Chicago Transit Authority-Chicago Transit Authority (1969)


 

Artist: Chicago Transit Authority

Title: Chicago Transit Authority

Label: Columbia

Format: 2LP

Cat #: GP 8

Year of Release: 1969

Country and Year of Edition Issue: US 1969 Pitman Press

Listed Condition: G+/G+

Sell Date: 3/11/21

Sell Price: $7.99

Discogs Last Sold: 2/14/21 VG+/VG+ $6.25

Low: $2.00 G/F

Median: $6.12

Average: $13.71

High:  $49.95 M/VG+

Current low price: $.50 G/No Sleeve, $2.00 F/G, $3.00 G+/G

Current Number on Sale at Discogs: 47

Have/Want: 2153/251

Where Sold:  Pueblo, CO

Time it took to sell: 6 years

Where and When Bought: Worcester, That's Entertainment $5 box of records early 80's

Gwiz-gau Letter Grade: A-

Sad To See It Go: No

The band that evolved into Chicago came out of prog-rock more easily filed with The Electric Flag than Streisand-Diamond-Manilow MOR stalwarts they evolved into.

You wouldn't know it playing side one: "Does Anyone Really Know What Time It Is" (Billboard #7 Hot 100) and "Beginnings" (also #7 on Billboard) are massive AM hits and "Questions 67 and 68" was a minor hot 100 first single that got reissued in 1971 as a double A-side with "I'm A Man" opens side two  That this double album goes off into heavy prog land after you get through the hits blows ones mind.

"Poem 58" is not only prog, but heavy at that.  Guitarist Terry Kath enters albums Crimson-Sabbath territory there and side 3 opens with a free form noodle that seems Electric Ladyland era Hendrix informed.  The 4th hit closes side 3, Steve Winwood's "I'm A Man" which peaked in the US at #24 on Billboard.

Side 4 gets radical with audio from the 1968 Democratic National Convention.  "The whole world is watching" before the whole world was actually watching Chicago Transit Authority to the point they actually had to shorted their name to avoid trademark a lawsuit from the real deal. "Liberation" closes the side in 15 minute prog-rock splendor with vocals and horns.

Massively popular in it's day staying on the Billboard album charts until 1975 buoyed by the success of their later albums.  Chicago Transit Authority is a weird anomaly that merges brassy AM radio and prog-rock.  The only other band I can think of that did this in it's era is Blood, Sweat and Tears.

Strange how radical morphs into establishment.

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