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Post by Helmut83 on Jul 24, 2015 19:23:50 GMT
I've been listening to this album, I'm hoping to be able to give my review tonight.
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Post by Helmut83 on Jul 25, 2015 6:13:57 GMT
- 25 or 6 to 4: well, this is kind of shameful, but I actually knew this song, only that I didn’t know it was Chicago. Good start for the album. Awesome drums job, great guitar solo (a bit too long for my taste but I guess that was trendy during those times) and overall work, nice brass too. A solid classic which makes a great opener (even though it’s a “greatest hits” album, but it was well-chosen by whoever compiled this). - Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is? A jazzy tune which sounds familiar too. Great vocal harmonies. The speaking in the middle of the song is annoying and anticlimactic though. Not being a jazz fan nor having American (as in US American) blood in my veins, I still find it a pleasant song. - Color my world: I liked this short little song, mainly because of the outstanding flute solo. What a beautiful instrument it is when played so well. - Just you and me: very good song, the best melody so far, somewhat bee-gee-esque. Nice bassline, kind of funky, which goes along very well with yet another great performance on the drums (the drummer of this band must have been very good). The only part which didn’t convince me much was the brass’ segment of the song, but otherwise quite solid, easily digestible song. - Saturday in the park: it starts out very well but then deforms in a not-so-good way, unnecessarily in my opinion. Those different sections the song has don’t work well together in my opinion, making the song lack coherence, but when it comes back to the original theme, it’s good again. Not a huge fan of the high-pitched winds here, they compete too much with the voice IMO. - Feelin stronger every day: the first thing that stands out to me here is the fantastic bass work. Good management of the instrumental mix, there’s lots of instruments sounding here yet they managed to do it in a way in which they don’t step onto each other much. The melody doesn’t sound particularly strong to me, but they make up for it with the instrumentation. Not being a huge fan of repetitive things, I didn’t dig the last part. - Make me smile: nothing special to me. The good instrumentation makes the most out of this song, but even like that the most doesn’t seem too much for me. Also, as much as I praised the drummer on the previous songs, I think that here he is overplaying, like trying too hard to stand out. Loved the rugged maracas though. You don’t find too much maracas on American rock bands. And sorry, unomusette, the percussionists here are good, but nothing beats our BSJ. - Wishing you were here: this one is really, really good, I’d say the best of the album. Kind of a ‘70s surf-rock ballad with outstanding voice works and an inspired, effective melody. I wonder how well this would come out when playing live, it’s a very difficult thing to do well. The mood of the song a is mainly sad but mixes up some different vibes, it’s really interesting. Great song. - Call on me: being a bit of a bongo player myself, I loved the bongo arrangements on this one, they adds up to the latino influences the song already has. Later on in the song there’s some cowbell being played, not like rock bands play cowbells but the way latin percussionists do. Other than that, the song sounds quite like a filler, with a weak melody and nothing too original or worthy of note. - I've been searching so long: pleasant ballad, nice, although it would lack a good hook to take it to the next level. I am not a fan of the way the song deforms towards the end. Nice strings arrangements and great vocals (damn, the guy could reach some high notes). The synth arrangements on the right channel are pointless IMO and would be better suppressed; and again the high-pitched trumpets (or whatever brass instruments they are) get too noisy for my taste. In the overall, pleasant. - Beginnings: what a pity, it had been a good album which didn’t deserve to close this way. Bad note for whoever chose the songs for choosing this one at all. I find it terribly repetitive and boring, in fact the only song of the album I’d tag as decidedly bad. As a whole, I found the listen very interesting and pleasant, with many high points. The main standout for me was the instrumentation factor: the variation in the instruments provides for multiple sound textures and colors that the band uses through different songs and sometimes within the same song too (with different levels of success). The way of playing those instruments is outstanding too, with several songs in which the musicians could show off their skills very widely. Also, the beginning of the album was pretty solid, with many good songs. On the cons side, I would have liked to hear a few more hooks one some particular songs (like “Call on me” or “Make me smile”) or a few more well-shaped melodies. I think there were a couple of songs which were needing them but they never came, that’s why those songs remained a bit tasteless and irrelevant, and made up for a second half of the album with ups and downs. As for the instrumentation, I’m not a huge fan of so many horn section interventions, I think sometimes it was a bit overloaded in that aspect, but I get that that seems to be Chicago’s distinctive seal and they want many of their songs to have it. So, as a conclusion, @brax, I found your choice a very interesting introduction to this band for someone like me who isn’t familiar with their work.
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Post by Helmut83 on Jul 25, 2015 6:19:24 GMT
Beginnings - (...) A bit long, but that's forgivable because the song is well written. Not meaning to question your tastes, but trying to understand what you said there: what do you mean by well written in this case (referring mostly to the last part I reckon)? I can't imagine a song -or part of a song- being very difficult to write when it just repeats the same phrase over and over, and I wouldn't say a song that repeats the same all the time is well written.
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Post by jrmugz on Jul 25, 2015 12:44:52 GMT
OK Brax, here is my review of the classic album "Chicago's Greatest Hits" that everyone and their brothers (and sisters) owned back in the 70s. 01. "25 Or 6 To 4" - If there is anything not to like about this thoroughly engaging jazz rock piece I have no idea. To me, the abstract lyrics, help keep it timeless and always fresh. The extended brass and guitar passages are very enjoyable, and showcase the great musical talent in the band. 02. "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?" - Reminds me of when I accidentally swallowed my watch. It was a very time-consuming incident. ba-doom-kshhh! But the fact that this song makes me feel laid back to make a joke like that, shows what a great tune it is! 03. "Colour My World" - Very simple, but very beautiful! Reminds me of an Hallmark anniversary card. 04. "Just You & Me" - Great vocal and arrangement. Very strong bridge. Love it. 05. "Saturday In The Park" - Quintessential Chicago song. Classic. 06. "Feelin' Stronger Every Day" - I really enjoy the melody of the verses and the bridge. Lyrics seem to be a precursor to the relationship-centered lyrics of their 80s stuff. Nice spirited outro. 07. "Make Me Smile" - A little too long on the musical intro, but once it gets going it's great! 08. "Wishing You Were Here" - Haunting melody with magical harmonies from Carl and Dennis Wilson, Al Jardine, and Bruce Johnston all of Beach Boys fame. 09. "Call On Me" - Similar to "Make Me Smile", but a nicer intro! 10. "I've Been Searching So Long" - Nice arrangement and sentiment about feeling whole from a new relationship, apparently. 11. "Beginnings" - Really enjoy the percussion breakdown at the end of the full version of this song. Star Rating: 4.8 out of 5 Prime Cuts: "Saturday in the Park", "Wishing You Were Here", "Feelin' Stronger Every Day" Bottom Line: Classic non-imposing iconic songs, the soundtrack to the life of everyone who grew up in the 70s. Can just sit back and live your life and reflect on your life to them. The common elements seem to be magical melodies to mainly lyrics about romance, with engaging rhythms and brass passages. I have to admit with repeated plays, the formula can start to beat us over the head; however, that doesn't detract in any way from the individual charm of each song, and the fact that they are very welcome oldies stations staple songs. But the songs are bigger than the formula, they are an amazing fusion of the soul behind the songwriting and the playing, as well as the quality of the talent of the band members. Got you marked down for a couple months from now, Brax! Looking forward to your next selection as well! Jim
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Post by jrmugz on Jul 25, 2015 13:00:17 GMT
Beginnings - (...) A bit long, but that's forgivable because the song is well written. Not meaning to question your tastes, but trying to understand what you said there: what do you mean by well written in this case (referring mostly to the last part I reckon)? I can't imagine a song -or part of a song- being very difficult to write when it just repeats the same phrase over and over, and I wouldn't say a song that repeats the same all the time is well written. I have to admit the melody and the "whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa o o o o ..." are pretty good. I see it as a fairly inspired melody for my part. Maybe you feel like the vocalist has a somewhat dead-panned approach compared to Cetera which might detract from it? Jim
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Post by jrmugz on Jul 25, 2015 13:08:30 GMT
... As for the instrumentation, I’m not a huge fan of so many horn section interventions, I think sometimes it was a bit overloaded in that aspect, but I get that that seems to be Chicago’s distinctive seal and they want many of their songs to have it. ... I can see where sometimes the horns fit, and sometimes they are overloaded. I think for this collection of songs, taken individually, they work pretty good. But I have Christmas album of them, and it did seem like they put the horns on some of the songs on that one strictly to give it "that distinct Chicago sound", so I can see where they can use it from time to time for their distinctive seal. That said, it seems like they got away from the horns almost completely in the 80s, songs like "Alive Again", etc. Jim
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Post by BSJ on Jul 25, 2015 15:49:52 GMT
- Make me smile: nothing special to me. The good instrumentation makes the most out of this song, but even like that the most doesn’t seem too much for me. Also, as much as I praised the drummer on the previous songs, I think that here he is overplaying, like trying too hard to stand out. Loved the rugged maracas though. You don’t find too much maracas on American rock bands. And sorry, unomusette, the percussionists here are good, but nothing beats our BSJ. Darn Tootin'
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Post by Chippa on Jul 25, 2015 18:43:11 GMT
Beginnings - (...) A bit long, but that's forgivable because the song is well written. Not meaning to question your tastes, but trying to understand what you said there: what do you mean by well written in this case (referring mostly to the last part I reckon)? I can't imagine a song -or part of a song- being very difficult to write when it just repeats the same phrase over and over, and I wouldn't say a song that repeats the same all the time is well written. Yea, it does repeat itself, which is one of the songs flaws. But I'm a sucker for a nice melody, so my thoughts on this one are mostly positive.
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Post by Helmut83 on Jul 25, 2015 18:46:58 GMT
I see.
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Post by unomusette on Jul 25, 2015 21:06:57 GMT
I never realised that the Beach Boys were involved in Wishing You Were Here. And I also assumed that Peter Cetera was the vocalist, wrong! Found a live version here
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Post by Deleted on Jul 26, 2015 6:40:07 GMT
What a diverse array of opinions! Overall, it sounds like it was a mostly positive experience for everyone.
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Post by jrmugz on Jul 26, 2015 10:29:26 GMT
- Make me smile: nothing special to me. The good instrumentation makes the most out of this song, but even like that the most doesn’t seem too much for me. Also, as much as I praised the drummer on the previous songs, I think that here he is overplaying, like trying too hard to stand out. Loved the rugged maracas though. You don’t find too much maracas on American rock bands. And sorry, unomusette, the percussionists here are good, but nothing beats our BSJ. Darn Tootin' OK, so there's BSJ saying she wasn't a fan of Chicago's use of the horns: "darn tootin'". ba-doom-kshhh!!!! Jim
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Post by BSJ on Jul 26, 2015 16:38:18 GMT
Give it up Ladies and Germs for Mr King of Corny.... jrmugz!!! ...ba-doom-kshhh!!!!
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Post by jrmugz on Jul 26, 2015 16:45:19 GMT
Give it up Ladies and Germs for Mr King of Corny.... jrmugz!!! ...ba-doom-kshhh!!!! Me? King of Corny? Aw shucks. ba-doom-kshhhh!!!!! Jim
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Post by BSJ on Jul 26, 2015 16:50:02 GMT
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