Few debut albums can boast as consistently solid an effort as the self-titled (1969). Even fewer can claim to have enough material to fill out a double-disc affair. Although this long- player was ultimately the septet's first national exposure, the group was far from the proverbial "overnight sensation." Under the guise of , the group soon to be known as had been honing its eclectic blend of , , and straight-ahead in and around the Windy City for several years. Their initial non-musical meeting occurred during a mid-February 1967 confab between the original combo at 's apartment on the north side of Chi Town. Over a year later, staff producer became a key supporter of the group, which he rechristened . In fairly short order the band relocated to the West Coast and began woodshedding the material that would comprise this title. In April of 1969, the dozen sides of unleashed a formidable and ultimately American musical experience. This included an unheralded synthesis of electric guitar wailin' to more deeply rooted influences and arrangements. This approach economized the finest of what the band had to offer -- actually two highly stylized units that coexisted with remarkable singularity. On the one hand, listeners were presented with an incendiary quartet of (lead guitar/vocals), (keyboards/vocals), (bass/vocals), and (drums). They were augmented by the equally aggressive power brass trio that included (trumpet/vocals), (trombone), and the aforementioned (woodwind/vocals). This fusion of with would also yield some memorable sides and enthusiasts' favorites as well. Most notably, a quarter of the material on the double album -- and the only cover on the project, 's -- also scored as respective entries on the singles chart. The tight, infectious, and decidedly arrangements contrast with the piledriving -based of and as well as the 15-plus minute extemporaneous free for all Even farther left of center are the and the politically intoned and emotive The 2003 remastered edition of offers a marked sonic improvement over all previous pressings -- including the pricey gold disc incarnation. ~ Lindsay Planer