Recently.
When I saw them earlier this year Jeff was a stand in, and Jason was on "leave of absence" which I naturally assumed meant "rehab!!"
Anything is possible...
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Peter Cetera on CNN Chicago special
- Thread starter corinpills
- Start date
Anything is possible...
Nothing to add other than I am going to see Peter on Saturday. 
It's kind of ironic that the rift started when Cetera introduced his patented brand of radio-friendly ballads, and the rest got a bad smell up their noses because they fancied themselves a "rock band with horns."
Hmmm...then why is "Color My World" one of their biggest hits? And what's up with "Just You and Me," and "Hard Habit to Break"? Bonafide ballads, huge hits, and none were penned by Cetera. Then, after Cetera left, they tried to ape his style with sound-alike singers and more ballads like "Look Away" and "Will You Still Love Me." Maybe they didn't like Pete, but they still knew which side of their bread gets buttered (they even released a compilation CD titled Chicago The Ballads).
I get a funny feeling about a couple of those horn players, kind of the same funny feeling I have about Don Henley and Glenn Frey. Personally, I believe Cetera started to be perceived as the band leader by the general public, writing and singing the hits, and the others couldn't take it.
It was horrible how they treated Danny Seraphine too.
Hmmm...then why is "Color My World" one of their biggest hits? And what's up with "Just You and Me," and "Hard Habit to Break"? Bonafide ballads, huge hits, and none were penned by Cetera. Then, after Cetera left, they tried to ape his style with sound-alike singers and more ballads like "Look Away" and "Will You Still Love Me." Maybe they didn't like Pete, but they still knew which side of their bread gets buttered (they even released a compilation CD titled Chicago The Ballads).
I get a funny feeling about a couple of those horn players, kind of the same funny feeling I have about Don Henley and Glenn Frey. Personally, I believe Cetera started to be perceived as the band leader by the general public, writing and singing the hits, and the others couldn't take it.
It was horrible how they treated Danny Seraphine too.
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When watching the show I thought to myself "why 'fire the drummer' now??"
It's a paradox that they wanted to remain organic and feature the horns, but at the same time wanted to put their world-class drummer on a click, and then eventually resorted to electronic drums and what sounds to me like outright drum programming.
When Seraphine said he went and took lessons in a desperate attempt to please his band, my heart about broke for him.
I owe much of my playing style to Peter Cetera. When I was in high school in 1970, our band played a LOT of Chicago and Blood Sweat and Tears songs, so I spent hours with a record player learning Peter's licks note for note.
Hey, band dynamics are a fragile thing. Every band I've been in, and there have been quite a few, has had weirdness at one point or another. When you spend that much time with a bunch of other creative folks, there are bound to be disagreements. But when all is said and done, Chicago has left quite a legacy of beautiful music for us to enjoy.
Hey, band dynamics are a fragile thing. Every band I've been in, and there have been quite a few, has had weirdness at one point or another. When you spend that much time with a bunch of other creative folks, there are bound to be disagreements. But when all is said and done, Chicago has left quite a legacy of beautiful music for us to enjoy.
I think that David Foster had more of a role in this than people think. He understood in the 80s that a band like Chicago needed a charismatic frontman and moved the sound towards where the industry was. I bet the preponderance of Chicago's residuals come from music recorded during that period, even though it was mostly candy-coated schlock.
Obviously Cetera had to be complicit on some level, but I wouldn't be surprised to learn that the band was all in on the strategy right up until they weren't, which might put him in a situation where there's more long-running bad blood. I'm definitely guessing about a lot of this, but guessing based on a few similar experiences I've had in my own professional life.
CrashClint
I Play Bass therefore I Am
Yeah, that hit me in the chest, I felt really bad for him.
Same here, in high school we played a lot of Chicago, Blood Sweat and Tears and various Maynard Ferguson arranged charts like Shaft, Birdland, Gospel John, Theme from Rocky & Country Road (my first bass solo) plus some I am forgetting.
It's a paradox that they wanted to remain organic and feature the horns, but at the same time wanted to put their world-class drummer on a click, and then eventually resorted to electronic drums and what sounds to me like outright drum programming.
When Seraphine said he went and took lessons in a desperate attempt to please his band, my heart about broke for him.
Same here, in high school we played a lot of Chicago, Blood Sweat and Tears and various Maynard Ferguson arranged charts like Shaft, Birdland, Gospel John, Theme from Rocky & Country Road (my first bass solo) plus some I am forgetting.
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Maybe, but the horn section was part of the founding members; Peter Cetera was brought in later. The band was supposed to be a democracy and I recall reading that no one could be fired. You had to quit to officially leave the band.
Doesn't mean pressure wasn't applied to get Peter to quit though.
Yeah, good points.
The animosity and "we're a rock band, not a ballad band" sentiment must have taken Cetera aback though. Nothing could be further from the truth. They had relied on ballads before, and went on to try and re-capture and maintain the Cetera vibe over several more releases after he left.
Perhaps the most objective observation is it's possible the loss of Kath was guaranteed to result in an imbalance from which they could never fully recover. The Cetera formula is not too hard to imitate, but guys who can play, write, and sing like Kath are so rare.
Who knows what transpires when people get a bad taste in their mouths. Pride and envy are strong emotions.
Jeeze, David Foster really came off like an officious a-hole. THAT is the reason I'm proud not to be a pro ...that and fact that I have no talent and I've got the physich of a water buffalo.
My wife and I thought the same thing. Look at my 16 Gramys. I know stuff. Maybe, but while brining the band and Cetera success, he was tearing them apart as well. Sometimes I'm glad I am not a pro.
Stuff happens.
The very first bass line I learned as a bass player was "Listen," which was a current hit at the time. So, that dates me.
I heard Chicago about three years ago. Excellent show. Captured every bit of the original sound. Except Cetera's bass. Bass was well played, just not the same.
The very first bass line I learned as a bass player was "Listen," which was a current hit at the time. So, that dates me.
I heard Chicago about three years ago. Excellent show. Captured every bit of the original sound. Except Cetera's bass. Bass was well played, just not the same.
I still love the Chicago IV live at Carnegie Hall show on vinyl. Kath and Cetera and Seraphine in a great program and a good (if a bit bass light) mix. Cetera's tone is on fine display.
They look a little "enhanced" in this clip! 
Beginnings was not just a bass-cool song that I played in the 70's, but it was also a damn-good bar/venue in Schaumburg IL for a time too! ( either Saraphine or Cetera owned it I believe ). Saw Brand X there! ( and have wanted a Wal ever since! )
Chicago was a major influence on me during my early years roaming this Earth...
Beginnings was not just a bass-cool song that I played in the 70's, but it was also a damn-good bar/venue in Schaumburg IL for a time too! ( either Saraphine or Cetera owned it I believe ). Saw Brand X there! ( and have wanted a Wal ever since! )
Chicago was a major influence on me during my early years roaming this Earth...
The only one I feel sadly about is Terry Kath....he was the "unofficial" leader of the band and driving force from the beginning....they NEVER would have made it without Terry imo.
The rest of the band can thank David Foster & Irving Azoff for their continued success after getting dumped by Columbia before Foster came into play.
Seriously, they are an American legend....and I am guessing they still laugh all of the way to the bank for the most part!
The rest of the band can thank David Foster & Irving Azoff for their continued success after getting dumped by Columbia before Foster came into play.
Seriously, they are an American legend....and I am guessing they still laugh all of the way to the bank for the most part!
An old friend of mine now plays bass in Chicago. We used to play the same clubs in the late 80s. Good for him. He is super talented. Jeff Coffey is his name.
I wish I still had cable, as I'd have liked to see this. The Chicago I knew growing up was the ballad-based band, and I was never really impressed. Then, a few years ago, my wife got us tickets to see Chicago with REO Speedwagon. I was blown away. Jason Scheff was tearing it up all night. I'm a little sad to see he's left the band, as I was thinking of seeing them on their current tour with the Doobie Bros.
