Please forgive me for reliving my high school days here. But this is the strangest song I ever heard from the Chi Lites. Remember the Chi Lites? They had a mega-hit in 1971 with "Have You Seen Her".
Well this is a song they released in 1974 called "TOBY". To all my friends on Retro Junk, the last time I heard this song I was in my Afro/Bell-bottom/Platform shoe Glory!
WOW how the years have passed! Take a listen, but be prepared. This may not be the type of song you associate with 70's vocal soul. Like I said, this is the strangest song the Chi Lites ever did:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmcCxUC2uZM
Well this is a song they released in 1974 called "TOBY". To all my friends on Retro Junk, the last time I heard this song I was in my Afro/Bell-bottom/Platform shoe Glory!
WOW how the years have passed! Take a listen, but be prepared. This may not be the type of song you associate with 70's vocal soul. Like I said, this is the strangest song the Chi Lites ever did:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmcCxUC2uZM
Delete Confirmation
Please forgive me for reliving my high school days here. But this is the strangest song I ever heard from the Chi Lites. Remember the Chi Lites? They had a mega-hit in 1971 with "Have You Seen Her".
Well this is a song they released in 1974 called "TOBY". To all my friends on Retro Junk, the last time I heard this song I was in my Afro/Bell-bottom/Platform shoe Glory!
WOW how the years have passed! Take a listen, but be prepared. This may not be the type of song you associate with 70's vocal soul. Like I said, this is the strangest song the Chi Lites ever did:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmcCxUC2uZM
Well this is a song they released in 1974 called "TOBY". To all my friends on Retro Junk, the last time I heard this song I was in my Afro/Bell-bottom/Platform shoe Glory!
WOW how the years have passed! Take a listen, but be prepared. This may not be the type of song you associate with 70's vocal soul. Like I said, this is the strangest song the Chi Lites ever did:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmcCxUC2uZM
Ah yes,the Chi-Lites. Good stuff. "Have You Seen Her" is still my favorite song of theirs.
eddstarr88
Please forgive me for reliving my high school days here. But this is the strangest song I ever heard from the Chi Lites. Remember the Chi Lites? They had a mega-hit in 1971 with "Have You Seen Her".
Well this is a song they released in 1974 called "TOBY". To all my friends on Retro Junk, the last time I heard this song I was in my Afro/Bell-bottom/Platform shoe Glory!
You make me jealous!
80sVidKid
eddstarr88Please forgive me for reliving my high school days here. But this is the strangest song I ever heard from the Chi Lites. Remember the Chi Lites? They had a mega-hit in 1971 with "Have You Seen Her".
Well this is a song they released in 1974 called "TOBY". To all my friends on Retro Junk, the last time I heard this song I was in my Afro/Bell-bottom/Platform shoe Glory!
You make me jealous!
LOL! Today, if I want a 'Fro, I'm buying a Wig! :lol:
Guild_Navigator
Ah yes,the Chi-Lites. Good stuff. "Have You Seen Her" is still my favorite song of theirs.
That's why this is so strange. After a mega-hit like "Have You Seen Her" the Chi Lites got top airing with each new album. So by 1974 along comes "TOBY" and the reaction was predictable, at least to me.
The song was on the radio but not for long. Instead of another Chi Lite hit, "TOBY" just left people scratching their heads, "What's that all about?", while I may like the song "TOBY" did not do well on the radio. Stations pulled it off the playlists soon after its release.
Now its always been my opinion that a song about death has to tell you two things, who died and what did they die from. TOBY only tells you one but not the other. Plus I kept listening because I couldn't catch all the lyrics. Whatever Toby died from, this song never says. Maybe it was cotton candy at the state fair?
eddstarr88
Guild_NavigatorAh yes,the Chi-Lites. Good stuff. "Have You Seen Her" is still my favorite song of theirs.
That's why this is so strange. After a mega-hit like "Have You Seen Her" the Chi Lites got top airing with each new album. So by 1974 along comes "TOBY" and the reaction was predictable, at least to me.
The song was on the radio but not for long. Instead of another Chi Lite hit, "TOBY" just left people scratching their heads, "What's that all about?", while I may like the song "TOBY" did not do well on the radio. Stations pulled it off the playlists soon after its release.
Now its always been my opinion that a song about death has to tell you two things, who died and what did they die from. TOBY only tells you one but not the other. Plus I kept listening because I couldn't catch all the lyrics. Whatever Toby died from, this song never says. Maybe it was cotton candy at the state fair?
Could be a traffic accident! :-)
Perhaps it's up to the listening to fill in the blanks in this case. It doesn't have to be too direct about it's premise.
For many years I thought the Delfonics' song "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time)" was by The Chi-Lites. Truth be said,their styles was rather similar back in the day.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eOYtxhCbXw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eOYtxhCbXw
80sVidKid
eddstarr88Guild_NavigatorAh yes,the Chi-Lites. Good stuff. "Have You Seen Her" is still my favorite song of theirs.
That's why this is so strange. After a mega-hit like "Have You Seen Her" the Chi Lites got top airing with each new album. So by 1974 along comes "TOBY" and the reaction was predictable, at least to me.
The song was on the radio but not for long. Instead of another Chi Lite hit, "TOBY" just left people scratching their heads, "What's that all about?", while I may like the song "TOBY" did not do well on the radio. Stations pulled it off the playlists soon after its release.
Now its always been my opinion that a song about death has to tell you two things, who died and what did they die from. TOBY only tells you one but not the other. Plus I kept listening because I couldn't catch all the lyrics. Whatever Toby died from, this song never says. Maybe it was cotton candy at the state fair?
Could be a traffic accident! :-)
Perhaps it's up to the listening to fill in the blanks in this case. It doesn't have to be too direct about it's premise.
I'm just being silly. But I remember listening to TOBY several times thinking I could figure out the cause of death. The song keeps it vague on purpose. Car accident, drowning or who knows. Any and all guesses fit here.
Here's what happened when this song came on the radio while I was on the school bus back in 1974. Some of the kids thought the song was whimpy and some liked it. The cool kids just ignored the song. When I expressed a liking for TOBY one of the cool kids asked "Who the hell wants to hear some dead guy song?". I quickly said "I think TOBY was a Dog!" The bus exploded with laughter as it was obvious that TOBY was human but I was just being a smartass.
I'll give the Chi Lites some praise, they sure know how to make sad songs sound upbeat! TOBY has a strange, haunting quality beneath the songs lilting melody. The Chi Lites always seem to capture this quality in many of the songs that became hits. Sure is an unusual style for a 70's group to adopt as its signature.
Guild_Navigator
For many years I thought the Delfonics' song "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time)" was by The Chi-Lites. Truth be said,their styles was rather similar back in the day.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eOYtxhCbXw
Yes, I think so too. In fact there many groups in the 70's that took on that "doo-wop" four-part harmony style of singing. It was very popular, especially where I grew up. Every street "sing out" in my neighborhood had the falsetto guy and the dude with the deep voice. I've always felt that the Bee Gees took falsetto singing to places it wasn't intended to go, LOL!