Do You Know This Classic Rock Song, And Are You From Chicago (Or Reasonably Close)?

Cafe Society
1

Lake Shore Drive by Aliotta, Hayes & Jeremiah. AHJ were a local Chicago band, and I’m not sure how big they got outside of anywhere within a day’s drive of Chicago (so, say, a radius encompassing St. Louis, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, the exurbs of Des Moines, etc.). I’m from Springfield (~200 miles away), and I grew up listening to them on my dad’s record player back in the day.

  • From that area, have heard it.
  • From that area, haven’t heard it.
  • Not from that area, have heard it.
  • Not from that area, haven’t heard it.

0 voters

2

I figured your post would be about that song before I opened it. Here in St. Louis LSD was a ‘KSHE Classic’ so most rock fans from the 70s know the song very well.

I rented the album from the local library, and was disappointed because LSD seemed to be the only song with decent production values. And a lot of the other lyrics seemed dum.

3

Anyone who grew up in Chicagoish and tuned in to the Classic Rock station knows this song. It is a cool song, but I couldn’t name another by those guys. They did an anniversary remake a few years ago, or maybe the remake was for a particular radio station (I’m thinking WGN, Steve and Johnnie.)
And Doper nitpick: “Haynes”.

4

From the area and know the song.

Possibly skewing results (in an overall sense, not necessarily in this poll) is that the song was included in Guardians of the Galaxy II.

5

I feel lucky that I got to hear the “Cornerstones of Rock” show, a bunch of bands who were big on Chicago radio back in the 60s.In fact, one tour they introduced the bands as “a cornerstone of WCFL”.

I went to hear the Buckinghams. The Ides of March was the house band for the rest of the bands: Cryan Shames, New Colony Six, Shadows of Night. All these guys looked old but healthy.

Then they brought out the “last living member of Aliotta, Haynes & Jeremiah”… (although A, H & J all died long ago). This guy looked like a 90 year old street person, and didn’t have a lot of breath. But we all sang along as loud as we could anyhow.

6

And there ain’t no road just like it
Anywhere I found
Running south on Jean Baptiste Pointe du Sable Lake Shore Drive heading into town
Just slippin’ on by on JBPdSLSD, Friday night trouble bound

7

I have a Grateful Dead Soldier Field t-shirt that says “I saw the Dead on L.S.D.”
It’s still valid, though, thanks to Chicagoans never really changing the names they call things. Even if the official names are changed. (Comiskey, Sears Tower…)

8

Very likely that I heard it on WLS back in the day, especially if one of my sisters was in charge of the radio.

9

Yup, I grew up in St Louis in the 70s listening to K-SHE 95. I’m very familiar with the song.

10

Haha! I still have the album. I saw them play at Ratso’s, IIRC. (Grew up in Chicago area)

11

I lived in the Chicago area for 3-4 years during high school in the 1980s and I’ve never heard the song (that I can recall anyway). Although I have heard of Lake Shore Drive of course, and have driven on it many times.

12

from the area, heard it first in 1971 on AM radio, and get all nostalgic and listen to it every year or so

13

I agree that the rest of the album has horrible production values. The band must have spent all their money on LSD (double meaning!!!) and phoned in the rest. HOWEVER, despite the bad production values, For Eddy* is intensely meaningful and … “uplifting” isn’t the right word, but something like that. And Uppers and Downers is a fun romp.

*For Eddy takes on a whole new level of meaning when you know the backstory. It’s been a while since I read it, and I don’t remember where, but it has something to do with a real one-armed piano player at a Chicago dive bar that the guys knew. Apparently he had served in “the war” (don’t remember which one) and he was homeless, had addiction issues, etc.

14

Here’s fun background info on the song Lake Shore Drive:

15

Didn’t grow up in Chicago but have lived here for ten years and yes. I listen to WXRT a fair bit and I know it gets a spin on there every now and then

16

HeyHomie — I’m sure you’ve got a more informed take on it than me. I only gave the album a background listen and then sent it back to the library. None of the piano caught my attention, whereas the LSD piano is probably the song’s biggest hook. No viola, as explained in the background story, that NeedsCoffee linked to.

It’s a charming song that I listen to a few times every year. I’m happy that K-SHE gave the song a St. Louis home instead of spurning it because of the Chicago-centric lyrics.

17

I first heard it on the Bob & Tom Show maybe 2-3 years ago. It was a running gag for a while.

18

Grew up in Chicago land. Early radio was WLS, originally owned by Sears hence WLS = worlds largest store. The other AM rock station was WCFL originally owned (1926) by the Chicago Federation of Labor. I was just a little boy then.

19

I’ve never known a time where this wasn’t familiar or that it’s a local song. It gets regular play on the various oldies and classic rock stations and it’s a fun crowd pleaser for karaoke.

20

I downloaded the song onto my phone. Chicago born and bred, although I live west of the city now.