FIRST TIME HEARING CHICAGO!! 🎵 "25 or 6 to 4" Reaction

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  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 14 ต.ค. 2024
  • Thanks for checking out our Chicago reaction. 25 or 6 to 4 is a very interesting song that we probably didn't crack to code of lol.
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ความคิดเห็น • 1.6K

  • @someoldatheist6712
    @someoldatheist6712 3 ปีที่แล้ว +439

    It's just rock and roll with a great horn section.

    • @corkydukeII5898
      @corkydukeII5898 3 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      He's so close now! 'Beginnings' by Chicago just may be THE greatest song on the planet!

    • @supertrexandroidx
      @supertrexandroidx 3 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      THat's pretty much how they used to describe themselves: a rock and roll band with horns

    • @deborahstrickland9845
      @deborahstrickland9845 3 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      I hope they'll do ""25 or 6 to 4" live at Tanglewood. It's incredible.

    • @icecream9576
      @icecream9576 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      @@corkydukeII5898 COLOR MY WORLD is real good

    • @wpollock1
      @wpollock1 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      "Big Band" doesn't have that killer electric guitar.....

  • @juliansuarez8809
    @juliansuarez8809 3 ปีที่แล้ว +128

    Back in the late 60’s Jimi Hendrix during an interview was asked, “ How does it feel to be called the greatest electric guitar player ever?”. Jimi responded, “ I don’t know, you should ask Terry Kath from the band Chicago that question.”

    • @TheNoncritical1
      @TheNoncritical1 3 ปีที่แล้ว +16

      The response from Hendrix changed every time he was asked that question.

    • @juliansuarez8809
      @juliansuarez8809 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@TheNoncritical1 Oh I didn't know about that. Thanks for your reply, greetings from Chicago, Il.

    • @kobayashiMaroo
      @kobayashiMaroo 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      @@juliansuarez8809 One of the guys in Chicago likes to talk about the time he and Jimi were talking and Jimi told him, "your guys' guitar player is better than I am."

    • @bernie4366
      @bernie4366 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      @@TheNoncritical1 AFAIK Terry Kath is the only guitarist he said that about. He did say that Billy Gibbons is the next big thing after himself though.

    • @HWCars
      @HWCars 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@TheNoncritical1 Yes. I heard him say that about Billy Gibbons.

  • @dan2007kohn
    @dan2007kohn 3 ปีที่แล้ว +276

    Back when this song came out there wasn’t a need to place songs into genres. It was just rock and roll!!

    • @Gekokujo76
      @Gekokujo76 3 ปีที่แล้ว +15

      Genres are usually nonsense...back then, if you plugged in a guitar, you were Rock N Roll. From Bill Haley and the Comets to Slayer....it was Rock.

    • @StatisticsJason
      @StatisticsJason 3 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      Casual music listeners never have been interested in putting songs in genres, even to this day. More serious music fans always have put music in genres. I can remember music critics doing it in the 70s in the rock magazines I read. Chicago (early Chicago in particular) was lumped in with bands like Blood Sweat and Tears, Chase, Lighthouse and others that use horns. They were called jazz rock. Chicago ended up having so many huge hits that people thought of them as just a straight ahead pop-rock band but their origins were in jazz rock.

    • @avanoosterhout8397
      @avanoosterhout8397 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@StatisticsJason You need music genres in order to break down the boundaries 😉

    • @StatisticsJason
      @StatisticsJason 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@avanoosterhout8397 I have some OCD when it comes to music. I always think of what genre it fits into and the exact year. Within a few seconds of listening to any song I can identify the year it came out. I can't fully enjoy a song unless I reflect on what it's place is in the musical universe.

    • @normantompkins1252
      @normantompkins1252 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Agreed the whole effort that goes into a musician into a genre is a waste of time and effort

  • @JohnNewkirk1
    @JohnNewkirk1 2 ปีที่แล้ว +17

    Brad, YES! The song is about a songwriter that has "writer's block". It is 25 or 26 before 4am and he can't come up with anything. He's debating whether to continue trying or give up and go to sleep.

    • @sjs928
      @sjs928 2 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      Actually, you missed the real meaning … it’s WAY early in the morning and they’re all BUZZED UP , “ trying just to stay awake, wondering how much I can take … “ …. Go figure

    • @masonhoover165
      @masonhoover165 20 วันที่ผ่านมา

      well he may have writers block but the blockage in his nose is more important

    • @larrychannell7056
      @larrychannell7056 วันที่ผ่านมา

      ​@@sjs928bullshit

  • @frankrizzo4460
    @frankrizzo4460 3 ปีที่แล้ว +293

    You guys definitely need to check out more old Chicago songs. Rip Terry Kath thanks for your unbelievable talent you left us way too soon 🙏🎸

    • @johnduval6377
      @johnduval6377 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      yes Poem 58

    • @raymo6795
      @raymo6795 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      He was extraordinary

    • @robert-ef8qv
      @robert-ef8qv 3 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      Absolutely 👍R.I.P. TERRY(Jimmy Hendrix said he was the greatest guitarist. Great voice also , what a loss .❤️😢🙏

    • @cynthiafox2541
      @cynthiafox2541 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      I love Terry Kaths voice as lead!

    • @wenceslaogomez3965
      @wenceslaogomez3965 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Best solo guitar EVER!!!

  • @brentchapman1958
    @brentchapman1958 2 ปีที่แล้ว +67

    There was a time when horn sections in a band was nothing unusual. Chicago, Blood Sweat and Tears, Earth Wind & Fire, Kool & The Gang, Tower of Power, AWB, War, Sly and The Family Stone and more. Music was remarkably ambitious in the late 60's and early 70's. Plenty of bands used horn section but in type of bands they featured their very own horn sections. Great stuff.

    • @FaeWontCare
      @FaeWontCare 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      #1 answer!!

    • @johnclaeys9514
      @johnclaeys9514 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      A one hit wonder band called Chase had a hit with a song called Get It On...unfortunately they were killed in a plane crash. A Chicago regional band called Ides of March had a national hit with a song called Vehicle. they both prominently featured horn sections and were great songs.

    • @oldenslo4141
      @oldenslo4141 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      My favorite of all times, but not Rock, was B.B.King. His horn section was so on it.

    • @LTJfan
      @LTJfan ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Don't forget Steely Dan

    • @philiponcale1820
      @philiponcale1820 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Brass Construction.

  • @waynefurrow845
    @waynefurrow845 3 ปีที่แล้ว +196

    You gotta see the "Live at Tanglewood" video of this song. Terry Kath kills that guitar solo during this song!

    • @ZacCostilla
      @ZacCostilla 3 ปีที่แล้ว +23

      TANGLEWOOD VERSION OF THIS SONG IS THE BEST EVER!!!

    • @xtrmfc
      @xtrmfc 3 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      Tanglewood performance YES .. 💯

    • @craigw1911
      @craigw1911 3 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      Terry Kath's Strat 9 months after that show gave birth to a litter of baby Strats. That guitar needed a cigarette after that song!

    • @jamesshort8660
      @jamesshort8660 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      I'm a man also. Kick ass!

    • @joehynes5452
      @joehynes5452 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      SLAYS it!! Love that performance!!!!

  • @bradsullivan2495
    @bradsullivan2495 3 ปีที่แล้ว +72

    Another Chicago classic: "Feelin' Stronger Every Day"

  • @robertsaul234
    @robertsaul234 3 ปีที่แล้ว +176

    Terry Kath, the guitarist, was one of the all time greats. He died from an accidental gun death.

    • @t.r.1708
      @t.r.1708 3 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      Hendrix said Kath was the greatest!

    • @catherder78
      @catherder78 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@utubnagain Russian Roulette.

    • @BockwinkleB
      @BockwinkleB 3 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      @@t.r.1708 He also said Billy Gibons or Phil Keagy were the best depending on what made up BS you want to beleive.

    • @brad_wilson
      @brad_wilson 3 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      @@catherder78 It wasn’t Russian Roulette. It was a semi automatic, not a revolver.

    • @mitchellhartman6205
      @mitchellhartman6205 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@catherder78 no he forgot there was one in the chamber

  • @randallshuck2976
    @randallshuck2976 3 ปีที่แล้ว +92

    They are the "Chicago" genre. Try their early stuff like "Saturday in the Park" or "Does anyone really know what time it is?" They were the best, but they really don't have any "bad" songs.

    • @jjStinger72
      @jjStinger72 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      make me smile, hell the entire Ballet for a girl in Buchannon if you're not into that whole brevity thing. I'm a man. Beginnings. Questions 67 and 68.... really anything Terry Kath. These guys are soo good.

    • @CoffeeAndPaul
      @CoffeeAndPaul 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      People slam on Chicago going Disco but "Street Player" is FIRE. The album version with the horns is... AMAZEBALLS

    • @davidkillawee6
      @davidkillawee6 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      Perhaps not bad, but after David Foster got his mitts on them they sure went sappy, the very thing Terry Kath wanted to avoid was them becoming a ballad band, had Kath not accidently killed himself I think it doubtful that they would have hired Foster, and if they still did he certainly would not have had the same level of influence. In the documentary I saw Foster complained about part of his " beautiful " closing song for the movie " Summer Lovers " being drowned out by an increasingly louder motorcycle, oh well, Foster should suck it up, the movie isn't about his song.

  • @craigbillingsley9466
    @craigbillingsley9466 3 ปีที่แล้ว +76

    The song title is a time reference. 25 or 26 minutes before 4 o'clock AM. The keyboardist (Robert Lamm) had been up all night trying to write a song. He was getting frustrated in the early hours of the morning, just before 4 and it inspired this song. Great great classic rock n' roll with an amazing horn section. These guys had real talent, real musicians!!!!!

    • @sjs928
      @sjs928 2 หลายเดือนก่อน

      COCAINE … or … they’re all jacked up

  • @northmaineguy5896
    @northmaineguy5896 8 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

    So glad to see people still discovering Chicago. I saw Chicago perform live in 1970 when I was 15 at Tanglewood in Lenox Ma.

  • @jfree336
    @jfree336 3 ปีที่แล้ว +197

    Make Me Smile is a great Chicago song with Terry Kath, guitarist, singing lead

    • @deangoings
      @deangoings 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      lol what? that's a simple solo

    • @RobertLindabury
      @RobertLindabury 3 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      On this it wasn't Terry. It was Peter Cetera - lead vocals, bass.

    • @jfree336
      @jfree336 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Not about a solo, it's about the song.

    • @giftedplanksify
      @giftedplanksify 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Beginnings is a long but great 👍

    • @giftedplanksify
      @giftedplanksify 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      It was written by Robert Lamm at the Whisky ago go

  • @scottgreen7885
    @scottgreen7885 3 ปีที่แล้ว +16

    Chicago is one of the BEST live bands ever. Terry Kath's inspired guitar work, the horns, & vox always provide a great concert.

  • @alfredristan3445
    @alfredristan3445 3 ปีที่แล้ว +57

    25 minutes or 26 minutes to 4 am. The writer was supposedly up all night trying to write a song. It got the be 25 or 26 minutes to 4 am and he was looking forward to go to sleep.

    • @jonnygonehawking380
      @jonnygonehawking380 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      lsd-25 lasts 6pm to 4am its a drug song

    • @jonnygonehawking380
      @jonnygonehawking380 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      L-25 was a pure form of LSD back then

    • @gerhardbraatz6305
      @gerhardbraatz6305 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      You got it right on the money.

    • @SevenHunnid
      @SevenHunnid 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      I do reaction videos while high asf on my TH-cam channel 😅💨

    • @jacklewis5452
      @jacklewis5452 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Its a Chicago native thing...........you drop the second twenty...........twenty five of six to four.

  • @dougbarton4668
    @dougbarton4668 3 ปีที่แล้ว +27

    In a 2013 interview, Robert Lamm said he composed "25 or 6 to 4" on a twelve-string guitar with only ten strings - it was missing the two low E strings - and that he wrote the lyrics in one day. Lamm said the song is about trying to write a song in the middle of the night. The song's title is the time at which the song is set: 25 or 26 minutes before 4 AM

    • @maya_coqsalonga
      @maya_coqsalonga 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      This is it exactly 💯

    • @Basai7
      @Basai7 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      Cool trivia!

    • @davidutnik
      @davidutnik ปีที่แล้ว

      If that's what you want to believe. LOL.

  • @freebirdtony
    @freebirdtony 3 ปีที่แล้ว +65

    You can't go wrong with Chicago from their early years. So many great songs.
    "Saturday In The Park"
    "Feelin' Stronger Everyday"
    "Wishing You Were Here"
    "Searchin' So Long" &
    "Make Me Smile"
    Just to name a few.
    Peace Out 😊✌

    • @prism8289
      @prism8289 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      Check out Leonid and Friends and their Chicago covers now. Unreal. They do Earth, Wind, and Fire as well.

    • @jasonjason7823
      @jasonjason7823 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      “Lowdown” is one of my favorites 👍

    • @Woody615
      @Woody615 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      Don't forget "Beginnings".

  • @jasonjason7823
    @jasonjason7823 2 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    All the members are, were incredibly talented…especially Terry Kath. RIP .. one of my favorite guitarists ever, absolute monster on that ax. 🎸

  • @yacava
    @yacava 3 ปีที่แล้ว +59

    We used to call it “jazz rock”. Chicago took Rock and added Jazz elements. Another band of that time, Blood, Sweat and Tears, was more of a jazz band that added rock elements.

    • @PlateOshrimp499
      @PlateOshrimp499 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      That's pretty accurate I think: Chicago, Blood Sweat and Tears, and The Electric Flag all hewed pretty close to Jazz harmonies for their early albums. Steely Dan had leanings in that direction but were another animal altogether ultimately.

    • @deanroddey2881
      @deanroddey2881 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@PlateOshrimp499 As someone said, most bands were one, blending in some of the other, while Steely Dan was much closer to a 50% mixture. You had Miles Davis and Weather Report and such mixing rock into Jazz, but mostly jazz. And bands like Chicago mixing jazz elements into rock. On the whole, I prefer rock with jazz and classical mixed in, but it's all good.
      Something I would point to do day is maybe Snarky Puppy, which has big jazz influences but brings it with the aggression of rock. Their live performance of Lingus is mind boggling.

  • @lancevaughn432
    @lancevaughn432 3 ปีที่แล้ว +35

    The song is about him trying to write a song, he’s having trouble and it’s 25 or 26 minutes to 4 AM. He’s searching for something to say getting up to splash my face. So he writes a song about the experience of being frustrated trying to write a song. Sometimes you two try to think too much. Keep it simple

    • @old300texan5
      @old300texan5 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

      You nailed it. I heard that same back story back in 1985 and it stuck with me. There are many hits that were done last minute as fillers. Another one is Night Moves by Bob Seger.

  • @knightngail1
    @knightngail1 3 ปีที่แล้ว +69

    I have a story about this. I rarely saw my father. One day he picked me up and handed me this 45 (not a 🔫 lol)
    and said you like this band? I was like yeah, thanks. I wouldn't have cared it I hated it just the fact that he thought about me long enough to get and give it to me was good enough for me.
    I was about 12 and we had a very up and down relationship mostly down. About 5 years later when I was 17 we started to really work on things, like forgiveness. But, he died that same year. Here's to good old Dad. 🍻

    • @djm4457
      @djm4457 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Your story brought tears to my eyes. I'm glad you have that memory of your Dad.

    • @knightngail1
      @knightngail1 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@djm4457 Thanks it's bittersweet

  • @johnat136
    @johnat136 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    as a 12 year old, this song began my rock journey and 50 years later it's so cool to hear and see you experience it too

  • @elgonwilliams7624
    @elgonwilliams7624 3 ปีที่แล้ว +55

    Gotta listen to Beginnings. It showcases the kind of musical talent in the band.

  • @scr00bins3
    @scr00bins3 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    I really enjoy watching you guys groove to songs. Seeing Lex get into a guitar solo is it, that's exactly it, the feeling and joy! Thank you!

  • @michaelmacdermott6340
    @michaelmacdermott6340 3 ปีที่แล้ว +58

    The author was staying up late "burning the midnight oil" so to speak, trying to write yet some more songs. He was getting tired and was having a hard time coming up with something. So he glances at the clock briefly as he gets up to splash water on his face to wake himself up. He's back in his room sitting back on the floor pushing through thinking he can't really remember what time it was when he got back to it because he's so tired. He can't remember if it was 25 minutes till 4 o'clock or 6 minutes to 4 o'clock, he's just that tired. The song is about the late night process of staying up to write more songs for the album and record producer. 25 or was it 6 minutes to 4, he can't remember. He's so tired.

    • @erickyoung8331
      @erickyoung8331 3 ปีที่แล้ว +20

      I always read it as 25 or (twenty) six to four, with him just being slang and not repeating the twenty part like we do when we are speaking casually. The rest of what you said is dead on to my interpretation as well.

    • @bryannotbrian
      @bryannotbrian 3 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      @@erickyoung8331 Correct, the writer, keyboardist Robert Lamm said so himself. Trying to write a song at twenty-five or twenty-six minutes to four in the morning because there wasn't enough time or had the creativity later in the day.

    • @michaelmacdermott6340
      @michaelmacdermott6340 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@erickyoung8331 ok 🤷🏼‍♂️

    • @John_Locke_108
      @John_Locke_108 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      It's such an awesome meta song. RIP Terry.

    • @andreaschmall5560
      @andreaschmall5560 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      25 minutes or 26 minutes to four is the time frame as I understand it. Makes more sense.

  • @ugadawgs1990
    @ugadawgs1990 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    One of the greatest American bands of all time.

  • @jangle4246
    @jangle4246 3 ปีที่แล้ว +45

    The clue is at the very beginning of the lyrics: “Waiting for the break of day,,” i.e. waiting well before the break of day, at “25 or 6 to 4.” In other words, it's around 3:35 a.m. (25 to 4) or 3:34 a.m. (26 to 4).

    • @HebroKeevin
      @HebroKeevin 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      Where does the sun rise at 3:34?

    • @supertrexandroidx
      @supertrexandroidx 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@HebroKeevin You can be waiting for something that's a still a couple hours away... ;)

    • @timelesstravelclub6240
      @timelesstravelclub6240 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      That’s exactly it. Your so tired exact time doesn’t really matter. It’s 25 or 26 till 4 AM.

    • @jangle4246
      @jangle4246 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@HebroKeevin No doubt I wasn't clear, at first. The writer of a song is WAITING for the break of dawn, which will be quite a bit later than the present time he sees on the clock, which is only 25 or 26 minutes before 4 a.m. In other words it is 3:34 or so, and he still has time to wait for the sun rise. I didn't mean to imply that the sun would rise at 3:34. It's the WAITING that is at 3:34, not the sunrise.

    • @DanielFrost21
      @DanielFrost21 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      The line is "waiting for the break of day"

  • @nostrilnick
    @nostrilnick 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Real horn sections! Bring them back!

  • @surlechapeau
    @surlechapeau 3 ปีที่แล้ว +31

    B&L, you'll love their "Make Me Smile", "Saturday In The Park", "Just You And Me" and many more!! "25 or 6 To 4" is my favorite song by them

  • @abelardovillanueva4980
    @abelardovillanueva4980 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    50 years later? Pep bands in high school and college STILL jam this!! 50 years later? The group STILL kicking ass today!! The music from the 70s were the best all kinds of genre'...and here a legendary group!!

  • @kima.4268
    @kima.4268 3 ปีที่แล้ว +15

    This was the first album I ever bought with my own money. It was 1974. I heard that guitar lick on the radio and I was done! So much great music on that album!

    • @Woody615
      @Woody615 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      You just explained why there are so many "Reaction" videos on You Tube right now. We (our generation, I was born in 1959) listened to the music ON THE RADIO. We heard all of the bands, one song at a time. We were exposed to all sorts of bands, sounds, and songs.
      Kids today create a personalized play list then only listen to those songs, over and over again.
      We listened to Chicago, Linda Ronstadt, Earth, Wind, and Fire, The Who, The Doors, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Beatles, Queen, Gerry Rafferty, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Simon & Garfunkel, Jefferson Airplane, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Bee Gees, Olivia Newton John, The Carpenters, etc. The list goes on and on. We may not have liked every song, but we were exposed to it.
      Now days they just listen to their play list and aren't exposed to the wide variety of NON-AUTO TUNED songs.
      There was one Reaction to Hotel California and the 'kid' didn't even know who the Eagles were. Nor did he know that there is a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. smh

  • @robinreiley1828
    @robinreiley1828 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Chicago was Big Band Rock,. 25 or 26 minutes to 4am is just the time the song takes place. They were liked by kids for the hard rock guitar of Terry Kath, and the parents liked the Big Band Sound. They held the attendance record at Saratoga Performing Arts Center for over a decade until the Grateful Dead played there.

  • @cased19
    @cased19 3 ปีที่แล้ว +15

    Robert Lamm was up early in the morning trying to write a song and looked at the clock it was 25 or 26 to 4AM shortened to 25 or 6 to 4 to make the song lyric work.

  • @williamsaloka9043
    @williamsaloka9043 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    I saw them live in late 70's at an outdoor Festival in my home-town. They were fantastic.

    • @butchhaight
      @butchhaight ปีที่แล้ว

      I saw them in the early ‘70’s. I, still to this day, remember the whole concert.

  • @conteur5297
    @conteur5297 3 ปีที่แล้ว +30

    This is classic rock with a horn section. There were several bands that incorporated horn sections. Check out some Blood, Sweat and Tears.

    • @donaldmoon
      @donaldmoon 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      Yes, try out "I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know"!

  • @davidreed3021
    @davidreed3021 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    Its interesting that although many have not heard of this band, in recent years they have moved to the front in a number of metrics that would fairly allow them to be characterized as the most successful music group in history.

  • @lewconstantine4888
    @lewconstantine4888 3 ปีที่แล้ว +27

    This song is a champ. Heavier than folks want to admit. Looking for a 70's singalong with a story? Brandy by The Looking Glass.
    ... of the Edmund Fitzgerald as well.

  • @davidhapka5410
    @davidhapka5410 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    The 1970 performance at Tanglewood is epic and Terry Kath shreds his Stratocaster 😎🎸

    • @jeffrobertson527
      @jeffrobertson527 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      Absolutely

    • @raross6119
      @raross6119 ปีที่แล้ว

      Worked at Alice's restaurant across the street best outdoor concerts

  • @efakter1
    @efakter1 3 ปีที่แล้ว +31

    The drummer and guitar player just got off. And then the horns in the background and that big band sound is just amazing. Yeah you can’t go wrong with Chicago. They’re pretty damn amazing.
    Soft rock genre

    • @chrisjamieson3452
      @chrisjamieson3452 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Thank you for acknowledging the great Danny Seraphine. The chemistry between him & Terry were the best thing about the band. Give credit to Pete Cetera for keeping up with them live, also.

    • @eddiecollison
      @eddiecollison 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      They became soft rock later in the '70s, but this is regular rock lol

    • @joehynes5452
      @joehynes5452 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      70's Chicago certainly was NOT soft, that was later into the 80's... but maaaaan was Terry Kath awesome!!

  • @ridemfast7625
    @ridemfast7625 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Some bands are so incredible and create their own genre. This genre is Chicago!

  • @erickyoung8331
    @erickyoung8331 3 ปีที่แล้ว +11

    It's basically saying it's early in the morning. They are just using the shortened (and catchier) way to say 25 or 26 minutes to 4 o'clock -- "25 or (2)6 to 4(am)."

  • @jonstiner3424
    @jonstiner3424 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    My daughter plays in the Notre Dame Marching Band. The group Chicago is a huge supporter and sponsor of the band. Two years ago, Chicago came to the campus and played this song (and a couple others), with the band during their half time show. The band still plays it during football games.

  • @scottmatzeder9162
    @scottmatzeder9162 3 ปีที่แล้ว +14

    This song is a real look (sound) of why many consider Terry Kath as one of the Greatest Guitarists ever.

  • @DJ-bj8ku
    @DJ-bj8ku 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    That Terry Kath guitar solo was all blues. An explosion of sounds. Fabulous.

  • @betsyduane3461
    @betsyduane3461 3 ปีที่แล้ว +26

    They self-described as "rock and roll band with horns"
    This is 100% blues based

    • @davenatale850
      @davenatale850 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      I get what you're saying but, I always thought of them as a jazzy rock band with horns. Great players all around. Cetera's voice is special and when people ask me what my favorite guitar solo is, this one is near the top. I once had a cop come by the house to check on a noise complaint from a neighbor. It turned out that I was going a little overboard with the volume on the solo. He understood and said just turn it down a bit, but play it again before I leave! Those days are gone.

  • @billychalmers212
    @billychalmers212 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Lex is so upbeat, OMG she is amazing to watch and her reactions. What an amazing person.

  • @robdaniel3211
    @robdaniel3211 3 ปีที่แล้ว +25

    It’s a reference to time. Laying on the floor effed up, you look and it’s 25 or 6 to 4(o clock).

    • @michaeldowson6988
      @michaeldowson6988 3 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      He's not stoned, he's struggling to write the song.

    • @gregwil694
      @gregwil694 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      25 or 26 to 4am

    • @clintonsmith5163
      @clintonsmith5163 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@michaeldowson6988 But if you go enough hours without sleeping it's kind of like being stoned.

  • @3y3ofDaStorm
    @3y3ofDaStorm 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    this song will live forever. Excellent choices lately Brad & Lex!

  • @BockwinkleB
    @BockwinkleB 3 ปีที่แล้ว +32

    I'd call this song pretty progressive. Chicago started as a blues rock band and eventually became pop.

    • @allensaunders449
      @allensaunders449 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      In-between those two they were so good

    • @BockwinkleB
      @BockwinkleB 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@allensaunders449 Yeah, the in between is where the goodness lies. From The Beatles to Hendrix , Zep, Jane's Addiction, GNR.... I love the balance of chops and songwriting.

    • @radar0412
      @radar0412 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      Judges rule that Classic Rock is an acceptable answer to describe 25 or 6 to 4.

  • @deboragill4756
    @deboragill4756 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Feel good music! Every song! Enough said. Instruments played are musical Heaven!!

  • @lathedauphinot6820
    @lathedauphinot6820 3 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    “Introduction” is the first song on the first ‘Chicago Transit Authority’ album. Start there, then “Beginnings”, “Make Me Smile”, “I’m a Man”, “Color My World”,…..

  • @JimmyRJump
    @JimmyRJump 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Love you guys. Brad searching for meaning in the lyrics, Lex finding meaning through the music. Perfect opposites and thus a perfect match. Brad's the perfect lab-analist; peering through microscopes to find a hint that leads to an answer, while Lex has all the answers inside of her, waiting to be touched by this or that song. Beautiful to watch both searching for, or coming to, answers. Brad's like a butcher who needs to chop-up an animal in order to see the different pieces, while Lex dissects that animal at the first look and sees the picture in her vivid mind...

  • @ewrekzz7360
    @ewrekzz7360 3 ปีที่แล้ว +24

    This is from the era that predates any of the "sub genre" distractions. Distractions, by the way, that were manufactured by the record companies to get album sales for more than just the top 100 hits. If everybody is in the same pool, only the top performers get sales. If you want to sell the smaller bands, you highly manage them and create sub genres.

  • @keithespinoza2064
    @keithespinoza2064 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Certain bands around 1969-70 incorporated horns into their rock n roll. Groups like “Chicago,” “Blood, Sweat and Tears,” and “Ides of March,” were the main ones.

  • @lewellyncrunkmeyer1512
    @lewellyncrunkmeyer1512 3 ปีที่แล้ว +25

    Terry Kath was Jimi Hendrix's favorite guitarist.

  • @joesmith8725
    @joesmith8725 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Everyone loves Chicago! lol

    • @joesmith8725
      @joesmith8725 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      They were bluesy and jazz influenced.

  • @annaoswald5943
    @annaoswald5943 3 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    More Chicago please. Early Chicago will give you that big band sound combined with very soulful rock & roll. Long list of popular songs. A band I think you both will enjoy.

  • @Joshuadgog
    @Joshuadgog 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    they have a whole catalog of songs... "Does anybody know what time it is" "Beginnings" "Make me smile" "I'm a man" "Baby what a big suprise" and "Old day's" are all good songs from them, great reaction glad you liked Chicago.

  • @davidrollings1467
    @davidrollings1467 3 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    After the 70's you will be hard-pressed to find horn sections in bands. originally horns were the electric guitars of the day because they could produce so much sound volume-wise but then amps and the electric guitar took over.

    • @deborahstrickland9845
      @deborahstrickland9845 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I liked that the flute was used a lot with bands in the 70s. Not a big sound, but beautiful.

  • @ositofreitas
    @ositofreitas 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    It is called jazz rock or jazz fusion. Very popular in early 70's following the jazz fusion of artists like Miles Davis, John McLaughlin and Chick Corea. You should check out Blood, Sweat and Tears "Spinning Wheel"

  • @alonzocoyethea6148
    @alonzocoyethea6148 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Lexi, you're right of your genre pick...when this song was released, FM rock radio ate it up, and it made stars of Chicago.

  • @reid1boys
    @reid1boys 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    They are a classic rock band. Them and Earth, Wind and Fire are the two biggest bands with an entire horn section. I have seen Chicago probably more than any other act. Saw them last year and I can say time is finally catching up to them. Always great fun to see them. They have an incredible variety of songs. They reached their Commercial height in the 80s with Peter Ceterra singing most of their hits.

  • @tomnunamaker9801
    @tomnunamaker9801 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    I always thought it was about spending a night on a drug binge which Chicago did a lot. Years later, Robert Lamm who wrote the song said he was up late trying to write songs in a hotel room near or on the Hollywood strip and was having a hard time with it. Basically, it's a song about having trouble writing a song. 25 or 6 to 4 is a reference to the time. 25 or 26 minutes until 4am.

    • @lathedauphinot6820
      @lathedauphinot6820 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      Or it’s about both: staying up all night and doing drugs while trying to finish a song

    • @tomnunamaker9801
      @tomnunamaker9801 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@lathedauphinot6820 Terry Kath's wife said that on a documentary I saw made by Kath's daughter who was 1 or 2 when he died. It's a decent film focused on Kath's life and who he was as a person. She interviews all of his band mates except Cetera, who refused to interview, and most of the people close to the band except their first manager who also refused to be interviewed. Band fired him when they found out how bad he was ripping them off.

  • @robertwalker1803
    @robertwalker1803 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Early live version of this song has a guitar solo bordering on Gilmour’s solo at Pulse on “Comfortably Numb”….. Terry Kath was called the best guitarist ever by the one and only Jimi Hendrix.And this song is over 50 years old….

  • @kevinstarr516
    @kevinstarr516 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    This is pretty much Jazz Rock. Speaking of marching bands playing this in Mardi gras parades, this is one of two songs by Chicago that my high school band, Brother Martin, here in New Orleans would play at our football games and when we marched in Mardi Gras parades. So you are pretty much spot on with that!!

  • @PilloryClinton
    @PilloryClinton 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Classic rock , as Lex said. Chicago has a unique sound like so many groups but they're pure rock. Even all of their beautiful ballads, which are more pop, is coming from a classic rock group. Terry Kath shredded the guitar in that song and the drummer was going nuts.

  • @rhwinner
    @rhwinner 3 ปีที่แล้ว +20

    Has to rank as one of the great guitar solos....

    • @elfcounsul
      @elfcounsul 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      It would be a tough race between him and Larry Carlton’s solo in Kid Charlemagne.

  • @darrylgarvin3002
    @darrylgarvin3002 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    If you do "Poem 58" you will get an idea of the musicianship of this band. When they jam, few bands can keep up. They have vastly underrated stars in every position. However, "Make Me Smile," will make you smile.

    • @craigw1911
      @craigw1911 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      Poem 58 is a deep track MUST. If the Devil thought he got beat by a Georgia kid with a fiddle, he'd listen to Kath and say, "I'm not even gonna try". Hendrix said Kath was better than Jimi himself.

  • @williamj.sheehan2001
    @williamj.sheehan2001 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    I think I was a junior in high school (1969) when I heard a really cool song called "Make Me Smile" on my car radio, featuring a lead singer with a really husky, almost Ray Charles-like voice.
    A week or so later I heard another really cool song called "25 or 6 to 4", featuring a lead singer with a super high-range voice.
    And then, several days later I heard yet another excellent song called "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?", featuring a lead singer with a super smooth, easy-to-listen-to middle range voice.
    When I found out that all 3 of those great new songs were by the same band (then known as Chicago Transit Authority), I was stunned. One band with 3 excellent lead vocalists? Wow!

  • @jamesgabor4047
    @jamesgabor4047 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    You need to check out the live version from 1970 , Terrys solo is AMAZING. Jimi Hendrix once called him the greatest guitarist in the universe…🎉

  • @GDFB100
    @GDFB100 ปีที่แล้ว

    The brass, Guitar, drums all on point. What a epic triumph over trouble over not coming up with a song

  • @greeneyesinfl9954
    @greeneyesinfl9954 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Chicago has been performing for over 50 years, they had a bunch of huge hits in the '70s and then in the mid '80s they had a massive comeback as well kind of like Heart. The guitarist Terry Kath was accidentally shot when he was playing with his gun and it discharged. Jimi Hendrix said he played better than him.

  • @chrisbrimhall6323
    @chrisbrimhall6323 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    There is a live version of this song from the early 70’s by Chicago......truly amazing

  • @myshkin08
    @myshkin08 3 ปีที่แล้ว +10

    If you like Big Band stuff, you should try The Brian Setzer Orchestra. Truly great rockin' stuff.

    • @ZacCostilla
      @ZacCostilla 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Their version of Stray Cat Strut is better than Seltzer’s original rockabilly version with the Stray Cats.

    • @myshkin08
      @myshkin08 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@ZacCostilla yep. All kinds of brilliant stuff for sure

  • @rk41gator
    @rk41gator 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    SUCH great music came out of early Chicago. Awesome. CLASSIC ROCK.

  • @chadwhitfield6946
    @chadwhitfield6946 3 ปีที่แล้ว +9

    You've done 2 Chicago songs now and no I'm a Man yet. You have to do it. A great version.

    • @anita3018
      @anita3018 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      The Year Was 1970

    • @ronwalker403
      @ronwalker403 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I’m a Man is a Spencer Davis Band song. That said, Chicago does a good version of the Spencer Davis classic.

    • @chadwhitfield6946
      @chadwhitfield6946 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@ronwalker403 Yep. I also wouldn't mind seeing them go down a Steve Winwood rabbit hole.

  • @steveijams8475
    @steveijams8475 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Jazz Fusion. There is a great concert from 1970. Chicago playing at a small 5500. This was just before they became famous. There is a sick version of 25 or 6 to 4, with an amazing guitar solo. The encore, featured the song "I'm a Man". The brass section put down the brass, and joined the rhythm section. The whole show is on youtube.. They were having a Blast playing together

  • @ebenclukey7293
    @ebenclukey7293 3 ปีที่แล้ว +27

    "Big Band" is not really what Chicago is. Tommy Dorsey or Glenn Miller and were mostly jazz and swing. Chicago is big numbers wise and wrote songs where the horns were out front, but definitely have there own style. If you go down the rabbit hole you'll discover the roots of this band are indeed Blues. Guitarist Terry Kath, who Jimi Hendrix stated was better than him, is a blues master and his phrasing was based in Blues. His rock chops were top notch as well. Definitely not Dio, though. Ronnie was a hundred percent heavy metal. I place Chicago in that weird folder along with Steely Dan, Doobie Brothers etc. They were and still are musically sophisticated classic blues rock. Twenty Five or twenty six minutes before four a.m.

    • @bcafed
      @bcafed 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      They’re referring to a marching band.

  • @randyjohnson1439
    @randyjohnson1439 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    We played this in Junior High band in the 70s. Also played it in pep band in the late 80s. Catchy tune. Chicago made great music!

  • @stevenruvolo499
    @stevenruvolo499 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    them performing this live at tanglewood is a must to react to, terry the guitar player goes off even longer then this version

  • @andrea.mojarro
    @andrea.mojarro 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    My grandparents owned this record and it reminds me of Sunday mornings reading the LA Times.. love you guys

  • @ericpoitras1258
    @ericpoitras1258 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    I've always considered this jazz rock, along with bands like Steely Dan. With most rock music, it's always a little more nuanced than that.

  • @thehdogs4125
    @thehdogs4125 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    My dad was a band director in the 70’s and I remember his marching bands playing this!

  • @GrimrDirge
    @GrimrDirge 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Y'all worry about labels and categories way too much.

  • @ElGuapoBeltran
    @ElGuapoBeltran 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    I am here for all of it… the horns and that blistering guitar… and I think Lex, you are too… you guys nailed it

  • @matthewyonkman5692
    @matthewyonkman5692 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    This song sparked my life long love for Chicago. I've seen them live twice, and they're amazing!

  • @diannesedrick7592
    @diannesedrick7592 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Love this, and yes, classic rock

  • @johncastle5071
    @johncastle5071 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    She UNDERSTANDS the guitar solo and the fills. She gets it.

  • @alansmith7626
    @alansmith7626 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    I LOVE You guys! Sometimes watching your reaction is almost like me hearing for first time and I am 66 and grew up with this...lol Keep On!

  • @MrsSeaHag
    @MrsSeaHag ปีที่แล้ว

    I saw Chicago in concert last weekend. Only 3 of the original members but they are still amazing. 56 consecutive years touring, can you imagine?!?!

  • @RussellCardwell
    @RussellCardwell 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    The lyrics are about trying to finish writing a song in the wee hours of the morning. Sitting in the front room of a house in Laurel Canyon, overlooking West Hollywood and the airport, with the planes’ flashing lights against the sky, he was exhausted and empty from their tour, and the current nightly performance on Sunset Strip, preceded by all day rehearsals and recording sessions for their second album.
    Finally giving up on trying to write some lyrics and jotting down temporary throw-away lines, he penned a masterpiece.
    This was their opening song , the first time I saw them live, in 1971 or 72.

  • @SilentBob731
    @SilentBob731 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Another thing I love about this channel. This tune is awesome and totally out of the blue (it's extremely underappreciated).

  • @AminalBob
    @AminalBob 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Awww! Damn it! You should watch the live video of this. Terry Kath’s guitar playing is off the charts! The whole band sounds killer. Please, do yourselves a favor and listen to/watch the live version. It’s long, but so worth it.

  • @NielsiePielsie2.0
    @NielsiePielsie2.0 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    There’s a live version on this song I TH-cam that has my personal preference. It starts with the drummer kind of rearranging his kit while the guitar player sets in the theme of the song.
    Then when everyone is ready, he gives the guitar a good swing and they come in with the hook. Also the solo live is insane.. it is like there is no distinction between the player and the guitar. Also maximum big band vibes. Give it a listen

  • @johnvogel6579
    @johnvogel6579 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Jazz fusion combines jazz and rock

  • @SG-js2qn
    @SG-js2qn 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    In the Sixties, there was still popular music with old school big band influence, horns and such. Chicago began during perhaps the waning years of this period, and included this as part of their musical style. Another band of this same time period that used horns was Blood Sweat and Tears.

  • @danastearns7939
    @danastearns7939 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Cetera (bass player) and Robert Lamm (keyboard) pulled an all nighter trying to get a song written with lyrics and composition to highlight Terry Kath's guitar talents and the drummer's talents (Danny Seraphine) and to make it more in the rock/blues/jazz modes that were their inspirations for their music. With red and tired eyes it was difficult reading what time it was. They were considered a rock band by most, with influences for their music from rock/blues/jazz, but they were the first to totally integrate horns . A couple of bands before Chicago used horns as secondary or background. Therefore, there were those "supreme all-knowing" music critics that refused to recognize their "rock and roll" calling. Some of these music air heads (Rolling Stone Magazine among them) said the band wouldn't last because "too much horns, and horns aren't really rock and roll". this is primary reason why it took so long to get accepted in Rock Hall of Fame, even though: No band had more Top 40 hits during the 70's; and they were the first rock band to play at The Met in NYC (that is their Chicago IV live album).

  • @mukomerobicheaux6883
    @mukomerobicheaux6883 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    i was a little kid in the 70's and the cool teenage boys next door to me played a lot of Chicago while they worked on their Dodge Dart in the driveway. Chicago plus Santana, Blood Sweat and Tears, Three Dog Night, etc. That's the genre, Dodge Dart Music.

  • @nathans3241
    @nathans3241 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    The group Chicago has been designated by band members as a rock band with a brass section (Trumpet, Trombone).

  • @CactusCatt
    @CactusCatt ปีที่แล้ว

    I'm one of the biggest Chicago fans ever. Love them so much, have been to many concerts and I own every album they've ever put out. That being said, you folks need to do a search for Leonid & Friends and listen to their 25 or 6 to 4. They are the ultimate tribute band and if you know Chicago like I do, you'll see that they play the song note for note. Since all of the original Chicago guys (inlcuding me) are old dudes now, Leonid & Friends are a re-birth of Chicago. Catch one of their concerts. You won't be disappointed.