Chicago....25, or 6 to 4.... ? ?

[tedzan]

Hey you Chicago Transit Authority fans..........

Did we ever find out the true significance of this song title ?


http://i1255.photobucket.com/albums/hh622/tedzan77/albumchicago.jpg
TED Z
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[Griffins]

from what I understand the writer was under the gun to write a song for the 1st album, and it was about that- pulling an all niter to force the creative process, and being stuck in the middle of the nite for a concept.

Only great song they ever did.

[nolemmings]

from what I understand the writer was under the gun to write a song for the 1st album, and it was about that- pulling an all niter to force the creative process, and being stuck in the middle of the nite for a concept.

Only great song they ever did.

Dialogue.

[frankbmd]

My career as a lyricist was adversely affected when my hit single

23 or 4 to 5

didn't sell.

I was about an hour late. ;)

[Peter_Spaeth]

from what I understand the writer was under the gun to write a song for the 1st album, and it was about that- pulling an all niter to force the creative process, and being stuck in the middle of the nite for a concept.

Only great song they ever did.

Beginnings.

[Peter_Spaeth]

I think they explained it as a reference to a time in the middle of the night, in other words, 25 or 26 minutes before 4 AM.

[Peter_Spaeth]

The parallel question of course is what does "Questions 67 and 68" mean? I think those were references to 1967 and 1968, if I remember correctly.

[Michael B]

I think they explained it as a reference to a time in the middle of the night, in other words, 25 or 26 minutes before 4 AM.

Peter is absolutely correct. It refers to 3:34 or 3:35 AM. The lyrics tell the story

Waiting for the break of day
Searching for something to say
Flashing lights across the sky
Giving up, I close my eyes

Sitting cross-legged on the floor
25 or 6 to 4

Feeling like I ought to sleep
Spinning room is sinking deep
Flashing lights across the sky
Giving up, I close my eyes
I close my eyes

Should I try to do some more
25 or 6 to 4

Sitting cross-legged on the floor
25 or 6 to 4
Should I try to do some more
25 or 6 to 4

[Peter_Spaeth]

Does anybody really know what time it is?

[RichardSimon]

Funny thread.
I saw them a few times years ago, when Peter was still the lead.
Obviously the sound changed once he left and I could never adjust to another voice doing 25 or 6 to 4 and their other songs.
I still play their old CD's.
At least they are now in the HOF.

[tedzan]

I love Jazz and I love Rock......Chicago was always a good blend of both these music styles.

Saw them live in 1973 and then in 1993.


http://i1255.photobucket.com/albums/hh622/tedzan77/albumchicago.jpg
TED Z
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[Michael B]

Does anybody really know what time it is?

Does anybody really care?

[tedzan]

Saturday in the park......

I "WISH" it was the Fourth of July


How's the snow in your area ?

TED Z
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[Peter_Spaeth]

It is supposed to be a minor event in Boston. On the other hand, it looks to be a nightmare in DC where much of my family lives.

[clydepepper]

No snow down here in Georgia, but when I walked my dog at 6AM this morning, the wind-chill was about as difficult all I could stand - of course our normal walk is into the wind...

guess I should have 'Bob Seeger'd' it and gone the other way, huh?
.
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I never got to see Chicago but my high school band sure played a lot of their tunes. I though they lost a lot when Terry Kath passed.
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Any Marshall Tucker fans out there?
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[Peter_Spaeth]

Marshall Tucker always stuck me as just an Allman Brothers wannabe derivative group.

[Cliff Bowman]

Any Marshall Tucker fans out there?
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Take The Highway

[clydepepper]

Marshall Tucker always stuck me as just an Allman Brothers wannabe derivative group.


In my opinion, you are way off - MTB stands up just fine on their own and is a lot more jazzy than ABB, though I would never slight the Allman's - just my personal taste - great stuff!
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[Peter_Spaeth]

In my opinion, you are way off - MTB stands up just fine on their own and is a lot more jazzy than ABB, though I would never slight the Allman's - just my personal taste - great stuff!
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Skynrd seemed more original to me than Marshall Tucker, but I could well be wrong because I really only know the songs that got airplay, not their albums in depth. Speaking of the Allman Brothers, Rolling Stone ranked Gregg #70 on its list of 100 great singers. That seems low to me.

[begsu1013]

it's actually about acid.

medical name:

lysergic acid diethylamide-25

slang name:

"6 to 4", meaning drop it around 6 and you're up to 4.


so...25 or 6 to 4?

a lot of dead heads, spread heads and phish heads still refer to it as "6 to 4" in the lots so as to disguise the promotion of a sale from undercovers.

now go back and listen to it. you'll get it, or so i've heard.

and you are welcome. ; )


and chicago had some decent hits and success...ya'll quit dogging on them!


eta: and greg is the man. he lives around the corner in richmond hill, a decent acquaintance, a terrible golfer and drives the ugliest blue corvette z4 out there!

he had a liver transplant recently and has lost a lot of weight, but is doing remarkably well considering!

he gave me his washburn quitar about 2 years ago, after the abb officially hung it up as a thank you for some things we did together.

before you think too much, he's a horrible guitar player and usually dialed it in on the few songs he did get up from behind the keys to "play".

usually it was either "melissa" or "aint wastin time no more".

and he'll tell ya the same thing himself. after the beacon run in 03 we were flying back from nyc to sav and had to do an emergency landing.

very anecdotal story now and we laugh, but extremely scary at the time...he lost it though. seriously, girl screams and all.

the typical rock star and plane crash thoughts naturally envisioned.

and with that being said, he can be a huge d!ck one moment and the coolest guy the next!

love'em but he can be one anal sob too.

of course, he'll steal your diamonds and pay you back in gold!

[Peter_Spaeth]

Sometimes it seems all songs turn out to be about drugs or can be interpreted that way. A lot of Steely Dan songs, for example, that I thought were just intentionally cryptic turn out to be full of drug references.