Chicago (the band)

[Brewdude]

If you're a fan of Chicago in their prime you owe it to yourself to check these folks out. They're from Russia but have the original arrangements down pat. Pretty impressive if you ask me. And more can be had on the tube.

I was into Chicago from the beginning around '69. Back then they were called CTA (Chicago Transit Authority) and their first two double albums bore that logo. Apparently they had to shorten it to "Chicago" due to trademark issues.

Anyway this stuff still resonates with me.

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Cheers,

RR

 

[peanubutter]

So many Chicago songs that still deserve air play today. That sound and era of Chicago, Tower of Power, Ides of March, and one other who's name escapes me at the moment bring back great memories.

Edit: Blood, Sweat and Tears was the other band I was thinking of.

 

[Corncobcon]

The first time I saw Chicago in concert was in 1971. They played in Manhattan, Kansas. They were powerful, to say the least. I've been a fan ever since.

Hey Peanubutter, BS&T "you've made me so very happy" was our wedding song. Whatever happened to David Clayton Thomas and the gang?

 

[Zeno Marx]

Here's a funny little story, and since we're on a tobacco board, it's especially apropos.

I was working part-time at a downtown tobacco shop in the Midwest. It was a hole in the wall, next to a donut shop, in one of the many strips of small shops in the internal byways in this quasi-arctic city. It was mostly located so department store employees could buy cigarettes. Nobody ever came in there to buy much more than Having a Baby cigars outside of the cigarette crowd during their breaks, but we did have a decent humidor. It was dead that night. A guy strolls in and strikes up a conversation about cigars. At the time, I knew my stuff, so we talked a good long while. I just so happen to have a horrible cold too. I could barely breathe or taste anything. Nice guy. In the middle of the conversation, he interrupts and says he'll be right back. He runs out of the shop. Odd, but this place attracted the strange conversation anyway. He comes back with two beautiful Cuban rothchild-extra cigars. Oily, darkish, and I could tell they were freshly rolled. The wrapper hadn't quite dried and pulled the cigar together. He'd just returned from a trip to Cuba. He wanted to have a smoke with me, and this was back when you could still smoke inside in designated areas. He kind of insisted on we smoke them right then. To be honest, I absolutely appreciated the gift, but I also knew that great cigar would be wasted on me. I couldn't taste anything. It was a little bit of a bummer. But I went along with the program anyway. I was right. I could barely taste it, but it was indeed Cuban, and from what little I could gather, it had the makings of a glorious smoke. About 2/3s through, he noticed the time, hastily smooshed the cigar into our ashtray, and said, "I gotta run. I have a show to play." I asked, "What show?" I'm a music nut. "I sing for Chicago, and we're playing the arena around the corner. The limo is waiting." I don't know his name. He made no notice of having money or any such pretense. Just a normal guy who I thought very generous to share a rare, very expensive cigar with a total stranger.

 

[eggman]

I love listening to Chicago. I have Amazon Prime music and put them on a couple of times a week while starting dinner before the wife gets home. I have all my parents albums from the '60s through the ’80s. I have the album with 25 or 6 till 4 that's an awesome album. I love that style of music, blues and funk with the horns. That when musicians actually made music and not sampled(ripped off) others stuff or used sounds off of a computer.

I've watched those guys you posted several times on Utube. They sound great. I wonder if they tour?