Chicago (band)

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Chicago is a rock band that was formed in 1967 in Chicago, Illinois. Well known for being one of the first (and, indeed, one of the few) rock bands to make extensive use of horns and for producing a number of hit ballads, Chicago had a steady stream of hits throughout the 1970s and 1980s.

File:Chicago1971.jpg
Chicago, 1971

Beginnings

The band was formed when a group of DePaul University music students began playing a series of late-night jams at clubs on and off campus. They added more members, eventually growing to seven players, and went professional as a cover band called The Big Thing. The band featured an unusual and unusually versatile line-up of instrumentalists, including saxophonist Walter Parazaider, trombonist James Pankow, and trumpet player Lee Loughnane, along with more traditional rock instruments -- guitarist Terry Kath, keyboardist Robert Lamm, drummer Danny Seraphine, and bassist Peter Cetera (who was the last to join the original group). While gaining some success as a cover band, the group worked on original songs and, in 1968, moved to Los Angeles, California under the guidance of their friend and manager James William Guercio, and signed with Columbia Records. Upon release of their first record in early 1969, the band took a new name, Chicago Transit Authority (the band's name was shortened to simply Chicago soon after the album's release when the "real" Chicago Transit Authority threatened legal action).

Chicago's heyday

The band's first album, the eponymously titled The Chicago Transit Authority, was an audacious debut: a sprawling double album (unheard of for a rookie band) that included jazzy instrumentals, extended jams featuring Latin percussion, and experimental, feedback-laden guitar abstraction. The album began to receive heavy airplay on the fledgling FM radio band; it included a number of pop-rock gems — "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?", "Beginnings", and "Questions 67 and 68" — which would later be edited to a radio-friendly length, released as singles, and eventually become rock radio staples.

The band's popularity exploded with the release of their second album, another double-LP set, which included several top-40 hits. This second album, titled Chicago, was the group's breakthrough album. The centerpiece track was a 15-minute suite composed by James Pankow called "Ballet For A Girl In Buchannon" (the structure of this suite was inspired by Pankow's love for classical music). The suite yielded two top ten hits, the crescendo-filled "Make Me Smile" and prom-ready ballad "Colour My World", both sung soulfully by Terry Kath. Among the other tracks on the album: Robert Lamm's dynamic but cryptic "25 Or 6 To 4" (sung by Peter Cetera), and the lengthy "It Better End Soon". With that, the pattern had been set: the band, ever prolific, recorded and released music at a rate of more than two LP discs per year (always titled with the band name and a Roman numeral) from their third album in 1971 through the 1970s.

Some fans say a low point of the group's early career came when they released a quadruple-album live set, Chicago at Carnegie Hall (consisting of music from their first three albums). The performances and sound quality were judged sub-par; in fact, one group member went on record to say that "the horn section sounded like kazoos". The packaging of the album also contained some rather strident political messaging about how "We [youth] can change The System." The group bounced back from this misstep in 1972 with their first single-disc release, Chicago V, a diverse set that reached number one on both the Billboard pop and jazz albums charts and yielded the Robert Lamm-composed-and-sung radio hit and perennial fan favorite "Saturday In the Park", which mixed everyday life and political yearning in a more subtle way.

In 1973 the group's manager, Guercio, produced and directed Electra Glide in Blue, a movie about an Arizona motorcycle policeman. The movie starred Robert Blake, and featured Cetera, Kath, Loughnane, and Parazaider in supporting roles. The group also appeared prominently on the movie's soundtrack.

Other successful albums and singles followed in each of the succeeding years. 1973's Chicago VI also topped the charts buoyed by hits "Feelin' Stronger Every Day" and "Just You and Me". Chicago VII, the band's double-disc 1974 release, featured the Cetera-composed "Wishing You Were Here" (sung by Terry Kath, with background vocals by The Beach Boys). The next year's release, Chicago VIII featured the political allegory "Harry Truman" and the nostalgic Pankow-composed "Old Days". That summer saw a very successful joint tour across America with the Beach Boys, with each act performing some of the other's material. But for all their effort, none of their singles went to number one until the group's tenth album (Chicago X) in 1976, when Cetera's slow, exquisite ballad "If You Leave Me Now" went to the top of the charts. Incidentally, that was the song which won Chicago their only Grammy award, for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group in 1977.

Time of transition

1978 was a tragic and transitional year for the band. The year began with an acrimonious split with long-time manager Guercio. Then, singer/guitarist/group founder Terry Kath died of an unintentionally self-inflicted gunshot wound, delivering a devastating blow to the band. Kath's death could have meant the end for the band, but instead the group stood strong and later that year recorded and released Hot Streets, their first album without Kath and Guercio and their first album with a title rather than a Roman numeral (they would return to the old naming scheme immediately afterward, for the most part). The release also marked a move somewhat away from the jazz-rock direction favored by Kath and towards more pop songs and ballads.

Guitarist/singer/songwriter Donnie Dacus joined Chicago for Hot Streets, and stayed with the band through the 1980 album Chicago 13. Dacus is also featured on the DVD included in the Rhino Records Chicago box set from 2004.

The second phase of the band's career took off in 1981 with a new producer (David Foster), a new label (Warner Brothers), and the addition of keyboardist/guitarist/singer Bill Champlin and guitarist Chris Pinnick.

Foster brought in additional studio musicians for some of the tracks on Chicago 16 (including the core members of Toto), and Chicago once again topped the charts with the single "Hard To Say I'm Sorry/Get Away". The following album, Chicago 17, became the biggest selling album of the band's history, with two more Top Ten singles, "You're The Inspiration" and "Hard Habit To Break".

But the conflict between Peter Cetera's style of composing and those of the rest of the group caused Cetera to leave the band in 1985 for a solo career (he topped the pop charts with The Karate Kid, Part II theme song "The Glory of Love," and with a duet with Amy Grant, "Next Time I Fall (In Love)").

The post-Cetera era

Cetera was replaced by bassist Jason Scheff, who joined the band for the final Foster-produced album Chicago 18. This album was not as commercially successful as the previous two, but still produced the #3 single "Will You Still Love Me?". Soon after the album was recorded, the band dismissed guitarist Chris Pinnick and hired the talented Dawayne Bailey from Bob Seger's Silver Bullet Band. Bailey and Scheff had previously played in bands together, so Scheff introduced Bailey to the band in time for the Chicago 18 tour (Scheff and Bailey's first concert with Chicago took place on Friday Oct 17, 1986 in Rockford, Illinois).

Chicago playing in Queenstown, New Zealand.

In 1988, the band replaced producer Foster, and they topped the charts again with the Diane Warren composed single, "Look Away" from the album Chicago 19. The album also yielded three more Top 10 hits. Chicago 19 was followed in short order by "Greatest Hits 1982-1982," which included the hit "What Kind of Man Would I Be?," a remixed tune originally included on 19.

During 1989, Chicago did a reprise joint concert tour with The Beach Boys.

The band continued on in the decade of the 1990s, even though their popularity began to decline. There was also another personnel change: Danny Seraphine left the band in 1990 and was replaced by drummer Tris Imboden, who first appeared on the 1991 album Twenty 1. On a happier note, Chicago was recognized with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on July 23, 1992.

In 1992 and 1993, Chicago wrote and recorded their 22nd album, Stone Of Sisyphus. Their record company at the time, Warner Bros. Records, was unhappy with the finished result, and thus the album was never released officially, although in succeeding years bootleg recordings of the album have surfaced worldwide, including over the Internet. Selected tracks from the unreleased album have since been officially released on a compilation greatest hits CD and the recent Rhino Records box set.

Starting on their 1994 tour, Chicago attempted to merge their unique sound with Big Band music for the 1995 album Night & Day Big Band, which consisted of covers of songs originally recorded by Sarah Vaughan, Glenn Miller, and Duke Ellington (from whom the album mainly got its inspiration).

Keith Howland joined the band as guitarist in 1995 to replace the departed Dawayne Bailey.

During a Los Angeles concert in 1997, Chicago teamed up with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra to perform a James Pankow/Dwight Mikelson orchestral arrangement of Pankow's rock epic "Ballet For A Girl In Buchannon".

In 1998, Chicago released Chicago XXV: The Christmas Album, which mixed traditional holiday favorites with original compositions. (The album was re-released with additional tracks in 2003, under the title What's It Gonna Be, Santa?)

In 2002, the group (minus Cetera) had the opportunity to tell their story in an episode of VH1's Behind The Music. This included gems such as Pankow relating the late 1980s record company executive, "who said we should lose the horns. Lose the horns? Would they tell Elton John to lose the piano?" The show, however, was not without its difficulties. The episode put more emphasis on the death of Terry Kath than their entire career combined. Cetera completely disowned the special and went so far as to not allow VH1 to use any of the songs he composed for the band, even declining to be interviewed (although stock news footage of a Cetera interview does appear).

Chicago today

Despite the personnel changes over the years, the group still keeps active more than three-and-a-half decades after its founding. And as a new century turned, the band sold their entire recorded output to Rhino Records (after years with Columbia Records and Warner Brothers as well as their own label). In 2002 Rhino released a two-disc compilation, The Very Best of Chicago: Only The Beginning, which spans the band's entire career. Rhino has also begun releasing new versions of most of the band's albums, each including several bonus tracks; and in 2005 they released a new compilation entitled Love Songs.

Chicago continues to appear in big and small venues world-wide. In 2004-2005 they toured jointly with the band Earth, Wind & Fire; a DVD recorded during that tour, Chicago/Earth, Wind & Fire - Live at the Greek Theatre, was certified platinum just two months after its release. The group is also finishing their first all-new album since 1998, tentatively titled Chicago XXX and scheduled for release in early 2006.

Discography

Official albums

  1. The Chicago Transit Authority (April 1969) US #17; UK #9
  2. Chicago (January 1970) US #4; UK #6
  3. Chicago III (January 1971) US #2; UK #31
  4. Chicago at Carnegie Hall (October 1971) US #3
  5. Chicago V (July 1972) US #1; UK #24
  6. Chicago VI (June 1973) US #1
  7. Chicago VII (March 1974) US #1
  8. Chicago VIII (March 1975) US #1
  9. Chicago IX - Chicago's Greatest Hits (November 1975) US #1
  10. Chicago X (June 1976) US #3; UK #21
  11. Chicago XI (September 1977) US #6
  12. Hot Streets (October 1978) US #12
  13. Chicago 13 (August 1979) US #21
  14. Chicago XIV (July 1980) US #71
  15. Greatest Hits, Volume II (November 1981) US #171
  16. Chicago 16 (June 1982) US #9; UK #44
  17. Chicago 17 (May 1984) US #4; UK #24
  18. Chicago 18 (September 1986) US #35
  19. Chicago 19 (June 1988) US #37
  20. Greatest Hits 1982-1989 (November 1989) US #37
  21. Twenty 1 (January 1991) US #66
  22. Night & Day Big Band (May 1995) US #90
  23. The Heart of Chicago 1967-1997 (April 1997) US #55; UK #21
  24. The Heart of Chicago 1967-1998 Volume II (May 1998) US #154
  25. Chicago XXV: The Christmas Album (August 1998) US #47
  26. Chicago XXVI: Live in Concert (October 1999)
  27. The Very Best of: Only the Beginning (July 2002) US #38; UK #11
  28. The Box (July 2003)
  29. Love Songs (January 2005) US #57
  30. Chicago XXX (2006) - working name of next album, still in production

Unreleased concept album

  1. Stone Of Sisyphus (1994)

Official singles

  1. "Questions 67 & 68"/"Listen" (Columbia 44909/July 1969) US #71
  2. "Beginnings"/"Poem 58" (Columbia 45011/October 1969)
  3. "Make Me Smile"/"Colour My World" (Columbia 45127/March 1970) US #9
  4. "25 Or 6 To 4"/"Where Do We Go From Here" (Columbia 45194/June 1970) US #4; UK #7
  5. "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?"/"Listen" (Columbia 45264/October 1970) US #7
  6. "Free"/"Free Country" (Columbia 45331/February 1971) US #20
  7. "Lowdown"/"Loneliness Is Just A Word" (Columbia 45370/April 1971) US #35
  8. "Beginnings"/"Colour My World" (Columbia 45417/June 1971) US #7
  9. "Questions 67 & 68"/"I’m A Man" (Columbia 45467/September 1971) US #24
  10. "Saturday In The Park"/"Alma Mater" (Columbia 45657/July 1972) US #3
  11. "Dialogue (Part I & II)"/"Now That You’re Gone" (Columbia 45717/October 1972) US #24
  12. "Feelin’ Stronger Every Day"/"Jenny" (Columbia 45880/June 1973) US #10
  13. "Just You ‘N’ Me"/"Critics’ Choice" (Columbia 45933/September 1973) US #4
  14. "(I’ve Been) Searchin’ So Long"/"Byblos" (Columbia 46020/February 1974) US #9
  15. "Call On Me"/"Prelude To Aire" (Columbia 46062/June 1974) US #6
  16. "Wishing You Were Here"/"Life Saver" (Columbia 10049/October 1974) US #11
  17. "Harry Truman"/"Till We Meet Again" (Columbia 10092/February 1975) US #13
  18. "Old Days"/"Hideaway" (Columbia 10131/April 1975) US #5
  19. "Brand New Love Affair (Part I & II)"/"Hideaway" (Columbia 10200/August 1975) US #61
  20. "Another Rainy Day In New York City"/"Hope For Love" (Columbia 10360/June 1976) US #32
  21. "If You Leave Me Now"/"Together Again" (Columbia 10390/July 1976) US #1; UK #1
  22. "You Are On My Mind"/"Gently I’ll Wake You" (Columbia 10523/March 1977) US #49
  23. "Baby, What A Big Surprise"/"Takin’ It On Uptown" (Columbia 10620/September 1977) US #4; UK #41
  24. "Little One"/"Till The End Of Time" (Columbia 10683/January 1978) US #44
  25. "Take Me Back To Chicago"/"Policeman" (Columbia 10737/May 1978) US #63
  26. "Alive Again"/"Love Was New" (Columbia 10845/October 1978) US #14
  27. "No Tell Lover"/"Take A Chance" (Columbia 10879/December 1978) US #14
  28. "Gone Long Gone"/"The Greatest Love On Earth" (Columbia 10935/March 1979) US #73
  29. "Must Have Been Crazy"/"Closer To You" (Columbia 11061/August 1979) US #83
  30. "Street Player"/"Window Dreamin’" (Columbia 11138/October 1979)
  31. "Song For You"/"I’d Rather Be Rich" (Columbia 11341/July 1980)
  32. "Thunder And Lightning"/"I’d Rather Be Rich" (Columbia 11345/August 1980) US #56
  33. "Hard To Say I’m Sorry"/"Sonny Think Twice" (Full Moon/Warner 29979/May 1982) US #1; UK #4
  34. "Love Me Tomorrow"/"Bad Advice" (Full Moon/Warner 29911/September 1982) US #22
  35. "What You’re Missing"/"Rescue You" (Full Moon/Warner 29798/January 1983) US #81
  36. "Stay The Night"/"Only You" (Full Moon/Warner 29306/April 1984) US #16
  37. "Hard Habit To Break"/"Remember The Feeling" (Full Moon/Warner 29214/July 1984) US #3; UK #8
  38. "You’re The Inspiration"/"Once In A Lifetime" (Full Moon/Warner 29126/November 1984) US #3; UK #14
  39. "Along Comes A Woman"/"We Can Stop The Hurtin’" (Full Moon/Warner 29082/February 1985) US #14
  40. "25 Or 6 To 4"/"One More Day" (Full Moon/Warner 28628/August 1986) US #48
  41. "Will You Still Love Me?"/"25 Or 6 To 4" (Full Moon/Warner 28512/October 1986) US #3
  42. "If She Would Have Been Faithful..."/"Forever" (Full Moon/Warner 28424/March 1987) US #17
  43. "Niagara Falls"/"I Believe" (Full Moon/Warner 28283/June 1987) US #91
  44. "I Don’t Wanna Live Without Your Love"/"I Stand Up" (Full Moon/Reprise 27855/May 1988) US #3
  45. "Look Away"/"Come In From The Night" (Full Moon/Reprise 27766/September 1988) US #1
  46. "You’re Not Alone"/"It’s Alright" (Full Moon/Reprise 27757/January 1989) US #10
  47. "We Can Last Forever"/"One More Day" (Full Moon/Reprise 22985/April 1989) US #55
  48. "What Kind Of Man Would I Be?"/"25 Or 6 To 4" (Full Moon/Reprise 22741/November 1989) US #5
  49. "Hearts In Trouble"/Car Building (Hans Zimmer) (DGC 19679/July 1990) US #75
  50. "Chasin’ The Wind"/"Only Time Can Heal The Wounded" (Reprise 19466/January 1991) US #39
  51. "You Come To My Senses"/"Who Do You Love" (Reprise 19205/June 1991)

DVDs

Other appearances

From time to time, other artists contributed to Chicago recordings. For example, Al Green guested on a bonus track on Chicago VI, while The Bee Gees guested on a track off of Hot Streets.

Chicago itself guested on a Paul Anka song, "Hold Me 'Til The Morning Comes", while the horn section made an appearance on the Bee Gees' album Spirits Having Flown. The group also contributed to movie soundtracks, such as Two Of A Kind, Summer Lovers, and Days Of Thunder.

See also

External links

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