Which Chicago album do you stop at?

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by 905, Jan 24, 2014.

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  1. Dougd

    Dougd Forum Resident

    Location:
    Fla.
    For the record, Chicago was the biggest-charting 1970s act (vs. solo artists). They rank up there with The Eagles, McCartney, Stevie Wonder, etc., in terms of hit singles.
    Overall, Chicago is the 2nd-biggest charting U.S. rock and roll act, behind only The Beach Boys, which is quite a feat.
     
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  2. Dougd

    Dougd Forum Resident

    Location:
    Fla.
    Chicago discography - Wikipedia

     
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  3. the pope ondine

    the pope ondine Forum Resident

    Location:
    Virginia
    hot streets! hey! stop pointing and laughing!
     
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  4. Dougd

    Dougd Forum Resident

    Location:
    Fla.
    Think of it.
    As Chicago hasn't enjoyed a real chart hit single since 1989, I'd venture many young people (the ones who only listen to contemporary music and those born in the 1980s) have never heard a Chicago hit song.
     
  5. Dougd

    Dougd Forum Resident

    Location:
    Fla.
    This thread inspired me to take a Chicago weekend listening binge.
    While out driving and engaging in my big hobby of rail photography last weekend, I listened to Chicago's LPs chronologically from CTA to VIII.
    (I only have partial songs, the hits & some others, from X (the chocolate LP) and Xi (Kath's Mississippi Delta Blues, Baby What a Big Surprise).

    I must say I was impressed with VII, which I didn't particularly care for in the past.
    VII's jazzy songs were great, particularly the drumming.
    I liked how the group seemed to be in a "party-like" atmosphere in many of VII's first LP's songs.
    I of course have always loved the hits off that LP (my first LPs were II & GH), but it was good to hear those others from VII.
    I now rank VII higher.

    My ranking:

    Chicago (II)
    CTA
    V
    VII
    III
    VIII
    VI

    I stopped my listening at Hot Streets. I couldn't get into the ones that followed and never really cared for their 80s material.
     
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  6. Grant

    Grant Life is a rock, but the radio rolled me!

    No. Go back and listen to their 70s albums.

    No, it's not, and this forum does a big disservice by only thinking in terms of bands. Jefferson Starship (formerly Airplane), Paul McCartney, George Harrison, John Lennon, Led Zeppelin, Parliament/Funkadelic, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, Linda Ronstadt, Chicago, The Jackson family, and others.

    The Temptations and The Four Tops were still having top 10 hits into the 80s. Did I mention Stevie Wonder, The Jackson family and solo members, Diana Ross, Smokey Robinson, and Marvin Gaye? They all had huge top 10 hits in the late 70s and early 80s.


    At the beginning of the 60s, 70s, and 90s, the music did not change so radically. The transition from the 780s to the 80s was quite unique. And, if you really want to go back there, there were plenty of disco and R&B hits in the year 1980. I was there.
     
  7. Dougd

    Dougd Forum Resident

    Location:
    Fla.
    Sorry, but no on the Temptations.
    Their last Top 10 hit was Masterpiece in 1973. All their other hits were sporadic, with only a handful even hitting the Top 30, in the late 70s.
    The Temptations discography - Wikipedia

    If you re-read, I mentioned Jefferson Airplane/ Starship.

    Parliament didn't chart a Top 40 hit until 1976. Funkadelic never charted any Top 40 hits. Both didn't begin releasing singles until 1970-71. They weren't 60s hitmakers.

    John Lennon stopped recording 1975-1980, until his early 80s comeback.

    I don't consider solo artists the same as groups/ bands.

    None of these 1960s groups had hits in the late 70s/early 80s:
    Guess Who
    Hollies
    Herman's Hermits
    The Animals
    Dave Clark Five
    Dion & Belmonts
    Frankie Valli & Four Seasons
    Creedance Clearwater Revival
    Deep Purple

    These 1970s groups didn't have hits in the 80s:
    Three Dog Night
    The Osmonds



    The Guess Who ran out of steam by the mid-70s.
    I'll grant you on the other artists, but most big 1960s groups weren't big anymore in the late 70s and early 80s.
    Same with 1970s artists in the 80s. It's often difficult for a group from one decade/ era to remain big in the next decade.
    Most don't succeed.
     
  8. Robert Parker

    Robert Parker Forum Resident

    Location:
    Bronson, FL
    Hot Streets as far as entire albums go, but I do like isolated tracks through 17.
     
    Last edited: Mar 8, 2017
  9. maui jim

    maui jim Forum Resident

    Location:
    West of LA
    VIII. Harry Truman and Old Days was too much for me. Left it in the dorm after semester.
     
  10. pablo fanques

    pablo fanques Somebody's Bad Handwroter In Memoriam

    Location:
    Poughkeepsie, NY
    YES! I thought of that after it was too late to edit my post
     
  11. Grant

    Grant Life is a rock, but the radio rolled me!

    Wrong! They had a hit single in 1980 called "Power". In 1982 they had a hit with "Standing On The Top" that was produced by Rick James. In 1984, they had a hit single with "Treat Her Like A Lady". But, you see, I include their R&B chart history. That is significant because they are an R&B group.
    I know. I read it.

    My point is that they were around and didn't break up after a few years.

    The fact remains is that he was still having hit singles in the early 80s.

    Well, I do. This forum unfairly focuses on bands, Gawd knows why.

    I don't care. They shouldn't have had to. Oh, I forgot the Bee Gees. They were around in the 60s and had hits in the late 70s and early 80s.

    So?

    Let's ask Eric Clapton, John Fogerty, Tina Turner, and Steve Winwood about that.
     
  12. kaztor

    kaztor Music is the Best

    Totally disagree with that assesment. Their material is strong throughout Hot Streets (afaik), best case in point probably being VII, which kicks off instrumentally for an albumside-and-a-half with the most inspired jazzrock this side of Soft Machine. If that's purposefully just making hits they've got a very interesting way of doing so.
     
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  13. zakyfarms

    zakyfarms White cane lying in a gutter in the lane.

    Location:
    San Francisco
    I stop right before the debut.
     
  14. kaztor

    kaztor Music is the Best

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  15. andrewskyDE

    andrewskyDE Island Owner

    Location:
    Europe
    I know their albums till Hot Streets so far. Didn't plan to buy the second Studio Albums box set so soon.
     
  16. shirtandtie

    shirtandtie Forum Resident

    Yup! VII is hot! One of my favorites. VIII has some killer tracks on it also. VIII was the last Terry Kath album correct?
     
  17. andrewskyDE

    andrewskyDE Island Owner

    Location:
    Europe
    Chicago XI was the last one with Terry.
     
  18. Terrapin Station

    Terrapin Station Master Guns

    Location:
    NYC Man/Joy-Z City
    They completely sold out after their demo tape. The first demo tape, I mean, not the second one.



    Just joking. I've not stopped. I like all eras, all styles of music they've done.
     
  19. Isamet

    Isamet Forum Resident

    Location:
    New York
    Chicago 19
     
  20. Mike Reynolds

    Mike Reynolds Forum Resident

    Location:
    California
    Hot Streets is the jumping off point for me. And I wasn't exactly crazy about VIII, X and XI so if it weren't for Hot Streets, I likely would have said VII.
     
  21. Terrapin Station

    Terrapin Station Master Guns

    Location:
    NYC Man/Joy-Z City
    Man, I bet some of you even cut off Jefferson Airplane/Starship prior to Love Among the Cannibals.
     
  22. Mike Reynolds

    Mike Reynolds Forum Resident

    Location:
    California
    Hmm...

    [​IMG]

    :D
     
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  23. OptimisticGoat

    OptimisticGoat Everybody's escapegoat....

    I first encountered the 80s band due to my age and liked them. The most recent album I have is XXXVI. I don't have all of them. The last one I really liked a lot is Chicago 18.
    I had an early hits compilation in the 80s and liked it (even though they do sound very different). In the last 6 months I have been discovering the early band - so CTA, II and III, Tanglewood and Group Portrait (yet to listen to it). Prefer the early band but will see how far I get. I suspect I may get to VIII or so.
    I guess I don't stop - I jump around.;)
     
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  24. Billo

    Billo Forum Resident

    Location:
    Southern England
    Re that posting above re older bands not having any chart hits in the late seventies / early 80's

    well The Dave Clark Five broke up in 1970 so that's why - however their compilation 'Twenty Five Thumping Great Hits' did make the UK top ten in 1977 despite no existing group to promote it on tour

    The Hollies actually had a USA top thirty hit with their cover of 'Stop in The Name of Love' in 1983 making no.26 - while 'He Ain't Heavy' on re-issue made no.1 in the UK in 1988, and the album 'Hollies Live Hits' reched no.4 in the UK in 1977 plus the compilation 'Twenty Golden Greats' made no.2 in the UK in 1978 - The Hollies last UK chart single was the final Allan Clarke sung number 'The Woman I Love' which reached no.42 in 1993

    The Animals disbanded in 1966 - they had two reunions after that while Eric Burdon later led his 'New Animals' - who had a few later sixties hits - before they too disbanded Eric then went solo plus recorded with War

    The Four Seasons while maybe absent from USA charts had two UK chart hits with 'Rhapsody' and 'Down The Hall' in 1977 - later Frankie Valli hit no.2 in the UK with 'Grease', thereafter Seasons albums were very sporadic and later Seasons releases were largely Valli with backup singers, the 1975-77 group was effectively gone after 'Helicon' album in 1977, with just a 'Reunited Live' double album on Warners in 1980

    Herman's Hermits original group disbanded as such after a final UK hit 'Lady Barbara' in 1972 with Peter Noone going solo and the remainder becoming a new group under a different name, tho' touring versions existed later none were the original version of the band that ended in 1972

    Creedence too were gone after 'Mardi Gras' in the early seventies, so again no later group existed to have any later hit singles

    so in several cases here there was NO later band to have any hits in the late seventies / early 80's...while some surviving groups later did still make the charts from time to time despite often receiving almost no radio airplay of later material and often you could never get a new material single release in shops without having to order them

    - for example The Searchers made two critically acclaimed albums on Sire records in 1979 and 1981 but most people never knew these even existed !

    I think some radio disc jockeys and music critics 'decide for us' when an era of music is over and only focus on promoting new material by newer acts (possibly due to new acts then being 'plugged' by record companies and maybe with possible financial or others inducements ??) - where as veteran acts normally have their business interests firmly under control having probably been well 'ripped off' in their younger days....thus little money is likely to be gained by outsiders in the business from pushing their later songs etc - only a guess here on my part of course, but it wouldn't surprise me at all....
     
    Last edited: Feb 5, 2018
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  25. Terry

    Terry Senior Member

    Location:
    Milwaukee
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