A CHICAGO-EARTH, WIND & FIRE ALBUM?

Fans of both Chicago and Earth, Wind & Fire should take note that these '70's hitmakers are planning a full-scale collaborative album project. The two groups have been touring together for each of the last couple of summers. In conjunction with their 2009 summer tour, which kicked off June 5 in Orange Beach, Alabama., the two groups put together a special set of songs for download, with proceeds going to World Hunger Year. Chicago recorded a version of Earth, Wind & Fire's "I Can't Let You Go," while Earth, Wind & Fire covered Chicago's "Wishing You Were Here." The two bands then collaborated on a new Earth, Wind & Fire-composed song called "You." Chicago and Earth, Wind &Fire are asking their fans who come to the shows to bring three cans of non-perishable food or $3 -- which will go to local food banks -- in exchange for a download card. The songs can also be accessed by making a donation at EWFandChicago.com. According to a recent interview with Billboard.com, Chicago's Robert Lamm predicted that a Chicago-Earth, Wind & Fre album "would sound big. It obviously has to genetically reflect where the two bands are coming from sonically and writing-wise, but I'm hoping that something new could emerge, something modern, something contemporary that the sum of the two bands is greater than that, so that's my fantasy of what it could be." Lamm further mentioned that he and Chicago's other songwriters were recently in Nashville "doing some recording for our own amusement" with no firm plans for any of those songs yet. The group's Bill Champlin will release a solo album, "No Place Left to Fall," on Aug. 4, while Lamm says he's "always" entertaining ideas for solo projects and has also been in touch with former Chicago bassist Peter Cetera about doing some writing together.