MR

Anyone have any feelings on the Bill Camplin departure? I know we have a few Chicago fans here, I remember having some convo about "Chicago XXX". While I don't know that Champlin was a great replacement for Terry Kath, I do think he gave the band some new life in the '80s, and became one of their more memorable vocalists. It's too bad he wasn't able to perform more of his hits with the band in concert, as it seems Chicago tried to shut the door on their '80s success once the formula stopped working. I wonder if this is one of the reasons he is gone? I do know there's been some speculation as to whether he really left to pursue the solo thing or was kicked out the door.. In either case, I think it's a loss for the band. I don't know that I would have paid to see them again before the whole Champlin situation(like some other people, they don't mix their set up a whole lot), but now..

BlackWall wrote:Anyone have any feelings on the Bill Camplin departure? I know we have a few Chicago fans here, I remember having some convo about "Chicago XXX". While I don't know that Champlin was a great replacement for Terry Kath, I do think he gave the band some new life in the '80s, and became one of their more memorable vocalists. It's too bad he wasn't able to perform more of his hits with the band in concert, as it seems Chicago tried to shut the door on their '80s success once the formula stopped working. I wonder if this is one of the reasons he is gone? I do know there's been some speculation as to whether he really left to pursue the solo thing or was kicked out the door.. In either case, I think it's a loss for the band. I don't know that I would have paid to see them again before the whole Champlin situation(like some other people, they don't mix their set up a whole lot), but now..

I say this somewhat tongue in cheek, but are you saying Chicago did ANYTHING since 1989?

Hence the reason they don't mix up their set list too much..
No, I can understand this perspective, they really slowed down over the last 20 years, but they have had some admirable efforts; though few and far between.

In '91 they released "Chicago 21", which, on paper was a perfect design to continue the success with power ballads they had been having since 1982. Unfortunately, this time it didn't work, and the band decided they were done catering to the record label's demand for paint by numbers material, and they began working on a more experimental, back to their roots album that wouldn't see the light of day for 15 years.

While we waited for 15 years, they did release a covers album of big band material in '95. They had pretty decent success with two greatest hits packages in '97 and '98, which actually yielded a hit single with one of the new songs, "Here In My Heart". They did a Christmas album that did pretty well for what it was, and then in '06 they actually released "Chicago XXX", which was their first album of all new material since "21". Finally, in 2008, we got that album we had been waiting for since 1993, "Stone Of Sissyphus".

They've done about as much as our boys in Styx have done since 1989, just not as many live albums..

BlackWall wrote:Hence the reason they don't mix up their set list too much..
No, I can understand this perspective, they really slowed down over the last 20 years, but they have had some admirable efforts; though few and far between.

In '91 they released "Chicago 21", which, on paper was a perfect design to continue the success with power ballads they had been having since 1982. Unfortunately, this time it didn't work, and the band decided they were done catering to the record label's demand for paint by numbers material, and they began working on a more experimental, back to their roots album that wouldn't see the light of day for 15 years.

While we waited for 15 years, they did release a covers album of big band material in '95. They had pretty decent success with two greatest hits packages in '97 and '98, which actually yielded a hit single with one of the new songs, "Here In My Heart". They did a Christmas album that did pretty well for what it was, and then in '06 they actually released "Chicago XXX", which was their first album of all new material since "21". Finally, in 2008, we got that album we had been waiting for since 1993, "Stone Of Sissyphus".

They've done about as much as our boys in Styx have done since 1989, just not as many live albums..

Must be something in the water in the windy city.

Here is his replacement.
http://www.myspace.com/loupardini

It shocked me and pissed me off, but I think it's better for BC. But they are damn lucky he was there when he was, otherwise they'd have been dead a long time ago - PC woulda prolly ended up leaving the band even before songs like Hard To Say I'm Sorry and Hard Habit To Break kept them very much alive in the 80s.

His most recent solo album, No Place Left To Fall, has been one of my faves of the last year, great stuff.