Bill Champlin.... NOOOOOOOOOO!!!

[Don]

Any other Chicago fans in here?

Huge Chicago fan here, but only of the first few LP's. The problem with the 80's stuff was that those songs could've been performed by just about anyone and it wouldn't have made a difference. At least when Heart sold out and sang other people's songs for 3 records, they had Ann Wilson...Chicago was pretty faceless without their own songs, prominent horns, and Terry Kath.

Having said that, Champlin is a phenomenal musician and I hope he fares well with his solo stuff....just discovered Sons of Champlin a couple months ago and was completely floored. Amazing stuff if you're into that kind of music.

Everything David Foster touched during that period just shot up the charts, no matter who the artist was.

[G.I.Jim]

Any other Chicago fans in here?

Huge Chicago fan here, but only of the first few LP's. The problem with the 80's stuff was that those songs could've been performed by just about anyone and it wouldn't have made a difference. At least when Heart sold out and sang other people's songs for 3 records, they had Ann Wilson...Chicago was pretty faceless without their own songs, prominent horns, and Terry Kath.

Having said that, Champlin is a phenomenal musician and I hope he fares well with his solo stuff....just discovered Sons of Champlin a couple months ago and was completely floored. Amazing stuff if you're into that kind of music.

Everything David Foster touched during that period just shot up the charts, no matter who the artist was.

THAT's the Chicago I'm into. As a musician, I respect what they did prior, but to ME... It was all 80's Chicago that I liked. The "Greatest Hits 82-89" is on my top three favorite albums of all time list! The other two are Journey "Escape", and Def Leppard "Hysteria". I like a LOT of different music from that era (everything from Simple Minds and Thompson Twins, to Ozzy and Metallica). I could go on forever about the bands from the 80's (Dokken, Ratt, Queensryche, Kiss, Toto, Richard Marx, Bad English, Survivor, AC/DC, Foreigner, Europe, Loverboy, Little River Band)... I could go on FOREVER!!!

I even liked Aussie band Midnight Oil with their "Bed's Are Burning" song. DAMN... Now I'm just remembering how much kick-ass music is out there from that decade.

[WalrusOct9]

Everything David Foster touched during that period just shot up the charts, no matter who the artist was.

Milli Vanilli shot up the charts too. Chart success doesn't really have anything to do with quality music. David Foster certainly knew how to generate sales, but again, those songs could have been anyone.

There's some interesting stuff on Stone of Sisyphus and Chicago XXX that made me reconsider (to a point) my opinion on post-Kath Chicago, but really just feel like, except for those two records, the tremendous amount of talent in that band went largely wasted for the last 25-30 years.

[MarcelJordan]

Big Chicago fan since the 80's but now realized how GREAT their older stuff was too!

One listen to South California Purples was enough for me to wean me off MANY Chicago hits and immerse in the pre-Foster years. So many excellent tunes to choose from. Then again, anytime I hear horns mixed with the beats its really seventh heaven for me.

[Ehwmatt]

I think this was definitely a case of mutually lost/diverging interest... from BC himself over at his personal message board:

I sincerely thanks you all for the kind words. It's pretty obvious that I was becoming a fifth wheel in the band so it's musically better that they can go where they want without me going, "Haven't we done this too much already?" Different approach. Anyway, Keep an eye open, or ear, for new stuff. You remember that, don't you? "NEW STUFF"??? Be good, and thanks you muchly. And Tamara reminded me to say "Thank you for supporting my new CD". bill c.

Thread link: http://www.billchamplin.net/bcqa/viewto ... f=1&t=1425