When people scoff in disbelief that Chicago used to open for the likes of Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin, I pull out “Poem 58.”

Co-written by Toto’s Steve Lukather and Bobby Kimball, ‘Good For You’ was one of the strongest songs not to be issued as a single from ‘Toto IV.’

Where better to begin a multi-writer, song-by-song examination of the music of Chicago than the aptly named “Introduction” from their debut release?

“Make Believe” is one of the reasons I’m still longing for the day that Toto and Chicago tour together.

I’d argue ‘Hydra’ did more to establish Toto’s style and sound than their debut. The complex and entertaining “Lorraine” is exemplary of that.

“Angela,” a song of shifting moods and layered musical complexity, puts the exclamation point on Toto’s bold debut album.

Nestled between “Takin’ It Back” and the smash hit “Hold the Line” on Toto’s 1978 debut, the steady and fun “Rockmaker” is too often overlooked.

The music on Toto’s “You Are the Flower” had always been more to my liking that the lyrics. Until I became a father. Then, I got it.

“Running Out of Time,” my ass. With ‘XIV,’ Toto has shown they’re not running out of time. In fact, they’ve gotten a second wind.

Few CDs scream summer to me the way most of the albums Dragon released in the 1980s do. I’d argue that no other band captured the overall atmosphere and spirit of summer in musical form the way Dragon did. You May Also Like: Dragon – ‘O Zambezi’ (1978): Antipodean AprilRead More