THE FAMILY WALKER 2010

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     The first album. A double album! Unheard of in 1969 for a brand new band to debut with a double-album. However, this read-u-mentory is about my personal album experiences to share with fellow Chicago fans, who love this music and appreicate it like I do. This was not my first Chicago experience. The next album was, called just "Chicago". However, I did discover CTA at my sister's wedding as the band played "Beginnings" and did a good job of it. They had a horn player and everything. When they started playing it, I didn't recognize the song and said to someone listening with me "what album is this one from?" He said "CTA". That monday from school, I found out from my french teacher that Chicago had a two record set called Chicago Transit Authority. My new brother-in-law, Rick said he had the album and gave it to me. I was knocked off my chair. I thought it completely different from Chicago II and Chicago V, those were the only other Chicago albums I had heard of at that time.

     I believe this is one of the most talked about of all Chicago albums in my experiences and travels. I remember a show called "Medical Center" starring Chad Everett and I think I can remember the middle part of "Introduction" being used as the doctor's are driving down this tree lined road into the hospital, if I'm not mistaken. The year was around 1969 or 1970. I listened to this album all of the time, after I had discovered it. I purchased the album twice, at least two cassettes, one eight track, at least one copy of each 45 released from this album and at least one copy of the mix 45's from other albums; a standard compact disc, and then a special 32 bit gold disc released by Sony in the mid 90's. That is the copy I have to this day and use when I groove to CTA!

     Awesome! This is it! This is the album that introduced me to Chicago! Originally, this was just called "Chicago". The original release copies didn't have "II" on the side. Trust me. I remember this. Also, the 8-Track just said "Chicago". It was only later, that this started to be annotated with "II" upon new copies made and circulated. With the help of my sister, Marie, who introduced me to this band by playing the 8Track tape over and over and over again in her room, adjacent to mine. I immediately thought how different this band was, with horns and all. Marie received this album in 8-Track form and a 8-Track player stereo as well, Christmas 1970. Since this was the only 8-Track she owned, and I was a captive audience, I listened to it all the time while she played it in her room. Even though I was only 12 at the time, I remember being blown away with Terry's guitar, Danny's super fast drums, the real cool songs like "Fancy Colours", "Poem for the People", "It better end soon", really the whole album was real cool.  I was hooked. I could just tell, even at a young age, that this music would endure and be around forever. I just knew it. Also, I think I knew in my heart that I would be still celebrating their continued success when I was much older. 25or6to4 was the hit on the radio in early 71.They played it and "Make Me Smile" all the time in radio stations all around Buffalo, New York. I remember my cousin Shelly, who is my sister Marie's age, came over to the house once while we were listening to Chicago and said something like, "That's all everybody is talking about these days is Chicago. Many people think they are more talented than the Beatles," or words very close to that effect. Such was their impact on me that would continue.

     Now, every time I hear "Wake Up Sunshine", I think of the early 70's at the end of each school year. The final day, usually around June 28th or so, we would just show up, pick up our report cards and go home for the entire summer! I remember beautiful sunny mornings, mid 70's, clear blue sky,  feeling so happy that school was over and I would be listening to "Wake Up Sunshine" over and over again. I love this memory. It is very special to me.

     One of the many cool aspects of this album is Walter's solo in "It Better End Soon", his flute solo. I love it. The first time I heard it I thought, wow! What is it! What is he doing? Essentially, he is playing along a flute solo with Jimmy and Lee blasting a constant thread, then Walt goes "Help, Help, and belts out a high note, then yells, then belts out an even higher note and does this a couple more times and says, "Help Help" again! How cool is that!

Real cool album! Chicago III was really the album that put Chicago on the national map in many ways. Although CTA and II won great aclaim, "III" charted immediately to number 2 in the nation in 1971. It owed that quick recognition, no doubt in thanks to its earlier sisters CTA and II. In my small town, "Free" and "I Don't Want Your Money" seemed to be the favorites, as I recall. I had heard of this album, but for some reason, never purchased it until 1973. I did however, borrow it from and friend and listened to it often. During the popular run of this album, it didn't yield a top 10 tune like "25or6to4". However, as I stated earlier, this album also cause more attention to "Colour My World", "Wake Up Sunshine", "Beginnings" and "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is"?
...continued later

 

I  didn't hear this awesome album until 1974, on my Birthday! It cost about 17 or 18 dollars, as I recall, and that was big money in those days. Especially, for a kid who made about $1.10 an hour as a bus-boy @ Casey's Steak House. Nevertheless, I did indeed own this album, thanks to my oldest sister. I listened to it after school and all the time. I really liked the opening song, Terry's "In the Country", hearing it live the first time, I appreciated how powerful Chicago is when captured live. When my friends and I played Chess or electric football or my wire driven basketball or hockey game, we usually would listen to the Carnegie Hall concert in its complete length. I put the posters up all over the wall in my small, but my own bedroom. I didn't purchase this album myself until 1988, when I purchased the 3 CD Columbia release of this. It was a though I discovered it all over again. I really love Lamm's piano solo at the beginning of "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?" He feels it as he plays it free form and it is beautiful! I love the performance all the guys put in; Jimmy's awesome solo in "Mother" and Lee on guitar; Pete Cetera gives an awesome performance in the encore of "I'm a Man", Danny really does some good chops in "Free", and Walter does an awesome flute solo in "It Better End Soon", even better than his performance on Chicago II, in my humble opinion. Most of all, I love Terry's overall performance in this album. All the extended cuts are different, especially "Sing A Mean Tune Kid", he really cooks. I then purchased the newest re-release by Rhino, which includes an extra CD of never heard before performance during this Carnegie Hall stint. I enjoy it very much. In fact, the picture provided here is of the most recent release. On the new CD contains Terry's "Hour in the Shower" and the guys do a great job! The critics really tore this album up, calling the horns "Kazoo's" and made fun of the overall release as a "big ripoff", which I strongly disagree with. I believe it to be an important musical document in American live music performances of the 1970's.