Chicago

"Chicago Transit Authority"

  1. "Introduction" (6:35)
  2. "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?" (4:36)
  3. "Beginnings" (7:54)
  4. "Questions 67 and 68" (5:02)
  5. "Listen" (3:21)
  6. "Poem 58" (8:37)
  7. "Free Form Guitar"--instrumental (6:47)
  8. "South California Purples" (6:11)
  9. "I'm a Man" (7:39)
  10. "Prologue, August 29, 1968"--spoken word (0:57)
  11. "Someday (August 29, 1968)" (4:13)
  12. "Liberation" (14:38)

My goodness, this album's been on my Need-It List for YEARS. The problem is twofold -- it rarely shows up used, and until now the only copies I've seen were the original CD pressing on TWO discs, in one of those huge enviromentally-unfriendly double packs. Finally I located this single-disc copy, which is the 2002 Rhino reissue, and comes in a stupid slim digipack with a slipcase that is TOO WIDE to fit in a standard CD holder!! It's not even remastered, silly gits! Well, considering its rarity I had no choice but to buy it, though I wouldn't mind trading it someday for the original single-disc version...

Anyways...this is a FANTASTIC album, no doubt about it! All the songs are a delectable mix of blues, funk, soul, jazz, even a bit of psychedelia here and there -- a far cry from the adult contemporary garbage they became famous for later! The first three songs in particular comprise the strongest opening to any album I can think of..."Introduction" opens with a blast of jazz bombast, then slides smoothly into the happy, minimalistic "Does Anybody Know What Time It Is?", which has silly lyrics but works fine for some odd reason. "Beginnings" completes the trio with a lovely acoustic guitar melody and incredibly soulful vocals (in fact, I was surprised to find out that lead singer Terry "It's Not Loaded" Kath is actually white!!) "Question 67 & 68" is a Peter Cetera song that sounds more like the pop junk from their later albums, but this one is actually good. And it all gets more varied, complex and progressive from there -- ranging from the hard rock "Listen" to the blues jam "Liberation" to a Malcom X speech (I think) in "Prologue". Great stuff.

By the way, "Chicago Transit Authority" was the band's original name, but the real CTA didn't like that and forced them to shorten it to just "Chicago". But you knew that already, didn't you?

"Chicago II"

  1. "Movin' In" (4:06)
  2. "The Road" (3:10)
  3. "Poem for the People" (5:34)
  4. "In the Country" (6:36)
  5. "Wake Up Sunshine" (2:33)
  6. "Make Me Smile" (3:15)
  7. "So Much to Say, So Much to Give" (1:11)
  8. "Anxiety's Moment"--instrumental (1:00)
  9. "West Virginia Fantasies"--instrumental (1:33)
  10. "Colour My World" (2:59)
  11. "To Be Free"--instrumental (1:15)
  12. "Now More Than Ever" (1:25)
  13. "Fancy Colours" (5:12)
  14. "25 or 6 to 4" (5:00)
  15. "Prelude"--instrumental (1:09)
  16. "A.M. Mourning"--instrumental (2:05)
  17. "P.M. Mourning"--instrumental (1:58)
  18. "Memories of Love" (3:58)
  19. "It Better End Soon: 1st Movement" (2:33)
  20. "It Better End Soon: 2nd Movement"--instrumental (3:41)
  21. "It Better End Soon: 3rd Movement" (3:18)
  22. "It Better End Soon: 4th Movement" (0:56)
  23. "Where Do We Go From Here" (2:48)

The band's second album was also released as a 2-LP set, but I think the only CD pressings are on a single disc. (Luckily, my copy is the original CBS pressing, in a regular jewelcase unlike that Rhino crap packaging.) Already, they seem to be stretching themselves a bit thin...the songs are good, but not nearly as inspirational as their debut. "25 or 6 to 4" has confused a lot of people who wonder exactly what the song title MEANS...well, Robert Lamm was up late in the studio, trying to write a new song, and he looked up at the clock and saw it was 3:34 a.m. Or was it 3:35? He was too bleary-eyed to be sure. Hence, the title: 25 minutes (or 26 minutes) to 4:00 a.m. Get it?

Oh, and "Colour My World" has been covered by M.O.D., of all people. As for the rest of the band's catalog...well, I have taped copies of all their records up to 17, and believe me, some of them SUCK like you wouldn't believe. (Although 16 is ok.) So I don't have any plans to extend my collection, for now at least.

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