As much as we both love Illinois, this podcast is not about the city, but the band. Formerly known as The Chicago Transit Authority (back when their music was more akin to classic rock), they quickly changed their name to simply be Chicago. Eric shows his softer side, sharing his love for the power ballad soft rockers that the band evolved into.
Read The Podcast: Music Ranked! Chicago (the band)
Eric and Todd go right into the discussion about the origins of Chicago. This rock band formed in 1967 (you guess the city) and became widely known for their inclusion of a horn section in their ‘rock-n-roll music’. The group warps over time, as discussed by Eric and Todd (thoroughly).
This episode of the TodCast PodCast rapid fires on a lot of things about the band. For instance:
- How was each album named and is there an album that is not just a number?
- Who is Terry Kath and why did Jimi Hendrix pay him a compliment?
- Does nostalgia play a huge factor in star ratings?
- What does Todd think Chicago stands for: click here for a spoiler.
- Music vs Lyrics – what do you like more in music?
Todd and Eric don’t hold back their feelings on their favorite form of the band and favorite songs.
Origin of the Deep Dive for Music Ranked
Eric gives Chicago a great deal of credit for his next-level research for the Music Ranked project. After his hard-drive crashed, Eric imported a greatest hits CD to his phone. This was the only music he had on his phone for a week. As he did yard work, the album played on repeat several times.
Eric discovered a Netflix documentary on Chicago and decided to give it a watch. After learning about the drama and history of the band, he realized that it would be interesting to do this with all of his favorite bands/artists. This is what helped transform his spreadsheet with rankings to an actual website with history, resources, and opinions.
CHICAGO
Todd appreciated early Chicago. His favorite songs come from early Chicago albums. This was not a shocker. Although he enjoyed hearing some of the ballads (mostly for nostalgic purposes), he soon realized that the Peter Cetera and Jason Scheff lead songs were much about love and heartbreak. Todd actually uncovered the truth about the band’s name. It was an acronym for the songs they were producing:
- Commitment
- Heavy
- Instruments
- Chorus
- And
- Grand
- Overtures
You’re welcome.
Palette Cleanse
Todd has had enough! Not really (but it makes for good show).
After they finish discussing Chicago, Todd explains that he has invoked a Palette Cleanse and will break from the list and bring in his own band. Todd created his own ranking several weeks ago and the top act that was not found on Eric’s list was Tool. Instead of moving to Phil Collins, they will do a deep dive discussion on Tool for the next Music Ranked.
Podcast Show Notes, References, and Links
Eric and Todd dive into various podcasts and documentaries. All of these can be found at the official Music Ranked website and on the Chicago artist page.
Listen to Music Ranked! Chicago (the band)
