We’ve called this album a Demo Disc for Bass and any Hot Stamper copy will show you why.
Talk about beefy — this album is the poster boy for rock solid bottom end. When you have a copy of Chicago’s first album with a hot side three you have a Bass Demo Disc LP that’s going to rock your world, not to mention the foundation of your house.
(How they managed to get the bass so right and screw up so many other things I will never know.)
This is a Rock Demo Disc by any measure, especially on Big Speakers at Loud Levels
It’s also our pick for the band’s best sounding album. Roughly 150 other listings for the Best Recording by an Artist or Group can be found here.
Peter Cetera
Not many musicians qualify to be placed on the list of Most Underrated, but if there were any justice in this world Peter Cetera’s name would be found right up at the top.
Meaning that he can’t even get credit for being the most underrated.
His bass playing alone — forget his singing, which is as good as any pop singer of his generation — qualifies him for Most Talented (but for some reason) Most Overlooked Musician. The huge bass sound Peter got out of his axe is the meat and potatoes of this album.
Again, it’s hard to believe this is the same guy that sang and played on ‘Hard To Say I’m Sorry’. His jazz-rock chops anchor the rhythm section with the kind of energy a band with as many pieces as this one simply cannot do without.
Chicago boasts seven top players, but Cetera’s brilliance cuts through on practically every song. People may not be able to appreciate his playing because they have bad records or bad stereos, but we’re here to rectify that situation, as least the record part of it.