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Chicago - 1970


HammondDave

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From Wolfgang's Vault... A great video of Chicago Live. Check out the B3 into twin Leslie 760's (I think)... And the Hohner Pianet. Sounds great. Wish I could sing like that!

 

 

http://www.wolfgangsvault.com/chicago/video/beginnings_-568346276.html

 

 

'55 and '59 B3's; Leslies 147, 122, 21H; MODX 7+; NUMA Piano X 88; Motif XS7; Mellotrons M300 and M400’s; Wurlitzer 206; Gibson G101; Vox Continental; Mojo 61; Launchkey 88 Mk III; Korg Module; B3X; Model D6; Moog Model D

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That was impressive!

'55 and '59 B3's; Leslies 147, 122, 21H; MODX 7+; NUMA Piano X 88; Motif XS7; Mellotrons M300 and M400’s; Wurlitzer 206; Gibson G101; Vox Continental; Mojo 61; Launchkey 88 Mk III; Korg Module; B3X; Model D6; Moog Model D

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How the heck did that band become the next Air Supply in the mid 80's?

 

Seriously. That was BAD ASS! I guess there's just more money in it when you grow a Vagina... :cry:

This is where you put your gear list that no one reads anyway!
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Money money money... Interesting article with Peter Cetera in Bass Player Magazine about that.

'55 and '59 B3's; Leslies 147, 122, 21H; MODX 7+; NUMA Piano X 88; Motif XS7; Mellotrons M300 and M400’s; Wurlitzer 206; Gibson G101; Vox Continental; Mojo 61; Launchkey 88 Mk III; Korg Module; B3X; Model D6; Moog Model D

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This was the soundtrack of my youth 1973-79. Where friends had Led Zepplin posters, I had the huge Chicago poster from the Carnegie Hall box.

 

How the heck did that band become the next Air Supply in the mid 80's?
Exit Terry Kath. Enter David Foster.
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David Foster gave them a kick in the ass when they needed it. Believe it or not at that time he knew their music better than they did. He remembered all their solos better than they did. They werent young at that time during the 80s during 16 and 17 but made a comeback. Cetera left because he did not want to tour as much but I dont think it was that smart of a decision even with having that hit in the Karate Kid movie. He is a really good bass player.

"Danny, ci manchi a tutti. La E-Street Band non e' la stessa senza di te. Riposa in pace, fratello"

 

 

noblevibes.com

 

 

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I love it.... "I'm doing an organ solo and I am playing as loud as I can... so I would like you to ride it..."

 

Fantastic band....

'55 and '59 B3's; Leslies 147, 122, 21H; MODX 7+; NUMA Piano X 88; Motif XS7; Mellotrons M300 and M400’s; Wurlitzer 206; Gibson G101; Vox Continental; Mojo 61; Launchkey 88 Mk III; Korg Module; B3X; Model D6; Moog Model D

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The clip from Wolfgang's Vault drags like a mofo. You can see them looking at the drummer like "WTF?", too. Couldn't listen to it. Lay off the doobies, drummer dude! :)

 

Sounds to me like Cetera gets as much of the blame :)

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Well they did a lot of drugs and Searaphine had tempo problems. They brought in a percussionist to help.

"Danny, ci manchi a tutti. La E-Street Band non e' la stessa senza di te. Riposa in pace, fratello"

 

 

noblevibes.com

 

 

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Those are Leslie 900's. I had one. Loved it. I could fit bottom in my trunk. Unfortunately, never had a B3. I had a Farfisa Professional like Sly Stone is seen playing back in the day.

 

RIP - Terry Kath. What a talent and a voice. I loved these guys when they first came out. Great song writing.

AvantGrand N2 | ES520 | Gallien-Krueger MK & MP | https://soundcloud.com/pete36251

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Those are Leslie 900's. I had one. Loved it. I could fit bottom in my trunk. Unfortunately, never had a B3. I had a Farfisa Professional like Sly Stone is seen playing back in the day.

 

RIP - Terry Kath. What a talent and a voice. I loved these guys when they first came out. Great song writing.

 

Sad... Why do people play with guns?

 

From the Associated Press: "Terry Kath, the lead guitarist for the jazz-rock group Chicago, killed himself when he put what he apparently thought was an unloaded pistol to his head and pulled the trigger, police said.

 

Kath, 31, who also sang and composed songs for the group, died instantly Monday, said police investigator Tim Yost.

 

Yost said Kath, of surburban Malibu, and his wife had been drinking at the nearby home of friend and band technician Don Johnson when the accident occured.

 

Kath, a gun hobbyist, had earlier put another pistol to his head and pulled the trigger several times, but that gun was not loaded, Yost said.

 

Johnson had warned him several times to be careful. But then, the officer said, Kath picked up an automatic pistol, put in a clip and put that to his head, telling his wife and Johnson, "Don't worry, it's not loaded."

 

Yost said there was no immmediate explanation why Kath had taken the gun to Johnson's house. But he added, "For now, we're listing it as an accident."

 

Kath, a native of Chicago, was one of the founding members of the group, which started 10 years ago as the Chicago Transit Authority.

 

Kath had listed guns and motorcycles as his chief hobbies. "I do target shooting, but I prefer just to go out into the desert and shoot at beer cans," he once said. "

 

 

'55 and '59 B3's; Leslies 147, 122, 21H; MODX 7+; NUMA Piano X 88; Motif XS7; Mellotrons M300 and M400’s; Wurlitzer 206; Gibson G101; Vox Continental; Mojo 61; Launchkey 88 Mk III; Korg Module; B3X; Model D6; Moog Model D

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As long as we are talking about horn bands, I should mention Sons of Champlin. I got a chance to play on the same bill with these guys back in the early 70s and we had a great jam afterwards. I still have the framed gig poster to prove it.

 

They were a lot more experimental and less obviously commercial than Chicago. Bill Champlin ironically ended up as the "new guy" in Chicago later and still plays with both bands AFAIK.

 

[video:youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtrVEneQ300&NR=1

 

 

Moe

---

 

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Did anyone ever come across a Bay Area band called Little John? Back in my teen years, a friend gave me what I think was their first and only album they recorded for Epic, produced by Roy Halee. Young and foolish and heavily into prog rock, I pretty much dismissed it at the time but in maturity came to appreciate the playing and songwriting on it. Had a very similar vibe to the early Chicago stuff. I gave it away with a ton of other vinyl a decade or so ago and wish I'd digitised it now!

 

Here is a link to the album details. Good version of Feelin' Alright, as I recall.

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I never got the Russian Roulette thing either; totally stupid. I had weapons training in the military, I own guns, and the last place I would ever point one is at myself. And that means loaded or unloaded.

 

As for Terry's hobby of RR, what a waste of a life.

 

 

Mike T.

Yamaha Motif ES8, Alesis Ion, Prophet 5 Rev 3.2, 1979 Rhodes Mark 1 Suitcase 73 Piano, Arp Odyssey Md III, Roland R-70 Drum Machine, Digitech Vocalist Live Pro. Roland Boss Chorus Ensemble CE-1.

 

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My dad was a Marine (before I was born) and had guns as a hobby all his life as an adult, so I grew up with them around. He taught me how to shoot and all that. The LAST thing I want is a gun pointed at me. I can't stand it. Even if I know I've cleared it, the wrong end of a gun pointed in my direction seriously freaks me out. I don't even like photos or movie shots of it (though I deal with those). There was a store here who had the pistols arranged in the case with the muzzles pointed towards the customer side. As soon as I saw that, I turned and quickly walked away, never to return.

 

I think you have to be seriously messed up, self-destructive, or just plain stupid to point a gun at yourself.

"I'm so crazy, I don't know this is impossible! Hoo hoo!" - Daffy Duck

 

"The good news is that once you start piano you never have to worry about getting laid again. More time to practice!" - MOI

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or its "The Darwin Rules"...

'55 and '59 B3's; Leslies 147, 122, 21H; MODX 7+; NUMA Piano X 88; Motif XS7; Mellotrons M300 and M400’s; Wurlitzer 206; Gibson G101; Vox Continental; Mojo 61; Launchkey 88 Mk III; Korg Module; B3X; Model D6; Moog Model D

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Did anyone ever come across a Bay Area band called Little John? Back in my teen years, a friend gave me what I think was their first and only album they recorded for Epic, produced by Roy Halee. Young and foolish and heavily into prog rock, I pretty much dismissed it at the time but in maturity came to appreciate the playing and songwriting on it. Had a very similar vibe to the early Chicago stuff. I gave it away with a ton of other vinyl a decade or so ago and wish I'd digitised it now!

 

Here is a link to the album details. Good version of Feelin' Alright, as I recall.

 

Mmmmm, don't remember. Bay Area meaning San Francisco Bay Area? '71 was before my time, but I don't recall hearing that name bandied about. I could ask some local dudes a few years older than me.

 

The funny thing is, there was actually a harp player named Little John Chrisley who got a fair bit of notoriety. I think his stuff might have even gone national for a minute. He went to my high school, although he was closer to my little brother's age than mine.

 

--Dave

Make my funk the P-funk.

I wants to get funked up.

 

My Funk/Jam originals project: http://www.thefunkery.com/

 

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I used to love all those great 60's and 70's horn bands, including Blood Sweat and Tears (pre and post Al Kooper) and Chicago. Wonderful to hear jazz infused into rock.

'55 and '59 B3's; Leslies 147, 122, 21H; MODX 7+; NUMA Piano X 88; Motif XS7; Mellotrons M300 and M400’s; Wurlitzer 206; Gibson G101; Vox Continental; Mojo 61; Launchkey 88 Mk III; Korg Module; B3X; Model D6; Moog Model D

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The clip from Wolfgang's Vault drags like a mofo. You can see them looking at the drummer like "WTF?", too. Couldn't listen to it. Lay off the doobies, drummer dude! :)

 

The second clip, however, rocks my world! What a band!

 

They eventually fired Seraphine because they thought he wasn't good enough anymore (he claims differently of course). He just wrote a book about the whole ordeal.

 

 

"In early March 1990, following shows in Belfast, Dublin, and Birmingham,Seraphine played his final two shows with Chicago at the Hammersmith Odeonin London, England. In May, Chicago's manager, Howard Kaufman, called Seraphine to inform him that the other members of the band had held a meeting and voted him out as their drummer.

 

Chicago trombonist James Pankow has asserted that Seraphine did not practice enough, and that live shows were adversely affected by his performances, with the last show at the Hammersmith Odeon being the final motivating factor for Seraphine being fired.[1] Later interviews with Pankow and Lamm

clarified this stance, indicating that the band was upset with Seraphine's insistence on taking sight-seeing trips of the English countryside during that leg of the tour. Seraphine and his wife were arising early on the days of these shows to take tours of castles and estates. Seraphine would then arrive at the concert venue late and totally exhausted from the day's

activities, resulting in sluggish and unpredictable drumming. This problem was evident in reviews by the English press; in fact, it was many years before Chicago would venture onto British soil again.

 

Seraphine has said, "The reason I'm no longer in Chicago is the lead singers, the new lead singers, Jason Scheff and Bill Champlin, didn't like the fact that a drummer was running the band." They subsequently gave an ultimatum to the other band members that either Seraphine be let go or the two of them would leave the band. He went on to say, "Out of all people that

should be criticizing me for not practicing, it shouldn't be Jim Pankow because there's a guy that has really neglected his craft." Danny did practice and work on his technique after his divorce and the loss of his family lifestyle in such a sudden way."

'55 and '59 B3's; Leslies 147, 122, 21H; MODX 7+; NUMA Piano X 88; Motif XS7; Mellotrons M300 and M400’s; Wurlitzer 206; Gibson G101; Vox Continental; Mojo 61; Launchkey 88 Mk III; Korg Module; B3X; Model D6; Moog Model D

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He's dragging the tempo badly in that clip. I can see why they fired him. If a drummer can't keep time, what's the point?

 

You can see Kath pushing him throughout the song... Sad, as everyone else is excellent.

'55 and '59 B3's; Leslies 147, 122, 21H; MODX 7+; NUMA Piano X 88; Motif XS7; Mellotrons M300 and M400’s; Wurlitzer 206; Gibson G101; Vox Continental; Mojo 61; Launchkey 88 Mk III; Korg Module; B3X; Model D6; Moog Model D

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Pankow writes all the charts. They did not even mention the substance abuse, it was not all tours around the countryside.

"Danny, ci manchi a tutti. La E-Street Band non e' la stessa senza di te. Riposa in pace, fratello"

 

 

noblevibes.com

 

 

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I recall Chicago (the band that is) probably from when I was a little boy in the early seventies, and was glad they brightened up my little radio and probably taught me some important american values, so I guess hearing rivalry related stories qualifies in my mind as the same as all kinds of semi-gossip press stories in general: it separates peoples' personalities, and probably not in a nice way.

 

I'm all for top artists having produced works (records) which are distinctly like they want it. I don't think personalities in a "normal" or preferably "super society" life are to be as restrictive and restricted as the main pop and rock songs are presented normally.

 

Finally, I think the discussion (which I feel was maybe subconsciously present) about the connection of all that with instruments and their use is nowadays often misused to implicitly state instruments must preferably be little one-trick ponies.

 

I guess it's a normal thing to discuss songs and their subjects in a band and thought that the recording sounded pretty good and inspiring.

 

Theo.

 

 

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