Get yer Tootsie-Frootsie Icea Cream ..
Posted on 11/01/2024 4:22:49 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Before producer David Foster completed their transformation into pop stars, Chicago had built an early reputation as a tough jazz-rocking outfit.
Peter Cetera was just one of their vocalists, rather than the honey-sweet ballad-singing frontman. He actually played bass. Robert Lamm, one of Chicago's other prominent singer-songwriters, served as principal pianist.
Foster changed all of that, beginning with 1982's Chicago 16.
"I get it — I get why they were unhappy," Foster tells the Los Angeles Times. "I just came in like a young, arrogant barnstormer: 'OK, I'm playing all the piano now,' and Peter let me play the synth-bass on everything because he didn't want to play bass anymore."
So, suddenly Chicago's new producer was also "the bass player, I was the piano player, I was the co-songwriter. I was the producer, I was the arranger for the most part," Foster added. "I didn't know then that I was making them be more like me than I was trying to be like them."
These changes connected with a new generation of listeners: Chicago 16 became a platinum-selling Top 10 smash – their first since 1977's Chicago XI. Under Foster's guidance, the hits kept coming, too: 1984's Chicago 17 was even bigger, reaching the Top 5 while selling more than six million copies in the U.S. alone.
Cetera clearly had no objections, as he continued to work with Foster even after going solo. Foster stuck around to help his old group move on: The subsequent Chicago 18 was a gold-selling Top 40 hit in 1986.
'I Don't Blame Them for Being Pissed Off'
But something was admittedly lost along the way.
"I was trying to imitate them, but I guess more of me came out than should have – and they got annoyed because they didn't want to be a ballad band," Foster now admits. "I mean, my mission with Chicago was I wanted to remind them of their greatness. I was such a fan in the late '60s when it was the [Chicago] Transit Authority. But by Chicago 16, they'd just forgotten their greatness, that's all. Bottom line is: I don't blame them for being pissed off."
Four Foster-produced Chicago singles – all ballads – also reached the Top 5, including the chart-topping "Hard to Say I'm Sorry." But even that failed to change some minds about this new change in direction.
"No, because they'd had a ton of success before," Foster added. "They were so revered — they were critic's darlings, for the most part. I [messed] that up."
Oh damn. What a terrible story.
Chicago was the first band that caught my early musical ear. I was YOUNG but loved music. How they played all those instruments and sounded so great was a huge, first influence on my wanting to be a musician.
I heard the changes and I think after Wishing You Were Hear I got bored, but by then I was getting into so many other bands and genres the loss was hardly noticed.
Sad. They were great.
only saw Chicago once. April 1969 at the LA Forum, my first concert. They were second bill to Jimi Hendrix.
Remember Terry well. he hardly faced the audience at all. Mostly faced his amps. But boy howdy he could play that guitar.
Thought to myself, is Jimi going to be this good?
He was.
Kath was singularly irreplaceable. most cover bands need at least 2 if not 3 people to emulate him.
I always thought the one guy who could have conceivably replaced Kath was Stevie Ray Vaughan, who could play and even somewhat could sing like him.
Cetera is kind of like Phil Collins.
Most people know Phil from his sappy 80s solo songs, but they don’t know what a bad-ass he was on drums.
Same with Cetera, definitely one of the best bassists in rock.
I would pin Chicago V as the point where they went soft.
A Hit By Varese, soft?!?!?!
The thing is, they were very left-wing and anti-Nixon. I think that fueled a lot of Bobby Lamm’s writing in those days.
Once Nixon resigned, he lost the fire.
V is probably my favorite Chicago album. I love their harmonies on “All Is Well Again.”
♫ People talking, people laughing, a man selling ice cream, singing Italian songs ♫
Ok, I usually skip that one since I’ve only heard it about a thousand times.
Stevie Ray Vaughan was a star in his own right. Playing/singing for Chicago would have been a step down for him.
Not in 1978, he would have been much better than Donnie Dacus.
I liked their 82 and on stuff a lot better than the late seventies material when Terry Kath died. They were stale. No way they could replace him.
The song “Street Player”, came out right at the tail-end of disco, but it did find a resurgence years later.
Which also is the title of Danny Seraphine’s book about his time with the band.
Get yer Tootsie-Frootsie Icea Cream ..
He tried to get rid of the horns.
He was a total POS.
SRV would have been a good choice. He was 22 at the time of Kath’s death.
Chicago was Dead after Kath’s Death.
Foster saved Chicago. A different style of music, no doubt.
Without Foster, Chicago would have died, as well.
They continue to play all their hits at concerts.
And people still pay money to hear those songs,
even though there are only a few original member still in the group.
I was in college in the early 80’s.
Chicago 16 was “we have ladies in the house” music. That, and Steely Dan’s Gaucho.
Made me a very happy young man.
Laura Denise...I know you are out there...the album still makes me smile.
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