European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 12, 1977, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Ten albums later Chicago still remains one of the most popular groups on the Rock concert circuit. S5 photo by Lloyd Perkit we just keep Workin at it7 Page 12  associated press he like expectancy of most Rock groups even Good ones is about five years. After that they seem to either retire to some South Ern California Canyon or Lake work on the Bowling Alley lounge  Chicago a group whose identifying brass Ness once seemed sure to make it a collective timepiece has endured for More than a decade and with a sur prising amount of vitality. The eight Man band s last album. Chicago a was double Platinum signifying More than 2 million units sold. Only a relative handful of groups Ever have a double Platinum album. Chicago has nine of them. Chicago Sells out concert Halls As consistently Novas it did in 1970, when the band was considered the hottest thing since blood sweat & tears. Credence Clearwater revival grand Funk rail Road and three dog night were among the 1970 Chi Cago contemporaries who have since fallen by the Wayside. For that Mailer whatever happened to blood sweat & tears before they sequestered themselves in the Colorado Rockies at manager James Guerco i Caribou ranch the band members answered afew questions including Why has t your music gone out of style we just keep Workin at it says drummer Danny Seraphine. You try to become what the music scene is. You just try to keep at the forefront of the mainstream of music you know you be just got to keep ahead. The stars and stripes that s our philosophy look ahead look ahead once you get complacent it passes you by so fast you re in  there have been some lean moments Sera Phine adds. But we always seem to pull out and hit another Peak. It s a real strange kind of a  think anybody hits lean  adds Singer trumpeter Lee Loughnane it s a matter of Riding them out and keeping your Confidence. Our music is diversified so it keeps your interest up. We Don t get stuck in a  the original members of the group Are still there Seraphine Loughnane Robert Lamm i key boards Walter Parazaider wind James Pankow trombone Terry Kath Guitan and Pete Cetera Bass. The Only change has been the Addi Tion of brazilian percussionist la Dir do Oliveira. Success often does funny things to pop music makers the most common being a sudden desire to leave the Mother group and strike Itrich Solo. Another common cause of musical breakups is personal animosity on the part of two or More members of a group As in the David Crosby Neil Young rift that broke up Crosby stills Nash and Young i. But not so with  think we passed that ego thing a Long time ago. Did t we Lee Danny , you know we be always been Able to sit Down and yell at each other. In the end. Coming clean with each other is the Best Way of going about to. We have helped each other " the group had just finished a 50-Day tour of Europe which Seraphine described As really grind but something we had to do thai s one of the necessary evils of our  re a different sort of band he explained. Live performances Are a very important part four  a Platinum album Means a lot of Money 11 Plati num albums Means you can buy your own state. Why does Chicago keep on with the grind of record ing studio to live concerts then Back to the studio could t they find a vacant Canyon How could you think of retiring says Saraphine apparently shocked at the suggestion when the oldest Guy in the band is 33 years old Lamm we plan to continue the group Loughnane says obviously it s not going to last forever. I think when it docs end. We will All go on in another capacity. Well see when we get there. There s no sense i stopping  As the 70s roil along Chicago keeps plugging away with its own special Brand of soft Rock watching with amusement toe Parade of trends the decade has wrought pop glitter an Punk. We never really took them very seriously Seraphine says. We always just Felt they were a kind of a fad Type thing and it was t really a valid for of music. We always Felt thai Good music and Good musicians will always withstand All the other  Chicago has withstood the most recent testimonial to that fact the band s three statuettes at this year s grammy awards. With a Little country an Western with a Litile Salsa and with a Little jazz Rock. Chicago Lias managed to keep up with the times. We be tried everything but polka Seraphin says. When we get into thai you know we re in  sunday