Beach boys
CHICAGO
Discography:
Click on Image to Buy Album
According to Billboard chart statistics, Chicago is second only to the Beach Boys as the most successful American rock band of all time, in terms of both albums and singles. Judged by album sales, as certified by the R.I.A.A., the band does not rank quite so high, but it is still among the Top Ten best-selling U.S. groups ever. If such statements of fact surprise, that's because Chicago has been singularly underrated since the beginning of its long career, both because of its musical ambitions (to the musicians, rock is only one of several styles of music to be used and blended, along with classical, jazz, R&B, and pop) and because of its refusal to emphasize celebrity over the music. The result has been that fundamentalist rock critics have consistently failed to appreciate its music and that its media profile has always been low. At the same time, however, Chicago has succeeded in the ways it intended to. From the beginning of its emergence as a national act, it has been able to fill arenas with satisfied fans. And beyond the impressive sales and chart statistics, its music has endured, played constantly on the radio and instantly familiar to tens of millions. When, in 2002, Chicago's biggest hits were assembled together on the two-disc set The Very Best of Chicago: Only the Beginning and the album debuted in the Top 50, giving the band the distinction of having had chart albums in five consecutive decades, the music industry and some music journalists may have been startled. But the fans who had been supporting Chicago for over 30 years were not.
Chicago marked the confluence of two distinct, but intermingling musical strains in Chicago, IL, in the mid-'60s: an academic approach and one coming from the streets. Reed player Walter Parazaider (born March 14, 1945, in Chicago, IL), trumpeter Lee Loughnane (born October 21, 1946, in Chicago, IL), and trombonist James Pankow (born August 20, 1947, in St. Louis, MO) were all music students at DePaul University. But they moonlighted in the city's clubs, playing everything from R&B to Irish music, and there they encountered less formally educated but no less talented players like guitarist Terry Kath (born January 31, 1946, in Chicago, IL; died January 23, 1978, in Los Angeles, CA) and drummer Danny Seraphine (born August 28, 1948, in Chicago, IL). In the mid-'60s, most rock groups followed the instrumentation of the Beatles -- two guitars, bass, and drums -- and horn sections were heard only in R&B. But in the summer of 1966, the Beatles used horns on "Got to Get You into My Life" on their Revolver album and, as usual, pop music began to follow their lead. At the end of the year, the Buckinghams, a Chicago band guided by a friend of Parazaider's, James William Guercio, scored a national hit with the horn-filled "Kind of a Drag," which went on to hit number one in February 1967.
That was all the encouragement Parazaider and his friends needed. Parazaider called a meeting of the band-to-be at his apartment on February 15, 1967, inviting along a talented organist and singer he had run across, Robert Lamm (born October 13, 1944, in New York, NY [Brooklyn]). Lamm agreed to join and also said he could supply the missing bass sounds to the ensemble using the organ's foot pedals (a skill he had not actually acquired at the time).
Developing a repertoire of James Brown and Wilson Pickett material, the new band rehearsed in Parazaider's parents' basement before beginning to get gigs around town under the name the Big Thing. Soon, they were playing around the Midwest. By this time, Guercio had become a staff producer at Columbia Records, and he encouraged the band to begin developing original songs. Kath, and especially Lamm, took up the suggestion. (Soon, Pankow also became a major writer for the band.) Meanwhile, the sextet became a septet when Peter Cetera (born September 13, 1944, in Chicago, IL), singer and bassist for a rival Midwest band, the Exceptions, agreed to defect and join the Big Thing. This gave the group the unusual versatility of having three lead singers, the smooth baritone Lamm, the gruff baritone Kath, and Cetera, who was an elastic tenor. When Guercio came back to see the group in the late winter of 1968, he deemed them ready for the next step. In June 1968, he financed their move to Los Angeles.
Guercio exerted a powerful influence on the band as its manager and producer, which would become a problem over time. At first, the bandmembers were willing to live together in a two-bedroom house, practice all the time, and change the group's name to one of Guercio's choosing, Chicago Transit Authority. Guercio's growing power at Columbia Records enabled him to get the band signed there and to set in place the unusual image the band would have. He convinced the label to let this neophyte band release a double album as its debut (that is, when they agreed to a cut in their royalties), and he decided the group would be represented on the cover by a logo instead of a photograph.
Chicago Transit Authority, released in April 1969, debuted on the charts in May as the band began touring nationally. By July, the album had reached the Top 20, without benefit of a hit single. It had been taken up by the free-form FM rock stations and become an underground hit. It was certified gold by the end of the year and eventually went on to sell more than two million copies. (In September 1969, the band played the Toronto Rock 'n' Roll Festival, and somehow the promoter obtained the right to tape the show. That same low-fidelity tape has turned up in an endless series of albums ever since. Examples include: Anthology, Beat the Bootleggers: Live 1967, Beginnings, Beginnings Live, Chicago [Classic World], Chicago Live, Chicago Transit Authority: Live in Concert [Magnum], Chicago Transit Authority: Live in Concert [Onyx], Great Chicago in Concert, I'm a Man, In Concert [Digmode], In Concert [Pilz], Live! [Columbia River], Live [LaserLight], Live Chicago, Live in Concert, Live in Toronto, Live '69, Live 25 or 6 to 4, The Masters, Rock in Toronto, and Toronto Rock 'n' Roll Revival.) To Guercio's surprise, he was contacted by the real Chicago Transit Authority, which objected to the band's use of the name; he responded by shortening the name to simply "Chicago." When he and the group finished the second album (another double) for release at the start of 1970, it was called Chicago, though it has since become known as Chicago II.
Chicago II vaulted into the Top Ten in its second week on the Billboard chart, even before its first single, "Make Me Smile," hit the Hot 100. The single was an excerpt from a musical suite, and the band at first objected to the editing considered necessary to prepare it for AM radio play. But it went on to reach the Top Ten, as did its successor, "25 or 6 to 4." The album quickly went gold and eventually platinum. In the fall of 1970, Columbia Records released "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?," drawn from the group's first album, as its next single; it gave them their third consecutive Top Ten hit.
Chicago III, another double album, was ready for release at the start of 1971, and it just missed hitting number one while giving the band a third gold (and later platinum) LP. Its singles did not reach the Top Ten, however, and Columbia again reached back, releasing "Beginnings" (from the first album) backed with "Colour My World" (from the second) to give Chicago its fourth Top Ten single. Next up was a live album, the four-disc box set Chicago at Carnegie Hall, which, despite its size, crested in the Top Five and sold over a million copies. (The band itself preferred Live in Japan, an album recorded in February 1972 and initially released only in Japan.) Chicago V, a one-LP set, released in July 1972, spent nine weeks at number one on its way to selling over two million copies, spurred by its gold-selling Top Ten hit "Saturday in the Park." Chicago VI followed a year later and repeated the same success, launching the Top Ten singles "Feelin' Stronger Every Day" and "Just You 'n' Me."
The next Top Ten hit, "(I've Been) Searchin' So Long," was released in advance of Chicago VII in the late winter of 1974. The album was the band's third consecutive chart-topper and another million-seller. "Call on Me" became its second Top Ten single. Chicago VIII, which marked the promotion of sideman percussionist Laudir de Oliveira as a full-fledged bandmember, appeared in the spring of 1975, spawned the Top Ten hit "Old Days," and became the band's fourth consecutive number one LP. After the profit-taking Chicago IX: Chicago's Greatest Hits in the fall of 1975 came Chicago X, which missed hitting number one but eventually sold over two million copies, in part because of the inclusion of the Grammy-winning number one single "If You Leave Me Now." Chicago XI, released in the late summer of 1977, continued the seemingly endless string of success, reaching the Top Ten, selling a million copies, and generating the Top Five hit "Baby, What a Big Surprise."
But there was trouble beneath the surface. The band's big hits were starting to be solely ballads sung by Cetera, which frustrated the musicians' musical ambitions. They had failed to attract critical notice, and what press attention they were given often alluded to Guercio's Svengali-like control as manager and producer. Chicago determined to fire Guercio and demonstrate that they could succeed without him. Shortly afterward, they were struck by a crushing blow. Kath, a gun enthusiast, accidentally shot and killed himself on January 23, 1978. Though he, like most of the other members of the band, was not readily recognizable outside the group, he had actually had a large say in its direction, and his loss was incalculable. Nevertheless, the band closed ranks and went on.
Guitarist Donnie Dacus was chosen from auditions and joined the band in time for its 12th LP release, which was given a non-numerical title, Hot Streets, and which put prominent pictures of the bandmembers on the cover for the first time. The sound, as indicated by the first single, the Top 20 hit "Alive Again," was harder rock, and the band's core following responded, but Hot Streets was Chicago's first album since 1969 to miss the Top Ten. Chicago 13 then missed the Top 20. (At this point, Dacus left the band, and Chicago hired guitarist Chris Pinnick as a sideman, eventually upping him to full-fledged group-member status.) Released in 1980, Chicago XIV, the last album to feature de Oliveira, didn't go gold. By 1981, with the release of the 15th album, the poor-selling Greatest Hits, Vol. 2, the band parted ways with Columbia Records and began looking for a new approach.
They found it in writer/producer David Foster, who returned to an emphasis on the band's talent for power ballads as sung by Cetera. They also brought in one of Foster's favorite session musicians, Bill Champlin (born May 21, 1947, in Oakland, CA), as a full-fledged bandmember. Champlin, formerly the leader of the Sons of Champlin, was a multi-instrumentalist with a gruff voice that allowed him to sing the parts previously taken by Kath. With these additions, the band signed with Full Moon Records, an imprint of Warner Bros., and released Chicago 16 in the spring of 1982, prefaced by the single "Hard to Say I'm Sorry," which topped the charts, leading to a major comeback. The album returned Chicago to million-selling, Top Ten status. Chicago 17, released in the spring of 1984, was even more successful -- in fact, the biggest-selling album of the band's career, with platinum certifications for six million copies as of 1997. It spawned two Top Five hits, "Hard Habit to Break" and "You're the Inspiration."
The renewed success, however, changed the long-established group dynamics, thrusting Cetera out as a star. He left the band for a solo career in 1985. (Pinnick also left at about this time, and the band did not immediately bring in a new guitarist.) As Cetera's replacement, Chicago found Jason Scheff, the 23-year-old bass-playing son of famed bassist Jerry Scheff, a longtime sideman with Elvis Presley. Scheff boasted a tenor voice that allowed him to re-create Cetera's singing on many Chicago hits. The split with Cetera had a negative commercial impact, however. Despite boasting a Top Five hit single in "Will You Still Love Me?," 1986's Chicago 18 only went gold. The band recovered, however, with Chicago 19, released in the spring of 1988. Among its singles, "I Don't Want to Live Without Your Love" made the Top Five, "Look Away" topped the charts, and "You're Not Alone" made the Top Ten as the album went platinum. Another single, "What Kind of Man Would I Be?," originally found on the album, was included as part of the 1989 compilation Greatest Hits 1982-1989 (which counted as the 20th album) and became a Top Five hit, while the album sold five million copies by 1997.
At the turn of the decade, Chicago underwent two more personnel changes, with guitarist DaWayne Bailey joining and original drummer Danny Seraphine departing, to be replaced by Tris Imboden. Chicago Twenty 1, released at the start of 1991, sold disappointingly, and Warner rejected the band's next offering (though tracks from it did turn up on compilations). Chicago, however, maintained a loyal following that enabled them to tour successfully every summer. In 1995, Keith Howland replaced Bailey as Chicago's guitarist. The same year, the band regained rights to its Columbia Records catalog and established its own Chicago Records label to reissue the albums. They also signed to Giant Records, another Warner imprint, to release their 22nd album, Night & Day, a collection of big-band standards that made the Top 100. They were now able to combine hits from their Columbia and Warner years, resulting in the release of the gold-selling The Heart of Chicago 1967-1997 and its follow-up, The Heart of Chicago, Vol. 2 1967-1998 (their 23rd and 24th albums, respectively). In 1998, they released Chicago 25: The Christmas Album on Chicago Records, and they followed it in 1999 with Chicago XXVI: The Live Album. In 2002, Chicago began leasing its early albums to Rhino Records for deluxe repackagings, often with bonus tracks. And the success of The Very Best of Chicago: Only the Beginning demonstrated that their music continued to appeal to fans. Feeding off the renewed interest, the band reappeared in 2006 with the new album Chicago XXX on Rhino. The rejected Warner album from 1993 was finally released by Rhino in 2008 as Stone of Sisyphus: XXXII.
Source: William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
This information is provided as a brief overview and not as a definitive guide, there are other sources on the net for that. If however you have a story or information that is not generally known we would love to hear from you. Content@rokpool.com
Why Not Check Out:
WORST DRESSED ACTS IN ROK-HISTORY
THE INVICTAS
It’s the mid 1960’s in upstate NY, USA. An auditorium is packed with thousands of teenagers. The lights go dim, the announcer shouts get ready for a very exciting high-energy rock ‘n roll show. Everyone please clear the area in front of the stage, as I introduce to you…The Invictas. Out of the dark, headlights appear and reveal a black Cadillac hearse with gold racing stripes and the name The Invictas on its doors. Out jump four guys with guitars in hand and the crowd goes wild.
During the 60’s, The Invictas had fan clubs and police escorts. Their hit record and dance, The Hump, shocked parents and attracted thousands of teenagers. You can dance The Hump by putting your hands behind your head and moving your hips in and out towards your partner. In the 60’s, The Hump was shocking, provocative, and outrageous.
A few years ago, Herb Gross, leader of the band as well as lead singer, visited Dave Hickey and his wife Marilyn in Rochester, NY. Dave was the original drummer. That evening, they went to a Blues bar. They were invited to take the stage and Herb performed one song. This was Herb’s “Blues Brothers moment. He simply had to reunite the band. No one thought this could ever happen again. Six months later, however, the band was ready to rock.
CLICK HERE FOR EVEN MORE UNIQUE THE INVICTAS VIDEOS
Since reuniting, The Invictas have played with the Beach Boys and other national groups, been on national TV, and featured in dozens of publications. They are rocking thousands at festivals and events.
Their music is ageless, high energy rock ‘n roll with the original sound of the sixties. On stage are three of the four original band members including Dave Hickey on drums, Jim Kohler on bass, and Herb Gross on rhythm guitar and singing lead. New band members are Dave Profeta on lead guitar, Sammy Gruttadauria (Sammy G) on keyboards, and Dick Callari on guitar. The band plays music that makes you rock and dance including hits from the 60’s such as Twist and Shout, Mony Mony, Can’t Get No Satisfaction, Mustang Sally, What I Like About You, and many more. Their sets also include original songs including The Hump. In addition, the band frequently holds Hump dance contests.
The crowd goes wild. People of all ages, from screaming teenagers to rocking seniors, party to sound of The Invictas.
For more information visit the band’s web site at: www.theinvictas.com Contact: herb@herbgross.com.
This information is provided as a brief overview and not as a definitive guide, there are other sources on the net for that. If however you have a story or information that is not generally known we would love to hear from you. Content@rokpool.com
Why Not Check Out:
The Beach Boys
Wayne Fontana
Blodwyn Pig
It's Only Rock N Roll, But We Love It - Rolling Stones
Rokpool's Official Merchandise Store
THE BEACH BOYS
The Beach Boys was mostly a family affair. The group was made up of brothers Carl, Brian and Dennis Wilson cousin Mike Love and friend Al Jardine. The Wilson brothers father had modest success in the music industry. Brian had learnt to play piano while watching his father, and he and his brothers practiced vocal harmonies to hits of the day.
Their first gig was supporting Ike and Tina Turner in 1961. The following year, they signed a deal with Capital Records. The group had originally called themselves The Pendletons, named after the shirts they wore. However, on their first release, someone in the promotions department had named them The Beach Boys, in keeping with the current trend for surf bands. Their early sound drew influences from artists such as Chuck Berry and Phil Spector.
From the early and wistful sounds of summer, Brian created an altogether different sound for the classic album "Pet Sounds". He had been inspired by The Beatles’ album "Rubber Soul" and set about making “the greatest rock album ever made”. Although the newer sound wasn’t popular with band members, singles "Wouldn’t It Be Nice" and "God Only Knows" soared into the top 10 in the US and UK.
CLICK HERE FOR EVEN MORE UNIQUE THE BEACH BOYS VIDEOS
Brian’s health deteriorated, exacerbated by heavy drug use, and he became increasingly reclusive. However, he continued to make music. Perhaps his greatest work, "Good Vibrations" was a masterpiece in complexity with its multi-layered harmonies and innovative use of unusual instruments, Wilson calls it his “pocket symphony” and ranks highly in the music press as one of the best singles of all time, whilst the album Pet Sounds ranks as one of the greatest achievements of the band.
The Beach Boys without Brian continued to perform whilst he spent all his time in the studio, eventually loosing his mind. Several albums were produced during that time including Endless Summer and Holland both containing some great tracks. During this time Brian worked on a sol concept album, Smile which he kept locked away for forty years fearing critical failure, the album eventually being released in 2004.
Elton John fans will be aware that his 1974 hit "Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me" featured The Beach Boys on vocals. Success was slim until 1988 had a No. 1 hit in the 80s with "Kokomo", a track from the film soundtrack to ‘Cocktail’.
The Beach Boys’ story is marred by tragedy. Dennis Wilson drowned in 1983 after succumbing to drug abuse. Brother Carl lost his battle with lung cancer in 1998.
Surviving members reunited for the 40th anniversary of the release of Pet Sounds: Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, Bruce Johnston, and David Marks.
Brian Wilson still tours, as do a watered down version of the Band.
Originally formed in Hawthorne, Calif., in 1961 as the Pendletones; name changed to the Beach Boys, 1961; original group consisted of Mike Love (full name, Michael Edward Love; born March 15, 1941, inlnglewood, Calif.) lead vocals and saxophone; Brian Wilson (born June 20, 1942, in Inglewood, Calif. ) on keyboards and bass as well as being the group's composer and producer (has not toured with group since late 1960s); Dennis Wilson (born December 4, 1944, in Inglewood, Calif.; died by drowning, December 1983) on drums; Carl Wilson (born December 21, 1946, in Inglewood, Calif. ) on guitar, and Al Jardine (born September 3, 1942, in Lima, Ohio) on rhythm guitar, since late 1960s Bruce Johnston has taken Brian Wilson's place on live tours and has recorded with the band; numerous other musicians have recorded and performed with the group; debuted as the Beach Boys with the single "Surfin'," December, 1961; gave first professional performance, New Year's Eve, 1961; made first U.S. concert tour, 1962; made first major European tour, 1964.
Awards: Named the world's top musical group in England's Melody Maker poll, 1966; named band of the year by Rolling Stone, 1975; inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, January 1988.
Addresses: Office—c/o CBS Records, 1801 Century Park W., Los Angeles, CA 90067.
A landmark year, 1963 saw the Beach Boys leap to national celebrity, their success far outstripping all expectations. As their popularity escalated, so did demand for live concerts, and the rising stars found themselves constantly on the road. After several years, Brian, the group's main composer, decided to stop touring; while he stayed home to create new material for the group, Bruce Johnston replaced him live. By the end of 1964, the Beach Boys had recorded six albums for Capitol. Their future looked promising, and in the middle sixties the group assured their star status with hits that included such favorites as "Fun, Fun, Fun," "I Get Around," "Help Me, Rhonda," "California Girls," and "Barbara Ann."
Impressively, the Beach Boys were one of only a handful of American acts to survive the British Invasion of 1964 that was spearheaded by the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. Their music not only tapped into the surfing mania and the subsequent car craze, but it had also unfolded as a creative new sound distinguished by pure, joyous harmonies. In 1966 the group released their most sophisticated and successful song until that time, "Good Vibrations." By the end of the year polls were showing them to be the most popular group around, surpassing even the Beatles.
Nineteen sixty-six had also seen the release of their extraordinary Pet Sounds album, an unusual, innovative recording that critics acclaimed as one of the most brilliant in the annals of popular music. A departure from the Beach Boys' traditional fun in the sun themes, Pet Sounds employed extraordinary production techniques to help present an emotional exploration of the various states of mind experienced on the way to maturity. Perhaps too sophisticated for the typical Beach Boy fan of the day, Brian's brainchild album fared better with the critics than with the average audience.
Before 1967 was half over, many people believed the Beach Boys were washed up. They had issued no new recordings for months and there was evidence of turmoil in the stars' personal lives as well as rumors of divisiveness within the group. In addition, their long-awaited Smile album, expected to be Brian's master-piece, was scrapped (a few recovered cuts appeared on Smiley Smile, issued in lieu of the original). In retrospect, however, it appears that the Beach Boys' careers were only in remission. After their obscurity during the late 1960s, they made a successful European showing in 1970, reclaimed status in the United States the following year, and hit another peak when their 1974 album Endless Summer went double platinum. In 1975 Rolling Stone magazine named the Beach Boys band of the year.
Although the Beach Boys in fact never quite regained the adulation they commanded during their heyday, the musicians have succeeded in remaining among the most popular, and most versatile, live entertainers in the business. They have survived not only extraordinary changes in popular music, but strife amongst themselves and their changing membership as well, including the 1983 death of Dennis Wilson. Woes notwithstanding, the group has continued to find itself in demand throughout the 1980s—albeit as "oldies" entertainment—and in recognition of their achievement, the members of the original Beach Boys were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988.
Beloved by fans around the world, the Beach Boys, according to Timothy White in the New York Times, are regarded by many music lovers as "the most successful musical group in American history." Trying to sum up the reasons for the group's appeal, White suggested that "The Wilsons' happy myth of an untrammeled life of endless summers struck a chord in American suburbia in a way no other popular musicians had done. The essence of the American Dream is the belief that anyone can escape the limits and sorrows of his background by reinventing himself. . . . The Beach Boys themselves embodied and celebrated that dream."
Albums (For Capitol, except as noted):
Surfin'Safari, 1962.
Surfin' U.S.A., 1963.
Surfer Girl, 1963.
Little Deuce Coupe, 1963.
Shut Down (two songs), 1963.
Shut Down, Volume 2, 1964.
All Summer Long, 1964.
Christmas Album, 1964.
Beach Boys Concert, 1964.
Beach Boys Today, 1965.
Summer Days (and Summer Nights), 1965.
Beach Boys Party, 1965.
Pet Sounds, 1966.
Smiley Smile, Brother, 1967.
Wild Honey, 1967.
Friends, 1968.
20/20, 1969.
Sunflower, Reprise, 1970.
Surf's Up, Reprise, 1971.
Carl and the Passions: So Tough, Reprise, 1972.
Holland, Reprise, 1973.
Beach Boys in Concert, Reprise, 1973.
Live in London, 1976.
Fifteen Big Ones, Reprise, 1976.
Beach Boys Love You, Reprise, 1977.
MIU, Reprise, 1978.
LA. (Light Album), Caribou, 1979.
Keepin' the Summer Alive, Caribou, 1980.
The Beach Boys, CBS, 1985.
The True to Your School.
California Girls.
That's why god Made the Radio
Also released numerous anthologies, including Sesf of the Beach Boys, 1966, Volume 2, 1967, Endless Summer, 1974, Spirit of America, 1975, Stack of Tracks, 1976, Ten Years of Harmony, 1985, and Golden Harmonies, 1986.;
Source: Enotes.com
This information is provided as a brief overview and not as a definitive guide, there are other sources on the net for that. If however you have a story or information that is not generally known we would love to hear from you. Content@rokpool.com
