“Wish I Could Fly” is a bonus cut from the remastered edition of 1977’s Chicago XI. Trombonist James Pankow penned this track, which is basically an instrumental backing for a tune that was never completed.
Terry Kath’s rhythm guitar shines, Peter Cetera holds down the fort on bass, Robert Lamm contributes keyboards and Laudir de Oliveira’s congas are barely audible in the mix. The track has no horns, vocals or melody. There are some very intriguing chord changes, and a nice shift in feel from drummer Danny Seraphine at the end – but little else.
A former associate of the band once remarked that James Pankow keeps a sharp eye on his songwriting royalties, which is not unreasonable for a musician who composes music. There is a decent chance that this recording was included for that reason.
However, this is an interesting one-time listen for devoted fans of Chicago’s original group. Others need not apply.
- Chicago, “Watching All the Colors” (2014): Saturdays in the Park - January 22, 2022
- Chicago, “Love Lives On” from ‘Chicago XXXVI: Now’ (2014): Saturdays in the Park - January 8, 2022
- Chicago, “More Will Be Revealed” from ‘Chicago XXXVI: Now’ (2014): Saturdays in the Park - December 11, 2021
