Kind Of Like Death

Chicago (Transit Authority)-Chicago Transit Authority (1969)     Columbia Records

1-Introduction (6:35)  2-Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?(4:36)  3-Beginnings (7:54)  4-Questions 67 and 68 (5:02)  5-Listen (3:21)  6-Poem 58 (8:37)  7-Free Form Guitar (6:47)  8-South California Purples"(6:11)  9-I'm a Man"(7:39)  10-Prologue, August 29, 1968 (0:57)  11-Someday (August 29, 1968) (4:13 )  12-Liberation (14:38) 

Wow, now THIS is how you make a debut! From the slinky trumpet riff of "Introduction" to the loose jazz of "Liberation", this is one hell of an album. There's a nice mix of jazz, blues, soul, funk, early heavy metal, psychedelic shit...It's all here! These seven guys had more talent between them than damn near every group before or since! Too bad they didn't stay in this vein for very long, as we'll see a little later....

Favorite Tracks: All of them

Chicago-Chicago IX: Chicago's Greatest Hits (1975)   Columbia Records

1-25 Or 6 To 4 (4:51)  2-Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?  (3:20)  3-Colour My World (3:01)  4-Just You N' Me (3:45)  5-Saturday In The Park (3:55)  6-Feelin' Stronger Every Day (4:16)  7-Make Me Smile (3:02)  8-Wishing You Were Here (4:36)  9-Call On Me (4:03)  10-(I've Been) Searching So Long (4:30)  11-Beginnings (7:50)

A fine package, containing all the best songs from their first nine albums. NINE ALBUMS IN 6 YEARS?!!! Holy crap these guys were gods. Anyway, this is about all the Chicago most people will ever need, as they only got worse after this.

Favorite Tracks: 25 Or 6 To 4, Colour My World, Saturday In The Park, Make Me Smile

Chicago-Chicago 18 (1986)    Warner Bros. Records

1-Niagara Falls (3:45)  2-Forever (5:19)  3-If She Would Have Been Faithful (3:50)  4-25 Or 6 To 4 (4:21)  5-Will You Still Love Me (5:43)  6-Over And Over (4:19)  7-It's Alright (4:29)  8-Free Flight (0:24)  9-Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now (4:27)  10-I Believe (4:23)  11-One More Day (4:13)

When I hear this album, I die a little inside. It's that bad. "Niagara Falls" is okay, but the rest is pure pop-garbage. If you went back to 1969 and played this to the Chicago guys, there's no way in hell they'd know this was them. Why the hell did they think it would be a good idea to turn the classic "25 Or 6 To 4" into a god-awful industrial pop song????!! FUCK THIS ALBUM.

Favorite Tracks: Niagara Falls