And, they were unusually "progressive," as you outlined, David, with the mentions of percussion and guitar. While having their share of AM hits in the early- and mid-'70s, they were still able to muster FM play on some of their less "hooky," non-single, album tracks.
When I was at the two commercial FM rockers ('75-'77), I know we had their albums in the control room, and I'd occasionally pull 'em out to play a longer, more "experimental" cut of theirs. They only transitioned to full-on Top 40 dominance in, what, the late-'70s? Maybe early '80s. They don't seem to get their due, regardless. It took the Rock Hall til 2016 to honor them!
Just this week, Chicago announced a new live set that was recorded in September 1971 at the Kennedy Center and released a preview track, the first performance of 'Saturday in the Park' by the band. https://youtu.be/UYCNHtH-eYg?feature=shared
"First performance," indeed! I just looked it up, and the band recorded "SITP" in September 1971 (no specific date listed). This Kennedy Center live recording happened on September 16, 1971! That means, that (if the studio recording date is accurate) their first live performance of the song happened anywhere between A) no more than 2 weeks after or B) the day after having recorded it!
That would explain why there's no immediate crowd response after (presumably) Lamm announces the song! A month or two later, with the single zooming up the charts, the announcement of the song, or the first few bars of those iconic piano chords, would be greeted with thunderous applause! Things happened fast back then! Thanks again, Robert!
Wow, thanks, Robert! That sounds like a definite listen for the weekend! Matt Fish....as current as today's (music) headlines! Great timing, Matt! I had forgotten we'd done this....thanks for "airing"!!
This song has always been special to me for a lot of reasons....toward the top of those reasons is that, along with Carpenters and the 5th Dimension, Chicago was about the only band my brother (who was 10 1/2 months older than I) liked! Which means, when radio Daddy brought home all those rock promos I grew up on, they all came to me! The only "cost" I incurred was to simply slide those Columbia Chicago LPs over to Clint!
Anything to avoid yet another something to fight about! Can you imagine? "What?! You can't get that new Sabbath album...it's mine! You got the last Alice album!" "Nuh-uh!" See? Thankfully, the stream of promos went unabated for me all through high school...from about when I was 10 in '65!
Thanks again, Robert, for dropping that news and link! And, thanks, Matt, for hosting me and my memories!
Thanks. I had a listen to rhe 1971 cut ( pre 1972 Chicago V album!). Love the band. So many memories - live, albums, cassette, 8 track, CD and now streaming at a campfire.
What a great article. Most of the music I gravitate towards has a gloomy, bluesy or melancholic feeling to it, so this was as refreshing as a Saturday summer afternoon in the park.
I also loved Brad’s retrospective and the clever Broadway allusion.
I enjoyed Hans Annellsson’s cover as well. The key of the song is just so high that it’s impressive these singers (Lamm and Annellsson) can belt it out in (mostly) chest voice (or chesty mixed in sections).
Now thinking about it, I wonder if Roxette’s 1996 song “June Afternoon” was inspired by “Saturday in the Park” 🤔 If it wasn’t, and I was Lamm, I would have been a little bit pissed off to say the least 🤣
Thanks, Andy! I think Matt had me pick from a passel o' tunes, and while I've always loved it (and sang it, often, at karaoke--without adjusting the pitch, or using falsetto, thankyouverymuch!), I never could've guessed that Julius La Rosa would've popped up! As with most lyrics, I had no idea what Lamm had been singing, certainly in Italian!
I enjoyed Hans' cover, as well....smooth and mellow, and I think, sans horns. I'll be using this as a base for an upcoming "Inside Tracks" (shhh, not a word to anyone!), and will make sure to include Hans' cover!
Very impressive you can sing it in chest without adjusting the pitch! Anything above a G4 for me goes straight into mixed. For now, at least. If we ever sing together, I know who’ll be doing all the high parts! 🤣
Look forward to that Inside Tracks! Your secret is safe with me 🤐
On my best nights, I'd love doing Sting's "If I Ever Lose My Faith," an almost perfect reflection of my tenor range. I loved the key changes toward the end....wonderfully challenging!
There were some songs I'd use their machine to adjust the pitch a half-step or two, not gwine-a lie. But, that Sting song was right in my wheel-house on my really warmed-up nights.
And, get this! After several consults with my KJ, I finally landed on this trick to sing the "gal songs"! You have to RAISE the pitch! Ex: I desperately wanted to sing Barbra's "Piece of Sky." When I sang it at the club, I used to intro it by saying, "I'm having a Yentl breakdown!"
I knew I was going to sing it an octave lower to begin with...but, that didn't help. So, the trick was to RAISE the song's pitch 2 full steps (I always gave him my instructions in half-step increments....helped me, plus I think that's how his machine was rigged). So, he raised it 4 half-steps....now, when I lower my voice one full octave, her money note is now in my range to the point of being MY money note, too....but, now, reachable! What's at the top of her range now became the top of my comfortable tenor range, simply by raising the pitch! It took me the longest time to grok that....it doesn't sound "right"!
That’s so cool! I’ve got tenor notes but sing more comfortably in a high baritone kind of range. Plus I can go quite low, which sometimes surprises some people as they don’t necessarily expect it.
Yes, I knew the trick about raising the key with songs sung by females. The reason is because you’re still singing an octave lower than the female singer, but because your comfortable range is higher than the male average, one octave lower won’t always cut it. What you’re doing by raising the pitch is making her sing higher (theoretically) so that, when it’s your turn to sing in the lower octave, it’s in the higher end of that lower octave, if that makes sense.
Raising and lowering is, in reality, the same: you can raise by 5 or lower by 2, and you’ll end up in the same place (just one octave apart). Some software doesn’t support transposition by more than 2 or 3, else it starts to sound shitty. You were raising by 2 because it was easier for the system to raise by 2 than to lower by 5. I’m not mathematically (or music-theory) gifted, but this is what my coach once explained to me, and that’s how I understood it at the time!
Money note? I used to sing Bill Withers' "Lovely Day" unimpeded, unaltered, and could usually make those long "Dayyyyyyyy" notes last the full 20 seconds or so! But, my money note on "A Piece of Sky" was Babs'.....just 2 steps removed!
Your second paragraph makes all the sense....but, at the time (a decade ago), when Kodiak the KJ was explaining it to me, my rigid linear thinking just wasn't grokking it! BTW, in my men's chorus, I was labeled a 2nd tenor.
Their vesion of Winwood's I'm a Man changed everything for me. Terry Kath's guitar/vox was a big leap for rock guitar improvisation and the percussion section's performance is way ahead of its time. They opened for Hendrix because of Jimi's love of this guitar wizard. Of course this Saturday in the Park tune is so hopeful and bright 🌞 it never gets old, AM or FM it bridges the gap. Mr. Kath's untimely death did not hold them back. Another great call my friend! 25 or 6 to 4 was my Bar Mitzvah 🍸 theme song! Chicago II was one of my most prized gifts and what we used to call a "Makeout Album" where we'd play the double album end to end pairing off at parties in the dawn of the 70's. Good times!
Great comment, Steve! They weren't alone with the horn thing at the time, in rock (Chase, Lighthouse, Tower of Power, and others), they certainly were, as you highlight, ahead of the game with percussion and Kath's guitar work!
Except for the lawyer and Bar Mitzvah things, you and I have similar experiences, Steve! As for "makeout parties," again, I'm completely inexperienced (and, no less envious)! Even if I'd-a gone to one (or, even been invited!), with my luck, I'd have been the one to get up and flip the records after each side! I'll be DM-ing you, shortly, with an invite (no, not to a party)!
Definitely one of Chicago's best tunes- a prime example of the aural escapism they traded in, particularly during the 1970s.
And, they were unusually "progressive," as you outlined, David, with the mentions of percussion and guitar. While having their share of AM hits in the early- and mid-'70s, they were still able to muster FM play on some of their less "hooky," non-single, album tracks.
When I was at the two commercial FM rockers ('75-'77), I know we had their albums in the control room, and I'd occasionally pull 'em out to play a longer, more "experimental" cut of theirs. They only transitioned to full-on Top 40 dominance in, what, the late-'70s? Maybe early '80s. They don't seem to get their due, regardless. It took the Rock Hall til 2016 to honor them!
Just this week, Chicago announced a new live set that was recorded in September 1971 at the Kennedy Center and released a preview track, the first performance of 'Saturday in the Park' by the band. https://youtu.be/UYCNHtH-eYg?feature=shared
"First performance," indeed! I just looked it up, and the band recorded "SITP" in September 1971 (no specific date listed). This Kennedy Center live recording happened on September 16, 1971! That means, that (if the studio recording date is accurate) their first live performance of the song happened anywhere between A) no more than 2 weeks after or B) the day after having recorded it!
That would explain why there's no immediate crowd response after (presumably) Lamm announces the song! A month or two later, with the single zooming up the charts, the announcement of the song, or the first few bars of those iconic piano chords, would be greeted with thunderous applause! Things happened fast back then! Thanks again, Robert!
This popped up in my Apple Music feed this morning! Excited to give it a listen when it drops. Thanks for reading Robert. :)
Wow, thanks, Robert! That sounds like a definite listen for the weekend! Matt Fish....as current as today's (music) headlines! Great timing, Matt! I had forgotten we'd done this....thanks for "airing"!!
This song has always been special to me for a lot of reasons....toward the top of those reasons is that, along with Carpenters and the 5th Dimension, Chicago was about the only band my brother (who was 10 1/2 months older than I) liked! Which means, when radio Daddy brought home all those rock promos I grew up on, they all came to me! The only "cost" I incurred was to simply slide those Columbia Chicago LPs over to Clint!
Anything to avoid yet another something to fight about! Can you imagine? "What?! You can't get that new Sabbath album...it's mine! You got the last Alice album!" "Nuh-uh!" See? Thankfully, the stream of promos went unabated for me all through high school...from about when I was 10 in '65!
Thanks again, Robert, for dropping that news and link! And, thanks, Matt, for hosting me and my memories!
@Brad Kyle thank YOU for providing such a great post.
🙏Anytime, Matt!😁👍
Thanks. I had a listen to rhe 1971 cut ( pre 1972 Chicago V album!). Love the band. So many memories - live, albums, cassette, 8 track, CD and now streaming at a campfire.
What a great article. Most of the music I gravitate towards has a gloomy, bluesy or melancholic feeling to it, so this was as refreshing as a Saturday summer afternoon in the park.
I also loved Brad’s retrospective and the clever Broadway allusion.
I enjoyed Hans Annellsson’s cover as well. The key of the song is just so high that it’s impressive these singers (Lamm and Annellsson) can belt it out in (mostly) chest voice (or chesty mixed in sections).
Now thinking about it, I wonder if Roxette’s 1996 song “June Afternoon” was inspired by “Saturday in the Park” 🤔 If it wasn’t, and I was Lamm, I would have been a little bit pissed off to say the least 🤣
Great work, guys!
Thanks, Andy! I think Matt had me pick from a passel o' tunes, and while I've always loved it (and sang it, often, at karaoke--without adjusting the pitch, or using falsetto, thankyouverymuch!), I never could've guessed that Julius La Rosa would've popped up! As with most lyrics, I had no idea what Lamm had been singing, certainly in Italian!
I enjoyed Hans' cover, as well....smooth and mellow, and I think, sans horns. I'll be using this as a base for an upcoming "Inside Tracks" (shhh, not a word to anyone!), and will make sure to include Hans' cover!
Very impressive you can sing it in chest without adjusting the pitch! Anything above a G4 for me goes straight into mixed. For now, at least. If we ever sing together, I know who’ll be doing all the high parts! 🤣
Look forward to that Inside Tracks! Your secret is safe with me 🤐
On my best nights, I'd love doing Sting's "If I Ever Lose My Faith," an almost perfect reflection of my tenor range. I loved the key changes toward the end....wonderfully challenging!
There were some songs I'd use their machine to adjust the pitch a half-step or two, not gwine-a lie. But, that Sting song was right in my wheel-house on my really warmed-up nights.
And, get this! After several consults with my KJ, I finally landed on this trick to sing the "gal songs"! You have to RAISE the pitch! Ex: I desperately wanted to sing Barbra's "Piece of Sky." When I sang it at the club, I used to intro it by saying, "I'm having a Yentl breakdown!"
In case you're (or readers are) not familiar....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faRFVdrRpws
I knew I was going to sing it an octave lower to begin with...but, that didn't help. So, the trick was to RAISE the song's pitch 2 full steps (I always gave him my instructions in half-step increments....helped me, plus I think that's how his machine was rigged). So, he raised it 4 half-steps....now, when I lower my voice one full octave, her money note is now in my range to the point of being MY money note, too....but, now, reachable! What's at the top of her range now became the top of my comfortable tenor range, simply by raising the pitch! It took me the longest time to grok that....it doesn't sound "right"!
That’s so cool! I’ve got tenor notes but sing more comfortably in a high baritone kind of range. Plus I can go quite low, which sometimes surprises some people as they don’t necessarily expect it.
Yes, I knew the trick about raising the key with songs sung by females. The reason is because you’re still singing an octave lower than the female singer, but because your comfortable range is higher than the male average, one octave lower won’t always cut it. What you’re doing by raising the pitch is making her sing higher (theoretically) so that, when it’s your turn to sing in the lower octave, it’s in the higher end of that lower octave, if that makes sense.
Raising and lowering is, in reality, the same: you can raise by 5 or lower by 2, and you’ll end up in the same place (just one octave apart). Some software doesn’t support transposition by more than 2 or 3, else it starts to sound shitty. You were raising by 2 because it was easier for the system to raise by 2 than to lower by 5. I’m not mathematically (or music-theory) gifted, but this is what my coach once explained to me, and that’s how I understood it at the time!
Would love to know what your money note is!
Money note? I used to sing Bill Withers' "Lovely Day" unimpeded, unaltered, and could usually make those long "Dayyyyyyyy" notes last the full 20 seconds or so! But, my money note on "A Piece of Sky" was Babs'.....just 2 steps removed!
Your second paragraph makes all the sense....but, at the time (a decade ago), when Kodiak the KJ was explaining it to me, my rigid linear thinking just wasn't grokking it! BTW, in my men's chorus, I was labeled a 2nd tenor.
That’s so cool! We’d work well together, not just writing, but also on stage! We should sing together some day!
One of my faves
Dee, make sure you check out that newly-released 1971 live version link that Robert provided elsewhere here! It's bangin'!
Can confirm 🤩
Their vesion of Winwood's I'm a Man changed everything for me. Terry Kath's guitar/vox was a big leap for rock guitar improvisation and the percussion section's performance is way ahead of its time. They opened for Hendrix because of Jimi's love of this guitar wizard. Of course this Saturday in the Park tune is so hopeful and bright 🌞 it never gets old, AM or FM it bridges the gap. Mr. Kath's untimely death did not hold them back. Another great call my friend! 25 or 6 to 4 was my Bar Mitzvah 🍸 theme song! Chicago II was one of my most prized gifts and what we used to call a "Makeout Album" where we'd play the double album end to end pairing off at parties in the dawn of the 70's. Good times!
It’s a great version of that song for sure, thanks for reading Steve!
Great comment, Steve! They weren't alone with the horn thing at the time, in rock (Chase, Lighthouse, Tower of Power, and others), they certainly were, as you highlight, ahead of the game with percussion and Kath's guitar work!
Except for the lawyer and Bar Mitzvah things, you and I have similar experiences, Steve! As for "makeout parties," again, I'm completely inexperienced (and, no less envious)! Even if I'd-a gone to one (or, even been invited!), with my luck, I'd have been the one to get up and flip the records after each side! I'll be DM-ing you, shortly, with an invite (no, not to a party)!
This is definitely in my Top Five of favorite Chicago songs!
Same same same :)
I absolutely sing this song pretty much every Saturday!
I think I'll be starting! Thanks for the idea and encouragement, Kristin!
🙌🙌