•
Rating: Between the sixties and seventies, there was the explosion of rock music, with its fragmentation into numerous different styles. In that magical period, the best bands, perfectly distinguishable from one another at the first hearing, practically each initiated a new genre destined for lesser or greater fortune to come, to gain endless followers or to remain tied to themselves and a few other epigones.
Chicago, together with Blood Sweat & Tears, defined the coordinates of jazz rock in 1969, characterized by the presence of a substantial and invasive horn section in their formations. BS&T disbanded almost immediately, while Chicago evolved (or rather devolved) gradually and inexorably toward a highly watered-down form of easy listening that made them sell mountains of records and wrinkle the noses of many early fans. Most people know and appreciate them, or reject them, only under this latter aspect of being slick but classy, but their early albums sound quite different and should be considered a form of progressive where the horns have the same significance as traditional keyboards and guitars.
Their career started with a particular tendency toward gigantism; the first three albums were all double LPs, and the fourth, recorded live, was even a quadruple! Moreover, almost everyone in the band was a composer (the most prolific being the keyboardist Robert Lamm), so there were certainly no creative problems in an era when every possible expansion of a track was allowed, even a drum solo in the studio.
Mentioning the distinctive and resonant horn section (a trombonist, a trumpeter, and a saxophonist/flautist, the same three musicians from the beginning to today!), another remarkable quality of the band is their voices: as lead singers, they alternated the warm and controlled tone of the aforementioned Lamm, the magnificent tenor range of bassist Peter Cetera, and finally the powerful soul rasp of guitarist the late Terry Kath (who tragically took his life in the late seventies playing Russian roulette, can you imagine!). The choruses featured generous doses of harmonies, arranged like the horns, with many harmonic and rhythmic nuances.
"CHICAGO III" was released in 1971, and for some reason, it's my favorite, perhaps because of the perfect alternation between simpler, more immediate tracks ("Free", "Lowdown", "Mother") and experimental suites, with piano/flute duets, time variations, dissonances, drum breaks... unimaginable for those who associate this band only with the usual "If You Leave Me Now" and little else. The masterpiece, however, is written by Terry Kath and titled "An Hour In The Shower", a rather psychedelic piece that begins with an acoustic guitar and the magnificent Negroish voice of this great and mad guitarist, weaving a tense and unforgettable melody, evolving it into a rhythmical and then choral central section, to conclude it just as it began, after a full thirteen minutes and five "suite" movements. Great. Great Chicago.
Tracklist and Lyrics
01 Sing a Mean Tune Kid (09:16)
Sing a mean tune, kid
Sock 'em in the gut
Don't you ever let your mama catch you cryin'
Play the bad song, kid
Everyone's the blues Yeah, yeah, yeah
And the people never know you're only lyin'
Such a scary song, kid
Never heard before Yeah, yeah, yeah
Soon the groupies will start rollin' by your door
Burn the groove to death, kid
Nail 'em to the cross Yeah, yeah, yeah
Til you're not a super pop star any more
02 Loneliness Is Just a Word (02:38)
You don't know how bad it's been
Since you been gone
Let me tell you how bad it's been
Since you been gone
People speak but I don't hear
Things all around seem to be unclear
I don't know
What will become of the love you turned off
What will become of the need you turned off
Loneliness is just a word
That's very cold
People stare but they don't see
All of the hurt that's inside me
I don't know
04 I Don't Want Your Money (04:46)
I don't want your money
It don't mean a thing
I don't need no fancy clothes
Or a diamond ring
I don't have to ride in style
In your limousine
I don't want no trouble
Tax or Uncle Sam
All I want is you
I want to be your natural man
I don't need your prestige
'Cause I got my pride
I don't want your social standing
I'd rather stand outside
I don't have no time to worry
'Bout your greedy jive
I don't want your money
I don't like that game
All I want is you
I want to be your natural man.
05 Flight 602 (02:45)
You are on a plane now
And on you way up north
Canada is so far from where you want to be
Be in California, with sunshine in your heart
But you know ther are people
That you have to be
Have to be
Have to be what they say you are
What you always wanted to be
Wanted to be
Wanted to be just a man fulfilled
But a little more free
A little more free
You are in a hotel
And in your room alone
Lying there, but not knowing where you're s'posed to be
Be thinking of B-3's and Leslies going round
And you know there are people
That are going to be
Goin' to be
Goin' to see what they say you are
What you've always wanted to be
Wanted to be
I only wanted to be just a man fulfilled
But a little more free
A little more free
A little more free
07 Free (02:23)
I just want to be free
I just want to be free
I want to be free of all the hurt
Free of all the pain
I want to just end these lonely hours
End these lonely days
I just want to be free
I just want to be free
I just want to be free
I just want to be free
09 At the Sunrise (02:48)
How could I be happy
Without her by my side
Without her smiling face
At the sunrise
How could I keep living
With emptiness inside
With no one there to touch
At the sunrise
She gave meaning to my words
She helped me find my way
The time I had to leave her
Leave her all alone
The way she looked at me
Made me cry
I know she understands me
She knows I'm feelin' bad
Until I'm back beside her
At the sunrise
Loading comments slowly
