THE CHICAGO TRANSIT AUTHORITY

Having previously only heard Chicago's hits from the '80s I just couldn't imagine how they have sounded in their early years so the best way to find out was by diving in and experiencing it for myself!

Chicago's debut album from 1969 is one daring piece of music and was probably groundbreaking for its time. It features a whooping 77 minutes of material which must have been difficult for their record company to market to anyone but the bands, at the time, non-existing fan base! The material here is everything from blues-rock to big-band jazz to even soul and R&B material with a little pop here and there. With track lengths ranging from just over 3 minutes to the 15 minute jam session towards the end of the album I just don't see what market the band was going for at the time. Although this was the early days so maybe bands and record companies were taking more liberties. Still this shouldn't take away from the fact that Chicago was a daring band dangling on the tight wire between success and failure, but we all know how that story ended!

The album begins with the big band jazz track entitled Introduction which doesn't really give a hint of the things to come because the next three compositions are in a much more straight forward style. Having said that I actually consider these tracks to be very enjoyable and knowing of the direction that Chicago will undertake in their later years makes tracks like Questions 67 And 68, with Peter Cetera on vocals, good indicators of the things to come.

The next couple of numbers shift quite a bit in style where Free Form Guitar is probably the most extreme of the bunch since it can't really be considered anything but a stab at Jimi Hendrix and his impressive guitar solos. The forth and last side of the album features a live recording from 1968 where the band even goes into a free form improvisation number towards the end of Liberation.

Overall The Chicago Transit Authority is one impressive debut album but having said that the material here isn't polished and I would probably have liked this album more if it took its best bits and placed them on one 40-45 minute record instead.

***** star songs: Questions 67 And 68 (5:03)

**** star songs: Introduction (6:35) Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is? (4:35) Beginnings (7:54) Listen (3:22) I'm A Man (7:43) Someday (August 29, 1968) (4:11) Liberation (14:38)

*** star songs: Poem 58 (8:35) South California Purples (6:11) Prologue (August 29, 1968) (0:58)

** star songs: Free Form Guitar (6:47)