Classic Rock Song of the Day (Deep Cuts now being featured!!)

[Big Hath]

It's definitely one of the better songs with him in it. That being said, Michael McDonald really ruined the band, maybe even more so than Peter Cetera with Chicago

interesting comparison considering Cetera was basically an original member of the band and played/sang on every album from CTA to Chicago 17.

[Orbert]

It's definitely one of the better songs with him in it. That being said, Michael McDonald really ruined the band, maybe even more so than Peter Cetera with Chicago

Peter Cetera was an original member of Chicago and a hell of a bassist.  He sang lead on songs starting with the first album.  It's not his fault that in the 80's, horns were out and high wailing vocals about chicks who done you wrong were all the rage.  They still wrote the rockers with guitars and horns, but all anyone wanted to hear was Peter whining.  He didn't even write most of those later hits.

As much as I'd love to blame Peter for "ruining" the band, I can't blame him, and I can't blame Chicago for wanting to continue to sell records.  The 70's were gone, but they still had bills to pay.

Ninja'd, but whatever.

[masterthes]

Touche

And yes, Fleetwood Mac had probably the best 70's to 80's transistions

[Orbert]

Now there's an example I agree with.

On the other hand, one of my co-workers is a big fan of original Fleetwood Mac, when they were more blues-rock.  Peter Green era.  He couldn't care less about "the pop shit they did with Stevie Nicks".  I guess if you asked him, she ruined the band.

[sueño]

It's definitely one of the better songs with him in it. That being said, Michael McDonald really ruined the band, maybe even more so than Peter Cetera with Chicago

Peter Cetera was an original member of Chicago and a hell of a bassist.  He sang lead on songs starting with the first album.  It's not his fault that in the 80's, horns were out and high wailing vocals about chicks who done you wrong were all the rage.  They still wrote the rockers with guitars and horns, but all anyone wanted to hear was Peter whining.  He didn't even write most of those later hits.

As much as I'd love to blame Peter for "ruining" the band, I can't blame him, and I can't blame Chicago for wanting to continue to sell records.  The 70's were gone, but they still had bills to pay.

Ninja'd, but whatever.

Excellent summation.  I admit, having enjoyed Chicago as a wee little one in the 70s, I didn't even realize they were the same band by the time I was in high school in the 80s.

Looking back, I much preferred the earlier iterations of tuneage to the whiny 80s.  Cetera's voice is too thin and reedy and high for my enjoyment.

[KevShmev]

Chicago - 25 or 6 to 4

Probably THE symbolic early Chicago classic rock song.  It had horns galore, and yet it rocked hard enough to still get airplay for decades on classic rock stations.  Good tune for sure, like many of the songs on those first two albums.

[jingle.boy]

easily my fave Chicago tune.  Never knew the origins of the title until a little while ago though.

[sueño]

Chicago - 25 or 6 to 4

Probably THE symbolic early Chicago classic rock song.  It had horns galore, and yet it rocked hard enough to still get airplay for decades on classic rock stations.  Good tune for sure, like many of the songs on those first two albums.

Tiz the jam!   

But "Saturday In The Park" gets cool points for nostalgia factor.  As a child, that song just illustrated the perfect day for me and it still puts me in that mood!   

[Jaq]

Early Chicago is awesome, even though it took numerous mentions of how awesome they were at DTF, and someone singing the praises of the Carnegie Hall album-was that Orbert?-for me to check them out. Spent a day once on Spotify just working my way through their early albums, amazing experience. 

[sueño]

Early Chicago is awesome, even though it took numerous mentions of how awesome they were at DTF, and someone singing the praises of the Carnegie Hall album-was that Orbert?-for me to check them out. Spent a day once on Spotify just working my way through their early albums, amazing experience. 

Well done, you!   

[Big Hath]

I've been toying with the idea of a top 50 Chicago songs thread.  Any interest in following/participating?

[sueño]

DO IT!!!

It will make me get into their music more! 

[Orbert]

Yeah, that was probably me raving about Chicago at Carnegie Hall.  But it's that good.

I've been knocking around the idea of doing a Chicago discography thread.  I miss doing those threads.  I have all 11 studio albums from the original lineup plus the two live albums from that era, and I think I have everything since then in one form or another, except for all the various "greatest hits" packages and repackages.

"25 or 6 to 4" is a good song.  I realize that it's regarded as the ultimate Chicago song or something, probably their most famous, but I don't actually rank it that high among the early stuff.  Upper third for sure, but I don't cream over it like some people do.  It's just the same riff over and over.  Terry took some smokin' solos over that riff, though.  The remastered Carnegie Hall has an alternate version from a different night.  Completely different solo, still totally smokes.

[masterthes]

It's pretty good, although would still rank Saturday In The Park, Ballet For A Girl, Beginnings, and even Anybody Know What Time It Is over it

[sueño]

It's pretty good, although would still rank Saturday In The Park, Ballet For A Girl, Beginnings, and even Anybody Know What Time It Is over it

Mmmm, yes!   

[KevShmev]

I am a big fan of Questions 67 and 68.

[Orbert]

That was their first boss, hit-bound single that never was a boss, hit-bound single.

[nicmos]

Great song.  I'm not sure who ripped off whom though.  Zep with Babe I'm Gonna Leave You, or this one.    I can just see Jimmy Page listening to his Chicago albums saying "this riff is incredible!"

[Jaq]

The funny part about that is Babe I'm Gonna Leave You is Page got into trouble for taking credit for the songwriting (he claims he thought he was adapting a standard, when in fact the song had a known, credited songwriter.) That happened a LOT on the first Zep album.

Though since Zep's debut came out 16 months before Chicago released 25 or 6 to 4 as a single...

[theseoafs]

Chicago is fantastic.  25 or 6 to 4 is a classic, but as far as full albums go I'll take the debut any day of the week.  What an incredible piece of work -- it must be one of the best debut albums ever made.

[Laich21DT]

Chicago is fantastic.  25 or 6 to 4 is a classic, but as far as full albums go I'll take the debut any day of the week.  What an incredible piece of work -- it must be one of the best debut albums ever made.

Absolutely fucking yes. Such a tight band, and great songs. My favorite has to be "Poem 58". However, I don't know about you guys, but I find "Free Form Guitar" to be impossible to listen to. It's just noise to me.

[Orbert]

I used to feel that way, but after listening to it a few times, I can appreciate what he's doing.  There's artistry and musicality to what he's doing.  It might take a while to find it, but it's there.

He's hammering-on for a while there.  Everyone thinks Eddie Van Halen invented it, but Terry was doing it in 1968.

[KevShmev]

AC/DC - Highway to Hell

Hugely popular song, one of AC/DC's biggest.  I guess I like it, but I have never gone out of my way to listen to this song, and it has never been a song I have felt the need to crank up when it comes on.  I get why it is so popular, but sometimes songs just don't it for you for whatever reason.

[nicmos]

Yeah, it has a good chorus.  But it's way down on my list of good AC/DC songs.

[Big Hath]

DO IT!!!

It will make me get into their music more! 

ok, give me a couple days to get my list in order and thoughts together on the first batch of songs.

I've been knocking around the idea of doing a Chicago discography thread.  I miss doing those threads.  I have all 11 studio albums from the original lineup plus the two live albums from that era, and I think I have everything since then in one form or another, except for all the various "greatest hits" packages and repackages.

yes!  I would be very interested in that.

[Orbert]

AC/DC is one of those bands where I understand why they're so popular, and I even kinda like them, but I've never bought any of their stuff and would never, as Kev puts it, go out of my way to listen to them.  Great guitar sound, solid drumming, and the lead vocals don't bother me as much as they do others, but they do bug me a bit and get tiresome pretty quickly.  Probably the only reason why I don't listen to them more.

As far as AC/DC songs go, this one's pretty far down the list.  A song celebrating the fact that you're a mindless, amoral idiot is why some people hate this kind of music, and they've got a pretty good case.

[hefdaddy42]

I just don't think all that much of AC/DC.

But let's talk more about Chicago, because that is one of the greatest bands of all time.

[masterthes]

I'll give Highway some love. Definitely top 5 of theirs

[jingle.boy]

I loved all of the 70s and early 80s ACDC back in the 80s.  If I heard it now for the first time, doubt I'd be that in to it.  However, it's ingrained into my musical DNA.  Good stuff.

[KevShmev]

Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody

This song is on every level, Wayne's World pun intended.  There aren't enough words to describe the awesomeness of this song, and it is mind-blowing to think that this came from the mind of one man: Freddie Mercury.  indeed.

[sueño]

Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody

This song is on every level, Wayne's World pun intended.  There aren't enough words to describe the awesomeness of this song, and it is mind-blowing to think that this came from the mind of one man: Freddie Mercury.  indeed.

It the most amazing song!!!  And SO fun to sing along with friends.  Or alone.

Doing all the parts... 

[senecadawg2]

And SO fun to sing along with friends.  Or alone.

Doing all the parts... 

pretty much sums up all my thoughts on the song

[JayOctavarium]

Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody

This song is on every level, Wayne's World pun intended.  There aren't enough words to describe the awesomeness of this song, and it is mind-blowing to think that this came from the mind of one man: Freddie Mercury.  indeed.

Oh so many memories with this song. Freshman year of High School... walking around town with my two best friends at the time (one of them being my annoy as fuck ex... before we had even got together...) singing this song at the top of our lungs.  While not my favourite Queen song, this song will always be close to my heart because it always takes me back to a time before everything in life became complicated and stressful.

[Orbert]

In 1976, I was in junior high and starting to build my music collection.  "Bohemian Rhapsody" was all over the airwaves, and when the album A Night at the Opera came out, I honestly thought it was an album of rock opera.  Not "rock opera" as in "concept album", but actual rock-styled opera, like the break in "Bohemian Rhapsody".

Okay, so it wasn't, but it was still a mind-blowing album and I've been a Queen fan ever since.  Great song.  I have to place "The Prophet's Song" slightly ahead of it, largely due to its own a capella vocal breakdown, but both songs are absolute masterpieces.

[BlobVanDam]

This was the first Queen song I ever heard, back in 1992 when it had a resurgence due to Wayne's World. We used to tape the music videos and re-watch them a lot.
I was only 6-7 at the time, so I disliked the song at first, because it was so strange, and it felt like the longest song ever (and was probably the longest song I'd ever heard at the time). But I also felt strangely compelled to watch it again, and after a few more listens, I loved it. The music video was every bit as iconic as the song too.


Anyone ever checked out the full 24 track multitrack for Bohemian Rhapsody? It's even more nuts than you'd expect. The intro a capella is 15 tracks of just vocals, and a lot of those are bounced down with multiple voices, all perfect of course. The middle section is equally crazy, and even with 24 tracks, they were pushing what they could do at the time with that album.

Then at the end on one of the tracks, you hear some faint voices, the most recognizable part being someone saying "Deacon crashing about" followed by Freddy Mercury saying "OH FUCK IT".