“Chicago & Friends Director’s Cut” to Air on Fantracks Starting Dec. 16
- Steve Vai, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram and Robert Randolph among guests
Chicago went back to its Transit Authority days for a pair of Chicago & Friends gigs, reminding themselves and late-coming fans the band once specialized in full-bore rock ‘n’ roll.
“If you didn’t listen to Chicago, man, you know, you weren’t hip,” James Pankow says in the trailer for the forthcoming “Chicago & Friends - Director’s Cut.”
There was a time that was true. And on Nov. 17 and 18 in New Jersey, it was true again.
Here’s Robert Randolph playing the solo and singing the long-in-dry-dock “Listen.”
There’s Steve Vai tapping his way through the even rarer “Poem 58.”
And just listen to Christone “Kingfish” Ingram recreating Terry Kath’s “Make Me Smile” solo.
Chris Daughtry, VoicePlay and Robin Thicke are among the other guests in the preview.
So forget about the waving cellphones in “Hard to Say I’m Sorry;” check out Vai playing “25 or 6 to 4” the way it was meant to be played.
Chicago VI [SACD]
2013 Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab
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Tracks:
01. Critics’ Choice
02. Just You ‘n’ Me
03. Darlin’ Dear
04. Jenny
05. What’s This World Coming To
06. Something in This City Changes People
07. Hollywood
08. In Terms of Two
09. Rediscovery
10. Feelin’ Stronger Every Day
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Peter Cetera – bass, lead and backing vocals
Laudir de Oliveira – percussion
Robert Lamm – keyboards, lead and backing vocals
Lee Loughnane – trumpet
James Pankow – trombone
Walter Parazaider – woodwinds
Danny Seraphine – drums
Ian Underwood – keyboards
David "Hawk" Wolinski – keyboards
Mark Goldenberg – guitars
Chris Pinnick – guitars
I hadn’t even begun to think of a song for today yet when my friend Jerry sent me a text message suggesting this one by Chicago. At first, I didn’t recognize the title, but as soon as I began listening to the music I remembered it well!
I didn’t find a lot of background about the song, SongFacts didn’t even have an entry for it. It was written by Chicago’s trombone player, James Pankow, which…
Steve Vai Will Help Chicago Honor Terry Kath at Chicago & Friends Nov. 17-18 in New Jersey
- Shows will be recorded for worldwide release in December
Steve Vai will join Chicago to pay tribute to late co-founding guitarist Terry Kath and 1969’s Chicago Transit Authority for two shows, Nov. 17 and 18, in New Jersey.
Presented by Decades Rock Live, Chicago & Friends - also featuring Robin Thicke, Chris Daughtry and other guest singers to be announced - will celebrate (almost) 55 years since the release of the band’s debut album. The setlists will be exclusive to the two gigs and include CTA album tracks, unplugged performances and the group’s many hits.
The concerts will be recorded for worldwide distribution in late December. Details on the broadcasts is forthcoming.
These albums in the vein of Supernatural work. I mean, they get their jobs done, though the musicians who make them should be wary of them. Ask Chicago about what happens afterwards. Yes, they went through their Supernatural phase from Chicago 16 to the end of the 80's. Still, we shouldn't hold the platters from the period against them, they merely wished to be relevant again. Thus, their success with Chicago 16 caused them to rethink their sonic approach and they began to chase the success. However, I am not sure what else they could've done then, they were a group for the 60's and the 70's, the 80's had no use for them, unless they went crazily current. Of course, their peers had the same dilemmas, i.e. they gained their biggest sales with the discs few admire.