Chicago group the Buckinghams bring us today’s classic song of the day, “Kind of a Drag.” Released in December of 1966, this single went all the way to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in February of 1966. It scored just a little lower on the Cash Box Top 100, peaking at #3.
“Kind of a Drag” was written by Jim Holvay, a friend of the group who also co-wrote several other songs for the boys, including “Don’t You Care“, “Hey Baby (They’re Playing Our Song)”, and “Susan.” “Kind of a Drag” was the group’s first big hit and established their mix of garage rock and horn rock as something to listen to.
The group recorded “Kind of a Drag” in Chicago’s Chess Records studios. This was right before they hooked up with James William Guercio, who doubled down on the horn rock sound and would later go on to produce albums for both Blood, Sweat & Tears and Chicago.
Interestingly, the Buckinghams never really had a horn section in the band. They started out as a bunch of garage rockers, adding horns only on their recordings, using Chicago-area studio musicians. With Guercio’s later help, however, they helped to establish the horn rock/jazz rock style that was big for a hot minute in the late ’60s/early ’70s.
For today’s daily bonus video of the day, here’s the Buckinghams lip-synching “Kind of a Drag” for some black and white television program back in 1966. Note there aren’t any horns onstage; they were a five-member rock band at heart.
It’s fascinating how ‘Kind of a Drag’ blended garage rock with horns before the Buckinghams even had a full horn section. It really shows how a little experimentation in the studio can set the stage for a band’s signature sound. No wonder their style influenced so many horn rock and jazz rock acts that came after.