The Ides of March is a rock band that had a major U.S. and minor UK hit with the song "Vehicle" in 1970. After going on hiatus in 1973, the band returned with their original line-up in 1990 and has been active since then.
The Ides of March began in Berwyn, Illinois (a western suburb of Chicago) on October 16, 1964, as "The Shon-Dels." Their first record, "Like It Or Lump It," was released on their own "Epitome" record label in 1965.
In 1966, after changing their name to The Ides of March (a name suggested by bassist Bob Bergland after reading Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar" in high school), the band released their first single on Parrot Records - "You Wouldn’t Listen." The song reached #7 in Chicago, and #42 on the Billboard Hot 100 in spring 1966. This record and its follow-ups (all pre-"Vehicle") have been re-released on the Sundazed Records CD Ideology. By the end of the 60's, the band added a brass section, and Bergland often doubles up on tenor saxophone for the brassier tracks.
Parrot singles:
You Wouldn't Listen/I'll Keep Searching (Parrot 304) 1966
Roller Coaster/Things Aren't Always What They Seem (Parrot 310) 1966
You Need Love/Sha-La-La-Lee (Parrot 312) 1966
My Foolish Pride/Give Your Mind Wings (Parrot 321) 1967
Hole In My Soul/Girls Don't Grow On Trees (Parrot 326) 1967
Kapp single:
Nobody Loves Me/Strawberry Sunday (Kapp 992) 1968
Like Columbia's The Cryan Shames, they had local success in the Chicago area without much label support. Unfortunately, Parrot never allowed them to record an album, despite that they had enough tracks to fill up an album.
Having secured a recording contract with Warner Bros. Records, in 1970 the band released the track "Vehicle," which at the time became the fastest selling single in Warner's history. A little-known fact: Fourteen seconds of the completed "Vehicle" master was accidentally erased in the recording studio (primarily the guitar solo), and the missing section was spliced in from a previously discarded take.
The song reached #2 on the Billboard record chart, and #1 on the corresponding Cash Box listings. When the song was played on the radio, many listeners thought it was Blood, Sweat & Tears (who was still popular at the time) playing because of the song's similarity to that group's vocal and brass style. This is particularly true because the brass riff in "Vehicle" is almost a note for note copy of the riff in the Al Kooper song "More Than You'll Ever Know". The following album, Vehicle, reached #55 nationally.
The band toured extensively throughout 1970 in support of many top acts, including Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and most notably Led Zeppelin, whom the band upstaged in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The local newspaper’s entertainment headline read "Ides of March Steal the Show." The Ides were also among the participants in the legendary "Festival Express" train tour documented in a 2003 film, although they were not featured in the film.
In 1971, the band released their second album Common Bond. The featured single was the vocal-driven "L.A. Goodbye". The song stayed at #1 on regional charts for five weeks, but only reached #73 on the Billboard chart.
In 1972, the band moved to RCA Records and released World Woven,. At this point, the band departed from the "brass" sound (though one song featured a single trumpet) and the album produced no hit singles.
In 1973, the Midnight Oil album was released. The band played its final show of the "first era" at Morton West High School in Berwyn that November.
Between 1973 and 1990, The Ides went on an extended hiatus, during which Jim Peterik founded the band Survivor and co-wrote all of their platinum hits including "Eye of the Tiger," "The Search Is Over," "High on You" and "I Can’t Hold Back".
He also began a career of writing collaborations which resulted in many platinum hits for other artists, most notably "Hold On Loosely," "Rockin’ Into The Night," "Fantasy Girl" and "Wild-Eyed Southern Boys" for .38 Special and "Heavy Metal" for Sammy Hagar.
In 1990, The Ides’ home town of Berwyn offered to have the re-united group headline their "Summerfest." The concert was attended by over 20,000 and the Ides returned to live performances. The following year they released their first new music since 1973, a four-song cassette EP entitled "Beware - The Ides Of March." Trumpeteer and backing vocalist Chuck Soumar is credited with being primarily responsible for reuniting the band.
In 1992, the full length CD Ideology was released with re-recordings of "Vehicle," "L.A. Goodbye" and "You Wouldn’t Listen," plus new material. After another five-year gap, 1997 saw the EP "Age Before Beauty" being released. By 1998 the band wrote and released "Finally Next Year" to commemorate the Chicago Cubs' magical season. The song was included on a CD entitled The Cubs' Greatest Hits which was sold at all Major League ballparks. The song was used on many Cubs-themed radio and television programs
By 2001, The Ides had expanded their schedule, and returned to national touring. The band recorded a two-hour live performance for XM Satellite radio in Washington, D.C.. Also, "Vehicle" was used for an extensive national advertising campaign by General Motors.
A double live album, Beware: The Ides Of March Live, captured their concert at the McAninch Center at the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. Rhino was issued in 2002. Handmade Records released Friendly Strangers, a double CD limited run set of the original Warner Bros. recordings.
In 2004, the Ides of March celebrated 40 years since their original formation, together with a series of multi-media shows emceed by Dick Biondi. The sold-out show at the Arcada Theatre in St. Charles, Illinois can be seen on the DVD, A Vehicle Through Time.
2005 saw "Vehicle" get further promotion when American Idol runner-up Bo Bice performed the song three times on the show. That same year, the Ides released their compilation CD, Idessentials. It included past hits ("Vehicle," "L.A. Goodbye" and "You Wouldn’t Listen") and versions of Survivor classics including "Eye Of The Tiger", "High On You" and "Rebel Girl", as well as new material. It featured the new single "Come Dancing", and a re-release of the Ides' first recording "Like It Or Lump It."
Matt Di Angelo and Flavia Cacace performed a salsa to "Vehicle" in Strictly Come Dancing, Series 5, in Week 8 and in the final, scoring 38/40 and 39/40 respectively.
The Ides sang their Christmas carol "Sharing Christmas" to a capacity crowd at the 6 o'clock Mass at Chicago’s Holy Name Cathedral in 2005. They sang along with Dick Biondi. They have performed at Holy Name Cathedral's 6:00 Christmas Eve Mass since then, at the request of pastor Father Dan Mayall. They recorded their four Christmas songs on the "Sharing Christmas" album; copies were sold to raise funds for Holy Name Cathedral's Thursday Night Suppers.
In 2006, The Ides' first two albums, Vehicle and Common Bond, were nationally re-released on the Collector’s Choice label. Sony BMG released Ides Of March Extended Play nationally; the album was culled from the band’s live recordings. Also, Best Buy stores began stocking Ides products.
The band continues to tour the U.S. to this day.
LA Goodbye
The Search is Over
Vehicle
