People always think of Chicago as mainly a horn band but for me this is a guitar player's band. Terry Kath was an incredible player and singer. RIP. Unfortunately this short version has no guitar solo.
Loved Terry Kath. Being originally from Illinois I was a fan from when CTA first recorded. After Terry's death I drifted away from them. They were probably still good but they just weren't the same.
The long version of make me smile is part of a 13 minute ballet for a girl in buchanan. Do the long version - or if you’re ready to have your mind blown, listen to the whole ballet!😊
Terry Kath’s (guitar) vocals on this song are incomparable and unforgettable R I P Terry. ✌️ This is the “radio “ version, the full version has a guitar solo and lets Danny Seraphine’s drum work shine ✨
AM or FM Radio. There was a slight difference with FM having the end with the horns AM didn't and it was just a matter of 10 or 15 seconds.. That's what clued us in to thinking we needed to get the album.
Terry Kath on lead vocals here. Amazing band with three lead vocalists. You are cheating yourselves without listening to the long version… The guitar solo is a must part of this song.
Danny Seraphine (the drummer) was one of my drumming heroes when I was learning to play the drums in the late 60's-early 70's. He's still crazy good to this day.
You guys reacted to the single version. The LP version is part of a suite called “Ballad for a Girl in Buchanan “. So there IS more, as you were hoping. You need to react to the whole suite. It will be S tier for sure.
Finally! Was hoping you got to this one eventually. Long version with weird intro & guitar solo was absolutely the best thing Chicago ever did in my opinion. Terry Kath was a beast all around. You owe yourself to listen to that original extended version. If this is an A+ that will be an S for sure.
No one ATTACKED a song like Terry Kath. Vocally and his strumming are insane. Gone Too Soon, RIP. I think this was the single version. There's a guitar solo in the full one.
The late great Terry Kath on lead vocals and lead guitar. Unmatched on guitar. Even Jimi Hendrix said Terry was the best Jimi has ever heard. RIP Terry.
I grew up with this great band from the 70's-80's. They were a rock & roll band with horns & blended elements of classical music, jazz, R&B, & pop music. They had a lot of great songs such as "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?", "Questions 67 & 68", "I'm A Man", "Where Do We Go From Here?", "Free", "Lowdown", "Saturday In The Park", "Colour My World", "Hard To Say I'm Sorry", "You're The Inspiration", "Will You Still Love Me?", "Look Away", "Feelin' Stronger Every Day", "If You Leave Me Now", "Old Days" etc.
Yes this was the shorter version for AM radio. It was the first version I heard and from then I loved this early Chicago sound. Some time later at a party I heard the full version well as the whole LP and it really had an impact on me. If you would like to take a trip back in time the YT channel YouCanDanceToit! has a video of the kids from 1970 dancing to this song. Kind of fun seeing the dancing,hair and fashions from that period.
Yep, this is the 45 rpm single edit. There's an extended version that's been released in recent years, probably on one of the anthologies, with the extended intro and outro, and the Kath guitar solo in the middle. It's not the entire "Buchanon" track, but it extends MMS out to over 4 minutes, for a far more satisfying aural experience.
Always enjoyed the band! I'm partial to the early stuff, before Terry Kath passed away. He was a fantastic guitarist and had an outstanding, soulful voice. Everyone is correct with regard to the long version being outstanding with a great solo!
Dang, dudes. You listened to the clipped version, totally leaving out Terry Kath’s solo and so many subtle shifts. Gotta listen to the whole thing. For your own sake.
It's absolutely criminal that the record company even considered releasing a version of this with the guitar solo removed. I was watching your faces to see your reaction when the solo started and then "AAARGGHHH!!!!" - it's the freaking single!
This song is awwwsum🤘 It has always and to this day been a favorite of marching bands all over the country🎶🔥 When I was in school our band did it and I've been hearing college bands play it ever since😎
You got steered to the AM radio cut. You want either the full album version, or one of their live versions. There’s a lot in the middle you missed out on! Really glad you’re getting into horn bands.
Some huge hits from Chicago more on the mellow side are "Call On Me", "Just You 'N' Me", "(I've Been) Searching' So Long", "Wishing You Were Here", "If You Leave Me Now", and "Feeling' Stronger Every Day".
Sure, but these are all later when that type of song was the norm for Chicago. “Color My World” is a great example and is even part of the same extended song as “Make Me Smile”. Terry Kath songs both. Amazing diversity. “Memories of Love” is another great example from this album.
Andy you are so right as far as the early albums of CHICAGO no band was as consistently good. Alex I am sending you a hearing aid so you can listen to those early CHICAGO tunes again!🤪
I loved Chicago when I was a young kid in the late 60's and early 70's. Then Dire Straits reminded me that I hadn't listened to them in while when Sultan's of Swing came out in 1978. "They don't give a damn about any trumpet-playing band." Now when I hear one, I'm reminded of the other.
I saw Chicago twice way back in the day. Some of my favorites by them are 25 or 6 to four,Wishing You Were Here,Saturday in the Park.If You Leave Me Now,Colour My World,Feelin' Stronger Everyday,I'm a Man and especially Old Days. There are so many more but I'll stop myself here.
The next Chicago song you should check out is from their first album it's called" introduction ". There are about 6 tempo changes and lots of horns, I think you will like it.
*~ This was the first big Chicago hit, went to #9 on Billboard Hot 100 in 1970. (The singer / guitarist Terry Kath accidently & fatally shot himself in 1978). "COLOUR MY WORLD" was another hit ballad...BEST ~*
Terry Kath is the lead singer. His soulful voice makes this song unique of most Chicago songs that are sung by Peter Cetera. And of course, his incredible guitar speaks for itself.
Late to the show today, we had a staff outing. I’ve been throwing axes all afternoon! A&A is great for lunch, but Chicago, and this song especially, as my welcome home video will make (me smile) my evening grand. Thanks!
* Reminder: Jethro Tull's "Minstrel in the Gallery" is a banger needing your reaction. Also, if you haven't yet reacted to Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac - "Oh Well" (Parts I &II) and "Green Manalishi" ... well, best get on these ... you'll feel the love ...all Bangin' classics!!
I was about 4 yrs old when this song came out and this brings back memories of playing in the backyard and hearing this song in the background on the radio. The radio was ALWAYS on in our house so it was the soundtrack of my childhood and there are certain songs that I use as bookmarks to my childhood. This is one of them.
this radio version does not do it justice. missing the guitar solo -- the difference between A+ and S. i am still pulling for poem 58 and south california purples
They have quite the library, too bad for not doing the long version. I've always liked "Feelin' Stronger Every Day", "(I've Been) Searching so long", "Questions 67 and 68", "Dialogue Part 1 and 2", "Wishing You Were Here", "Baby What A Big Surprise", "Alive Again", and "Old Days". This and all of the songs I've mentioned bring me back to the greatest decade of rock, the 70's and all of carefree times we had. Thanks for this awesome reaction!
Fun fact from Danny's book is that Robert was going to sing Make Me Smile but his voice was not suited for it and Peter knew it was too low for himself. So Terry went into the recording booth and blew the song out of the water as we all know.
This song, like many of theirs... has no freshness expiration date. Because of the infusion of so much jazz and the horns, it just does Not Get Old !!!
Chicago has been able to consistently magically blend the horns like another voice in their music and have their unique sound remain popular for years.....
it is a deeply edited Radio version to be short enough to make the 3 min-ish cut popular for the time. It was a portion of a longer LP song called "Ballet for a girl from Buchanon" which is worth experiencing in its glorious entirety. The entire song 'suite' of parts was written by Jimmy, Chicago's trombone player. It's disappointing that Terry Kath's guitar solo was edited out for time. It was major portion of the song's essence. Still it's a cool song and has long life value.
Yeah I almost feel bad for you guys you didn't hear Terry Kath's shredding guitar solo . But it's a reminder of who Chicago was before they became a ballad band. Suggestion: "Free" sometime down the road. Carpe diem, boys.
Yes there is a lot more. This is the edited short version which was released as a single. On the double album, it s just one part of a 13 minute suite. I suggest you give that a listen. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-xgM4xSIShYw.html
This song's like the reward at the end of what's already been the best day you've ever had in yer life - that is, if you listen to the whole album. Great song on its own, of course.
Early Chicago never disappoints with the amazing Terry Kath’s bluesy vocals and shredding the guitar, Danny Seraphine‘s unique and unmistakable drumming and Peter Cetera killing it on the bass guitar. Check out “Poem 58” and the ultra funky “What’s This World Coming To”. By the way, if you’re talking about consistency, Chicago is easily in the top 10.
This needs another reaction to the extended version. It's that much better. Also, This shows the musicianship of the whole band. James Pankow the trombonist who wrote the song write a very tight horn arrangement and yet showcased the amazing drumming of Danny Seraphine and that incredible guitar solo from Terry Kath. Not to mention Ceteras complex bass line that stays in the background.
You guys have to do the long version. Missed the guitar solo half the drums at the end. You have to re-do this one. Especially if you liked this, you will be blown away by the longer version. Not necessarily the entire ballet, which is also incredible.
You guys really need to do the entire suite…Ballet for a Girl in Buchanan, composed by trombone player and Songwriter’s Hall of Fame inductee James Pankow and flawlessly performed by a band who absolutely did not have a weak link
I remember the song "The Bomb" from The Bucketheads as a small kid in the early '90s, and I only recently found out the whole song is a sample "Street Player" by Chicago. Holy crap, what a groove!
Terry Kath was a great 'soul singer' and an excellent guitar player. He died way too young from a self inflicted gun wound. I still remember the day I heard about it. He was great.
Now that you have heard this crap, pieced together version (Still great, but definitely inferior to the album cut). you need to check out Ballet For A Girl In Buchannan from Tanglewood.
