R.I.P. Walter Parazaider

Saxophonist and founding member of Chicago, back when they were Chicago Transit Authority and kind of good. He stuck around until 2017, which means he was present and accounted for during the descent into intolerable slop. I guess that counts as a mixed legacy.

Chicago hasn't quite reached Foreigner level yet (with no original members of the band left, Mick Jones having retired due to Parkinson's and Alzheimer's), but they're close. The only three left are singer/keyboardist Robert Lamm (the "Does Anyone Really Know What Time It is" voice), trombonist James Pankow, and trumpeter Lee Loughnane, and of those three, only Loughnane continues to tour. The other two, like Parazaider, have retired from touring due to health issues. But the corporation rolls on.

I've been recommended to give early Chicago a shot, especially when Terry Kath was still in the band, but I hear Cetera's voice and automatically think of the goopiest ballads this side of Air Supply. I think I've lived my life perfectly happily so far without hearing those albums, and I'm pretty sure I can continue to do so.

All that said, my heart goes out to Parazaider's family. Alzheimer's is an awful disease.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/17/2026 12:11PM by Michael Toland.

Terry Kath is usually cited as the reason to listen - Greg Kot usually made that argument, and so does Vernon Reid who championed Kath not too long ago on social media. I also recall Peter Buck saying he first learned guitar by playing the solos from "25 or 6 to 4," so he could be a fan as well.

But I've also heard people say Danny Seraphine is a second reason, and I've heard some damn fine drumming on some of those early singles. He's still alive and active, but he also left the band a long time ago.

I gave Chicago a shot and even burned a reference CD-R covering all of their hits up to and including Chicago VIII, albeit in their full-length LP versions (the band's preference) rather than the severely truncated single edits that they always dismissed. Their records aren't for me, but that CD-R isn't a terrible listen either. The one single I do treasure is "Wishing You Were Here," featuring some of the Beach Boys. (IIRC they even arranged the vocal harmonies in addition to participating in the singing.)

Chicago were always not to my tastes as a kid. Even less as an adult. I think that whole "rock band with horns" conceit of the late 60s that was behind them and Blood, Sweat + Tears was pretty dubious! Even The Doors took the bait on "Touch Me!" It all felt like a Doc Severinson fever dream to me! All of Chicago's songs were Vegas Slop to me as a youth. Not Rock music like Three Dog Night were! The only number they had with any verve was "25 Or 6 To 4" and years later I finally heard "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" by Led Zeppelin on FM Rock and there went my one good feeling for them. Until right now, I had no idea of the names of anyone in Chicago except for the unavoidable Peter Cetera.

Former TP subscriber [81, 82, 83, 84]

[postpunkmonk.com]
For further rumination on the Fresh New Sound of Yesterday®



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/17/2026 03:01PM by Post-Punk Monk.

Of course, a horn section can be used to commit terrible crimes, but I like it when used well. I have maintained an affection, for example, for the band Tower of Power.

Speaking of horn sections, the latest episode of Will Harris' Letting Them Talk podcast features Kevin Rowland of Dexy's Midnight Runners. I haven't worked up the gumption to listen to it yet, so can't say how interesting it is. I have the preconceived notion that Rowland would be a prickly and difficult interview subject, but have no idea if that's true. And given that Harris is not a confrontational interviewer, it probably wouldn't be an issue.

EDIT: Have now listened to the podcast, and Rowland is surprisingly personable, friendly and down to earth, which is definitely not the impression that I have had of him over the decades.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 06/19/2026 04:57AM by breno.

breno Wrote:

>
> EDIT: Have now listened to the podcast, and
> Rowland is surprisingly personable, friendly and
> down to earth, which is definitely not the
> impression that I have had of him over the
> decades.

I think that age and the realization that what one thought was going to be a life-changing piece of work ends up being just another album has a lot to do with mellowing someone. For years, I thought that Michael Gira was someone not to trifle with, but when I finally met him, he was very pleasant and friendly. The only two that intimidated me were Dave Thomas (recounted in other posts) and Robert Fripp. In Fripp's case, however, there was a mischievous quality to it.

I like the first BS&T album a lot (the only one led by Al Kooper before he jumped ship) but otherwise I never thought adding horn charts to a rock band was a great innovation. It never seemed like a big step from what Stax/Volt was already doing with horns (it sure wasn't better arrangements) and it sounded less of an achievement when you heard what Earth, Wind and Fire was doing with horns.

Child is Father to the Man, the first BS&T album with Al Kooper, is indeed pretty great. Kooper had of a deep love of both big band jazz and soul/R&B horns, and wanted to find a way to use them in a rock context. I think he did a pretty good job. But his version didn't have the Las Vegas pseudo-swing that the guy with the big, ridiculous voice brought to them and made them intolerable (but successful, if briefly).

I like the judicious use of a good horn section in rock - I think it works very well if the players and arrangers know what they're doing. If not, yeah, you get "You Make Me So Very Happy" and Chicago's more egregious efforts.

Monk, you may be amused (or appalled) to learn that the "Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You" chord progression was not only used in "25 or 6 to 4," but also in the song "Suite Madame Blue" by TP favorites (not) Styx. If I were an insufferably self-amused solo singer/songwriter, I'd do a medley of the three songs. (Kinda like Austin artist Wammo, who once did a medley of Boston's "More Than a Feeling," Blue Oyster Cult's "Godzilla," and Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit").

Chicago's singles were pretty close to ubiquitous when I was in middle school and high school. Whenever I'd visit my best friend in 8th grade, at least half the time he'd be playing their greatest hits album — the one where the guys are hanging from the scaffolding while trying to paint the Chicago logo on the wall. (My friend was a trumpet player. Over the years, I've noticed that guys who played brass instruments during their adolescence also had an affinity for Chicago.)

I guess Chicago was "yacht rock" before the name came into common use. The bulk of their music from the Seventies neither excites nor offends. To repeat that loathsome radio slogan, it's "rock that doesn't rock the boat." Then Peter Cetera started to throw his weight around within the band, and they became a reliable source of cloying, repulsive ballads. (Hard to believe Cetera sings lead on "25 or 6 to 4," the one tune on the greatest hits album that I ever had any interest in hearing a second time.)

Like Michael said, "the corporation rolls on." Chicago has continued to book tours and play whatever gigs they can get. Far be it from me to tell any musician (or anyone else) how to make a living, but truthfully, a band that books so indiscriminately runs the risk of grinding their reputation and their legacy out like a cigarette butt in an ashtray. No kidding: the one time I saw Chicago, they were playing at a chili cook-off.

"rock that doesn't rock the boat"...that's like saying "jazz that doesn't take any chances" or "blues that doesn't get so down."

Or "funk you won't want to dance to."

“Punk rock your grandma will enjoy”

> “Punk rock your grandma will enjoy”

Well, considering that Ramones turned 50, just a couple months ago, that line may be possible.

Yeah, it's definitely time for us on this board to retire the idea that the music we like is in any way, shape or form young people's music. It's older now than the stuff Lawrence Welk was performing when we were callow youths.

> It's older now than the stuff Lawrence Welk
> was performing when we were callow youths.

Undeniably true, but ... ouch.

On the other hand, my callow younger self wouldn't have been interested in seeing an orchestra perform (unless said orchestra included the words electric and light in its name). But last night's performance of Beethoven's 9th, by the Seattle Symphony, was magnificent.

Pretty sure that counts as a full-on nostalgia act, Delvin.

Not that I spend a lot of time dwelling on Chicago, but it just dawned on me how much those 80’s hits led by Cetera basically eschewed the horns they relied so heavily upon in the 70s. Wonder how Parazaider felt about that.

By doing that, I guess they got a 2nd lease on life….we here may disdain those 80s hits, but wow those records were VERY popular. Alot of people would tell us we’re wrong to shun them.

How many big 70s bands got a 2nd wind in the 80s?
Chicago, Aerosmith, Heart, zz topp, kiss… that’s just off the top of my head.

I’m not sure I can quickly come up with any 80s/90s bands who did that, can you?

> Pretty sure that counts as a full-on nostalgia act, Delvin.

Yeah, I must admit, it brought back a lot of memories of the 1820s. Heilige Scheiße, those were the days.