''A Guided Tour of Chicago'' is a punk rock album by the

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

, band

The Lawrence Arms The Lawrence Arms are an American punk rock band from Chicago, formed in 1999. They have released seven full-length albums and toured extensively. Band history Pre-history Prior to forming the Lawrence Arms, the three band members were active i ...

, released in 1999 by

Asian Man Records Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

. It was the band's first album. At this early point in their career, several of the band's songs resembled those of their previous band

The Broadways The Broadways were a short-lived American punk band from Chicago, Illinois, United States, formed in 1996 after the dissolution of the ska-punk band Slapstick. The latter's vocalist Brendan Kelly and trumpet player Dan Hanaway assumed the roles ...

, being political in nature (such as "Kevin Costner's Casino"), something which they later almost completely phased out in favor of personal/

introspective ''Introspective'' is the third studio album by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, released on 10 October 1988 by Parlophone. It received generally positive reviews from critics. Background The album was unusual in that it reversed the typi ...

lyrics. Singer/bassist Brendan Kelly sings almost all of the lead vocals on this album, whereas on later works he and singer/guitarist

Chris McCaughan Chris McCaughan (born March 30, 1977) is the guitarist and vocalist in the band The Lawrence Arms. McCaughan was formerly the guitarist for the bands Tricky Dick and The Broadways (the latter also featuring fellow Arms bandmate Brendan Kelly). H ...

moved towards singing lead on roughly equal numbers of songs; and on

Oh! Calcutta! ''Oh! Calcutta!'' is an avant-garde, risque theatrical revue created by British drama critic Kenneth Tynan. The show, consisting of sketches on sex-related topics, debuted Off-Broadway in 1969 and then in the West End in 1970. It ran in London ...

tended to share vocal duties within songs, by singing together and/or alternating lines. The album was recorded in one day at Scientific Recordings by Mike Giampa and Andy. The album was never properly mixed due to the band running out of money while recording it. Although loved by hardcore fans, Brendan Kelly has stated that this is his least favorite Lawrence Arms album, calling it "a terrible representation of our band." The album was released on vinyl for the first time in 2009 on

, with all new artwork.

Song information

"An Evening of Extraordinary Circumstance" was the first song ever written for the band. Brendan Kelly wrote it while on a bus. It was written at a time when he didn't have a band or any direction, and was feeling completely helpless. Kelly has stated that the song still sums up some of his deepest resentments towards himself. He also stated that it's his favorite song on the album. They used the title of this song to be the name of their live tenth anniversary show DVD, released on

Fat Wreck Chords Fat Wreck Chords (pronounced "Fat Records") is a San Francisco, California-based independent record label, focused on punk rock. It was started by NOFX lead singer Michael Burkett (better known as Fat Mike) in 1990. The label has released mater ...

. A homemade music video was made for the song. It consisted of random shots of Chicago and the band. It was released on the

DVD, 10 Minutes to Ogikubo Station. It was also released on the live DVD of the same name on Fat Wreck Chords. It remains the only song from the album regularly included in their live act. "Kevin Costner's Casino" is about actor,

Kevin Costner Kevin Michael Costner (born January 18, 1955) is an American actor, producer, film director and musician. He has received various accolades, including two Academy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and two Screen Actor ...

buying land that belonged to the Lakota People in

Deadwood, South Dakota Deadwood (Lakota: ''Owáyasuta''; "To approve or confirm things") is a city that serves as county seat of Lawrence County, South Dakota, United States. It was named by early settlers after the dead trees found in its gulch. The city had it ...

, to add extensions to his casinos. "A Guided Tour of Chicago" is an ode to the homeless people living in Chicago. "Take One Down and Pass It Around" is about drinking and gambling. "Someday We're All Gonna Weigh 400 Ibs" is about technology taking over human interaction, written from a satirical viewpoint. "The Northside, the L&L, and Any Number of Crappy Apartments" mentions the L&L Tavern in its title, which is a bar located in Chicago. The song is about questioning the lifestyle they were living at the time. "Smokestacks" is a song about the environment, and thinking that nature will soon be replaced by smokestacks, concrete, and power plants. "Detention" was about a crazy dream that Brendan had. "Uptown Free Radio" is a reference to the apartment that Chris and Brendan lived in. On certain days they could hear local music being played across the street, from their porch. "Eighteen Inches" is an introspective anthem about the harsh winters in Chicago, and the hypocrisy of pontification.

Track listing

# "Intro" – 0:04 # "An Evening of Extraordinary Circumstance" – 2:57 # "Kevin Costner's Casino" – 1:45 # "A Guided Tour of Chicago" – 2:43 # "Take One Down and Pass it Around" – 1:46 # "Someday We're All Gonna Weigh 400 lbs." – 1:59 # "The Northside, the L&L, and Any Number of Crappy Apartments" – 3:12 # "Smokestacks" – 2:14 # "Detention" – 2:09 # "Uptown Free Radio" – 1:44 # "Eighteen Inches" – 5:59

Performers

–

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

, co-lead vocals on #7 * Brendan Kelly –

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

, lead vocals * Neil Hennessy –

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

Album information

*Record label:

*Recorded spring of 1999 by Mike Giampa and Andy (83) *Photographs by Heather Hogan, Rachel Burns, Grant Quick, Brendan Kelly and Neil Hennessy *Logo by Chris Bach *Drawing by Marc Z {{DEFAULTSORT:Guided Tour of Chicago, A 1999 debut albums Asian Man Records albums The Lawrence Arms albums