I suppose I'm a bit biased, here, but I certainly think they're deserving of being in the archive.  They were a lot like Genesis, making a bunch of great albums at first and then, all of the sudden, releasing albums comparable to fecal matter.  For those of you who doubt Chicago being prog, I challenge you to listen to CTA, Chicago II and Chicago III, their first three albums, all of which were two LPs.  Some notable things to add....

Introduction-This song goes through so many phases in 7 minutes it's hard to not call this prog. Starts intense and slowly molds into a truly classical jazz number, before returning to the main song.

Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?-The most popular single version left out the improv piano number. Take a listen.

Free Form Guitar-Terry Kath expirementing on a Strat.  Not really a song, but a performance.

August 29, 1969-Includes a 2 minute 'Prologue' which is merely a recording from the riot at the Democratic Nat'l Convention in Chicago on the specified date.  The actual song is very defined.

Liberation-15 minute instrumental, with heavy expirementation and lots of phases. 

Ballet For A Girl In Buchanon-15 minute piece divided into several movements, of which 'Make Me Smile' and 'Colour My World' were of. 

It Better End Soon-10 minute piece divided into 4 movements in the classical fasion-first movement being the intense beginning, slower 2nd movement, slowly intesifying 3rd, and a return to the 1st with the 4th movement.  The song itself is very 'early Zappa' style.  Some of the instrumental bits sound like something from 'Hot Rats.'

Travel Suite-Another lengthy piece divided up into 6 movements.  Of them only 'Free' became popular, but it includes some very prog sounding songs, like the drum solo 'Motorboat to Mars.'

An Hour In The Shower-Yet another segmented piece that goes through movements. By this point it had become tradition for Chicago.

Elegy-Profoundly classically influenced political number, yet all instrumental, save the poem at the beginning.  'The Approaching Storm' comes forward as the most prog-ish.

In all fairness, I can understand how one can reject Chicago being inducted becuase of their 80's stuff like 'Hard To Say I'm Sorry.'  Yes, it's crap. But looking back on their first 9 studio albums, these 3 premiere albums in particular, it's hard to not find progressive influence. I'd say that Chicago is definitely worthy of being in the Jazz Rock section of the archive. 

Hi B3Brad,

welcome to the forum , hope you will hang around a while> be carefull of addiction

As for Chicago , they were discussed many times and you will find a few threads on them using the Search option on the top right hand corner of your screen> a powerful tool, easy to use and avoiding you starting lenghty thread posts such as this one

Why am I saying this? Because the huge majority of the members would agree with you that Chicago is progressive enough (surely until Live At Carnegie Hall and certainly until Chi VII) to be worthy of inclusion> Most of us are wary of reactions if we should include them in the Archives because of their horrible sell-out stuff that came from the 8th album onwards> For this same reasons ELO is not yet introduced and many people are cringing at the thought of including Santana from 1980 onwards.

I hope we managed to answer your valid question and hope to one day include all three of those because the owners will accept partial discography of artistes included> this is also a valid debate since who would define which album is prog or not> stop at Genesis's W&W , Duke or go toi the end?!?

Take care and have fun

Thanks for the explanation. The search eluded my mind, for I hadn't heard much of Chicago on this forum before. 

I understand completely in what you say, but I think that for the Prog Archive to really be a complete source for people new to prog searching for music, bands with half lifes, if you will, are certainly still desirable. ;)

I would consider them the Jazz-rock side of Prog...

Charles

Atkingani wrote: Chicago Transit Authority was a great name...

They encountered legal troubles from the real Chicago Transit Authority, so, unfortunately, they had to change.