“I’m a Man” by Chicago
From the 1969 album Chicago Transit Authority

People my age probably know Chicago best for drivel like “You’re the Inspiration” (a popular favorite for the “slow skate” at rollerskating rinks during the early ’80s). But I was fortunate enough in high school to have a band director who spent a lot of (probably weed-fueled) nights in college jamming out to early Chicago. He had us play songs like “25 or 6 to 4″ and “Saturday in the Park” and “Make Me Smile” in the pep band at basketball games. And he made sure we learned that these soft rock balladeer douchebags were once a sizzling hot jazz-funk band.

And, in their earliest of early years, back when they were still known as Chicago Transit Authority (before the real CTA sued them and they dropped the “Transit Authority” and registered a trademark on the name Chicago® before the city itself could sic its lawyers on the band too), they were borderline prog. Their debut was a double album, with seven tracks over six minutes long, and culminating in a 14-plus-minute group improvisation. Sure it was a bit self-indulgent, especially the seven minutes of wankery that ended side one: “Free Form Guitar.” But much of it was still very good, and several of the band’s best songs ever were on this very first album.

But when they were on, they were on, and here we see the band in its earliest form, with guitarist Terry Kath taking lead vocal duties, along with a guy on bass whom you might just be able to recognize as Peter Cetera, the person any self-respecting Phil Collins fan can always cite as a bigger sell-out.

Terry Kath killed himself playing Russian roulette in 1978, and in many ways that was the death of the band. Sure, they’d been steadily drifting towards middle school PG-rated makeout music from the very beginning, but without Kath the band lost whatever edge it had left. But thanks to the magic of recording technology, we can look back at where they were in 1970 and imagine a world where things turned out differently.

By the way, yes, this song was one of the suggestions iTunes Genius gave for “Yours Is No Disgrace.”