"Introduction" would be a fabulous choice. It was written specifically to introduce the band as a whole -- and the individual musicians in the band -- to the public, as it was the first song on their first album. It has several "movements" so you get tempo and mood changes, and each band member gets to have their moment. (Honestly, just about any song from the first or second albums would be a winner.)
25 is a reference to LSD 25, and 6 to 4 means staying awake all night. It's about weighing artificial induced inspiration with trying to conjure inspiration naturally by staying awake all night.
@@jerrydelacruz5119 Never heard that one, but it ain't right. Someone (Robert Lamm, I think) was trying to write a song, and found himself still at it in the early morning. And by his non-digital clock (they were all non-digital display back then), the little hand was getting close to the 4, and the big hand was on - or maybe just past - the 7. Thus, in digital terms, 3:34 or 3:35. In terms used in the day, maybe 25 or 26 minutes to 4:00 AM. edited to correct typos
Yes, thank you for doing this right. Always studio first, then the live versions. The are exceptions to the rule though. Bob Seger, or the J. Geils band. Most of their stuff is better live!
My father was at this show in July, 1970 when he was living in western Massachusetts near Tanglewood (which is a really beautiful place to see a concert). He said for years that the solo Terry did during “25 or 6 to 4” was beyond belief. He’d also seen Jimi Hendrix 6 times, so that was really saying something. This show was filmed but it wasn’t released until a few years ago, so when I found out I called up my dad and told him. He said he felt like he was 25 years old again and back at the concert in 1970 because it took him right back.
There were only 2 bands with brass like this ( Chicago and blood sweat and tears) called rock. True 60s Herb Alpert and the Tiajuana Brass. Brazil 66 . Bert kampfert.
@@MarkCucchiara oh yes he did...they were together with Terry for years and he was always amazing...they opened for Jimmi Hendrix on tour and JH famously said Terry was better than him!
Terry Kath, the guitarist, was known as one of the best--even by Jimi Hendrix--until his untimely death at an early age. He was also a great vocalist and IMHO the band was never as good without him.
I disagree. The loss of Terry was a great sadness. But Chicago. But Chicago is a band that uses the many and various talents to bring a rich and diverse musical experience to their audiences. During a live performance they also provide an interesting visual experience.
The big hand is on the 7 and the little hand is nearing 4. It’s 25 or 26 minutes to 4 am. Dude had writers block and needed another song for their album. This was the song! In the “old clock days” when the big hand passed the half hour mark, it was common to say 25 to 4 instead of the digital readout of 4:35.
Make Me Smile is the opening track of a seven movement suite, "Ballet For A Girl In Buchannon", that should be experienced in its entirety to truly appreciate the individual components. The radio and single cut of Make Me Smile has the closing movement "Now More Than Ever" appended to it The closer is a reprise of the opening song and they flowed together on the single, but you miss five more creative and different movements of Ballet, including Colour My World.
"Poem 58" on their debut album as The Chicago Transit Authority should be your next Chicago track. DEFINITELY "POEM 58". Terry Kath on guitar, Danny Seraphine's drumming and Peter Cetera on bass, 9 minutes of PURE FUNK!!!! Kath just KILLS IT on guitar, you will be blown away!
@@Kerz300 "Introduction" was a perfectly named first song on the first album by CTA. Written and sang by guitar player Terry Kath, who couldn't read or write musical signatures. He had trombone player James Pankow transcribe it for the band to play what he created. I think drummer Danny Seraphine said Terry wrote Introduction as a very complex song, part of it is in 19/8 time and Danny wrote the beats on a drumskin 123 123 12 12 12 112 12 12. th-cam.com/video/f1PrmMSliXk/w-d-xo.htmlsi=hwUdf04BQRKR30gB
Regarding the title: It refers to a specific time on the clock: 25 or 26 minutes before 4am. The lyrics (by Robert Lamm, the pianist of the group) depict his struggle to write a song one night. Stayed up all night, getting nowhere. Finally, at 3:35am (or 3:36am), after not coming up with anything to write about, he decided to write about writing a song. Haha!
Actually he asked the engineer what time it was. The engineer was OCD aand instread of saying little after 3:30 he said 25 or6 to 4. Lamm was getting tired so he wrote about that.
Vocalist for the band had been in a bar fight shortly before the concert. he was still recovering from a broken jaw. You hit it on the nail with noticing the tone difference with his teeth clinched.
I agree,when a journalist asked Jimi Hendrix "How does it feel to be THEE WORLD'S GREATEST GUITARIST!?" Jimi replayed " I don't know you'll have to ask Terri Kath"
People reacting to this song is my favorite and most specific TH-cam subgenre. This guitar solo is the equivalent of watching someone's soul leaving their body. He went to a place where it was only him and that guitar and they could speak to only each other. We have so much video of absolutely everything now, but it's still relatively rare to see someone so gifted that they can take an instrument and absolutely shred it, effortless and raw. The band knew they were in the middle of something special, you can see it on their faces. This is Kobe scoring 60 on the way out. You can tell he never played it the same way twice but brutalized the track every time. Absolutely legendary.
Rumor has it that when recording in the studio, Peter Cetera (vocals) had been in a fight and had his jaw wired shut just a day or so before recording. Hard to believe he was singing this all through his teeth (album recording)
Not a rumor, cold FACT. Peter and bandmates were at Dodger Stadium cheering on their hometown Cubs that won. Some pissed off Marines there didn't like these long-haired hippies Cubs fans and one punched Cetera in the jaw and broke it. Producer James William Guercio was on a deadline to record the band's second album in the studio and told Cetera, with jaw wired closed, he had to still sing so they could lay down the track. He did, and that led to his signature jaw closed singing style even after healing.
1974 my brother Dan was in the “lab” band of Faith Jr high Ft Benning ga. They played this in concert. Dan played the trombone. Every time I listening get weepy. We buried him two years ago.
I love watching your take on this performance. You had the exact perfect comments about Terry Kath's guitar solo. He was a master at what he could do with that guitar. Crazy man and so damn good to watch his insanity! Loved your reactions to it. Ive watched other videos where people rate this performance and yours is clearly the best. Well done. Thanks. I keep watching your video over again, just like I watch Tanglewood Chicago concert over and over. Tremendous live performances on each song they do at that concert. Watch the whole concert. Im a Man is another good song to watch. Also glad that you rate a band that was clearly popular before your time. Appreciate that.
“’25 or 6 to 4′ is a song about writing a song,”the bands trombonist James Pankow said. “Robert was laying on the floor of his house in the Hollywood Hills looking over the city of Los Angeles just before dawn. He had been up all night.” “I just, I looked across the room and there was an old Grandmother’s clock on the wall,” he continued. “I couldn’t quite make out what the time was, but the hands on the clock were somewhere around 25 or 26 to 4 a.m., and I just began to just jot down what the hell I was doing there, and I thought, ‘Well, for now, I’m just going to describe the process of writing this song, and I’ll figure out what the lyrics are going to be later,’ but I didn’t need to.*This information comes from Jay McDowell, writer for The American Songwriter site. February 1, 2024.
If you've even touched a guitar in your life you know that this is a performance that will live through time. It almost seems as if the notes come first and Terry is fretting them after. Astounding.
Nothing like an EPIC live performance. One that's often overlooked is My Generation by The Who from their Live at Leeds album. No band had as much raw power and force in their day. Known for their liver performances, this shows them at their best.
the whole tanglwood show was amazing from chicago.. the sound was so killer this is in freaking 1970 ! Another great 1970 is Black Sabbath in Paris.. how they got so good sound back in the day and band just kicks ass. .and Niel Young on BBC in 1970 same.. mind blowing .. love it! thanks bro
Lead singer Peter Cetera had his jaw busted at a Dodgers game and wired shut that taught him to sing and project his voice in the unique manner you observed.
Many people don't know that Petera Cetera is a big Chicago Cubs fan, and he had gone to Cubs/Dodgers game not long before this concert. A few Dodgers fans jumped him in the parking lot and broke his jaw. He ha to have his jaw partially wired shut. But he was committed to doing this concert and sang anyway, which is why his singing sounds a little "off", but was committed to singing anyway. That's committment.
The title is the time of day the author was trying to write a song, 25 or 26 minutes until 4 A.M. or 3:34 or 3:35 A.M. The song is a stream of consciousness of the song writer struggling to put something to paper at Oh dark thirty. Why is the time written that way? In the old days all we had were analog clocks and we would say such things as "It's 10 of 2" or "It's a quarter past seven." This would represent where the minute hand was on the clock. 10 of 2 means there is 10 minutes until 2 o'clock (1:50) whereas quarter past says that the minute hand is one quarter of the way around the dial or 15 minutes past the hour given. Since everything went digital people have lost the visual aspect of time on a dial clock face and no longer use these terms and have become far too specific about the time. People generally don't need to know it is 5:43, quarter to 6 is close enough.
That solo is fantastic. And it's one of things I miss from going to concerts back in the 70's and 80's was you got performances like this. The other thing about Cetera's solo is you don't see him playing with effects pedals and his guitar is not plugged into a pitch controller. That's all him.
Not alot of bands today sound this good live and I don't know why since this was over 50 years ago! And believe it not, but that singer's jaw is wired shut from a fight at a sports game a couple nights before. That is why he is singing like that and still did so good!
The name of the song comes from, and is about, the fact that they were writing music very late (or very early), and wondering if they should continue or try for another verse, when somebody checked the time and it was 25 or 26 minutes to 4 am. So, 25 or 6 to 4. I was born in 1960, went to a lot of shows of groups people react to today, and most groups back then were talented enough to not only play songs from their albums, but the better groups managed to improve their great songs into incredible performances. Videos of performances from the 70's and 80's prove the point.
The band was sitting together late at night trying to write the last song for their album but could not come up with anything. They then wrote a song about not being able to come up with a song. "25 or 6 to 4" means "25 or 26 minutes to 4 AM" and is the time where they were sitting on the floor trying to come up with a song.
This performance was after he already had his jaw broken in three places from a fight with four Marines where his jaw was wired shut for a few months. Ever since then he has sung this way. Good observation for noticing that.
They were up all night in the studio, and one of them asked what time it was. The other guy very sleepy said, "it's 25 or 6 to 4". Meaning 25 or 26 minutes to 4. Because of the weird funny way it sounded, it became a song.
The original "I'm A Man" was by the Spencer Davis Group, Chicago's version is a cover, and IMO, a MUCH better version than the original. Chicago's three original vocalists each sings solo parts, first Terry Kath, then Peter Cetera, then Robert Lamm, a killer drum solo by Danny, then Peter and Robert repeat their verses.
You have now witnessed what is widely considered one of the greatest live guitar solos of all time. Terry Kath was a genius and taken from us way too soon. RIP guitar master. 🎸🔥
I heard Robert Lamm on an interview many years ago telling how he wrote this song. He said he was looking at an analog clock and thinking it was either twenty to five or six to four. Which makes sense because if you look at a clock at twenty to five and then look at it upside down it is six minutes until four. Never heard anyone else who heard this interview, but I did. 😀
Robert Lamm was trying to write a song and it was getting late. He asked someone what time it was. they shouted out 'Its 25 or 6 to 4". Meaning its is 25 or 26 minutes to 4 am.
I had the privilege of seeing them live several times - they were raw and tight at the same time. Looking back, I wish I had appreciated them even more.
With respect to the "tension in his jaw", Peter Cetera's jaw had been broken in three places and was slow to regain flexibility. I think he recorded the studio version while it was still wired shut. You may have noticed that he was chewing gum, too, probably to help loosen things up.
You hear people talk about a band being "tight", well these guys were SO tight that Terry could start strumming his axe perfectly timed to when the others would finish getting set up and come in with him right on time, in sync, not breaking rhythm with each other, gliding into the song as smoothly as an Olympic ski jumper sliding down the ramp to the gold medal flight.
The vocalist is Peter Cetera who just turned 80 this year. the bass guitar is Terry Kath who died in 1978 of a accidental sellf inflicted gunshot wound
Peter Cetera did rock before his schmaltzy period in the 80s and kicked it on bass. Terry Kath is a BEAST on guitar!!!!!It's sad he's more revered now than when he was alive. I remember hearing the news on the radio in January 1978 that he died...
It's funny you said something about Peter Cetera vocal style and his jaw. His jaw was actually broken in a fight(years after this performance) which changed the way he sang
This was partway into the concert, not a sound check. Drummer Danny Seraphine had a problem with a cymbal and needed assistance getting it fixed before he could resume playing. Guitar master Terry Kath was filling time with some riffs while Danny got his set fixed.
This was in the middle of the concert. they were having trouble with the drums. you can see Terry getting impatient and IMO its what fires him up even more than usual. He wants to make up for the delay in front of the audience. and man does he ever!
At Tanglewood there would often be more than one act. This is probably the first time the band had been on stage since the stage crew put out their equipment so lots of things would need adjusting. It's part of the charm of no-shit live theatre.
Late 60s early 70s Power Brass Rock Band at the time before turning into a soft pop ballad band in the 80s. It's a song about a songwriter being tormented with severe writer's block not being able to write a song and staying up very late trying to write something and having thoughts of whether he should give up and go to sleep or keep trying to come up with something he's depended upon to write at 3:35 AM or even 3:34 in the morning which is 25 minutes or 26 minutes till 4 AM as he looks up at the clock in anguish. Thus 25 or 26 (6) to 4. It's a song about not being able to write a song. And the song about not being able to write a song....became the song! A bit hit song!
My favorite live uuitar solo ever. Terry Kath wrung every tone he could get out of that Stratocaster. I think that uuitar probably needed a smoke and and good stiff drink after.
When Chicago made the studio album with this song on it, Cetera's jaw had been broken and he had to sing it through clenched teeth because his jaws were wired shut.
GREAT REACTION.. 1ST TIME ON YOUR CHANNEL , ALSO SUBBED. ONE OF THE BEST SOLO'S YOU NEED TO SEE LIVE FROM CHICAGO THE BAND WEEN SONG IS CALLED JOHNNY ON THE SPOT. I GUARANTEE YOU WILL BE FLOORED BY THE ENTIRE BAND...WEEN LIVE CHICAGO JOHNNY ON THE SPOT....
![Smashing Pumpkins Live at Centro Cultural Recoleta (Buenos Aires, Argentina) [Full Show] 08.21.1998](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/jLX9btmiK54/mqdefault.jpg)
Now let’s get into the request!..What’s the next song we should check out?? And what is the meaning of this song 😅😅?
"Introduction" would be a fabulous choice. It was written specifically to introduce the band as a whole -- and the individual musicians in the band -- to the public, as it was the first song on their first album. It has several "movements" so you get tempo and mood changes, and each band member gets to have their moment. (Honestly, just about any song from the first or second albums would be a winner.)
Poem 58. Guitar, drums and bass bring out the FUNK!
25 is a reference to LSD 25, and 6 to 4 means staying awake all night. It's about weighing artificial induced inspiration with trying to conjure inspiration naturally by staying awake all night.
@@jerrydelacruz5119 Never heard that one, but it ain't right. Someone (Robert Lamm, I think) was trying to write a song, and found himself still at it in the early morning. And by his non-digital clock (they were all non-digital display back then), the little hand was getting close to the 4, and the big hand was on - or maybe just past - the 7. Thus, in digital terms, 3:34 or 3:35. In terms used in the day, maybe 25 or 26 minutes to 4:00 AM.
edited to correct typos
Yes, thank you for doing this right. Always studio first, then the live versions. The are exceptions to the rule though. Bob Seger, or the J. Geils band. Most of their stuff is better live!
Most underrated guitar solo of all time. Its one thing to hear, its another whole level to watch him do it.
My father was at this show in July, 1970 when he was living in western Massachusetts near Tanglewood (which is a really beautiful place to see a concert). He said for years that the solo Terry did during “25 or 6 to 4” was beyond belief. He’d also seen Jimi Hendrix 6 times, so that was really saying something. This show was filmed but it wasn’t released until a few years ago, so when I found out I called up my dad and told him. He said he felt like he was 25 years old again and back at the concert in 1970 because it took him right back.
No autotune, backing tracks, sampling etc. Just pure musicianship.....that's how it was in the 60's and 70's....
@@MrGettysburg44 now it’s done by autotune and the industry is all the worse
Why does someome always have to make this lame comment
Music in my era 60s 70s were the best ever. Live was the best then
There were only 2 bands with brass like this ( Chicago and blood sweat and tears) called rock. True 60s Herb Alpert and the Tiajuana Brass. Brazil 66 . Bert kampfert.
Top 5 in my opinion.
And to think Rolling Stone magazine doesn’t even include Terry Kath in their Top 100 Guitarists list. Absolutely criminal.
Didn't live long enough to show any consistency.
.....nor did they include Gary Moore. That was one of the most ludicrous "Top 100" lists I've ever seen....it was bad even by Rolling Stone standards.
Rolling Stone magazine has become irrelevant!
Out of sight, out of mind.
@@MarkCucchiara oh yes he did...they were together with Terry for years and he was always amazing...they opened for Jimmi Hendrix on tour and JH famously said Terry was better than him!
Terry Kath, the guitarist, was known as one of the best--even by Jimi Hendrix--until his untimely death at an early age. He was also a great vocalist and IMHO the band was never as good without him.
Agree
absolutely true.
I disagree. The loss of Terry was a great sadness. But Chicago. But Chicago is a band that uses the many and various talents to bring a rich and diverse musical experience to their audiences. During a live performance they also provide an interesting visual experience.
Terry Kaths solo is great, but the rhythm stuff he's doing is just as incredible!!
Yeah the super fast strumming is ridiculous. And to do that for as long as he does with as much energy. Number 1 underrated guitarist ever
That's the greatest guitar Show all I've ever seen. And I've been listening to rock music for 50 years.
Excuse the expression but Terry Kath was Chicago's "BALLS". They made more money after he was gone but they lost their Rock balls.
AGREED!
The big hand is on the 7 and the little hand is nearing 4. It’s 25 or 26 minutes to 4 am. Dude had writers block and needed another song for their album. This was the song! In the “old clock days” when the big hand passed the half hour mark, it was common to say 25 to 4 instead of the digital readout of 4:35.
The 60's, 70's were the most creative, inventive, mind- blowing decades of the century in music. Just ask your grandparents.
Damn straight
When Terry Kath is your guitarist, you give him all the space he wants to use. You just do. Try Chicago's "Make Me Smile" next.
One of my favorite songs ever. Not just Chicago.
Make Me Smile is the opening track of a seven movement suite, "Ballet For A Girl In Buchannon", that should be experienced in its entirety to truly appreciate the individual components. The radio and single cut of Make Me Smile has the closing movement "Now More Than Ever" appended to it The closer is a reprise of the opening song and they flowed together on the single, but you miss five more creative and different movements of Ballet, including Colour My World.
"Poem 58" on their debut album as The Chicago Transit Authority should be your next Chicago track. DEFINITELY "POEM 58". Terry Kath on guitar, Danny Seraphine's drumming and Peter Cetera on bass, 9 minutes of PURE FUNK!!!! Kath just KILLS IT on guitar, you will be blown away!
Agreed. Poem 58 and Introduction are bangers!
@@Kerz300 "Introduction" was a perfectly named first song on the first album by CTA. Written and sang by guitar player Terry Kath, who couldn't read or write musical signatures. He had trombone player James Pankow transcribe it for the band to play what he created. I think drummer Danny Seraphine said Terry wrote Introduction as a very complex song, part of it is in 19/8 time and Danny wrote the beats on a drumskin
123 123 12 12 12 112 12 12.
th-cam.com/video/f1PrmMSliXk/w-d-xo.htmlsi=hwUdf04BQRKR30gB
Thanks for giving Chicago a chance! I respect you so much for giving them a chance, and seeing your reaction was so satisfying. 😊
Regarding the title: It refers to a specific time on the clock: 25 or 26 minutes before 4am. The lyrics (by Robert Lamm, the pianist of the group) depict his struggle to write a song one night. Stayed up all night, getting nowhere. Finally, at 3:35am (or 3:36am), after not coming up with anything to write about, he decided to write about writing a song. Haha!
It should actually read 25 or '6 to 4. As the "6" is an abbreviated 26. *pushes up glasses*
@@joshlittrell8946 Haha! Indeed!😀
TRUTH & FACT
Great stuff
Actually he asked the engineer what time it was. The engineer was OCD aand instread of saying little after 3:30 he said 25 or6 to 4.
Lamm was getting tired so he wrote about that.
I knew that 😅
That guitar solo is FIRE. Yes, one of the top ten best ever!
Vocalist for the band had been in a bar fight shortly before the concert. he was still recovering from a broken jaw. You hit it on the nail with noticing the tone difference with his teeth clinched.
I loved your reaction to the recorded version of this song. When I saw you were reacting to this live version, I knew you would love it even more :)
I agree,when a journalist asked Jimi Hendrix "How does it feel to be THEE WORLD'S GREATEST GUITARIST!?" Jimi replayed " I don't know you'll have to ask Terri Kath"
R.I.P. Terry Kath. One of the most brilliant guitarists of all time...
I never tire of hearing and seeing Chicago…never! Brilliance and genius on display!
🇨🇦 One of the greatest guitar solos of all time by one the greatest guitarists ever ! 🇨🇦
Jimmy Hendrix was asked "How does it feel to be the best guitarist in the world?"
JH: "I don't know, I'm not Terry Kath"
People reacting to this song is my favorite and most specific TH-cam subgenre. This guitar solo is the equivalent of watching someone's soul leaving their body. He went to a place where it was only him and that guitar and they could speak to only each other. We have so much video of absolutely everything now, but it's still relatively rare to see someone so gifted that they can take an instrument and absolutely shred it, effortless and raw. The band knew they were in the middle of something special, you can see it on their faces. This is Kobe scoring 60 on the way out. You can tell he never played it the same way twice but brutalized the track every time. Absolutely legendary.
- LOVE IT every time I watch it!!! :)
Rumor has it that when recording in the studio, Peter Cetera (vocals) had been in a fight and had his jaw wired shut just a day or so before recording. Hard to believe he was singing this all through his teeth (album recording)
Was his middle name Et?
Not a rumor, cold FACT. Peter and bandmates were at Dodger Stadium cheering on their hometown Cubs that won. Some pissed off Marines there didn't like these long-haired hippies Cubs fans and one punched Cetera in the jaw and broke it.
Producer James William Guercio was on a deadline to record the band's second album in the studio and told Cetera, with jaw wired closed, he had to still sing so they could lay down the track. He did, and that led to his signature jaw closed singing style even after healing.
After all these decades, I listened to Peter talk about that in an interview. Learn something new every day!
1974 my brother Dan was in the “lab” band of Faith Jr high Ft Benning ga. They played this in concert. Dan played the trombone.
Every time I listening get weepy. We buried him two years ago.
I love watching your take on this performance. You had the exact perfect comments about Terry Kath's guitar solo. He was a master at what he could do with that guitar.
Crazy man and so damn good to watch his insanity!
Loved your reactions to it.
Ive watched other videos where people rate this performance and yours is clearly the best. Well done.
Thanks. I keep watching your video over again, just like I watch Tanglewood Chicago concert over and over.
Tremendous live performances on each song they do at that concert.
Watch the whole concert.
Im a Man is another good song to watch.
Also glad that you rate a band that was clearly popular before your time. Appreciate that.
“’25 or 6 to 4′ is a song about writing a song,”the bands trombonist James Pankow said. “Robert was laying on the floor of his house in the Hollywood Hills looking over the city of Los Angeles just before dawn. He had been up all night.” “I just, I looked across the room and there was an old Grandmother’s clock on the wall,” he continued. “I couldn’t quite make out what the time was, but the hands on the clock were somewhere around 25 or 26 to 4 a.m., and I just began to just jot down what the hell I was doing there, and I thought, ‘Well, for now, I’m just going to describe the process of writing this song, and I’ll figure out what the lyrics are going to be later,’ but I didn’t need to.*This information comes from Jay McDowell, writer for The American Songwriter site. February 1, 2024.
If you've even touched a guitar in your life you know that this is a performance that will live through time. It almost seems as if the notes come first and Terry is fretting them after. Astounding.
Nothing like an EPIC live performance. One that's often overlooked is My Generation by The Who from their Live at Leeds album. No band had as much raw power and force in their day. Known for their liver performances, this shows them at their best.
Jim I Hendrix loved Terry Kath on guitar…❤❤❤ Rest in Peace Terry.
Im so glad you enjoyed the music of the 70s real instruments real vocals. Great reaction! 👍✌️
the whole tanglwood show was amazing from chicago.. the sound was so killer this is in freaking 1970 ! Another great 1970 is Black Sabbath in Paris.. how they got so good sound back in the day and band just kicks ass. .and Niel Young on BBC in 1970 same.. mind blowing .. love it! thanks bro
Another great live performance at Tanglewood 1970 is Santana doing Soul Sacrifice! Far better than the Woodstock version!
@@rodjohnson2632 I'll check that out. The sound quality at that venue is amazing! cheers
@@worldfamouslanglois4805 Yeah, I don't know what it is about Tanglewood '70, the sound quality has been great on everything I've watched.
Lead singer Peter Cetera had his jaw busted at a Dodgers game and wired shut that taught him to sing and project his voice in the unique manner you observed.
Many people don't know that Petera Cetera is a big Chicago Cubs fan, and he had gone to Cubs/Dodgers game not long before this concert. A few Dodgers fans jumped him in the parking lot and broke his jaw. He ha to have his jaw partially wired shut. But he was committed to doing this concert and sang anyway, which is why his singing sounds a little "off", but was committed to singing anyway. That's committment.
I caught your first reaction ,then this 🌞... I knew you'd like it 👍
The title is the time of day the author was trying to write a song, 25 or 26 minutes until 4 A.M. or 3:34 or 3:35 A.M. The song is a stream of consciousness of the song writer struggling to put something to paper at Oh dark thirty.
Why is the time written that way? In the old days all we had were analog clocks and we would say such things as "It's 10 of 2" or "It's a quarter past seven." This would represent where the minute hand was on the clock. 10 of 2 means there is 10 minutes until 2 o'clock (1:50) whereas quarter past says that the minute hand is one quarter of the way around the dial or 15 minutes past the hour given. Since everything went digital people have lost the visual aspect of time on a dial clock face and no longer use these terms and have become far too specific about the time. People generally don't need to know it is 5:43, quarter to 6 is close enough.
That solo is fantastic. And it's one of things I miss from going to concerts back in the 70's and 80's was you got performances like this.
The other thing about Cetera's solo is you don't see him playing with effects pedals and his guitar is not plugged into a pitch controller. That's all him.
Not alot of bands today sound this good live and I don't know why since this was over 50 years ago! And believe it not, but that singer's jaw is wired shut from a fight at a sports game a couple nights before. That is why he is singing like that and still did so good!
Look at their song I'm a Man from their first album
See how much fun the horn section is having! They love singing along with the harmonies.
The name of the song comes from, and is about, the fact that they were writing music very late (or very early), and wondering if they should continue or try for another verse, when somebody checked the time and it was 25 or 26 minutes to 4 am. So, 25 or 6 to 4.
I was born in 1960, went to a lot of shows of groups people react to today, and most groups back then were talented enough to not only play songs from their albums, but the better groups managed to improve their great songs into incredible performances. Videos of performances from the 70's and 80's prove the point.
The band was sitting together late at night trying to write the last song for their album but could not come up with anything. They then wrote a song about not being able to come up with a song.
"25 or 6 to 4" means "25 or 26 minutes to 4 AM" and is the time where they were sitting on the floor trying to come up with a song.
This performance was after he already had his jaw broken in three places from a fight with four Marines where his jaw was wired shut for a few months. Ever since then he has sung this way. Good observation for noticing that.
Don't mess with devil dogs!
They were up all night in the studio, and one of them asked what time it was. The other guy very sleepy said, "it's 25 or 6 to 4". Meaning 25 or 26 minutes to 4. Because of the weird funny way it sounded, it became a song.
It is the best Rock song of all time ...trust your ears 🎉🎉🎉.
Their song "I'm a man" is an incredible song.
The original "I'm A Man" was by the Spencer Davis Group, Chicago's version is a cover, and IMO, a MUCH better version than the original. Chicago's three original vocalists each sings solo parts, first Terry Kath, then Peter Cetera, then Robert Lamm, a killer drum solo by Danny, then Peter and Robert repeat their verses.
One of the coolest songs on the planet!
You have now witnessed what is widely considered one of the greatest live guitar solos of all time. Terry Kath was a genius and taken from us way too soon. RIP guitar master. 🎸🔥
Not just back in the day. There are still amazing live bands out there now you can go see.
The talent on that stage will never be repeated! Terry was the greatest guitarist of all time!
I was in HIGH SCHOOL when this was out,no video just the sound 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Hendrix called Terry Kath the best. RIP, Terry Kath.
I heard Robert Lamm on an interview many years ago telling how he wrote this song. He said he was looking at an analog clock and
thinking it was either twenty to five or six to four. Which makes sense because if you look
at a clock at twenty to five and then look at it upside down it is six minutes until four. Never heard anyone else who heard this interview, but I did. 😀
Jimmy Hendix's 2 favorite guitarists were Terry Kath (here) and Billy Gibbons (ZZ top)
Growing up in Chicago...I was probably around 13/14 when I heard them play & Terry was the MAN on Guitar!!!!! He passed wat to early!!!!
It's just after 3:30 in the morning and you have to write a song. Fortunately Terry Kath is spectacular.
25 or 26 minutes to 4AM. It's about writer's block.
Terry Kath is amazing!
In the beginning the drummer had knocked over his cymbol between songs and they were fixing it. The guitarist was just riffing to stall the audience.
Actually added to the performance. 😊
Terry! The world misses you!! RIP great soul
You can pretty much watch this whole concert.
Robert Lamm was trying to write a song and it was getting late. He asked someone what time it was. they shouted out 'Its 25 or 6 to 4". Meaning its is 25 or 26 minutes to 4 am.
I had the privilege of seeing them live several times - they were raw and tight at the same time. Looking back, I wish I had appreciated them even more.
Actually this is about the 5th song into the set. Danny killed his drum kit on the last song and had to replace a piece of equipment.
With respect to the "tension in his jaw", Peter Cetera's jaw had been broken in three places and was slow to regain flexibility. I think he recorded the studio version while it was still wired shut. You may have noticed that he was chewing gum, too, probably to help loosen things up.
You hear people talk about a band being "tight", well these guys were SO tight that Terry could start strumming his axe perfectly timed to when the others would finish getting set up and come in with him right on time, in sync, not breaking rhythm with each other, gliding into the song as smoothly as an Olympic ski jumper sliding down the ramp to the gold medal flight.
Top ten. Indeed ❤👍
One of the very, very, very, very few live performances that is as good as the studio rmix.
Yep, this is the one.
Yep, setting up drum kit so Terry played a little intro to get audience going 😊
The vocalist is Peter Cetera who just turned 80 this year. the bass guitar is Terry Kath who died in 1978 of a accidental sellf inflicted gunshot wound
Almost! Peter turns 80 on Sept 13th. Peter plays the Bass guitar. Terry plays lead/ rhythm guitar
By the way Jimi Hendrix said Terry Kath was better than him.😮
That Stratocaster: "Terry! What is you doin, Terry?!"
Terry was a bad MF. He showed the guitar no mercy. Incredibly talented with an equally talented group of guys.
Peter Cetera did rock before his schmaltzy period in the 80s and kicked it on bass. Terry Kath is a BEAST on guitar!!!!!It's sad he's more revered now than when he was alive. I remember hearing the news on the radio in January 1978 that he died...
It's funny you said something about Peter Cetera vocal style and his jaw. His jaw was actually broken in a fight(years after this performance) which changed the way he sang
This was partway into the concert, not a sound check. Drummer Danny Seraphine had a problem with a cymbal and needed assistance getting it fixed before he could resume playing. Guitar master Terry Kath was filling time with some riffs while Danny got his set fixed.
Thank you for this one!
Make me Smile is Chicago song. Beginnings has a brass section jam.
This was in the middle of the concert. they were having trouble with the drums. you can see Terry getting impatient and IMO its what fires him up even more than usual. He wants to make up for the delay in front of the audience. and man does he ever!
When you’re so f’d up in middle of the night you ask someone what time it is,they say 25 or 6 to 4!! Those were the days!!
At Tanglewood there would often be more than one act. This is probably the first time the band had been on stage since the stage crew put out their equipment so lots of things would need adjusting. It's part of the charm of no-shit live theatre.
It's 25 or 6 (or 26) to 4 am in the morning, he's tired and all strung out!
Terry Kath, absolutely one of the very best guitarists ever.
Late 60s early 70s Power Brass Rock Band at the time before turning into a soft pop ballad band in the 80s. It's a song about a songwriter being tormented with severe writer's block not being able to write a song and staying up very late trying to write something and having thoughts of whether he should give up and go to sleep or keep trying to come up with something he's depended upon to write at 3:35 AM or even 3:34 in the morning which is 25 minutes or 26 minutes till 4 AM as he looks up at the clock in anguish. Thus 25 or 26 (6) to 4. It's a song about not being able to write a song. And the song about not being able to write a song....became the song! A bit hit song!
Your reaction is THE BEST!😊
Thank you!! 😁
LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE you for this!!!! xoxoxoxoxoxo
That’s why they called it a “Band” (an orchestra had strings) a computer is a box 😂
We played this song in jr high marching band in the mid 1970's.
I still hear marching bands do this song to this day.
Now you know why Jimi gave Terry his props
Raw,and crisp no auto 🎉🎉🎉❤
My favorite live uuitar solo ever. Terry Kath wrung every tone he could get out of that Stratocaster. I think that uuitar probably needed a smoke and and good stiff drink after.
Great reaction! Ty...... make me smile is an amazing song with Terri Kath singing...it's a great next song. It will blow you away
Hendrix was in Awe of Terry Kath, & thought he was better, being the humble man he was❤🎉 Terry was a BEAST & I LOVE HENDRIX 😂🎉
When Chicago made the studio album with this song on it, Cetera's jaw had been broken and he had to sing it through clenched teeth because his jaws were wired shut.
As a drummer, the band typically starts playing when the kit is about 95% set up. Then you have to rush the setup before things get out of hand!
Uh oh. I suspect my boy hasn’t heard EVH yet. THAT is going to screw up his calculations 😂❤
Please do BEGINNINGS and MAKE ME SMILE by Chicago !
Astounding 🎉🎉
GREAT REACTION.. 1ST TIME ON YOUR CHANNEL , ALSO SUBBED. ONE OF THE BEST SOLO'S YOU NEED TO SEE LIVE FROM CHICAGO THE BAND WEEN SONG IS CALLED JOHNNY ON THE SPOT. I GUARANTEE YOU WILL BE FLOORED BY THE ENTIRE BAND...WEEN LIVE CHICAGO JOHNNY ON THE SPOT....