Credit for this featured CD : Polska
Based on a CD received from the collection bequeathed to Progressive Ears by the late Chris Buckley (Winkersnuff)
Polska's comments:
First a big “thank you” to Duncan and the prog ears admins for putting this all together, and especially to Chris Buckley for this generous and amazing idea.
From my packet of CD’s, I chose Chicago III by Chicago. While not a prog disc by any stretch, I did find Chicago III to be a fascinating document for me to look back on, especially as I was a child of the 70’s. Back to a time when bands were afforded the opportunity to take a few albums (or a few double albums!) to define their sound. This is a group of musicians working together as a band in the true sense of the word.
As mentioned in the booklet to the CD, “Everybody contributed, and I would not denigrate or take anything away from anybody who was in the group then who has passed away or left the group. It was a tremendous team effort. I think about the experimentation we did then. Do you think anybody would be allowed that now in the business of music? That was a wonderful time.” (Walter Parazaider)
I was never much of a fan of the band, aside from some of their popular early songs, and I detested the 80’s adult contemporary output. This is something entirely different. It should go without saying that the horns are fantastic. Well written parts, played with precision and restraint. But they were more than just the horns. They truly sound and feel like a band here. Funky, bluesy, pop. Stand out tracks to me were “Free”, “Mother”, and “Lowdown”.
It’s not perfect. Some of the lyrics that comprise “An Hour in the Shower” are a little silly to me (for lack of a better word), but overall this CD has the sound of a band taking advantage of experimenting with every tool in their box to see what they can create, and you can almost see (hear) the pinnacle coming around the bend.
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