They called themselves The Tradewinds in 1961, when the band was composed of 12-year-old fraternal twins Chuck and John Panozzo, who played bass guitar and drums, respectively, and their neighbor, 14-year-old Dennis DeYoung on keyboards, accordion, and vocals.

They later named themselves TW4, after adding their college friend John Curulewski in 1968, and the South Side hard rocker James "J.Y."

It also features John Panozzo's percussion solo, the street interviews from Chicago "Street Collage," their symphonic rocker rendition of "Fanfare for the Common Man," and the prog-folk piece "Mother Nature's Matinee," sung by DeYoung and co-written by Young & DeYoung.

The upbeat pop rocker "Best Thing" was co-written by DeYoung and Young, released as a single in late '72, and peaked at No.

In late 2012, it was re-released for CD and digital download, along with Styx II (1973), The Serpent Is Rising (1973), and Man of Miracles (1974).