Track Listing

1. Introduction
2. Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is
3. Beginnings
4. Questions 67 And 68
5. Listen
6. Poem 58
7. Free Form Guitar
8. South California Purples
9. I'm A Man
10. Prologue
11. Someday
12. Liberation

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4876 in Music
• Released on: 2002-07-29
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Dimensions: .20 pounds

CD Description
It might come as a surprise to anyone familiar only with their satin-smooth soft-rock hits, but when Chicago first formed in 1967, they were actually doing something new, cool, and interesting: rock & roll with a fully-integrated jazz hornsection. 1969's CHICAGO TRANSIT AUTHORITY has two of the group's early hits, "Beginnings" and "Does Anybody Really KnowWhat Time It Is?" but it also includes some of their most audacious material ever, notably Terry Kath's seven-minute "Free-Form Guitar", a free jazz improvisation for heavily distorted electric guitar that--no kidding--would not sound out of place on an early Sonic Youth album, and the politically-charged, side-long suite comprised of "Prologue", "Someday (August 28, 1968)", and "Liberation", the closest Chicago ever came to a true jazz-rock synthesis. Chicago's later work deserves many of the critical brickbats it's received, but CHICAGO TRANSIT AUTHORITY is a genuinely interesting album.

Customer Reviews

Beginnings
Chicago are one of the biggest-selling bands of all time in the U.S.A. Over here, they are known, if at all, for laid-back softrock balladry, but their true voice was in the way they started out, as a big-band power rock outfit.

This is the debut album of Chicago. Originally they called themselves "Chicago Transit Authority" but the real CTA, fearing possible confusion, ordered them to change the name. Well, just think now, if you called your band "London Transport", Ken Livingstone would not be best pleased, would he?

A very impressive debut it was too. Chicago leap from the traps kicking buttock like they mean business. It is obvious that this band was well organised and preceded their recording debut by playing lots of gigs. They are crisp, sharp, together and playing off each other. It is music-making of high standard, confident, brash and assertive.

At the time, Chicago were lumped together with Blood Sweat and Tears as "jazz-rock". This was not a valid comparison. Wheras BS&T really were jazzers, stretching out the frontiers in musical forms, Chicago were more akin to the Memphis Horns brand of soul music. It was power-rock with the drive and much of the melody coming from instruments other than guitars and keyboards.

Chicago were also considered bombastic ego-trippers, self-indulgently over-reaching themselves both in style and content. Verily, their first three albums were all doubles not lacking padding, and when it came to their "double live", sure enough Chicago IV was a four-record box set. But to my mind there was nothing in the field of rock music quite like early Chicago at their best. The sound, the style, the music were all distinctive and unique. It was an outstanding production job by James William Guercio.

Back in 1970, this was one of the very first records I bought. I still think it is one of the best. Nothing can match the kick as it bursts into life with Introduction. Thrill to the zap of I'm a Man. But be prepared for amazement at the audacity of Prologue and Someday, which took newsreel soundtrack from the street demos in Mayor Daley's Chicago during the notorious Democratic Party Convention in 1968 and welds it into one of the most truly powerful political statements in rock music. It still sounds awesome today, even when integrating noise, sound and speech into purportedly musical tracks is commonplace.

This album is well worth seeking out. There are few debut albums with so much good music and superlative musicianship. Catch Chicago when they were still an innovative cutting-edge outfit.

Amazing debut album
There was clearly so much talent in this band that the first album they produced is, at times, a bit too much. They almost 'over egg the pudding'. But the horn section is so tight, the guitar playing so good (even Jimi Hendrix said that Terry Kath was a better player than him!) that the music is a revelation, especially if your musical tastes don't stray further back than the 80's. There are lengthy guitar, piano and horn solos which allow the players to show the listener what they've got.
This album dates itself unapologetically with it's hippy lyrics and right on protest songs. But, in my opinion it's none the worse for that. It harks back to a time when bands were willing and able to say what they thought, unlike the corporate puppets of todays music scene (apart from Neil Young and a few notable others). In summary, its a long, challenging album, but remains an original masterpiece.

Excellent
I wasn't born when these came out. All I knew about Chicago was that they released some truely dreadful singles in the 80's. To someone of my era the chances of purchasing a Chicago album seemed exteremely remote. However, a little bit of reading from trusted sources prompted a leap of faith.

I bought two this, and the follow up, which are are supposed to be thier two best. Both are excellenet but this one is better...more urgency, more oomph, better songs.