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SUPPORT ME ON PATREON\n\nWATCH MUSIC is not a GENRE VIDEOS and MORE\n\nThere have been many Chicagos. As with most bands, people tend to know their most commercially successful period. But the 1980s was actually their FOURTH phase, in my estimation (don\u2019t get me started on sub-phases or we\u2019ll be here all year).\n\nPHASE ONE (1967-74) was all about fusion & eclecticism and experimentation. Just about any type of music that was respected or popular, Chicago tried. Jazz, classical, blues, funk, heavy rock, light rock, progressive rock, pop, folk, political, Latin, free form, spoken word, electronic. It was all there. They followed up their first THREE DOUBLE ALBUMS with a QUADRUPLE album, then two shorter ones, then another double album. They were a true prog-rock band. And so much of it was done so well.\n\nPHASE TWO (1975-77) was them getting tighter & focusing more on singles. They still had lots of the above elements, but more & more they were being used in the service of shorter songs. This was also their first true commercial height, and saw Cetera take more of the hit lead vocals than the other two main vocalists \u2013 Robert Lamm & Terry Kath.\n\nPHASE THREE (1978-80) was them just trying to stay afloat after the death of the incomparable Terry Kath (one of the greatest guitarists of all time so stop what you\u2019re doing and look him up RIGHT NOW). They dabbled in disco. They had a revolving door of replacement guitarists/vocalists, some of which took them in a Cheap Trick-y direction. There are some hidden gems here, but not much of it worked.\n\nPHASE FOUR (1982-91) was the money phase. New producer. Outside songwriting help. The ascendance and eventual defection of Pistol Pete Cetera. The uber polishing of their jammy jazz-funk tendencies into mass marketable mega hits. It was a true make AND break period. They managed to keep the hits coming years after Cetera (and drummer Danny Seraphine) left. But if Phase 3 didn\u2019t adequately display how they were losing their direction AND their soul, Phase 4 sure did seal that deal.\n\nPHASE FIVE (1995-present) has been them wandering in the wilderness \u2013 continuing to cash in on their history and their still incredible live show presence, while pumping out the holy trinity of dreck: unremarkable jazz standards covers albums, overproduced Christmas albums, and supremely subpar originals. Rarely have they come close to any of their prime periods (Phases 1, 2 & 4), other than maybe when the worked with Lenny Kravitz in the late 1990s.\n\nAnd yet I\u2019m still a fan. I\u2019m a loyalist to death. I\u2019ll keep listening. I\u2019ll keep hoping something sparks them to stop trying to be so commercial and get back to their roots, even as original members continue to retire and are replaced by soulless session veterans. Why? Because they deserve the reverence and consideration. They did what they did so well for so long, and clearly love music and the life so much, and managed to hang in despite so much strife & heartbreak. Beyond all that, their first phase kicked SO MUCH ASS, that even if they called it quits in \u201978, they\u2019d still be revered as a massive American band.\n\nI have only two of their albums on vinyl \u2013 IX (a greatest hits collection) and II, and all of their albums up to XXXII on CD. I\u2019ve listened to everything they\u2019ve ever released. So there\u2019s no question that just by default they\u2019ve influenced me. Crafting progressive pop music, with funky backbeats and layered harmonies \u2013 all of that has become a part of my wheelhouse. Here\u2019s one of MANY of these songs:\n\nNICK - \u201cOne Minute Shy of Forever\u201d (from the album What It Is)\n\nWhat are your thoughts on Chicago? Discuss dammit!\n\n\n--- \n\nThis episode is sponsored by \n\xb7 Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app\n\nSupport this podcast: https://anchor.fm/musicisnotagenre/support\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices