The Now Spinning/Recent Purchases Thread

[Michael Hagerty]

And I already have a partial answer.

Chicago Transit Authority and Chicago hold up pretty well.

Chicago III tries way too hard. I bailed midway through "Free" (the sixth track).

I'm not even gonna attempt IV (Carnegie Hall) and have moved on to Chicago V, which I was lukewarm on at the time. Might just have been "Dialogue" (if you're going to make an argument about awareness and involvement, at least win it). We'll see.

(UPDATE: Chicago V isn't any better to my ears than it was in '72. On to Chicago VI.)

 

[Harry]

For the group "Chicago", I've always favored their hit singles and never delved much into their albums proper. I do own a CD for the first, CHICAGO TRANSIT AUTHORITY and a few scattered LPs that were rescues from radio stations.

I also have a weird fondness for the severely edited "Beginnings" that was released as a single. I've spent a few hours of my life attempting to recreate those edits with the stereo album version. It's tricky.

(As a coincidence, as I entered our community clubhouse this morning, I heard the telltale percussion that ends the album version of "Beginnings" playing.)

 

[Rudy]

I've never warmed that much to Chicago. Like Harry...give me the hits, and I'm good. There are a couple of album tracks I like, and my personal sadistic thing is to say that "Street Player" is one of my favorite Chicago tracks, especially the 12-inch remix. Drives Chicago zealots absolutely batsh!t crazy. Two good compilations to have are both volumes of The Heart of Chicago. Covers anything (except for those few album tracks, plus "Street Player") I could ever need in terms of hits. Nothing past the Cetera era has caught my attention either, although their big band/standards album (whatever the heck it was called) was an enjoyable novelty while it lasted.

I never got all the fuss for Chicago II. For one, the mastering on it is so dreadful that I can barely get around the horrible sound of it. The only good version I've ever heard was a remix that was done for the DVD-Audio release--still not great, but much more listenable. Otherwise the album meanders on way too long for my taste. And over four LP sides...ouch.

 

[Rudy]

So, I'll open it up to discussion---where do you think today I'll find the point of diminishing returns and bail out?

I think we already saw you approaching your breaking point earlier.

While going through some of the records yesterday afternoon, I found a few I'd listened to in high school that were always exciting to listen to back in the day. They didn't quite do the same for me now. Although with a couple, I can understand why they were so popular at the time. With others, I find that I gravitate towards some of the lesser-known or underappreciated albums. Or with Styx, I always had a soft spot for Equinox...so that's the record I pull out the most. Same with Pieces of Eight, as my buddy used to bring it over all the time until I got my own copy.

Reminds me, I need to get out The Honeydrippers...I found a sealed copy a few years ago but keep forgetting to play it. That and Robert Plant's Shaken and Stirred were my gateway drug into Led Zep, and Plant's solo albums.

 

[rbisherw]

Chicago: My first "rock" act live as well (Montclair State College, 1969).
Was a huge fan of the CTA album. My sister was working lights for the show and persuaded the entire band to autograph their respective pics on the poster that came with "Chicago" (II) and gifted to me for Christmas that year!

Had all of albums during the "Kath" era, however felt that by XI they were sounding kinda tired and Lamm's muse had left the building.
The remaining Columbia albums each had a few good tracks, but mostly filler, IMHO,

16 was okay and really like the first 3 tracks from 17. Everything after has not aged well although "Now" was okay. The most recent new album had 1 or 2 decent tracks by Lamm, however the rest was not very good, IMHO.

Recommended listening:
Robert Lamm solo - "Subtlety and Passion" one of the best "Chicago" albums ever.
The Complete Carnegie Hall (Rhino records big box) is a must have for fans of the Kath era. The band is ON FIRE and performances are superb.

 

[Michael Hagerty]

For the group "Chicago", I've always favored their hit singles and never delved much into their albums proper.

There are acts I consider strictly singles groups---Three Dog Night, for example. Chicago, to me, in my teens, was a cut above that. The guys were all very good players, the material was original, there's some legitimate jazz and a touch of classical in the early stuff.

 

[Michael Hagerty]

I think we already saw you approaching your breaking point earlier.

In this little project, I'm trying to listen without prejudice. I've been away from playing records on the radio now that even the most severe burnout has eased and I can hear songs again. Also, because I started on the air at age 15, a lot of my listening was colored by that---more "is it a hit?" or "is it hip?" than "do I like it on its own merits?"

So, I'm trying to approach with a clean slate. Chicago III and Chicago V don't make the cut. We'll see how I do from there.

Generally, if I'm not enjoying an album by the end of the third cut, I'll bail---otherwise I won't live long enough to get through all this music.

 

[Rudy]

16 was okay and really like the first 3 tracks from 17. Everything after has not aged well although "Now" was okay. The most recent new album had 1 or 2 decent tracks by Lamm, however the rest was not very good, IMHO.

I agree on 17. I did enjoy it back in the day, but lately I can cherry pick the three or four favorites and that's good enough for me.

I admit I don't "get" the earlier albums but on the other hand, the oldest albums were nearly a decade before I really began buying albums in earnest, and our area was in a different place re: music. Some of the kids in band class dug Chicago, and our junior high school band even played a few band arrangements of mid 70s Chicago songs for what we called the "cabaret concert," when we took over the lunch room and served sodas. A couple of bands I was in also attempted to play some Chicago songs, but they never went anywhere.

But other than that, many were into the louder arena rock bands, some of us were into funk/R&B, and by the time the new wave bands arrived, some of us had embraced that as well. None of the psychedelic rock bands, or early 70s bands, got much attention from us.

 

[Rudy]

Generally, if I'm not enjoying an album by the end of the third cut, I'll bail---otherwise I won't live long enough to get through all this music.

I'm a little more lenient--if the second and third track are uninteresting, I do flip forward quite a bit, as there are often hidden gems I find later in the album. Otherwise, I've been there with some of the albums where I get a couple of tracks in and "nope, sorry" right out of them.

At times my attention span is like a squirrel, though. I'll intend to play a side of album A, but also see B and C on the shelf. Then B reminds me I haven't played D, E, or F in many years, and digging those out which are adjacent to albums G through K that I also want to hear. So I end up with a pile to work through by the time I'm done...yet I run out of time and they'll sit out for a couple of days before I stash them again.

 

[Mark-T]

In this little project, I'm trying to listen without prejudice. I've been away from playing records on the radio now that even the most severe burnout has eased and I can hear songs again. Also, because I started on the air at age 15, a lot of my listening was colored by that---more "is it a hit?" or "is it hip?" than "do I like it on its own merits?"

So, I'm trying to approach with a clean slate. Chicago III and Chicago V don't make the cut. We'll see how I do from there.

Generally, if I'm not enjoying an album by the end of the third cut, I'll bail---otherwise I won't live long enough to get through all this music.

I've done this much more as an older adult than I ever did earlier. I'm discovering artists I overlooked in my youth. It's like finding treasure I didn't expect,

 

[Rudy]

I've done this much more as an older adult than I ever did earlier. I'm discovering artists I overlooked in my youth. It's like finding treasure I didn't expect,

Likewise! I hate being in a musical rut, and can't listen to the same music ad nauseum for weeks/years on end. And it still amazes some people that I haven't heard the music of (insert random artist here) before. I just haven't had time. I explore a lot.

I've also found that bands I might have liked a hit or two from, actually had a lot of good music buried on their albums. Some favorite bands/artists of mine have also had lesser albums I always passed since I never was attracted to them, yet while I was wishing there was more to choose from, I'd go back to those records and find I like some (or most) of the music. Some of those underdogs have even become favorites that eclipsed what I originally liked.

There are some records here I haven't listened to in decades, even some I actively didn't care for. It's like I have a hidden collection within my main collection.

 

[Murray]

Lately, while my music collection sits on the shelves gathering dust - I've been enjoying "discovering" music from other places in the world, that we in North America aren't normally exposed to. The more upbeat and fun the song is, the better! Here's a few I played this evening:

Slovenian group "Atomik Harmonik" (from 2004). Too bad the video isn't in HD!



Staying on the accordion theme... this is by Melissa Naschenweng, from Austria.



Lastly, baseball season is right around the corner! The song is called "Ricochet", by Ukrainian girl-group "VIA GRA".

 

[AM Matt]

I think that Chicago "Live In Japan" was way better than "At Carnegie Hall". I have not listen to "Live In '75" which RHINO reissued back then.

 

[AM Matt]

 

[AM Matt]

 

[AM Matt]

From the Kentucky Derby in 1974:

 

[AM Matt]

The late Terry Kath's last stand in 1977!!

 

[AM Matt]

Decades Live: This Is What We Do (complete):

 

[Rudy]

Polka can be life-changing! And here's some gratuitous accordion.

I've been enjoying "discovering" music from other places in the world, that we in North America aren't normally exposed to.

From the Slavic side of the globe, an old favorite:




And who knew Serbia had an army orchestra?

 

[Michael Hagerty]

I'm a little more lenient--if the second and third track are uninteresting, I do flip forward quite a bit, as there are often hidden gems I find later in the album.

I think the thing for me is that I'm an album listener---I got into music right at that moment when albums weren't just a collection of songs, but a cohesive whole, and that was how I came up....albums on the turntable, 8-tracks and cassettes in the car player, CDs after that. So if I can't appreciate the album three songs in, it's kind of a disqualifier.

Just finished Chicago VII, and, as I remembered it, it's far and away my favorite of the first albums. I think I'd rank them: Chicago VII, Chicago Transit Authority, Chicago VI and Chicago II. I don't need to hear Chicago III or Chicago V again. Listening to Chicago VIII now and it's stronger out of the gate than I recall.

 

[Rudy]

I think the thing for me is that I'm an album listener---I got into music right at that moment when albums weren't just a collection of songs, but a cohesive whole, and that was how I came up....albums on the turntable, 8-tracks and cassettes in the car player, CDs after that. So if I can't appreciate the album three songs in, it's kind of a disqualifier.

I've always been an album listener, and there are many times the stronger or more interesting songs are on the back half of the album. In some of those cases, the first few songs are overplayed hits that I don't care to hear again, whereas the album tracks are often better than the hits. In a sense, the first few tracks are often the cover we all judge the album (book) by which I've found is often not an indicator of the entire project, so I'll skip ahead to see what else it has to offer.

Depeche Mode comes close to this. I can think of a couple of albums (Ultra comes to mind) where the first two tracks don't do anything for me, but the really good stuff comes with the third and following tracks. With Ultra, "Barrel of a Gun" and "The Love Thieves" are something I don't listen to often, but then a stunning track like "Home" comes along as the third track, leading into "It's No Good" and "Useless," a classic, killer lineup of tracks.

But there are also those albums where from the first track, I don't feel the vibe, and the second or third track have me reaching for the next selection to play. They have to be totally uninteresting, though. So, I get that also.

 

[Michael Hagerty]

I've always been an album listener, and there are many times the stronger or more interesting songs are on the back half of the album. In some of those cases, the first few songs are overplayed hits that I don't care to hear again, whereas the album tracks are often better than the hits. In a sense, the first few tracks are often the cover we all judge the album (book) by which I've found is often not an indicator of the entire project, so I'll skip ahead to see what else it has to offer.

Depeche Mode comes close to this. I can think of a couple of albums (Ultra comes to mind) where the first two tracks don't do anything for me, but the really good stuff comes with the third and following tracks. With Ultra, "Barrel of a Gun" and "The Love Thieves" are something I don't listen to often, but then a stunning track like "Home" comes along as the third track, leading into "It's No Good" and "Useless," a classic, killer lineup of tracks.

But there are also those albums where from the first track, I don't feel the vibe, and the second or third track have me reaching for the next selection to play. They have to be totally uninteresting, though. So, I get that also.

For those scoring along at home----I'm surprised, but Chicago VIII turns out to be a keeper--I'd probably rank it in between Chicago VI and Chicago II. Now we'll see if Chicago X is as boring as I remember it or if that was just being underwhelmed by "Another Rainy Day in New York City" and overexposed to "If You Leave Me Now."

 

[Harry]

I was just giving a spin to CHICAGO II. I hadn't heard any of it in quite awhile, mostly opting for the hits discs when I needed a Chicago fix. Leaping out at me was the first song on the second side, "Wake Up Sunshine". I would have sworn that this song was on one of my Greatest Hits CDs, but, nope. Looking it up, I see that it was never even a single. One of the radio stations I've listened to must have played this often, because it sure sounded familiar.

 

[Michael Hagerty]

I was just giving a spin to CHICAGO II. I hadn't heard any of it in quite awhile, mostly opting for the hits discs when I needed a Chicago fix. Leaping out at me was the first song on the second side, "Wake Up Sunshine". I would have sworn that this song was on one of my Greatest Hits CDs, but, nope. Looking it up, I see that it was never even a single. One of the radio stations I've listened to must have played this often, because it sure sounded familiar.

If you listened to any album rock radio, you probably heard it there. Frankly, I thought it should have been a single, and I vaguely recall having it in an oldies library at one of my stations.

“Happy Man” from Chicago VII, also not a single, was so popular from album rock airplay in Southern California that Top 40 and Adult Contemporary stations in L.A. and San Diego had it in their recurrent rotations for four or five years.

 

[Murray]

Was Chicago's use of sequential Roman numerals in their album titles, inspired by the Superbowl?