So...Chicago is pretty cool.

Clearly a thinly veiled attempt to butch up his image. Either that or his Sex Pistols shirt was at the dry cleaners.

To OP, don't worry so much about "they". Use your ears and listen to the music. It will move you or it won't.

 

That's the time when they lost guitarist Terry Kath forever when he accidentally shot himself in the head and when the band parted ways with their original mentor and producer, James William Guercio. Tery Kath's last album with Chicago was Chicago XI (1977). When Terry died, the band died with him and they were not able to recover their mojo.

 

Im a novice as far as quad pressings go. Can you elaborate on sound ?

 

It's weird, but I keep thinking that X and XI were released in the early 80's, even though Chicago 13 was technically still a 70's album.

 

Chicago X (released in June 1976)




Chicago XI (released in September 1977) - last Chicago album with Terry Kath and also the last one produced by James William Guercio





Terry Kath died January 23, 1978

Hot Streets (released October 1978) - the first album without Terry Kath and also the first one not produced by James William Guercio




Chicago 13 (released August 1979)

 

Dunno. As fun as CTA,as a group,sounded,I suspect all of them together did not possess what Hendrix possessed.
Now,bassist Jaco Pastorious(Weather Report,plus his solo material) might be considered close to Jimi. Player,arranger and composer. His Columbia Jaco Pastorious titled album from 1976 has so many different styles,any one could have been the nucleus for a separate LP.And in the realm of jazz,Gil Evans eventually did an album of Hendrix material about ten years after his iconic LPs with Miles Davis and that is worth repeated listenings. Hendrix and Evans were supposed to do an album together.Try to imagine that one in your head.

 

TERRY KATH possessed what Hendrix possessed + excellent vocals

I'm not trying to start a Kath vs Hendrix thread

 

wrong!!

 

I edited out a separate sentence emphasizing "including Terry Kath",but felt it too inflammatory. No offense,just differing opinions. I lived through this era,coming from an interest in jazz that got me hooked into music in general. Add to that,underground radio became a mixture of ideas that mashed styles from rock to jazz to pop to classical and an occasional kiddie record to cleanse the palette. Throw in Zappa and everything was up for listening. That prejudice of improvisation and players taking chances had taken hold of me by the time of Chicago coming on the scene. Just where I was. A magical time.

 

I may be the only one here that prefers their early 80s hits to their mid-late 70s soft rock hits. It's not like they waited until Kath was gone to go in that direction...wasn't he still on board for "If You Leave Me Now"?

Of course I love the early stuff, but their soft rock career took off pretty early in the overall timeline.

 

Basically, the only years that they exist!

 

And even after PC left, they still continued on and on in that direction. They should have rebooted, but of course money talks.

 

What do you mean 'wrong'? The first album is not guitar dominated?

 

Wasn't John Lennon still on board when the Beatles recorded "Obladi-Oblada", "And I Love Her" or "When I'm Sixty-Four?"
It's like saying the only thing Chicago did in mid-late 70's was to record slow ballads which is far from the truth.
In fact, the majority of the album tracks included in the mid to late 70's Chicago albums were the typical vintage brassy rock numbers that defined the band's signature sound with only a couple of ballads added to fill out each album and also to counter balance the more uptempo rock/soul and Latin-influenced numbers.
The term "ballad band" became more appropriate during the post Kath/Guercio era when David Foster took over as the producer in their 80's albums and when the four remaining original members of the band continued to record (1986-present) with newer members (Scheff, Champlin, Imboden, Howland, etc) and outside writers (Dianne Warren, Jay DeMarcus, etc.).
As I have mentioned earlier, Chicago ceased to exist since 1978 when Terry died but they left a huge body of work from their classic years from 1969-1977 with eleven albums.

 

Me: "So....Chicago is pretty cool."
My Dad: "Chicago was pretty cool."

 

to think thats the only Chicago lp you need ,they aren't a one lp band even if that's a double

 

I agree. All the first eleven albums (the classic-year vintage CHICAGO) are worth owning. It's like owning the "classic seven" albums of the Moody Blues. Of course, some of the albums are better than the others.

 

No, more than likely he would have sounded closer to Rahsaan Roland Kirk fronting Al Kooper's BST or the UK's Greatest Show On Earth.

 

Yes. I was playing Chicago and I was playing "Brand New Love Affair" and "Mississippi Delta City Blues" and they caught me by surprise. Kath was such a great singer--yet without overdoing it. And for the guitar, just great. My favorite playing is probably on "Jenny" of all songs. While other players could (try) to replicate Hendrix's firepower, Kath was his true peer in the quiet, understated and soulful style.

 

You make some good points. I guess the end of the day I think the David Foster stuff is catchy 80s pop rock.

 

One big difference between the two guitar heroes was the fact that Hendrix was a solo act whose signature sound is his guitar sound while Kath was one of the band members of the faceless band behind that famous Coca-Cola-inspired logo. Kath was the only guitarist in the band of eight musicians and he has to work in a myriad of styles (rhythm to lead, acoustic to electric, straight pop to hard rock, soul, jazz to Latin, etc.) to suit the band's eclectic styles. He was such an altruistic team player. As lennonfan has mentioned in the other thread, it's about serving the song, and Terry served the song very, very well.

 

Yes. That's one of the things Chicago missed, his rhythm guitar playing on a lot of those hits. I saw a clip from them playing in 1979 or so and sound was completely gone and Donnie Dacus rolling on the stage was no substitute. Yep, Terry was a well-known versed and accomplished player, irreplaceable.

 

It would've been funny if he had on a black wig and Robert Smith makeup on

 

A big loss indeed for the band Chicago. His innovative and creative guitar playing combined with his unique Ray Charles-like baritone vocals are irreplaceable. He was actually CHICAGO's leader on stage and to the earlier fans, he was the voice of CHICAGO.

 

The opening chords of 'Beginnings?" It's easy to play. It's easy to play 'correctly'. It's not easy to play with the most subtle and and natural sense of swing that Terry brings.