Thanks to you both for this advice. I have to say - it was the early stuff on the documentary that really got my interest so CTA, II and III are my present targets. I'll also do some research on what is available live. A live album or two is sometimes the best introduction to a band with a catalogue that is before my time in my experience because it is not just the hits but it is still an overview and you can feed off the enthusiasm of the existing fans.
One of the best concerts I ever saw was Chicago in May of 1985. The USFL (United States Football League) tried a lot of things regarding increasing attendance to their football games. Denver had been one of the strongest franchises financially with the young league (they started in 1983.) What they would do is you buy a ticket for the game and the concert comes along with it. IIRC the game started around 5 p.m., Chicago game on stage at 8:30 and played the hits. All of them. I don't know the exact attendance figure but it looked to me to be about 30,000.
"If You Leave Me Now" is just fine. I know it's a ballad but it was recorded with Chicago vintage sound and it is in the same vein as their earlier ballads such as "Wishing You Were Here," "Colour My World," "Just You "N Me," "Happy Man," or "Never Been in Love Before" unlike the sappier ballads that they recorded with David Foster and even worse, the ballads written for them by Dianne Warren and other writers during the late 80's, the 90's and the 2000's. Like the Beatles and numerous other bands from the 60's, the 70's and the 80's, sometimes a band needs to include a soft number/ballad or two for their albums to show their versatility as a band and to make their albums more balanced.
I kind of have to agree with you. Happy Man from VII is my favorite PC song. It is top notch even if it has no horns. The David Foster Years really stunted their great sound and also the trends of the 80s.
I wonder whether Chicago would have had much of an audience at all in the 80s but for the Foster sound. I appreciate that the classic era was in the early period (to late 70s) but there seems to have been a real drop in quality of output in the immediate pre-Foster albums and a lack of chart success. The "horn-jam-funk" style can only be reinvented to an extent. The Stone of Syphius "press and reaction" being so mixed indicates that they will never be that peak period band again and if it had been an 80s album I doubt it would have been commercially successful (or paid the bills).
You got that right. Foster was a great producer & all ("Let me remind you of my 16 Grammys"), and the "sound" he produced for Chicago during that period would've been fine for any other band.... But it really didn't sound like Chicago. I removed most of my Chicago 80s songs from my Ipod playlist. I usually skipped them anyway. I hear enough 80s Chicago on Sirius-XM's 80s channel (I mostly listen to the 60s, 70s, 80s & 50s channels)
I also deleted the sappy 80s ballads from my IPOD. I’ve heard many more great Chicago tracks on Deep Tracks lately maybe because of the Band’s and recently Terry Kath’s Documentary. “In the country” Poem for the People” Fancy Colors” South Calif Purples. It’s such a treat.
I agree. The Tanglewood concert is one of their very best live performances. I also love the 1972 Arie Crown Theater concert and the 1977 Essen, Germany concert. In the 1977 Essen concert, right before IYLMN, Pankow acting like a drunk and started mocking the song and Danny tells him to shut up. Danny steps up to quell the nonsense as Laudir grins.
Coming soon on 12/12/17, The Terry Kath Experience. For poor souls like me, who downgraded their cable package and lost channels like AXS TV, which the special originally aired on.
Great documentary. It was a lot different than the Chicago band doc. Peter Cetera is actually in it and also Jim Guercio. The DVD/Blue Ray has 30 additional minutes of extras. Also concert footage.
Is it streaming anywhere (Netflix, Hulu, etc.)? I’m going to snag this one once it is released, but would love to watch it ASAP
