CDs in your player now

[crawdad]

REO is from Champaign, IL and we did a gig with them back in 1974! GReat guys and old homies! They rocked the midwest for years!

[BroncoBuff]

Yeah, I always thought Kevin Cronin seemed like a very very cool guy. Some time later I saw him in interviews, and he definitely is that. He's the kind of guy you wish you knew in "real life."


On the other hand, another arena rock headliner, same time frame and from the same area, it always seemed to me Dennis DeYoung was a real d!ck .. and whadd'ya know, some time later, on Behind the Music I think, turned out I was right about him, too

They did rock, though. You can call their stuff sappy, and I guess it was. But I loved it anyway ...

[BroncoBuff]

According to Billboard, Chicago was the leading U.S. singles charting group during the 1970s.

They have sold over 38 million units in the U.S., with 22 gold, 18 platinum, and 8 multi-platinum albums.

Over the course of their career they have charted five No. 1 albums, and have had 21 top ten hits.

Wow, there's a few things you didn't know.

So why do I never meet anybody else who likes Chicago? Can't swing a dead cat without hitting a swarm of Eagles fans, but Chicago fans apparently lurk in the shadows or something.

Why is Jimmy Pankow never recognized as one of the great pop songwriters (which he is)?

Why is Terry Kath never recognized as one of the great guitar players (which he was, he was Hendrix' favorite)?

Where are all these fans hiding?

[Hogan11]

Originally Posted by BroncoBuff

[/SIZE]
Wow, there's a few things you didn't know.

So why do I never meet anybody else who likes Chicago? Can't swing a dead cat without hitting a swarm of Eagles fans, but Chicago fans apparently lurk in the shadows or something.

Why is Jimmy Pankow never recognized as one of the great pop songwriters (which he is)?

Why is Terry Kath never recognized as one of the great guitar players (which he was, he was Hendrix' favorite)?

Where are all these fans hiding?

I like Chicago....to a point. The first two albums are really solid and I'd recommend them to anyone. After that though, things get spotty....afterall, how many groups can keep cranking out high quality double LP's year in and year out? That's impossible for any band. They were also burdened by some of the very worst production in the history of popular music in the 70's (totally the fault of James William Guercio, a man who should've never been allowed even close to a mixing board).
I'd be okay with any Chicago release (save that horrid live album from Carnegie Hall) up to Hot Streets....that album was the beginning of the end IMHO.

That said, I'd still take Blood, Sweat & Tears Child Is The Father To The Man over any of them...not only because it beat Chicago to the punch but also because of Al Kooper being the driving force behind it.

[BroncoBuff]

You're so right about Guercio ... in addition to the flat, muddy sound, my recollection is that those first couple albums were in mono, at Guercio's insistence and despite the fact stereo was pretty commonplace by then.

Can't imagine how a man of Guercio's dubious talent made it as far as he did ... he was even given control of and directed a major motion picture. 'Electra-Glide in Blue," starring the second best-known acquitted murderer-actor Robert Blake. If you're ever feeling particularly masochistic, throw it up on your Netflix queue and give it a look. I don't think I've ever seen a more convoluted mishmash of storylines, scenes and shots. The thing makes virtually no sense at all.

[Hogan11]

Originally Posted by BroncoBuff

You're so right about Guercio ... in addition to the flat, muddy sound, my recollection is that those first couple albums were in mono, at Guercio's insistence and despite the fact stereo was pretty commonplace by then.

I never heard that before, but it wouldn't surprise me one bit.

Those albums could've been so much greater than they were with someone competent behind the board. My big question is why did the band put up with him? It must've been at the insistance of Columbia records or something.

Can't imagine how a man of Guercio's dubious talent made it as far as he did ... he was even given control of and directed a major motion picture. 'Electra-Glide in Blue," starring the second best-known acquitted murderer Robert Blake. If you're ever feeling particularly masochistic, throw it up on your Netflix queue and give it a look. I don't think I've ever seen a more convoluted mishmash of storylines, scenes and shots. The thing makes virtually no sense at all.

Nah, I'll pass on that....thanks anyways.

[Hogan11]

Originally Posted by MightySmurf

So, we're back in the studio now.

This is my first recording in like 5 years, and we were eager to just get something done so lay off some of the idiosyncrasies. I think we're sound good for having literally like 15 minutes of practice together... it's just me (drums) and vince (bass) ... but I'll also record percussion, and we have violin, piano and a guy who plays just about everything... but I was just eager to get this up:

http://www.uploadmusic.org/MUSIC/4123961281759512.mp3

Not a bad draft at all Smurf. I would be intersted in hearing the final product.

You should put up some vids of you playing...like the ones you showed me last year during OM Weekend. Good stuff

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

Originally Posted by BroncoBuff

Never cared for Ten Years After, but that's probably my own character flaw. I always caught on to Alvin Lee's stuff, and could play it play it fairly quickly. I guess I figure anybody I can play like must not be all that great

Same thing with Gary Richrath. Not that I can play what he plays, more that I don't want to.

Even the solos?

Wow - that would be no small achievement.

[BroncoBuff]

Originally Posted by L.A. BRONCOS FAN

Even the solos?

Wow - that would be no small achievement.

Well hold on, let me clarify that a bit ... it's not so much that I could play LIKE him, it was more there was no MYSTERY to anything he played. I'm no kind of prodigy I assure you, but I could see all the notes he played in my head without even thinking about it. Might sound a bit odd that I admire solos merely because they're hard to figure out, but that's just me.

Take this one, their biggest hit ... the first 22 seconds there sound great, really really great. But you know what I mean LA, it's all one simple pentatonic scale: Everything starts on the same base fret, lower strings all use the same two fret jump, the higher B and E strings a 3 fret jump, extending up two more frets for the higher stuff.

Plus it was a small sample size ... I was maybe 16 and we tried out just a couple of their songs ... when it comes to fast, 3-chord blues-based rock, there's a helluva lot to choose from. And come to think of it, there was this loud, irritating kid from New York always hanging around, trying to play guitar and bass, screaming in our faces about how great Woodstock was, and how he knew "exactly where that farm is." Only time he ever left us in peace that summer was when he went down to the Cooper to see Star Wars again (and again and again and again). Guys like him had no business visiting Arvada, Colorado, much less moving there permanently.

Actually, I might've made a breakthrough here ... I think he was the real reason I didn't much like Ten Years After

[BroncoBuff]

And speaking of "small sample size" ... where tf did this guy's voice come from? I'd heard of Dean Castronovo the drummer, he's played all around with lots of people. But this was a real eye-opener.

Journey hustles that little elfish Arnel Pineda off the stage (bastard child of Steve Perry is my working theory), turn Dean's mic up, and damn! Guy could front a band all on his own.

Jump to 1:10, and if you can make it through yet another technically-awesome-but-ultimately-aimless-and-repetitive Neal Schon solo, this voice should really grab you:

[BroncoBuff]

Ahh, the good old days .... when Gregg Rolie's voice could still be heard, Steve Perry's ego still fit inside a standard-sized arena, and Neal Schon's guitar solos still made sense.

I shouldn't joke around ... this record was a stone-cold classic, a game-changer right oughtta the gate.

Sometime when you're in the mood to be bored to death, I'll tell you how I (fancy myself to be) the first person in the state of Colorado to own this album

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

Originally Posted by BroncoBuff

Take this one, their biggest hit ... the first 22 seconds there sound great, really really great. But you know what I mean LA, it's all one simple pentatonic scale: Everything starts on the same base fret, lower strings all use the same two fret jump, the higher B and E strings a 3 fret jump, extending up two more frets for the higher stuff.

Well....that criticism would apply, to one degree or another, to just about all blues or blues-based rock music.

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

[BroncoBuff]

Originally Posted by L.A. BRONCOS FAN

Well....that criticism would apply, to one degree or another, to just about all blues or blues-based rock music.

It wasn't criticizing really, like I said it's my own character flaw probably. And I had never listened to much of them ... I'm going listen to some more the next few days

[BroncoBuff]

Originally Posted by crawdad

REO is from Champaign, IL and we did a gig with them back in 1974! GReat guys and old homies! They rocked the midwest for years!

Tell us more about your playing days, what your band played, bands you played with, what you played ... you and I hung out for several days last year (good times Lucky), but you never mentioned your musical past, why you hidin' your light under a bushel basket?


I will say this ... the last two or three pages have been a lot of fun.

Normally I come in here and am daunted by all the different artists you guys know (that I dont)

But hey, Arena Rock? Now you're talking my language!

[Hogan11]

Here Buff, try some of this on for size.

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

Originally Posted by BroncoBuff

It wasn't criticizing really, like I said it's my own character flaw probably. And I had never listened to much of them ... I'm going listen to some more the next few days

No, actually, I would agree with your assessment that Alvin Lee's solos get repetitive and predictable after a while.

That's why I referred to him as "the prototypical shredder."

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

[Smiling Assassin27]

[BroncoBuff]

I've had fun these last couple pages ... might I ask we all include a brief written reference to the clip posted?

That's make it easier for me anyway.

[Smiling Assassin27]

Originally Posted by BroncoBuff

Ahh, the good old days .... when Gregg Rolie's voice could still be heard, Steve Perry's ego still fit inside a standard-sized arena, and Neal Schon's guitar solos still made sense.

I shouldn't joke around ... this record was a stone-cold classic, a game-changer right oughtta the gate.

Sometime when you're in the mood to be bored to death, I'll tell you how I (fancy myself to be) the first person in the state of Colorado to own this album

Buff, what's your take on this:



I'm sure you know who this is, given your posts about Rolie/Journey.

[Smiling Assassin27]

[Smiling Assassin27]

[Hogan11]

Wow...a Motors song other than "Dancing The Night Away" and a Status Quo song other than "Pictures Of Matchstick Men".

Kudos to you Smiling for digging a bit further than most folks

[Requiem]

Not everyone's style in here, but for real. This song is over a decade old. Whenever this plays, people go wild. Will do down as one of the biggest party anthems ever.