Weekend Diversion: Night Of The Ponies
Pedway, First Store Open At Block 37
Around Town
Around Town
Red-Light Cameras Not So Special?
Even though Chicago (the band) haven't called the city home in close to forty years and their later focus on lite rock didn't end with the departure of Peter Cetera, there was a time when they could kill live.
The band never fully recovered from the accidental suicide of guitarist Terry Kath in 1978. Kath's guitar work was instrumental to the early Chicago sound. As they went more mainstream, Kath became increasingly unhappy with the band's direction; Cetera even said that Kath would have been the first to quit the band had he lived.
The video above comes from a BBC "Top of the Pops" recording session in 1970, a smoking rendition of "I'm a Man." Cetera and keyboard player Robert Lamm (then known as "Bobby") are inspired in this session. But it's Kath you want to keep an eye on, his guitar work and vocals driving the band.
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"25 or 6 to 4" is probably the only song of theirs I like. The horns are awesome.
The only song? Have you heard Dialogue Pts. 1 and 2? That's awesome, I'm a Man is awesome, Feelin' Stronger Everyday,
accidental suicide?
He shot himself but he didn't mean too. As the story goes he was a gun collector and he was playing around with one of his weapons and pulled the trigger not thinking it was loaded.
Ha. I was totally going to call out the oxymoron in that, but apparently it was an accidental suicide. Thank god for Wikipedia .
That's right. He came home from a party with a friend and was pulling the trigger of a revolver, the barrel next to his head. Then, Kath reached for an automatic. When the friend asked him if he didn't think this was dangerous, Kath pulled out the clip and replied, "Don't worry. It's not loaded," forgetting that when you load a clip, a bullet automatically loads in the chamber.
This is my favorite Chicago song. Thanks for posting it.
Thanks for that. They were a kickass rock band before they turned to that bubblegum pop crap.
More cowbell!
Chicago was an amazing band back in the day, but cheesed out so badly that it's hard to say that now.
Other bands on that 'were amazing back in the day' and now reek of moldy cheese list include Elton John, Aerosmith, Rod Stewart, ZZ Top, and Billy Joel.
Now let's argue about my list....
Everything Chicago did that was cool (including the tangently related "Demon Dogs" on Fullerton) is completely undone by the song "Does Anyone Really Know What Time It Is?"
Probably one of the most grating songs I've ever heard. That and "Brand New Key" by Melanie Safka.
Thanks so much for reminding folks how great these guys are. (Notice I am writing...'are'.) I am one of the fans that believe their best group work is from recordings 1 to 8, and I loved Terry Kath's work so much as he was a main driving force and center of this group as much as the horns. I still enjoy much of the horn arrangements on work after recording 8. And I feel that the horn work and musical arrangements on Chicago's "Night and Day" back in the mid-90's have been the best to date and really, really under-rated and the town of Chicago really should be proud of them. Nix the ballad and commercial stuff, and really enjoy the musical work these guys have done and left for us - these 7 original players - are all musical monsters, influnced many and deserve a heck of alot better accolaides than what they have gotten.