We continue our look back at the music of 50 years ago…….
A man was on the street in New York asking for directions…”How do you get to Carnegie Hall?”…the answer, of course, was “Practice, Practice, Practice.” And practice they did. As the band Chicago toured in support of their 3rd LP released early in 1971…they appeared for a week of shows at the famed venue, Carnegie Hall. They were the first rock and roll band to sell out a week at iconic hall and that led Columbia Records to pull up the sound trucks and see what they could get.
This was a band that was cooking on all cylinders. They had a great catalog of music already even though they were only three LP’s into their career. And, man could they play.
The original vinyl recordings of these shows were criticized for the sound quality and even some of the band members didn’t like them. But Rhino Records released a remastered version in 2005 that sounds great. I believe that is what I’ve included here for your listening pleasure. And pleasure it shall be.
The rhythm section is locked in. Bobby Lamm on keys, Peter Cetera on bass and Danny Seraphine on drums all get their times to shine. The horn section is tight as a Beverly Hills socialites face. Jimmy Pankow on trombone, Lee Loughnane on trumpet and Walter Parazaider on woodwinds all get time in the spotlight but it’s their combined sound that drives a lot of these tracks. The charts are in the groove. And the cherry on top is Terry Kath. He is an absolute monster. The guitar work is other worldly and his growling vocals give the band an edge that few others at the time could match.
The songs, mostly written by Lamm & Kath are familiar and the hits are here although the band stretches some of them out with excellent jams. Check out “It Better End Soon”, “In The Country” or “Sing a Mean Tune Kid”.
This band sounds so good on it’s studio recordings you might have wondered how that would translate live. No worries….they sound great!
This is the “Chicago” I love best. Enjoy!!
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