Chicago Transit Authority - Chicago Transit Authority

The recent phase around these parts really isn't complete without this band. They cranked out the epitome of soft rock in the 1970s and only got worse in the 80s. But they really didn't start that way.

In 1969 these guys debuted with a double album, all but unheard of at the time, or even now. It was no soft rock serving (though it had a few sprinkled in.) Under the guidance of manager/svengali Jim Guercio it fused the latin, jazz, and psychedelic influences of the time (a case can be made from this record alone that Terry Kath's chops were matched only by Hendrix) and created something that, if not entirely original, was certainly not commonplace. It rocked hard, and was often fearless (see the 15 minutes of Liberation or Free Form Guitar if you doubt me.)

This record was more or less constantly played on my stepfather's reel to reel deck in 1970/71 and as a 9 old kid I remember how difficult it was for me to comprehend all this coming from just one band, let alone from the same album.

They would make better pop with their second album (though curiously as severely edited, and thus more radio-friendly, movements from very long suites - a major bone of contention between the band and Guercio that led to a parting of ways in 78) and hone their soft rock niche over the coming years, but this first record was the most diverse and interesting they would ever produce.

amg:
Few debut albums can boast as consistently solid an effort as the self-titled Chicago Transit Authority (1969). Even fewer can claim to have enough material to fill out a double-disc affair. Although this long- player was ultimately the septet's first national exposure, the group was far from the proverbial "overnight sensation." Under the guise of the Big Thing, the group soon to be known as CTA had been honing its eclectic blend of jazz, classical, and straight-ahead rock & roll in and around the Windy City for several years. Their initial non-musical meeting occurred during a mid-February 1967 confab between the original combo at Walter Parazaider's apartment on the north side of Chi Town. Over a year later, Columbia Records staff producer James Guercio became a key supporter of the group, which he rechristened Chicago Transit Authority. In fairly short order the band relocated to the West Coast and began woodshedding the material that would comprise this title. In April of 1969, the dozen sides of Chicago Transit Authority unleashed a formidable and ultimately American musical experience. This included an unheralded synthesis of electric guitar wailin' rock & roll to more deeply rooted jazz influences and arrangements. This approach economized the finest of what the band had to offer — actually two highly stylized units that coexisted with remarkable singularity. On the one hand, listeners were presented with an incendiary rock & roll quartet of Terry Kath (lead guitar/vocals), Robert Lamm (keyboards/vocals), Peter Cetera (bass/vocals), and Danny Seraphine (drums). They were augmented by the equally aggressive power brass trio that included Lee Loughnane (trumpet/vocals), James Pankow (trombone), and the aforementioned Parazaider (woodwind/vocals). This fusion of rock with jazz would also yield some memorable pop sides and enthusiasts' favorites as well. Most notably, a quarter of the material on the double album — "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?," "Beginnings," "Questions 67 and 68," and the only cover on the project, Steve Winwood's "I'm a Man" — also scored as respective entries on the singles chart. The tight, infectious, and decidedly pop arrangements contrast with the piledriving blues-based rock of "Introduction" and "South California Purples" as well as the 15-plus minute extemporaneous free for all "Liberation." Even farther left of center are the experimental avant-garde "Free Form Guitar" and the politically intoned and emotive "Prologue, August 29, 1968" and "Someday (August 29, 1968).

Hear

A documentary was produced in 1970 by NBC - a sort of cinema verite look at the music industry through the life of a band. As it happened that band was Chicago just prior to the release of their second album. The doc just showed up on youtube last month and it's fascinating, both for its look at Chicago before they had become huge stars, and for the cultural window it provides. Plus Guercio is soooo damned young, skinny and serious. In 3 parts.