Robert Lamm and the Chicago story

They were young, talented musicians at the peak of their careers who were also said to be getting their share of drugs and alcohol. As anybody who spent time with a band will tell you, co-existence among ordinary people is difficult enough as it is, let alone Chicago which had seven members then, eight if you will include producer and manager Jimmy Guercio. As pressure came to bear on the group to become a more commercial power ballad band, differences among the members and Guercio also came to fore and threatened the existence of Chicago.

Robert Lamm, who certainly had the makings of a solo star, was one of those who kept his faith in the group. A singer, pianist and songwriter who studied music in college, Lamm subjugated his own personal dreams for Chicago. He recorded some solo albums but these were of the critically-acclaimed kind instead of the hit charts variety. "Only a few people have heard about those albums." He could have gone off on his own like Cetera or turned to producing like Seraphine but he opted to stay and join Lee Loughnane, James Pankow and Walter Parazaider as trailblazers to the newer members of the group.

"I think we have been very fortunate in being able to find new members willing to put the music first," he says. "Because that is what Chicago really boils down to. You can change the members but as long as you have the music, Chicago will always be there. I also think it great that the members tend to stay for long periods. The last time we had to get a new one was about eight years ago. That is a long time for anybody with any band."

While taking risks and experimenting remains at the forefront for this group, being new guys with Chicago also means being able to play the hits just like the first team did in the past years. More so these days when the group is celebrating 35 years of hits with concert tours and the release of the greatest hits collection The Chicago Story. And despite some lemons once in a while (would you believe that Chicago did a disco album?) everybody will agree that Chicago did make a lot of hits.

Hard to Say I’m Sorry, You’re the Inspiration, Hard Habit to Break, Baby What a Big Surprise, Look Away, What Kind of Man Would I Be?, I Don’t Wanna Live without Your Love, Happy Man, I’ve Been Searchin’ So Long and Feeling Stronger Everyday are some of those songs that listeners never seem to tire of. The biggest of them all though was If You Leave Me Now written by Cetera and which Lamm says happened by accident. It was the song that took Chicago to the realm of the power ballad and wrecked havoc on the group’s initial dream of being always different.

But just as there have been plenty of opportunities to take up that dream again in the past, check out Chicago’s version of the old favorite Sing, Sing, Sing with the Gypsy Kings, there will also be lots more in the future. Truth to tell, the future of Chicago after 35 years looks very bright at the moment what with the public’s renewed awareness about the band’s capabilities thanks of course to the new CD and the US tour.

"I love it," says Lamm of the group’s tour last summer, "I love everything about being on the road. There are plans for an Asian tour soon that might include the Philippines. After that we are all going to the studio to record a new album of original materials. Chicago is producing it but we might bring in somebody else to do the single."

Looks like Chicago has learned to accept that there is a real need for singles to sell an album. That is however just a small concession they have to pay for what has so far been a successful tunefilled life despite some turbulence during certain times. "It’s been a great life," admits Lamm. "I’ve been very lucky. I’ve been able to express myself with my music and to travel and meet a lot of people. What is most important though is that people now see and understand the body of work of Chicago and the specific role it plays in popular music."

So watch out, there could be a time in the near future when we might get the chance to enjoy the music of Chicago live.