Guilty Pleasure?

nathanm · « **on:** 25 Oct 2007, 03:41 am »

So what do you think, should a guy feel guilty pleasure for listening to Chicago? Cause I've got the 'ol iTunes on shuffle and up came some Chicago tunes, stuff which I think was an early childhood musical touchstone. Anyway, I got to thinking, "Man, this is really schmaltzy, if I turned this up and someone heard me I'd feel a little embarassed. Stuff like "Hard To Say I'm Sorry", "Hard Habit To Break" and "You're The Inspiration". I have no Chicago historical knowledge whatever, so I have no perspective of them as a band or anything. But somehow I feel I should have my ass kicked for even playing this, if you'll pardon the expression, GAY music. Hmmm... Cripes, wasn't one of these things from the Karate Kid...I'm so mortified.

Daygloworange · « **Reply #1 on:** 25 Oct 2007, 04:07 am »

Quote from: nathanm on 25 Oct 2007, 03:41 am

So what do you think, should a guy feel guilty pleasure for listening to Chicago?

As long as you don't tell me you were shaving your legs while you were listening, you should be fine....

Cheers

linkweewee · « **Reply #2 on:** 25 Oct 2007, 04:40 am »

'Wishing You Were Here' is a perfect pop song as is 'Dialogue 1 & 2'. Chicago has made some great music.

lonewolfny42 · « **Reply #3 on:** 25 Oct 2007, 04:50 am »

I've always liked their version of "I'm A Man"......

More cowbell....

launche · « **Reply #4 on:** 25 Oct 2007, 05:10 am »

Yeah man that is some fairie music for sure.
Better play some Motorhead quick.

Russell Dawkins · « **Reply #5 on:** 25 Oct 2007, 05:55 am »

Quote from: lonewolfny42 on 25 Oct 2007, 04:50 am

I've always liked their version of "I'm A Man"......

More cowbell....

Chris - I watched this and doesn't the keyboard come in all off-beat (right at the top of the song)? Or is it me?

chadh · « **Reply #6 on:** 25 Oct 2007, 06:04 am »

Chicago...guilty...pleasure...

Juxtaposing these terms really made me wonder how much you knew about my past.

At around the age of 13, I smuggled a couple of my friend's Playboys into my house. For some reason it has stuck in my mind all these years that, as I hid in my bedroom leafing through them the first time, Chicago was playing on the radio. So now, whenever I hear "You're a hard habit to break" or "You're the inspiration", I get this horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach that my mother or father will come barging through the door to discover me ogling the naked figure skater splashed across the pages of a tattered and torn Playboy volume.

Chad

launche · « **Reply #7 on:** 25 Oct 2007, 12:44 pm »

Quote from: chadh on 25 Oct 2007, 06:04 am

Chicago...guilty...pleasure...

Juxtaposing these terms really made me wonder how much you knew about my past.

At around the age of 13, I smuggled a couple of my friend's Playboys into my house. For some reason it has stuck in my mind all these years that, as I hid in my bedroom leafing through them the first time, Chicago was playing on the radio. So now, whenever I hear "You're a hard habit to break" or "You're the inspiration", I get this horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach that my mother or father will come barging through the door to discover me ogling the naked figure skater splashed across the pages of a tattered and torn Playboy volume.

Chad

Dear lord, I can not imagine a worse moment than discovering one's outer-self while listening to Peter Cetera...good gawd... I'm getting a horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach now...urgh.
Gotta play some Motorhead now.

SET Man · « **Reply #8 on:** 25 Oct 2007, 05:05 pm »

Hey!

Guilty pleasure? Is there such thing?

You know I sometime would dig out Spice Girl "Spice" their first album and give it a spin.

I even got this album on LP vinyl when it first came out!

Oh! crap now everybody know now... I think those guy in NY Rave will beat me up when I show up at the next Rave!

Well, if you like it listen to it. So, now let sing along with me...

"Yo, I'll tell you what I want, what I really really want..."

Take care,
Buddy

Russell Dawkins · « **Reply #9 on:** 25 Oct 2007, 05:08 pm »

Hey!

(just thought I would see what it felt like to say that)

nathanm · « **Reply #10 on:** 25 Oct 2007, 05:28 pm »

Great story Chad! It almost sounds like the beginning of a Pathetic Geek Story, the strip that used to run in the Onion.

I dunno, I think the Spice Girls may be less embarassing than those Chicago tunes because at least with them there's an expectation of cheesiness. Still, I definitely think you ought to be beaten up at the next rave for it. Just for good measure.

Cripes, they put the goddamn "Barbie Song" on the demo CD that came with my Shanling CD player. Now if that isn't cause for a mad lurch for the volume knob I dunno what is. You'd have to wear headphones for that song, preferably the sealed kind!

Sometimes Elton John is somewhat of a guilty pleasure, but far less so. One time my friend Steve and I were sitting at my computer trying to find karaoke tunes that he could sing over for a recording and we were playing a little "Daniel" when my other friend stopped by, poked his head in the door and gave us a quizzical look. Steve said, "What? Two men can't sit and listen to a little Elton John together?"

hmen · « **Reply #11 on:** 25 Oct 2007, 05:48 pm »

Chicago was actually considered a "progressive" band back about 1970. The first couple of albums were really good. Anything after that probably should cause embarrassment.

BTW, Is Brother Theodore dressed for Halloween?

Russell Dawkins · « **Reply #12 on:** 25 Oct 2007, 05:54 pm »

Nathan, could you post another link to Pathetic Geek Stories?
That one doesn't work for me and searching is not so fruitful.

nathanm · « **Reply #13 on:** 25 Oct 2007, 05:58 pm »

Whoops, typo. I fixed it.

http://www.patheticgeekstories.com/archives/archives.html

Yep hmen, BT is dressed as a member of Immortal for Halloween!

MaxCast · « **Reply #14 on:** 25 Oct 2007, 06:17 pm »

Heh! I once played a few cuts off that album (Chicago 17 I think) to my friends and said, "check this out, there's some pretty good brass going on in some of these songs." They kind of just sat there with a silly look on their face. I turned it off and said, "let's play some cards." Never did it again.

hmen · « **Reply #15 on:** 25 Oct 2007, 07:43 pm »

The brass section was the big appeal for me and my friends when we were kids. At the time it was called "Jazz Rock" and "Progressive Rock". My favorite album is their second. I think after the live four album set (I think it was from Carnegie Hall?) they kind of became a pop band.

soundbitten1 · « **Reply #16 on:** 25 Oct 2007, 10:39 pm »

When Chicago first appeared on the scene they were grouped with other 60's horn bands like Electric Flag and Blood, Sweat & Tears . After a couple of albums they changed their sound from jazz rock to to soft pop and schmaltz .

lcrim · « **Reply #17 on:** 26 Oct 2007, 04:37 pm »

Back in the day, when there was still a Filmore East. This must have been around 1969, we went down to the Filmore to catch Alvin Lee and Ten Years After. Who were decent but on the card was an unknown band called Chicago who had this terrific horn section and were super tight and they were the hit of the evening. Guilty pleasure, jeez I guess it has something to do with where you're coming from. Old saying- two kinds of people in the world, those who dig Neal Diamond (substitute Barry Manilow or ?) and those who don't.

Zero · « **Reply #18 on:** 26 Oct 2007, 04:56 pm »

My first concert I ever attended was back when I was 16 years old... Method Man, Redman, DMX, and JayZ. It was a blast. Every once in awhile, I revisit the music (except for JayZ, never could get into it).

Now, I am 25 and just put in an order for FOUR baroque/lute discs from Amazon.

As for guilty pleasure with cheesy pop songs... Earlier this summer I was down in Florida visiting a few friends. Having nothing to do that day, it was decided to hop into the van and head off to the beach to check out the scene. Given that we were only 30 or so miles from shore, one would think it would be a short commute. Hah, if only. Florida's crappy road layout and traffic did all within its power to make the trip as long, and as painful as possible. We just flipped on the radio and let the tunes break the monotony. Of course, my buds have the attention span of rock - habitually switching through stations. While most of the music they ended up settling with was hip hop and modern alternative rock... during one 'switch' session we ended up on an easy listening station. What was playing? Richard Marx's big hit "right here waiting". At first, there was a sense of unease throughout the group. A van full of guys, a slow cheesy song in the backround, yet no one is bothering to change the station. You know where this script is headed...

Thankfully it didn't go that way. But we did end up listening to the song all the way through - cranked up to boot. I'm sure we got a few strange glances. None of us said anything about the song. We didn't have to. It was a guilty pleasure... and we all just happened to share it at the same moment.

wheerreverrr you go, whateverr youu doo I will be right here waiiting for youuuu

Russell Dawkins · « **Reply #19 on:** 26 Oct 2007, 05:19 pm »

My latest guilty pleasure is watching this old video of Andy Kaufman doing Elvis on the Johnny Cash Show:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzl0O8rsgAM

This is one of the better Elvis imitations I've seen.

The spoken verse is a real challenge to get right, and he does.