There’s a powerful surge from an electric guitar, a rumble and then an explosive thrashing, unfettered and unrestrained in every sense. This audial display could be mistaken for the unbridled live gigs of Sonic Youth or the raw, feedback-saturated intro to Anthrax by the Gang of Four’s Andy Gill. Parts of it eerily mirror the groundbreaking technique of proto-tapping, captivatingly similar to Eddie Van Halen’s Eruption in structure, albeit not in individual details.
What astonishes listeners is that this unique guitar piece was introduced into the music ecosystem a whole decade prior to the aforementioned examples. This seven-minute creative wave, fittingly named Free Form Guitar, was a brainchild of the late and great Terry Kath, who held the podium as Chicago’s leading guitarist for the band’s first ten years. Joe Walsh once put it aptly when he spoke of the trailblazing instrumental, admitting, ‘In certain parts, I couldn’t fathom how he managed to make his guitar emit those sounds.’
During Kath’s tenure, Chicago was a dominating force, yet it is somewhat odd that Kath’s name usually escapes the discussions of the most influential guitarists of the 1970s. Kath didn’t merely vanish into oblivion post Free Form Guitar, a gem from the band’s freshman album in 1969. In fact, he was just beginning to assert himself. The enduring popularity of the band’s 25 or 6 to 4 – a song so renowned that this scribe had the pleasure of performing it in his high school jazz band – owes much to Kath’s electrifying solo performance.
A rendition of 25 or 6 to 4 showcases Kath’s incredible prowess on the lead guitar, which was notably apparent during the band’s performance on July 21, 1970, at the Tanglewood Music Center in Lenox, Massachusetts. If one were to scour through the discography of Chicago during Kath’s tenure, they would find no dearth of stunning lead guitar sequences, courtesy of Kath himself.
Kath’s adored instrument of choice, a 1966 Telecaster, contributes significantly to his extraordinary mythos. Embellished with Pignose stickers, and notably, a Chicago Blackhawks label, equipped with additional strength through a neck humbucker, and custom engineered with unique body routes, a reverse control plate, proprietary tuning machines, and three wing string trees, the guitar was as unparalleled as Kath’s own dynamism with the instrument.
Kath’s life, however, came to an abrupt and tragic end. As the 70s ebbed into the annals of history, Kath’s battle with substance abuse began to escalate. He developed an affinity for firearms, a collection of which he would regularly carry around, irrespective of his touring status.
During a particularly fateful evening, Kath, in what would prove to be a fatal jest, pointed his 9mm semi-automatic pistol at his own head. Unaware that the chamber held an unfired bullet contrary to his belief, Kath pulled the trigger, snuffing out his life instantaneously. He was just a young man of 31.
There’s a legendary anecdote, mentioned frequently in rock circuits, from 1969 when none other than Jimi Hendrix stopped by backstage at a Chicago concert to acquaint himself with Kath. It’s said he remarked to a fellow band member that he considered Kath a superior player to himself. According to Walsh, Kath was ‘one of the most underrated guitar legends of the ’70s.’