Chicago Transit Authority self-titled debut album was an explosion of rock and jazz. The group would continue to grow throughout its career and finally peak in the 80s because of changing musical trends and losing its iconic singer Peter Cetera to a solo career. The band changed its name shortly after this to Chicago and became one of the biggest selling groups in the world selling more than 100 million records.
The “band with horns” did not become instantly successful with this album’s release. It would happen on the second album. Two of the best known songs are “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?” and “Beginnings“. Both songs became more popular after the release of their second album.
Cetera sings on fewer songs on this album and did not write any of the songs, but that would soon change. On “Questions 67 and 68” he shares vocals with singer-songwriter Robert Lamm. It sounds like the music to the film Rocky or actually vice versa.
The rest of the album is rocking like i have never heard Chicago rock, especially “Free Form Guitar“. This album combines genres and horns with ease. I prefer their more accessible songs to listen to on a regular basis.
This is a great album from Chicago. I hope to see more of them on the list. It is a bit heavy on the horns, but they are talented musicians who know when to pull back. 8/10.
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