Originally, they were known as the Big Thing, and began playing in nightclubs in Chicago. They soon realized that they not only needed a tenor vocalist but a bassist, and Peter Cetera, who also had a good deal of experience, fit both needs. Cetera was hired later in the year.
They were doing well performing covers, but the only way to grow was to come up with original material. Manager James William Guercio suggested two things: relocate to Los Angeles, where the music business was, and change their name to Chicago Transit Authority (after a local transportation agency). The group did both.
In L.A., Guercio landed them gigs at the famous Whisky a Go Go in Hollywood, where they opened for acts such as Jim Hendrix and Janis Joplin. On a night Chicago opened for Albert King, Hendrix was in the audience and sought them out afterward. "You have a guitar player better than me," Hendrix said. "And your brass section sounds like one set of lungs." Jimi invited Chicago to open for him on tour, and it is the songs the band played on that tour that were honed and polished into their first album.
That debut reached #9 in the U.K., #10 in Canada, and #17 in the United States and sold over two million copies. "Questions 67 And 68" was the lead single. It peaked originally at #71, and even a re-release in 1971 only got it to #24. We know now that it is one of The Top Underrated Songs of the Rock Era*.
Another great track on the album is "I'm A Man". Shortly after the album's release, the group shortened their name to Chicago to avoid a legal challenge by the mass transit company. Chicago was nominated for Best New Artist of the Year at the Grammy Awards, but indicative of the lack of ability of that organization to judge excellence, The #13 Artist of the Rock Era* did not win. The Grammy instead went to Jose Feliciano.
Lamm paints a documentary of the band's early days playing in clubs in Chicago on this track. "Listen" includes many guitar overdubs from Kath, who delivers a scorching guitar solo. As with the rest of the album, the song features the raw sound of their phenomenal horn section.
Tracks like "Liberation" are exactly why the band wanted a double album; it gave them the liberty to produce a 15-minute long jam rewarding listeners with a gem like this without the album only including four or five songs. "Liberation" immediately showed the world what this band was about, that Kath was an incredible guitar player, that their horn section was second to none, and that Chicago was unlike anyone before or since. And Cetera provides an amazing bass line as well.
Chicago was slated to perform at Woodstock in 1969, which would have greatly enhanced their reputation. Instead, promoter Bill Graham sent Santana, and it was that group that would give a groundbreaking performance. The following year, Graham booked Chicago to play at Tanglewood, and the group took full advantage with an amazing performance. More on that later!
Their first album was a promising debut, but the group exploded onto the scene with Chicago II, which reached #4 on the Album chart and was certified Platinum. Pankow wrote "Ballad For A Girl In Buchannon" or "Ballad", or the "Make Me Smile Medley", as it is often called, for a girl at West Virginia Wesleyan College. Pankow and the girl were engaged, but she, wary of the strain that the demands of a Rock musician put on a relationship, broke it off. This long tribute to the young woman didn't win her back, however. "She ended up marrying a career Air Force guy," Pankow told the Charleston Gazette-Mail in 2018. "She had a bunch of kids and was very happy." "Make Me Smile" was a #9 hit for the group.
On July 21, 1970, Chicago gave a pivotal performance at Tanglewood, a classical music venue in the Berkshire hills of Massachusetts. Promoter Bill Graham presented an amazing array of talent at Tanglewood that year that included the Who, Santana, Miles Davis and Jethro Tull. He originally signed Joe Cocker for July 21, but when that fell through, Graham had his sights set on Jimi Hendrix. Hendrix was going through managerial problems and sadly, was also recording what would be his final album.
When Hendrix said "No", Graham had to sign a major act to fill that spot. Graham had booked Chicago for Fillmore East the previous month and Bill felt Chicago was the perfect group for Tanglewood. Some say that Hendrix suggested Chicago to Graham, having already displayed an affinity for the group.
From the moment they hit the stage, Chicago proved they were for real, exceeding all expectations. The group delivered a stellar performance in a show recently released on CD that shows the group at their best.
Chicago was nominated for Album of the Year and Best Contemporary Vocal Performance by a Duo, Group or Chorus. "25 Or 6 To 4", a #2 smash in Canada, #4 in the U.K., and #7 in the U.S. Inquiring minds have always wanted to know what the title is about, so we will tell you. Lamm wrote the song about the process of writing a song, which refers to the time of day: either 3:34 a.m. (26 minutes to 4) or 3:35 a.m. (25 minutes to 4). Lamm explained on The Chris Isaak Hour:
I was living up above Sunset Strip. One of the
advantages of this particular house was that it
was in the Hollywood Hills and I could look out
over the city late at night. I wanted to try to
describe the process of writing the song that I
was writing. So, 'waiting for the break of day,
searching for something to say, flashing lights
against the sky' - there was a neon sign across
the city. That song came from the fact that it was
25 or 6 to 4 a.m. in the morning when I looked at
my watch - I was looking for a line to finish the
chorus.
Now that they were on their way, Chicago released another single from their debut album, "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?" is a song about not rushing through life and appreciating life as it happens. It became another #2 hit in Canada that reached #5 on the Easy Listening chart and #7 Popular in the U.S.
In 1971, Chicago re-released a great song from their debut album with one of their gems from their second album to produce one of The Top Double-Sided Hits of the Rock Era*. It did not chart originally, but once the group had a couple hits to their credit, the public clamored for more. This is "Beginnings", featuring one of the group's finest moments--the splendid trumpet/trombone dual between Lee Loughnane and horn-section leader James Pankow. Then, as the rest of the group fades into the background, Seraphine, accompanied by several percussion players, brings the song home! !
...and the flip was "Colour My World" (heard earlier as part of "Ballad For A Girl In Buchannon". Billboard in those days didn't apply separate chart methodology to both sides of a two-sided hit, so both songs peaked at #7.
The individual tracks on the album may sound as if they have sudden ends, but when listened to on the album as the artist intended, they are easily seen as segways to the next track. "Movin' In", which naturally flows into "Poem For The People" on the album, is an example. Like Kath's "Introduction" on the first album, Pankow's "Movin' In" is another autobiographical account of the group in its early days.
"Poem For The People" shows Chicago can do anything and do it superbly.
The debut introduced us to the powerful Chicago horn section of Lochnane and Pankow; by their second album, the pair were much tighter and the way their horns meander around the vocals give us the feeling of a leisurely walk "In The Country", Guercio expertly began to bring out the sound of Cetera's bass, and Peter and Terry played off each other well, both vocally and rhythmically.
Lamm was prolific in the early days, writing this song, which includes his vocals in the lower register and brings in Cetera for the higher notes. Pankows brilliant trombone solo is a thing of beauty on "Wake Up Sunshine".
"Fancy Colours" shows not only the talent of Chicago but the fact that a Rock song can be much more than just three chords and a strong backbeat. In their prime, the group were innovators, producing a sound that no one else had achieved. On "Fancy Colours", we have four distinct themes and melodies being performed at the same time, but woven together into a cohesive sound. Listen for the sophisticated sound of the horns, Parazaider on flute, Kath using the wah-wah pedal, and Cetera on vocals all recording different melodies but meshing as a unit at the same time.
Chicago believed their music could change the world, and we want to feature another of their politically conscious songs, written about the Vietnam War and the civil rights movement. Cetera's funky bass line which precedes the first verse is some of his best playing for the group. Listen for the four distinct movements of "It Better End Soon".
"Where Do We Go From Here?" is the B-side to "25 Or 6 To 4" and is the first song written by Cetera to appear on a Chicago album. It points out that we all need to care about each other all the time, not just in moments of crisis, and Cetera is speaking more about the country than about a personal relationship, given the backdrop of the Vietnam War and the upheavals of U.S. society at the time.
There is much more to come from this incredible group--stay tuned!
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