[stevenash]

According to Billboard chart statistics, Chicago is second only to the Beach Boys as the most successful American rock band of all time, in terms of both albums and singles. Judged by album sales, as certified by the R.I.A.A., the band does not rank quite so high, but it is still among the Top Ten best-selling U.S. groups ever.

If such statements of fact surprise, that's because Chicago has been singularly underrated since the beginning of its long career, both because of its musical ambitions (to the musicians, rock is only one of several styles of music to be used and blended, along with classical, jazz, R&B, and pop) and because of its refusal to emphasize celebrity over the music. The result has been that fundamentalist rock critics have consistently failed to appreciate its music and that its media profile has always been low.

At the same time, however, Chicago has succeeded in the ways it intended to. From the beginning of its emergence as a national act, it has been able to fill arenas with satisfied fans. And beyond the impressive sales and chart statistics, its music has endured, played constantly on the radio and instantly familiar to tens of millions. When, in 2002, Chicago's biggest hits were assembled together on the two-disc set The Very Best of Chicago: Only the Beginning and the album debuted in the Top 50, giving the band the distinction of having had chart albums in five consecutive decades, the music industry and some music journalists may have been startled. But the fans who had been supporting Chicago for over 30 years were not.

[stevenash]

Humor me, just listen to this brass arrangement and tell me it's not like an all time great.

[jjgold]

Not a bad band, underrated
Lower key which probably hurt them

[stevenash]

The song I posted, if you appreciate brass, as I do, some don't, but that brass arrangement is as good as it gets.
Serious.

[Reload]

Pretty surprising they wouldn't be in the Hall of Fame. Hits over long spans of time - they are way up there.

[milwaukee mike]

that's some good stuff nash

[k13]

Chicago...not in the HOF?? what?? I assumed they would be but don't follow music "awards" stuff to care. Makes Sports one look half legit.

I don't think I was even alive when they were popular but I can still appreciate the talent/songs when it's not my type.

[Dutchie]

yeah, I guess they are under-rated. I don't know a ton of stuff by them. impressive billboard numbers

[3PtShooter]

deserve to be in..hope it aint no politics keeping them out

[SBR_John]

KISS not in there either. Very political.

[will2survive]

When my dad was alive this was his favorite band. Now, I'm hooked on them. It is criminal. I'm a big Peter Cetera fan

[will2survive]

KISS not in there either. Very political.

KISS has to be there also but Chicago has a more wide range of good tunes

[Bcatswin]

Very True

[stevenash]

When my dad was alive this was his favorite band. Now, I'm hooked on them. It is criminal. I'm a big Peter Cetera fan

Terry Kath's 'accidental' shooting really devastated Peter Cetera.
Terry Kath was as good as it got on lead vocals and was a top 100 all time great guitarist.

[k13]

deserve to be in..hope it aint no politics keeping them out

Politics I'm sure and I can take a good guess at it.

[ezmoney]

Steely Dan, one of the other top American 70's groups like Chicago, not in either.
Walter Becker and Donald Fagan, great tunes, unique sound.

EZ

[ProfaneReality]

Cetera did it for the glory of love, not the hall of fame.

Cetera is God

[King Mayan]

My parents loved Chicago. I do too.

[Smoke]

Pass

[bobby heenan]

in my early teens id always go on long rides with my father to cooperstown or springfield...to a sox or a pats game...or to rockingham park ....hed always pop in a chicago cd...or a phil collins...or a hall and oates...lol...i love them all now and they are all in my ipod.....and if they ever come up when im around to this day or he mentions them hell say "i know you dont care for that music but..."....and i havent told him that shit is on my ipod...and that i went to a hall and oates show a few years ago at mohegan...lol

[stevenash]

Smoke:
I can respect that, that sound isn't for everybody

[stevenash]

[milwaukee mike]

in my early teens id always go on long rides with my father to cooperstown or springfield...to a sox or a pats game...or to rockingham park ....hed always pop in a chicago cd...or a phil collins...or a hall and oates...lol...i love them all now and they are all in my ipod.....and if they ever come up when im around to this day or he mentions them hell say "i know you dont care for that music but..."....and i havent told him that shit is on my ipod...and that i went to a hall and oates show a few years ago at mohegan...lol

hall and oates are the best

saw them front and center last year at summerfest, i had to wait through a rush cover band twice, the army band with a hot chick lead singer, and streetlife (who i see all the time at the bucks game).

it was free bench seating, first come first served at that stage and i was literally the third one to get there right after the gates opened.

so to get an hour and a half of pure bliss is was worth sitting through 10 hours of all the other stuff

[TheCentaur]

Too many guys in the band, it would be like inducting an orchestra. Also, only a few original members left.

[milwaukee mike]

Too many guys in the band, it would be like inducting an orchestra. Also, only a few original members left.

still 4 guys of the original 6 from what i know

that's way better than any other band from over 30 years ago

[TheCentaur]

still 4 guys of the original 6 from what i know

that's way better than any other band from over 30 years ago

oh ok I was thinking it was 2

[GUMMO77]

KISS not in there either. Very political.

This is always going to be an issue as long as Jann Wenner has his hooks in it.

[opie1988]

I nailed many a' chicks in high school with a Chicago cd serving as the soundtrack.

This was in the mid to late 80's....so it was both with Cetera and right after he left.

I remember when me & my longtime girlfriend broke up summer after my senior year, I would sit in my room and listen to "Look Away".
(seems relatively gay now, although in my defense that chic was smokin' ass hot!)

Good times!

[stevenash]

still 4 guys of the original 6 from what i know

that's way better than any other band from over 30 years ago

30 years? They were formed in 1967 and still touring, OK, they ain't selling out the Garden anymore, (I saw them with the Eagles in the 70's at the Garden) and the Eagles were the WARM UP BAND, but they put 3600 in the seats at the MGM Grand, they come up to Foxwoods and sell 3000 more seats still.

22,000 filled to capacity

[milwaukee mike]

oh ok I was thinking it was 2

hey no problem

i still think hall and oates is a MUCH bigger snub than chicago

on a side note, in front of the rock n roll hall of fame in cleveland 2 years ago, i squeezed into a parking spot on the street (yes i'm usually too cheap to pay $20 lol) and my back license plate was wedged into the guy behind me's front license plate.

the cars were literally stuck together and i couldn't get them unstuck, so i said "ok kids we're parked let's go"


still have no idea how the guy behind me ever got out (he was gone when we came back) but he was probably cussing me out the whole time

[d2bets]

30 years? They were formed in 1967 and still touring, OK, they ain't selling out the Garden anymore, (I saw them with the Eagles in the 70's at the Garden) and the Eagles were the WARM UP BAND, but they put 3600 in the seats at the MGM Grand, they come up to Foxwoods and sell 3000 more seats still.

22,000 filled to capacity

Saw Chicago a few years ago in Vegas at Hollywood Theater in MGM. Less than a thousand seat theater and I don't think it was even filled. They put on a GREAT show though. Never thought of myself as a huge Chicago fan, but found that I knew 80% of the songs anyway. So many hits.

[milwaukee mike]

30 years? They were formed in 1967 and still touring, OK, they ain't selling out the Garden anymore, (I saw them with the Eagles in the 70's at the Garden) and the Eagles were the WARM UP BAND, but they put 3600 in the seats at the MGM Grand, they come up to Foxwoods and sell 3000 more seats still.

22,000 filled to capacity

my point was that think of any band that has ever been around for more than 30 years (short list). then think of how many on that list still have 4 original members.

if you expand the list to 45 years they might be the only one?

[ttwarrior1]

i thought it was because they don't want in

[TheCentaur]

I remember when me & my longtime girlfriend broke up summer after my senior year, I would sit in my room and listen to "Walk Away".

DO you mean "Look Away" Opie?

[opie1988]

DO you mean "Look Away" Opie?

Yes.....my bad.

"Look Away" and "I don't wanna live without your love" always make me think of those days. Funny how some bands just seem to stick with your memories of when you were young.