I can remember pretty far back into my past.  One of the many things happening when I was four was HORNS.  Yeah, you heard them in Jazz but, unfortunately, you didn’t hear that much on the radio then.   You heard them in R’n’B, soul and other Pop bands but mostly as an ornament.  There were some that made horns a part of the actual piece but not on a regular basis.  Bands like Chicago and Blood, Sweat and Tears were doing that.  They didn’t have a backing horn section, the horns were an integral part of their band (as much as guitar, bass, keyboard and drums). They made an indelible impression in my mind (as music will for me.  My life is a soundtrack anyway).

Chicago, in particular, would be this way.  Every member wrote.  Everyone helped arrange each other’s song.  Some sang on other members’ songs.  Some wrote songs specifically for other members to sing.  In short, a true BAND.  Egos eventually intrude on these situations but when they work it truly is like magic!  Back then, Chicago not only made songs with a message or love songs, they painted pictures with their lyrics and music as well.

Like a lot of people, I was disillusioned by Chicago 17.  For those drawing a blank at that title, that was the one with the programmed drums, little horns and a lot of Peter Cetera.  All those Pop hits in the mid-eighties made them lots of money and saved them financially, but disappointed those that loved their earlier music.  Eventually, sad to say, I mostly forgot them.  Once in a while I would enjoy one of their old songs but mostly they weren’t in my rotation at all.  Then, out of curiosity, I picked up drummer Danny Seraphine’s book, “Street Player.”  Reading it reignited my interest in the band and reminded me how interesting, soulful and complex their music was.  Chicago II is a prime example.

Chicago II is a very cohesive album.  There two very long pieces with several movements in them (like a classical piece) with a lot of shorter songs in  front of and in between the pieces.  The strange thing is that their hits were in the longer pieces and it took a lot of work to edit them so they would sound like radio songs.  Listen to the album version of “Make Me Smile” as a part of “Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon” and you will see what I mean.   This was definitely not the band that sang “Along Comes a Woman.”  Chicago 17 was well-crafted, don’t get me wrong, but nowadays I can’t stomach it. The daring of early Chicago is sadly missing nowadays.  The courage to go further from the comfort zone, to be unconscious of the trends and make music as a collective doesn’t happen as much these days.  In fact, I don’t see it happening at all.  Listening to early Chicago could be a bright spot for you. I know it has been for me lately.