Chicago; Earth, Wind & Fire

A generation ago -- or maybe two -- before "Hey Ya" and Yahoo! helped define the cultural divide, Chicago and Earth, Wind & Fire frequently shared nesting time on America's pop music charts. Notching up nearly 30 top ten hits between 1970 and 1990, Chicago, a once-innovative, jazz-influenced ensemble, went...

July 22, 2004

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A generation ago -- or maybe two -- before "Hey Ya" and Yahoo! helped define the cultural divide, Chicago and Earth, Wind & Fire frequently shared nesting time on America's pop music charts. Notching up nearly 30 top ten hits between 1970 and 1990, Chicago, a once-innovative, jazz-influenced ensemble, went from edgy underground upstarts to dependable purveyors of sappy romantic ballads and celebratory pop. Earth,Wind & Fire was also prodded by the progressive insurgency of the late Sixties. Though its musical output, including the chart-topper "Shining Star," was often overshadowed by its elaborate (read: garish) stage getups, the astrologically dubbed outfit did manage to lure both pop and R&B audiences into its sway.

Both bands have seen their share of personnel changes over the years, but with the core of each still intact, this brassy double-billed Seventies show ought to rekindle fond memories of less tempestuous times. -- Lee Zimmerman

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