Chicago (album)

Last updated
Chicago
ChicagoAlbum.jpg
Studio album by
Chicago
ReleasedJanuary 26, 1970 [1]
RecordedAugust 1969
Studio
Genre
Length66:08
Label Columbia
Producer James William Guercio
Chicago chronology
Chicago Transit Authority
(1969)		Chicago
(1970)		 Chicago III
(1971)
Singles from Chicago
  1. "Make Me Smile/Colour My World"
    Released: March 1970
  2. "25 or 6 to 4"
    Released: June 1970

Chicago (retroactively known as Chicago II) is the second studio album by the American rock band Chicago. Like their debut album, Chicago Transit Authority , this was a double album. It was their first album under the name Chicago (the band's prior name, Chicago Transit Authority, was changed due to a threatened lawsuit from the actual mass-transit operator bearing the same name) and the first to use the now ubiquitous cursive Chicago logo on the cover.

Contents

Released in January 1970 on Columbia Records, Chicago was commercially successful. It was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in April of the same year of its release, and certified platinum in 1991. It reached No. 4 on the album charts in the United States and No. 6 on the album charts in the UK, and produced three top ten singles on the Billboard Hot 100. The album received three Grammy Award nominations - for Album of the Year, Contemporary Vocal Group, and Best Album Cover. It was voted best album of 1970 by readers of Cash Box magazine, and the 1971 best small-combo LP by readers of Playboy magazine.

History

The album was released in 1970 after the band had shortened its name from "The Chicago Transit Authority" following the release of their self-titled debut album the previous year, in order to avoid legal action being threatened by the actual mass-transit company. The official title of the album is Chicago, although it came to be known as Chicago II, keeping it in line with the succession of Roman numeral-titled albums that officially began with Chicago III in 1971.

Chicago Transit Authority was a success, yet Chicago is considered by many to be the group's breakthrough album, yielding three singles that made it into the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100, including "Make Me Smile" (number 9), "Colour My World" (number 7), and "25 or 6 to 4" (number 4). [2]

Chicago was released in January 1970 on Columbia Records and was an instant hit, reaching number 4 on the Billboard 200 in the United States [3] and number 6 in the UK. [4] Columbia Records was very active in promoting its quadraphonic four-channel surround-sound format in the mid-1970s, and nine of Chicago's first ten albums were made available in quad. The quad mix features elements not heard in the standard stereo mix, including additional guitar work from virtuoso Terry Kath in "25 Or 6 To 4" and a different vocal take from Lamm in "Wake Up Sunshine," which reveals a different lyric in the song's last line.

In 2002, Chicago was remastered and reissued on one CD by Rhino Records with the single versions of "Make Me Smile" and "25 or 6 to 4" as bonus tracks. Rhino released a DVD-Audio version of the album in 2003, featuring both Advanced Resolution Stereo and 5.1 surround sound mixes. In 2016, British producer and musician Steven Wilson remixed Chicago from the original multitrack tapes. This version was released on January 27, 2017 by Rhino Records. [5] A vinyl edition of the remix cut by Kevin Gray was released on August 11, 2017. Robert Lamm stated in an interview that the album has been nominated for the Grammy Hall of Fame more than once. [6]

Musical style, writing, composition

In a 2015 article, Classic Rock Review says the album saw Chicago's, "full immersion into mainstream success while still building on their fusion of rock, funk and jazz." [7]

In Danny Seraphine's book Street Player, he describes it this way: "In between the dates of our touring schedule, we somehow found the opportunity to jump into CBS Studios in Los Angeles and record a second album in August 1969. Whereas the first record was a compilation of raw energy, we took a more controlled approach to our new effort." [8]

The centerpiece of the album was the 13-minute song cycle "Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon" written by trombone player James Pankow, from which came the singles "Make Me Smile" and "Colour My World". Guitarist Terry Kath also participated in an extended classically-styled cycle of four pieces, three of which were co-written by arranger, composer, and pianist Peter Matz. [9] : 13  Politically outspoken keyboardist Robert Lamm expresses his qualms in "It Better End Soon", another modular piece. Bassist Peter Cetera contributed his first song to Chicago with "Where Do We Go From Here?". [7]

Recording, production

The album was produced by James William Guercio, who was Chicago's producer for its first eleven albums, [10] and was recorded in less than a month, during August 1969. [7]

In 1970, James Pankow said about the album, "We . . . think it is better recorded and better played than the first. None of us feel, though, that we are really a recording group yet. We are all scared in the studio. We are really a live group." [11]

Artwork, packaging

The Chicago logo, which made its first appearance on the cover of this album, was designed by John Berg and fashioned by Nick Fasciano, [12] who were both nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Album Cover for their efforts. [13] [14] John Berg said the Coca-Cola logo was the inspiration for the Chicago logo. [12] The cover art work is part of the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. [15] The band's official web site labels the cover design, "silver bar." [16]

The double-LP album's inner cover includes the playlist; the entire lyrics to "It Better End Soon"; a "Producer's Note" stating, "This endeavor should be experienced sequentially"; and a declaration written by Robert Lamm, [17] "With this album, we dedicate ourselves, our futures and our energies to the people of the revolution. And the revolution in all of its forms." [18]

Reception

Critical reception

Contemporary reviews for the album were mixed. In his review for the Chicago Sun Times , writer Al Rudis says Chicago's second album "confirms" that "Chicago is one of the most exciting, most original, and most accomplished jazz-rock groups in existence." [11] whereas in a review for The Village Voice , Robert Christgau gave a review of Chicago as a "D+" and called it "sterile and stupid", writing that if "Duke Ellington never got away with an extended work for horns and meaningfulness, [what] makes James William Guercio and the self-designated revolutionaries who are his cohorts think they can?" [19]

There have been positive retrospective reviews. Lindsay Planer from AllMusic gave the album four-and-a-half out of five stars and said its songs "underscore the solid foundation of complex jazz changes with heavy electric rock & roll that the band so brazenly forged on the first set". [20] Jim Beviglia, writing for American Songwriter, said, "50 years after its release, Chicago II still stands as the one of the band’s signature achievements. ...Listening to Chicago II now, it is remarkable just how smoothly the various pieces blend together." [21]

Accolades

Grammy Awards
YearCategoryWorkResultRef.
1971 Album of the Year ChicagoNominated [22]
Contemporary Vocal Group ChicagoNominated [22]
Best Album Cover Chicago (John Berg & Nick Fasciano)Nominated [22]

Other honors

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
1"Movin' In" James Pankow Terry Kath 4:06
2"The Road"Kath Peter Cetera 3:10
3"Poem for the People" Robert Lamm
  • Lamm
  • Cetera
4:25
4"In the Country"Kath
  • Kath
  • Cetera
6:34
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
1"Wake Up Sunshine"Lamm
  • Lamm
  • Cetera
2:29
2–8"Ballet for a Girl
in Buchannon"
(total length: 12:55)		"Make Me Smile"PankowKath3:32
"So Much to Say, So Much to Give"Lamm1:04
"Anxiety's Moment"—1:00
"West Virginia Fantasies"—1:34
"Colour My World"Kath2:58
"To Be Free"—1:21
"Now More Than Ever"Kath1:27
Side three
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
1"Fancy Colours"LammCetera5:10
2"25 or 6 to 4"4:50
3–6"Memories of Love"
(total length: 9:12)		"Prelude"—1:18
"A.M. Mourning"—2:05
"P.M. Mourning"—1:59
"Memories of Love"KathKath4:01
Side four
No.TitleWriters(s)Lead vocalsLength
1–4"It Better End Soon"
(total length: 10:24)		"1st Movement"LammKath2:30
"2nd Movement"—3:47
"3rd Movement"
  • Lamm
  • Kath
Kath3:19
"4th Movement"Lamm1:15
5"Where Do We Go from Here?"CeteraCetera2:53

Personnel

Chicago

Production

2002 reissue

Charts

Chart (1970)Peak
position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report) [26] 5
UK Albums Chart [4] 6
Billboard Pop Albums [3] 4

Singles

YearSingleChartPositionRef
1970"25 or 6 to 4" Billboard Hot 100 4 [2]
1970"Make Me Smile" Billboard Hot 1009 [2]
1971"Colour My World"Billboard Hot 1007 [2]

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada) [27] 3× Platinum300,000^
United States (RIAA) [28] Platinum1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

Chicago is an American rock band formed in Chicago in 1967. The group began calling themselves the Chicago Transit Authority in 1968, then shortened the name in 1969. Self-described as a "rock and roll band with horns," their songs often also combine elements of classical music, jazz, R&B, and pop music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terry Kath</span> American guitarist and singer (1946–1978)

Terry Alan Kath was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter who is best known as a founding member of the rock band Chicago. He played lead guitar and sang lead vocals on many of the band's early hit singles alongside Robert Lamm and Peter Cetera. He has been praised by his bandmates and other musicians for his guitar skills and his Ray Charles–influenced vocal style. Jimi Hendrix cited Terry Kath as one of his favorite guitarists, and considered Kath to be "the best guitarist in the universe".

<i>Chicago Transit Authority</i> (album) 1969 studio album by Chicago

Chicago Transit Authority is the debut studio album by the American rock band Chicago, known at the time of release as Chicago Transit Authority. It was recorded and released in April 1969 and became a sleeper hit, reaching number 17 on the Billboard 200 by 1971. Chicago Transit Authority spawned several successful singles, including "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?", "Questions 67 and 68" and "Beginnings". The album stayed on the Billboard chart for 171 weeks, beating the previous record for a rock album's longevity of 155 weeks and has been certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). For this inaugural recording effort, the group was nominated for a Grammy Award for 1969 Best New Artist of the Year. The album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2014.

<i>Chicago III</i> 1971 studio album by Chicago

Chicago III is the third studio album by the American rock band Chicago. It was released on January 11, 1971, through Columbia Records. The album was produced by James William Guercio and was the band's third consecutive double album in less than two years.

<i>Chicago at Carnegie Hall</i> 1971 live album by Chicago

Chicago at Carnegie Hall is the first live album, and fourth album overall, by American band Chicago. It was initially released on October 25, 1971 by Columbia Records as a four-LP vinyl box set, and was also available for a time as two separate two-record sets. A quadraphonic mix of the album was proposed, but was never made, possibly due to the band's objection to the album being released in the first place. This is the only Chicago album of the group's first ten releases not to have a quadraphonic release in any format.

<i>Chicago V</i> 1972 studio album by Chicago

Chicago V is the fourth studio album by the American rock band Chicago. It was released on July 10, 1972 by Columbia Records. It is notable for being the group's first single album release, after having released three consecutive double albums and a four-disc box set of live material.

<i>Chicago VI</i> 1973 studio album by Chicago

Chicago VI is the fifth studio album by American rock band Chicago and was released on June 25, 1973, by Columbia Records. It was the band's second in a string of five consecutive albums to make it to No. 1 in the US, was certified gold less than a month after its release, and has been certified two-times platinum since. It is the first album to feature percussionist Laudir de Oliveira, who would become a full-fledged member of the band for Chicago VIII. VI is the first studio album to feature the original band members on the cover before the death of leader and co-founder Terry Kath.

<i>Chicago VII</i> 1974 studio album by Chicago

Chicago VII is the sixth studio album by American rock band Chicago. It was released on March 11, 1974 by Columbia Records. It is notable for being their first double album of new material since 1971's Chicago III and remains their final studio release in that format. It features session percussionist Laudir de Oliveira, who would become a full-fledged band member for the release of Chicago VIII the following year.

<i>Chicago VIII</i> 1975 studio album by Chicago

Chicago VIII is the seventh studio album by American rock band Chicago, released on March 24, 1975 by Columbia Records. Following the experimental jazz/pop stylings of Chicago VII, the band returned to a more streamlined rock-based sound on this follow-up.

<i>Chicago IX: Chicagos Greatest Hits</i> 1975 compilation album by Chicago

Chicago IX: Chicago's Greatest Hits is the first greatest hits album, and ninth album overall, by the American band Chicago and was released in 1975 by Columbia Records in both stereo and SQ quadraphonic versions.

<i>Chicago X</i> 1976 studio album by Chicago

Chicago X is the eighth studio album by the American rock band Chicago. It was recorded at Caribou Ranch and it was released by Columbia Records on June 14, 1976. The album made it to number three on the Billboard 200, and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on June 21, 1976, a week after its release. It was the band's first album to be certified platinum, on September 14, 1976, and has since been certified multi-platinum. In honor of the group's platinum album achievement, Columbia Records awarded the group a 25-pound bar of pure platinum, made by Cartier.

<i>Chicago XI</i> 1977 studio album by Chicago

Chicago XI is the ninth studio album by the American rock band Chicago. It was released on September 12, 1977 through Columbia Records. It was both the last to feature guitarist and vocalist Terry Kath prior to his death in a gun accident just over four months later, and the last to be produced by longtime associate of the band James William Guercio.

<i>Hot Streets</i> 1978 studio album by Chicago

Hot Streets is the tenth studio album by the American rock band Chicago, released on October 2, 1978, by Columbia Records. This was the band's first album with all-new material released since their second that did not have a numbered title. It was also the first album not to feature original guitarist/vocalist Terry Kath, who died from an accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound in January 1978. He was replaced by Donnie Dacus on this album.

<i>Chicago 13</i> 1979 studio album by Chicago

Chicago 13 is the eleventh studio album by American rock band Chicago, released on August 13, 1979, by Columbia Records. Chicago 13 was the band's final release featuring lead guitarist Donnie Dacus, who had followed the late founding member, guitarist Terry Kath. All band members contributed to the songwriting.

<i>Chicago XIV</i> 1980 studio album by Chicago

Chicago XIV is the twelfth studio album by American rock band Chicago, released on July 21, 1980. Recorded at a time of waning interest in the band, Chicago XIV remains one of Chicago's poorest-selling albums, failing to reach Gold certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and was deemed a commercial flop. It is also notable for being their last studio album with Columbia Records, and the last one to feature percussionist Laudir de Oliveira.

<i>Greatest Hits, Volume II</i> (Chicago album) 1981 compilation album by Chicago

Greatest Hits, Volume II is the second greatest hits album by American rock band Chicago, released on November 23, 1981 by Columbia Records.

<i>Chicago 17</i> 1984 studio album by Chicago

Chicago 17 is the fourteenth studio album by American rock band Chicago, released on May 14, 1984. It was the group's second release for Full Moon/Warner Bros. Records, their second album to be produced by David Foster and their last with founding bassist/vocalist Peter Cetera. As of 2023, it remains Chicago's best-selling album, with over 6.1 million units being sold in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan. Four singles were released from the album, all of which peaked in the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The success of the music videos for "Stay the Night", "You're the Inspiration", and "Hard Habit to Break" on MTV propelled Chicago 17 to achieve an RIAA certification of six times platinum.

<i>The Very Best of Chicago: Only the Beginning</i> 2002 greatest hits album by Chicago

The Very Best of Chicago: Only the Beginning is a double greatest hits album by the American band Chicago, their twenty-seventh album overall. Released in 2002, this collection marked the beginning of a long-term partnership with Rhino Entertainment which, between 2002 and 2005, would remaster and re-release Chicago's 1969–1980 Columbia Records catalog.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Questions 67 and 68</span> 1969 single by Chicago

"Questions 67 and 68" is a 1969 song written by Robert Lamm for the rock band Chicago and recorded for their debut album Chicago Transit Authority. It was their first single release. Peter Cetera is the primary lead singer with Lamm also on vocals. In 2015, Dave Swanson, writing for Ultimate Classic Rock, listed the song as ninth in a list of top ten Chicago songs. Writing for Rock Cellar magazine, Frank Mastropolo rated the song as number 11 in a list of "Top 11 Question Songs".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Feelin' Stronger Every Day</span> 1973 single by Chicago

"Feelin' Stronger Every Day" is a song written by Peter Cetera and James Pankow for the group Chicago and recorded for their album Chicago VI (1973). The first single released from that album, it reached #10 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.

References

  1. ↑ "125 Years of Columbia Records". 360 Sound: The Columbia Records Story. Sony Music Entertainment. Archived from the original on November 14, 2017. Retrieved November 14, 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Chicago Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 8, 2018. Retrieved November 8, 2017.
  3. 1 2 "Chicago Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 23, 2017. Retrieved November 8, 2017.
  4. 1 2 "Chicago | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Official Charts . Archived from the original on November 10, 2017. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
  5. ↑ Planer, Lindsay. "Chicago II Steven Wilson Remix". Allmusic . Archived from the original on December 22, 2018. Retrieved February 17, 2017.
  6. ↑ Clark, Jeff (October 31, 2017). "Chicago's Robert Lamm on revisiting 'Chicago II' and the band's long and winding road". Sun Herald. Gulfport, Mississippi, USA. Archived from the original on January 18, 2018. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
  7. 1 2 3 "Chicago II". Classic Rock Review. July 3, 2015. Archived from the original on January 17, 2019. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
  8. ↑ Seraphine, Danny (2011). Street Player: My Chicago Story. John Wiley & Sons Inc. p. 108. ISBN   9780470416839.
  9. ↑ Chicago (CD booklet). Burbank, California, USA: Rhino Entertainment Company. 2002. R2 76172.
  10. ↑ "A Chicago Story – Chicago". Chicagotheband.com. Archived from the original on October 30, 2018. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
  11. 1 2 Rudis, Al (February 7, 1970). "Chicago Is a Live Group". The Lincoln Journal Star. Archived from the original on January 17, 2019. Retrieved January 16, 2019– via Newspapers.com. Lock-green.svg
  12. 1 2 Berg, John (October 30, 2007). "Across the Graphic Universe: an Interview with John Berg" (Interview). Interviewed by Paul Nini. American Institute of Graphic Arts. Archived from the original on October 24, 2013. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
  13. ↑ "Grammy Awards: Artist: John Berg". Recording Academy Grammy Awards. Archived from the original on August 12, 2021. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
  14. ↑ "Grammy Awards: Artist: Nick Fasciano". Recording Academy Grammy Awards. Archived from the original on August 12, 2021. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
  15. ↑ "John Berg, Nick Fasciano. Cover for Chicago's second self-titled album". The Museum of Modern Art. Archived from the original on November 10, 2017. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
  16. ↑ "Albums: Chicago". Chicago - The Band. Chicago Touring. Archived from the original on November 14, 2017. Retrieved November 14, 2017.
  17. ↑ Ruhlmann, William James (1991). Chicago Group Portrait (Box Set) (Media notes). New York City, NY: Columbia Records. p. 4. Archived from the original (CD booklet archived online) on October 24, 2017. Retrieved November 12, 2017.
  18. ↑ Chicago (1970). Chicago (album) (Vinyl LP cover liner notes). U.S.A.: Columbia. KGP 24 CS 9962 XSM 151734.
  19. ↑ Christgau, Robert (April 23, 1970). "Consumer Guide (9)". The Village Voice . Archived from the original on November 20, 2019. Retrieved November 7, 2017.
  20. ↑ Planer, Lindsay. "Chicago". AllMusic . Archived from the original on April 22, 2017. Retrieved February 17, 2017.
  21. ↑ Beviglia, Jim (February 25, 2020). "Robert Lamm Looks Back On The 50th Anniversary Of 'Chicago II'". American Songwriter. Archived from the original on February 26, 2020. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  22. 1 2 3 "Grammy Award Nominees and Winners – 1971". awardsandshows.com. Archived from the original on 2011-12-13. Retrieved 2017-10-21.
  23. ↑ "Best Albums of 1970". Cash Box. Vol. XXXII, no. 27. USA. December 26, 1970. p.  46 . Retrieved May 10, 2019– via Internet Archive.
  24. ↑ "Chicago Coming to Hampton". Daily Press. Newport News–Hampton, Virginia, USA. May 29, 1973. p. 10. Archived from the original on June 7, 2019. Retrieved May 10, 2019– via Newspapers.com. Lock-green.svg
  25. ↑ "Jazz & Pop '71". Playboy. HMH Publishing Co., Inc. February 1971. available at, Bondi Data Viewer Archived October 21, 2017, at the Wayback Machine
  26. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 62. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  27. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Chicago – Chicago II". Music Canada . Retrieved June 21, 2023.
  28. ↑ "American album certifications – Chicago – Chicago II". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved June 21, 2023.
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