10. A spectacular Quad mix and wonderful performance. This is Bill Chase's (William Edward Chialese) best album. Chase was an alum of Maynard Ferguson, Stan Kenton and Woody Herman's big bands. This isn't the band that recorded their first album with Open Up Wide and Get it ON, although this new band still featured four trumpets. It's a more adventurous, more fusion-oriented sound. Four of the six tracks here are instrumental. The other two feature Jim Peterik from Berwyn, IL, my old neighborhood, on vocals. Jim was previously in the Ides of March (Vehicle, LA Goodbye) and later in Survivor (Eye of the Tiger.) I own this album on Q8, SQ, CD and an SQ encoded Blu-Spec CD.
Live 2/28/74 at Faces, Chicago:
Weird Song #1 :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6oDt3KciMk
Run Back to Mama (w/Peterik):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txYyQwUGjNY
Love is on the Way(w/Peterik):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a75bCKO_Sns
Sadly, this was to be Chase's last. Chase's work on a fourth studio album in mid-1974 came to an end on August 9, 1974. After taking off from Chicago, en route to a scheduled performance at the Jackson County Fair, Chase died in the crash of a chartered twin-engine Piper Twin Comanche in Jackson, Minnesota at the age of 39. Also killed were the Pilot, Don Ludwig, 41, of Chicago, and Co-pilot Linda Swisher, 26, Wheeling, Illinois, both qualified commercial pilots. Keyboardist Wally Yohn, 27, Scottsdale, Arizona; guitarist John Emma, 22, Geneva, Illinois; and drummer Walter Clark, 25, Williamstown, N.J. were also killed. In 1977 a Chase tribute band (composed primarily of the original lineup, plus Walt Johnson) recorded an album entitled Watch Closely Now.
A couple years after this tragic event, I was introduced to Jim Peterik through my friend Chuck. Jim expressed sadness over the tragic loss, as well as his gratitude that he was not on the plane. Before they were popular, Jim and the Ides of March played after school at Cermak Plaza in Berwyn, IL. Recent performance of Vehicle by Peterik, Chuck Soumar and the guys:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EBMo8xHGNs In the '70's, the "car kabob" spindle of Wayne's World fame was erected in the Plaza's parking lot. The "kabob" was demolished a few years ago.