# The Strange Magic of: Chicago (Transit Authority)



## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

What a great first album! Titled Chicago Transit Authority, the 1969 release of this disk by the band of (then) the same name marked a very early introduction to the musically diverse, rich, fertile decade of the 1970s. At least five killer songs--Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?, Beginnings, Questions 67 and 68, Southern California Purple, and here, the Steve Winwood/Jim Miller song _I'm a Man_, marked the arrival of a major new sound in rock--horns, and total professionalism--of the group after called just Chicago. Winston Churchill said that Americans can be counted on to do the right thing, after they've tried everything else. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame cannot be relied upon to do even that, much of the time, but the Hall finally inducted Chicago this year, about 20-plus years late, again belatedly lifting itself out of the mire. I guess Chicago were just not cool enough all those years.........


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

You're on a bit of a roll these days SM! I've got their first six studio albums and I like them all, especially the first three. After that it was a downward spiral into MOR mush. One of their more unheralded songs is Pete Cetera's _What Else Can I Say_ from _Chicago III_ - it was the second song he wrote for the band (after _Where Do We Go From Here_ from the second album) and it reminds me of top-form Stephen Stills.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

I hesitate to employ the abused adjective "great" on this forum, but Chicago fits the bill! Like many other bands whose time in history coincided with the growing pains of the music industry, they had the freedom to make the kind of records a true music lover could sink their teeth into for months at a time. 

I got on board towards the end of their creative days listening to Chicago VII on 8-track tape through a pair of Koss headphones. The fact they they were able to open this two record set with a whole side of instrumentals is something that will never happen again. As for the rock n roll hall of fame? I couldn't give two farts!


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

Here's a live version of the song that started it all for me on that first great album: _Beginnings_. As always, meant to be experienced Loud, perhaps in a car on a spectacular day, going fast on a smooth yet curving country road......


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## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

One of the first rock albums I ever purchased was their Carnegie Hall concert. I bought it for my sister for Christmas, but it was really for me. 

Has anyone seen Electra Glide in Blue? Chicago is featured not as musicians but as a bunch of hippies. One of them, I think it's Peter Cetera, gets shot off of a motorcycle by a cop.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

^^^
Watched that movie once. I didn't remember Chicago, but I'd like to see it again.


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

Saw it too long ago to remember.


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

Glad to recall here that elgars ghost and I are joined at the hip in our appreciation of Chicago. What a band! As YouTube giveth and then taketh away _I'm a Man_, here are Chicago again with that fine tune....


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

Two more gems from Chicago that are guaranteed to make everyone smile :


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

See, I told you it does happen sometimes!

Word has it that Jimi Hendrix was keen on working with Chicago's horn section - whether that was for Jimi's unfinished album or some other project I don't know, but had he lived it would have been interesting whatever he had in mind.


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## Kevin Pearson (Aug 14, 2009)

For the diehard Chicago fans you may be interested to know that thy are releasing some live unreleased material. The set includes 4 CDs and 1 DVD of early Chicago material.

https://www.amazon.com/Chicago-Decades-Live-4CD-1DVD/dp/B079PT1MWV/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1519940432&sr=8-1&keywords=chicago+live


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## laurie (Jan 12, 2017)

I actually watched this rock-umentary just last week on TV ~ "The Terry Kath Experience: A Daughter's Journey". Made by Michelle Kath, (his only child, who was just 2 years old when her father died), it was very interesting (&, of course, tragic). It's well worth tracking this down if you have any interest at all in Kath & the earlier years of the band. I had forgotten just how damn _good_ Chicago really was in the beginning!

(After we watched this my husband went right to Amazon & ordered the first 3 albums! :guitar


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## Kevin Pearson (Aug 14, 2009)

I own the two box sets of their studio albums and most of their live albums and several bootlegs. I admit I prefer their earlier progressive material the most but they are a quality band on almost anything they put out. Their albums are still played by me with some frequency.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

Kevin Pearson said:


> I own the two box sets of their studio albums and most of their live albums and several bootlegs. I admit I prefer their earlier progressive material the most but they are a quality band on almost anything they put out. Their albums are still played by me with some frequency.


Kevin, as the Carnegie Hall set is now so expensive could you please recommend a live recording with good stereo sound from between, say, 1969-1976?


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## Kevin Pearson (Aug 14, 2009)

elgars ghost said:


> Kevin, as the Carnegie Hall set is now so expensive could you please recommend a live recording with good stereo sound from between, say, 1969-1976?


Well, you are kind of limited. Carnegie Hall is the best, in my opinion, and is worth investing $60 for a copy. However, Live in Japan is a fine recording with a good performance. Live in 75 really captures the band but the recording is not as good as one might like.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

OK, thanks for that.


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## Guest (Mar 2, 2018)

Amazing guitarist and sublime horns.


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## pianozach (May 21, 2018)

Big fan. Have most of their albums

Chicago Transit Authority
Chicago
III
At Carnegie Hall
V
VI
VII
VIII
IX: Chicago's Greatest Hits
X
XI
Hot Streets
XIII
XIV

16
17
Greatest Hits 1982-1989
Stone of Sisyphus

Night and Day: Big Band
Christmas: What's It Gonna Be, Santa?
"NOW" Chicago XXXVI


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## progmatist (Apr 3, 2021)

Chicago stands alone as a band with 2 self titled debut albums. When they released CTA, that was their name as well. The governmental agency of the same name demanded they stop using the name. So they shortened it to Chicago and released debut #2.


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## Shaughnessy (Dec 31, 2020)

In the late 1960’s the band Chicago did some shows with Jimi Hendrix. The legendary guitar player Jimi Hendrix was blown away by Terry Kath’s guitar playing.
When first hearing Terry Kath play, Jimi Hendrix was quoted as saying that he thought Terry Kath played guitar better than he did. It was later on reported that Jimi Hendrix also called Terry Kath the “Best Guitarist in the Universe.”

*Why Jimi Hendrix Called Chicago’s Terry Kath The Best Guitarist In The Universe*


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## Luchesi (Mar 15, 2013)

Guest said:


> Amazing guitarist and sublime horns.


Was he looking at the clock at 400AM, (upside-down?)?


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## CatchARisingStar (7 mo ago)

Everybody has, I think, their top five songs of all time. I'm no exception. One of my top five (meaning a song I wish I'd written because it's so f'ing great), is "Feelin' Stronger Every Day." I've studied and dissected that track for years. It's as close to perfect as a song can be.


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

Just a reminder that all of the Strange Magic posts are available as conversation-starters by just plugging in _The Strange Magic of: _into the Search function---
https://www.talkclassical.com/search/25345/?q=The+Strange+Magic+of:&t=post&c[child_nodes]=1&c[nodes][0]=28&o=relevance


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## Floeddie (8 mo ago)

My son has the full discography of Chicago, and I've been listening since the beginning, off and on, now and then. I saw them live in Texas in the late 2000's, and it was a great show, but the most recent time I saw them was a disaster. The venue and who ever was responsible for the soundboards was the culprit. The sound quality was muddled to the point to where we left before the show was over. 

But we didn't destroy our discography. My son tells me that Chicago will be releasing a new album of all new material sometime within the next year. We look forward to it.


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