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In praise of Peter Cetera

GreyBeard

GreyBeard

Sep 5, 2002
10,558
10,596
76
BARRACKVILLE WV
#1
Back in the early 70's I played in bands that did several Chicago tunes. Back in those days I was working so hard to get the parts correct that I couldn't appreciate what I was playing. Fast forward to 2022 and I'm in MY early 70's. Now I play once or twice a month in a motown cover band. The drummer (Barry) throws a 4th party every year using our band and adding some horn players. This year we are doing "Beginnings", "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is", and "Saturday In The Park". A new KB player is singing them and he does a good job. I've practiced these songs until I know them pretty close to note for note. I have to say that these parts are some of the most lyrical, melodic, and down right pretty bass parts I've ever played. Peter's playing is outstanding and unique.
 
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#2
Ampslut said:
Back in the early 70's I played in bands that did several Chicago tunes. Back in those days I was working so hard to get the parts correct that I couldn't appreciate what I was playing. Fast forward to 2022 and I'm in MY early 70's. Now I play once or twice a month in a motown cover band. The drummer (Barry) throws a 4th party every year using our band and adding some horn players. This year we are doing "Beginnings", "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is", and "Saturday In The Park". A new KB player is singing them and he does a good job. I've practiced these songs until I know them pretty close to note for note. I have to say that these parts are some of the most lyrical, melodic, and down right pretty bass parts I've ever played. Peter's playing is outstanding and unique.
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Peter is one of the fastest pickstyle players I've ever heard and always got a great tone, never mind that fact that he could play complicated lines while singing great. He doesn't get enough credit. I love the early Chicago albums, they were all very good players but I always thought he and the keyboard player (vocalist-writer) were outstanding.
 
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#4
The original Chicago lineup with Kath, Cetera, and the rest was a smokin' horn band that had morphed quickly out of the big R &B cover bands from those days into a jazz-influenced band that kept it's edge because of Terry Kath's playing, and Cetera was right there playing some serious stuff down there. A Lot of talent in that band.

Fame, big success, and Kath's unfortunate death changed them as these things will, but their first several records are a handful to learn, even these many years later.
 
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#6
Cetera (and Kath, for that matter) was criminally underrated. I learned a bunch of his lines, and they are quite often every bit as challenging as anything from Geddy, Chris Squire, and other technical rockers. All while tastefully weaving in and out of and gluing together all that talent he played with. And many times while singing with that fantastic tenor of his. Just a monster of a musician.

Kath... maybe I'm just a big baby, but have to admit I've actually teared up thinking about what was and what was never realized. Just damn.
 
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#7
J Wilson said:
The original Chicago lineup with Kath, Cetera, and the rest was a smokin' horn band that had morphed quickly out of the big R &B cover bands from those days into a jazz-influenced band that kept it's edge because of Terry Kath's playing, and Cetera was right there playing some serious stuff down there. A Lot of talent in that band.

Fame, big success, and Kath's unfortunate death changed them as these things will, but their first several records are a handful to learn, even these many years later.
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bobyoung53 said:
Peter is one of the fastest pickstyle players I've ever heard and always got a great tone, never mind that fact that he could play complicated lines while singing great. He doesn't get enough credit. I love the early Chicago albums, they were all very good players but I always thought he and the keyboard player (vocalist-writer) were outstanding.
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His pick technique rivals Carol Kay
 
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#9
Ampslut said:
Peter's playing is outstanding and unique.
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0000_1.jpg
:thumbsup: agreed, great stuff!
 
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#11
Cetera was my first influence as a 13 year old bassist back in 1973. I thought everyone played like that, then I started listening to other players and relaxed a little. Shortly after that I heard Jaco and Clarke and my life was forever changed.

Another poster put it quite accurately - the guy is criminally underrated as a bassist.

And all on a humble Precision with flatwounds too....
 
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#13
thmsjordan said:
Cetera was my first influence as a 13 year old bassist back in 1973. I thought everyone played like that, then I started listening to other players and relaxed a little. Shortly after that I heard Jaco and Clarke and my life was forever changed.

Another poster put it quite accurately - the guy is criminally underrated as a bassist.

And all on a humble Precision with flatwounds too....
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I have seen him with a Jazz (was a Jazz used on the Live In Japan album?), a Ripper/Grabber (Jimmy Guercio's bass?), EB-0/EB-3(?), and a Ric (cover photo when Bass Player finally got around to doing an article on Cetera).
Bass-Player-Magazine-December-2007-Peter-Cetera-Chicago-Nikki-Sixx-Flea-Ramones-136-p.jpg

IIRC, in the BP article, he is pictured with a Lake Pacid Blue Jazz.
I have also seen a white P & a natural wood (stripped?) P-bass.
 
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#14
Yes, the white P and the natural P are the same bass. I think that bass started as a sonic blue(?) bass, was stripped and then later was painted white which (if my information is correct) is it's current color.

Cetera was even an endorser for Gibson for a while and played a Grabber onstage (which he later told an interviewer he hated). Still, all the recording was done on the Precision.

I saw him play several different basses in concert including a Gibson EB3. When you listen to the albums, is is the Precision though. I should have mentioned that I meant the recording. So sorry. Carry on.
 
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#15
This is cool. I was working on “In the Country” from the Carnegie Hall set the other and I have been thinking about Cetera. I logged onto TB to see if there were any discussions about him and was pleased to find this thread. Before I ever began learning guitar or bass I was a huge Chicago fan. I’d have to say that Chicago was my earliest musical influence, both from Terry Kath on guitar and Peter Cetera’s bass. I have always loved the live Carnegie Hall album because it is very and the bass is more present in the mix. I got to see the band—my first concert—in 1973. My all-time favorite Chicago (even today) is their seventh album. That’s the one with all the jazzy instrumentals. I understand that Terry Kath played quite a bit of bass on that album, though. I don’t know which songs were whose.
 
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#16
GWGuitar said:
This is cool. I was working on “In the Country” from the Carnegie Hall set the other and I have been thinking about Cetera. I logged onto TB to see if there were any discussions about him and was pleased to find this thread. Before I ever began learning guitar or bass I was a huge Chicago fan. I’d have to say that Chicago was my earliest musical influence, both from Terry Kath on guitar and Peter Cetera’s bass. I have always loved the live Carnegie Hall album because it is very and the bass is more present in the mix. I got to see the band—my first concert—in 1973. My all-time favorite Chicago (even today) is their seventh album. That’s the one with all the jazzy instrumentals. I understand that Terry Kath played quite a bit of bass on that album, though. I don’t know which songs were whose.
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I got that Carnegie Hall boxset for Christmas in 1971?
This is it...prior to April 2020.
IMG_20190517_181146.jpg


We got a puppy in March 2020. The wife decided it would be best if we confined Coda to my music room. He ate some of the box. My bad...:)
 
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#18
JimK said:
I got that Carnegie Hall boxset for Christmas in 1971?
This is it...prior to April 2020.
View attachment 4752963

We got a puppy in March 2020. The wife decided it would be best if we confined Coda to my music room. He ate some of the box. My bad...:)
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I had it in an 8-track cartridge at first. I still expect it to fade down and go “ka-chunk” before “Colour My World” lol.
 
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