sep 14 2011 09:17 AM Re: Stranded in Chicago!

From that list, I picked "Old Days." But I like "Make Me Smile" and "Feeling Stronger Every Day" better.

metirish Sep 14 2011 09:20 AM Re: Stranded in Chicago!

25 or 6 to 4 , it always reminds me of Jethro Tull..., not a good thing, but it's better.

sharpie Sep 14 2011 09:28 AM Re: Stranded in Chicago!

OK, consider "Make Me Smile" written in. Better song than "25 Or 6 to 4" from the same album. After that they became mostly intolerable.

Edgy DC Sep 14 2011 09:30 AM Re: Stranded in Chicago!

I always thought "25 or 6 to 4" was Chicago taking the riff from the outro of "Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You" and milking a full song out of it. But it came out a year later. Also one of the two dozen songs I gakked on as an also-ran in the Classic Rock Countdown Challenge.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Sep 14 2011 09:48 AM Re: Stranded in Chicago!

Wondering how much love "Call on Me" can get. That was written by their trumpeter, Lee Loughnane, and sounds to me like the perfect bridge between their brassy, jazzy roots and their schmaltzy, easy-listening future.

Edgy DC Sep 14 2011 09:59 AM Re: Stranded in Chicago!

One thing about Chicago is that you can take any band from the seventies --- Heart, Bread, America, Seals & Croft, Doobies, any white one, anyhow --- and try and pick out which Beatles song/album they used as their leaping-off point. Chicago made no secret of it. "Got to Get You into My Life" was like their entire reason for being. [youtube:3d4sa45u]kIncUvoDvKE[/youtube:3d4sa45u] They've done several mini-tours with Earth, Wind, and Fire over the years, invariably ending in a pan-racial two-band hornstravaganza. and they often chose "GtGYiML" for the honor.

Frayed Knot Sep 14 2011 10:13 AM Re: Stranded in Chicago!

Voted for 'Beginnings' as I was trying to follow the rules, but 'Make me Smile' was always my favorite as well. I still want to know who swiped my 'Carnegie Hall' album in college as no one else claimed to have liked the band. That album was essentially I, II, & II live and was the peak of their career. That was followed by a slow decline which was followed by the death of Terry Kath which was followed by a rapid decline.

G-Fafif Sep 14 2011 10:45 AM Re: Stranded in Chicago!

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Wondering how much love "Call on Me" can get. That was written by their trumpeter, Lee Loughnane, and sounds to me like the perfect bridge between their brassy, jazzy roots and their schmaltzy, easy-listening future. It looked lonely, so I picked it, though technically "Saturday in the Park" is ranked as my favorite Chicago song. But to have one Chicago song only, this one will serve well, transcending (or bridging) styles well.

Edgy DC Sep 14 2011 10:47 AM Re: Stranded in Chicago!

Didn't realize that Terry Kath plays that New Orleans-y, Dr. John-y, white-funky piano lick at the center of Saturday in the Park. I think of him as the lost vocalist whose took the band's lower register vocals to the grave with him. Never really thought of what he brought to the table instrumentally.

Edgy DC Sep 14 2011 11:03 AM Re: Stranded in Chicago!

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: ...their schmaltzy, easy-listening future. Frayed Knot wrote: ...followed by a rapid decline. sharpie wrote: ... After that they became mostly intolerable. On minor point in their defense, somebody was trying to keep them cool with the kids. Notable in the "You're the Inspiration" video (maybe easier to watch with the sound turned down is that it stars a Madonna Wannabe and a Billy Idol Wannabe, who have apparently copied their idols' costumes to the smallest detail, and Peter Cetera himself appears in a bauhaus tee-shirt, of all things. [youtube]d2mPs-VJ3vA[/youtube]

John Cougar Lunchbucket Sep 14 2011 11:11 AM Re: Stranded in Chicago!

I double dare you to try and get through this shit off their latest album, Chicago XXXII (Stone of Sissyphus). [youtube:2uf2knlf]dqRbFxM6zXk[/youtube:2uf2knlf]

Edgy DC Sep 14 2011 11:28 AM Re: Stranded in Chicago!

I made it, but I can't say I'm unchanged. That song was more bloated than Elvis. I guess Peter Cetera can live comfortably in the knowledge that the treacle lives on without him.

bmfc1 Sep 14 2011 02:06 PM Re: Stranded in Chicago!

"Dialogue (Part I & II)" is my favorite, and I always love hearing "Feeling Stronger Every Day" but for the poll, I vote for "25 or 6 to 4."

RealityChuck Sep 14 2011 02:17 PM Re: Stranded in Chicago!

25 or 6 to 4, from their last decent album. I would have also chosen "Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon." They stalled with Chicago III and got worse and worse as time went on.

Frayed Knot Sep 14 2011 02:28 PM Re: Stranded in Chicago!

A little raw, but kind of cool [youtube:3cnzr0ed]GzViV6PUOSM[/youtube:3cnzr0ed] Also missing from this choice (most likely intentionally) is 'Color My World' the song that traditionally finished 2nd to 'Stairway to Heaven' when I was first hearing 'Top-500' type lists from the likes of stations like WPLJ. It was also probably the soundtrack for more 'head on their guy's shoulder prom dances' than anything else ever written.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Sep 14 2011 02:57 PM Re: Stranded in Chicago!

These guys combine a bunch of stuff that I like in other contexts... to terrible, lukewarm effect. Maybe it is-- or was-- different live. I'll never know. "Call On Me" is a decent bridge... but a bridge to nowhere. "25 or 6 to 4" is maybe the only other song I can take on here... but I'll go with "Saturday," because of that funky little pianee.

batmagadanleadoff Sep 14 2011 03:10 PM Re: Stranded in Chicago!

Put me down for 25 or 6 to 4. I owned Chicago's first two albums (CTA and Chicago) on vinyl and then on CD, and have little to no interest in owning anything else they put out. Did you know that Jimi Hendrix was fond of saying that Terry Kath was the best guitar player Jimi ever heard? And he meant it, too.

Ashie62 Sep 14 2011 08:55 PM Re: Stranded in Chicago!

batmagadanleadoff wrote: Put me down for 25 or 6 to 4. I owned Chicago's first two albums (CTA and Chicago) on vinyl and then on CD, and have little to no interest in owning anything else they put out. Did you know that Jimi Hendrix was fond of saying that Terry Kath was the best guitar player Jimi ever heard? And he meant it, too. I saw that Hendrix quote also. Kath could run with all of them.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Sep 14 2011 09:15 PM Re: Stranded in Chicago!

Ashie62 wrote: batmagadanleadoff wrote: Put me down for 25 or 6 to 4. I owned Chicago's first two albums (CTA and Chicago) on vinyl and then on CD, and have little to no interest in owning anything else they put out. Did you know that Jimi Hendrix was fond of saying that Terry Kath was the best guitar player Jimi ever heard? And he meant it, too. I saw that Hendrix quote also. Kath could run with all of them. the Kath song 'Oh Thank You Great Spirit' from Chicago VII was about Jimi, apparently. Their drummer was well thought of too.

MFS62 Sep 14 2011 09:27 PM Re: Stranded in Chicago!

If You Leave Me Now is still my favorite Chicago song. IIRC it was on Chicago X. Later

Edgy DC Sep 15 2011 07:52 AM Re: Stranded in Chicago!

Put me down for 25 or 6 to 4. I owned Chicago's first two albums (CTA and Chicago) on vinyl and then on CD, and have little to no interest in owning anything else they put out. Did you know that Jimi Hendrix was fond of saying that Terry Kath was the best guitar player Jimi ever heard? And he meant it, too. I saw that Hendrix quote also. Kath could run with all of them. the Kath song 'Oh Thank You Great Spirit' from Chicago VII was about Jimi, apparently. Their drummer was well thought of too. Hendrix also spoke well of young Billy Gibbons. Meanwhile, this little excursion has led me to research that taught me what real Chicago fans already know, that their golden age singing was not limited to Kath and Cetera, but "Beginnings," which I'd have bet a c-note 24 hours ago featured the vocals of Kath, was actually written and sung by keyboardist Robert Lamm, who is still with the band today. Chicago Hits and Hit-Like Things Attributed to Lamm That I Mostly Thought Was Kath [list][*]"Beginnings"[/*:m] [*]"Questions 67 & 68"[/*:m] [*]"25 or 6 to 4"[/*:m] [*]"Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?"[/*:m] [*]"Free"[/*:m] [*]"Another Rainy Day in New York City"[/*:m] [*]"Harry Truman"[/*:m] [*]"Saturday in the Park"[/*:m] [*]"Dialogue (Part I & II)"[/*:m][/list:u] Obviously, a lot of those trade the vocals around, but that's a pretty impressive legacy. He also started a side project with Gerry Beckley and Carl Wilson in the mid-90s, that came out after Wilson's death: Here he is looking slick fronting one of those Chicago/Earth, Wind, and Fire performing mobs.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Sep 15 2011 08:00 AM Re: Stranded in Chicago!

Danny Seraphine was reportedly kicked out of Chicago in 1990 for shitty drumming. Quoth wikipedia: Chicago trombonist James Pankow has asserted that Seraphine did not practice enough, and that live shows were adversely affected by his performances, with the last show at the Hammersmith Odeon being the final motivating factor for Seraphine being fired.[1] Later interviews with Pankow and Lamm clarified this stance, indicating that the band was upset with Seraphine's insistence on taking sight-seeing trips of the English countryside during that leg of the tour. Seraphine and his wife were arising early on the days of these shows to take tours of castles and estates. Seraphine would then arrive at the concert venue late and totally exhausted from the day's activities, resulting in sluggish and unpredictable drumming. This problem was evident in reviews by the English press; in fact, it was many years before Chicago would venture onto British soil again. Seraphine has said, "The reason I’m no longer in Chicago is the lead singers, the new lead singers, Jason Scheff and Bill Champlin, didn’t like the fact that a drummer was running the band." They subsequently gave an ultimatum to the other band members that either Seraphine be let go or the two of them would leave the band. He went on to say, "Out of all people that should be criticizing me for not practicing, it shouldn’t be Jim Pankow because there’s a guy that has really neglected his craft." Meow. Seraphine today hangs with a band called the California Transit Authority which performs several Chicago songs.

MFS62 Sep 15 2011 08:43 AM Re: Stranded in Chicago!

Edgy DC wrote: Here he is looking slick fronting one of those Chicago/Earth, Wind, and Fire performing mobs. OY! My two favorite groups! Together. Why was I not told of this? Later

Edgy DC Sep 15 2011 08:47 AM Re: Stranded in Chicago!

They do it a lot. I mentioned it earlier in the thread.

Frayed Knot Sep 15 2011 10:16 AM Re: Stranded in Chicago!

There didn't seem to be the CSNY-ish 'You write it, you sing it' sense of order in Chicago, of course part of that being because it's tough to have members of the horn section singing hence Kath's vocals on trombonist Jimmy Pankow's 'Make Me Smile' and others. Also doesn't seem to be that continuation of song ownership either as I found clips of drummer Danny Seraphine's recent/current group doing ... yup, 'Make Me Smile' and he rarely wrote anything.

bmfc1 Sep 15 2011 11:26 AM Re: Stranded in Chicago!

MFS62 wrote: OY! My two favorite groups! Together. Why was I not told of this? There's a DVD from that tour: http://www.amazon.com/Chicago-Earth-Win ... 565&sr=8-1

Fman99 Sep 15 2011 06:11 PM Re: Stranded in Chicago!

I love this band. Went with "Beginnings" though I could have also voted for "Call on Me."

Edgy DC Sep 15 2011 06:31 PM Re: Stranded in Chicago!

Brad Delp and Terry Kath kind of converge in my mind --- both singing for hit-machine bands in the seventies, while not quite becoming famous enough themselves to achieve face-of-the-band status. (A person may think of these bands on and off for decades without identifying the singers.) Both had odd monosyllabic names that seem to be missing a suffix. Both sang for a band named for a city. Both were, ultimately, suicides, though Kath's was accidental by almost all accounts.

Frayed Knot Sep 15 2011 06:59 PM Re: Stranded in Chicago!

Except that Chicago was a real band while Boston only sort of pretended to be. I also thought of Kath as a guitarist first and only occasionally a voice. Delp, as far as I know, was nothing but vocal chords for hire.

Edgy DC Sep 15 2011 07:34 PM Re: Stranded in Chicago!

Yeah, and they had different dentists. I'm just saying. No implications of equivalency meant.

Edgy DC Sep 15 2011 09:06 PM Re: Stranded in Chicago!

As much movement as the table below seems to show, I would have guessed more. The horn players carried on with synth, flute, and backup vocals for the 80s ballads. Kath's chair really seems to be the hot seat. Another eight or ten guys filled in here and there. Other notes: Jason Sheff is the son of legendary sideman Jerry Sheff, who has played with everybody from Pat Boone to the Doors to Willie DeVille, including both Elvises. Champlin was the music director for the show Fridays, which is on the short list of "Jobs I would love to have had." He had been originally recruited to replace Kath but was intimidated by the big shoes. He wrote a bunch of R&B hits, including "Turn Your Love Around" and "After the Love Is Gone." When he finally did join the 80s edition of Chicago, it was over the objection of Kenny Loggins, who asked, "What are you doing? Those guys are over!" It's hard to cross up Kenny, but he said he'd give it a year, and gave it 28. Hester also drums for Foo Fighters. Dacus played Woof in the film version of Hair.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Sep 15 2011 09:29 PM Re: Stranded in Chicago!

Nice chart. Walt is the genius of this group, formed it, sat back and counted the cashmoney. Bradley Delp has the voice of a whole cloudful of angels.

Edgy DC Sep 15 2011 09:37 PM Re: Stranded in Chicago!

Not a prolific songwriter, but yeah, I'm guessing he's the glue that holds it together, and the man whose vote counted the most when deciding who was in and who had to go. Strange interview with Lamm and Cetera about Kath: [youtube:3intz55x]FJ91d5szBvA[/youtube:3intz55x]

Frayed Knot Sep 16 2011 07:13 AM Re: Stranded in Chicago!

Edgy DC wrote: Yeah, and they had different dentists. I'm just saying. Now see, I had heard they did have the same dentist. That just happened to be the only convergence between the two in my mind.

Edgy DC Sep 16 2011 07:20 AM Re: Stranded in Chicago!

I notice I credited Bill Champlin with composing "Remember the Feeling" twice. Because that sort of credit bears repeating. [youtube:p2i9c4hd]GMyCwEJEkFQ[/youtube:p2i9c4hd]

Willets Point Sep 16 2011 09:30 AM Re: Stranded in Chicago! Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Sep 16 2011 09:33 AM

Does anyone remember this song? Apparently it was a #1 hit for Chicago in 1988. By 1988, I didn't think Chicago was getting any airplay, much less a #1. Anyhow, I've never heard this song before. Oh, yeah and it's crap. [youtube:ets0pw9i]_vFDBtCjcrI[/youtube:ets0pw9i]

Edgy DC Sep 16 2011 09:32 AM Re: Stranded in Chicago!

The worst part isn't just the sinful synthetic treacley ballads they unleashed on countless proms and country club socials. The worst part is that it's so hard for them to say they're sorry. Really, the number of hits they had in the eighties would have been enough of a legacy on it's own for almost any band. But they were 100% crap and each one continuously detracted from their substantial 1970s legacy.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Sep 16 2011 09:41 AM Re: Stranded in Chicago!

Willets Point wrote: Does anyone remember this song? Apparently it was a #1 hit for Chicago in 1988. By 1988, I didn't think Chicago was getting any airplay, much less a #1. Anyhow, I've never heard this song before. Oh, yeah and it's crap. [youtube]_vFDBtCjcrI[/youtube] That really sucked. But at least the chick walked around in her unmentionables for awhile.

Edgy DC Sep 16 2011 09:49 AM Re: Stranded in Chicago!

Don't think for a minute that their marketing strategy wasn't thoroughly informed by the formula Hot Chicks > Good Music if ERA = (MTV + VH1).

seawolf17 Sep 16 2011 10:08 AM Re: Stranded in Chicago!

I liked "Look Away."

MFS62 Sep 16 2011 08:26 PM Re: Stranded in Chicago!

Wow! A dial telephone. In New York? In 1988? Until I saw the Times Square shot, I thougt this was taking place in Europe. Brings back memories to an old Bell Head. Later

Fman99 Sep 17 2011 07:36 PM Re: Stranded in Chicago!

seawolf17 wrote: I liked "Look Away." Since I can't reach Long Island from my recliner why don't you go ahead and punch yourself in the neck please.

Frayed Knot Dec 11 2011 08:44 PM Re: Stranded in Chicago!

Just saw a few minutes of a televised 'Chicago' concert. Filmed in Chicago apparently, I couldn't tell the date but it was definitely of some recent vintage. And it was really, really, BAD. The vocals were the biggest crimes. Either middle-aged (and older) guys with their headset mikes trying to sing RnR long after they've lost their RnR voices, or the twenty-something fill-ins singing like they learned how by watching American Idol and turning decent tunes into lounge-act style schlock. Then toss in sixty y/o dudes doing to audience participation hand-clapping/arm-waving stuff (think of a group with six latter-day Mike Loves) and you've got a recipe for some really embarrassing tripe.