CHICAGO:
CTA:
I must say, that out of ALL the Chicago albums I have… this is the best one. Why? Because it all just sounds great. The album begins with Terry Kath’s “Introduction” a song about the bands cause really. It kind of takes you through their different styles of playing. It has some rockin guitar, and some jazzy horns in it.
Next, is Robert Lamm’s “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?” a jazzy song, with cool piano playin, and fancy horns.
Other songs on the album are “Beginnings”- a song that starts out as a catchy acoustic guitar ballad, and ends with a rockin percussion piece.
“Questions 67&68”- another fine catchy tune with some good guitar in the background.
“Listen”- one of my favorite songs on this album. The bass pieces in it are great. The horns are loud and are like one set of lungs.
“Poem 58” – one of the best guitar songs on the album. It starts out as a heavy hard rockin guitar solo, and slows down only enough to add some vocals. This song is great! One of Terry’s best.
“Free Form Guitar” all I have to say is… skip this track unless you have a VERY high appreciation for all kinds of guitar. I do, so I have sat through this piece… but this is definitely not a song you can relax too. You’ll know what I mean when you hear it.
“South California Purples” ah… a great bluesy tune. If you like a good blues tune, this one’s great.
“I’m A Man”- here we go… A great rocker. Lots of percussion. In fact, tons of it. There is great guitar and bass, but this song is made of mostly percussion.
“Someday (August 29, 1968)” this song is pretty good. Kind of about the world.
“Liberation”- ah… the longest song. Over 14 minutes of loud horns, fast pace guitar, and some great drumming. This is one of the best instrumentals I have heard by Chicago.
All in all, this is Chicago’s best album by my standards.
Is it worth the money? Yes!!!
Chicago II
Chicago II is probably one of Chicago’s best earlier works. It contained Chicago’s first hit singles: “Make Me Smile”- James Pankows rocker-ballad, and “25 or 6 to 4”- Robert Lamm’s rocker about staying up all night trying to write a song (also has some GREAT wah techniques on the guitar) It also featured Chicago’s hit slow-dance song “Colour My World”- also written by James Pankow.
There is a lot I can say about this album. One of the most interesting things about it is BALLET FOR A GIRL IN BUCHANNON, which consists of 6 songs: “Make Me Smile”, “So Much To Give, So Much To Say”, “Anxiety’s Moment”, “West Virginia Fantasies”, “Colour My World”, “To Be Free”, and “Now More Than Ever”--- this song is kind of the continuation of “Make Me Smile”
Other tracks include, “In the Country”--- which is one of Terry’s best self-written songs. Great loud horns, and some of the best guitar licks on the album (next to 25 or 6 to 4)
Robert Lamm’s “Fancy Colours”--- this is really a hippie song. I guess you would have to be really high to understand it. It’s got a silly sound, but fun to listen to.
And Terry Kath’s “Memories of love”---a sad song really, it’s about his girlfriend dieing. The lyrics are so well written, and the song is sung beautifully. It’s just that the music in it kind of takes away from the soul of it. The music almost sounds… silly… in a way. I never really knew what the song was about until a few weeks ago, when I was just listening to the album… and I actually paid attention to the lyrics. I used to skip the track, because the music made it sound boring, and not serious, when the lyrics are more than serious. I have seen a photo of Terry’s grave sight, and “Memories of Love” was on the stone. I think that it is a very appropriate song.
“It Better End Soon, movements 1-4” another political song. Screaming horns, and some more great wah techniques in the guitar, and an intense flute solo, this is a great jamming song, with lyrical meaning.
All In all, the album is really fun to listen to. Chicago once again throws in some hard rock with horns, and some unforgettable ballads.
Is this album worth the money: Yes
Chicago III
Some may say this album was not really very good. Only in some cases I would agree. This album lacks singles material. Whereas CTA, and Chicago II had songs that you could easily picture yourself hearing on the radio.
Chicago III was a good album, but many of the songs met with resistance on the radio. “Lowdown” I think is a good song. Peter Cetera and Danny Seraphine write about how their homeland is falling apart. Quite depressing lyrics for such upbeat of a tune. This is about the only song that’s very radio friendly.
But don’t get me wrong; the album is fun to listen to. The nine-minute intro song “Sing A Mean Tune Kid” has a good beat. As do all the songs. Terry Kath’s “An Hour In the Shower” is really just a silly song that you can at least tell people about it. The song is about waking up in the morning and not having Spam to eat, and then going to work, and coming home and going back to sleep again. He also sings about dreaming about his treasure map, and where it leads him—but you can make your own interpretation of that…
Although, there is one song I could hear on the radio…”What Else Can I Say?”--- was actually… very good. Had a good beat, and good vocals. And it sounds like that time… when you hear it, it makes you think of the early 70’s. this is the one of few Peter Cetera songs that I really like, and would have liked to hear it on the radio.
“Free” I believe was released as a single… hit top 20… I think that’s as far as a single got from Chicago 3. Although a little short of a song… I think that it is only a little less than 3 minutes… but still a good jamming song.
“Motorboat to Mars” is a very intense, minute and a half drum solo that lead right into “Free”
“At the Sunrise” has a very heavy Beatles sound to it. Being a Beatles fanatic, this is one of my favorite songs on the album. And still just under three minutes, I can’t really see this song being released as a single though. Fun song to listen to though.
“Happy Cause I’m Going Home” is a catchy instrumental… sort of… the only words in it are “la la la la la la, da da da da da da”
“When All the Laughter Dies In Sorrow” is a very political speech, spoken by Robert Lamm.
“I Don’t Want Your Money” a great rocker. When you hear it, the lyrics are pretty self explanatory.
And the album closes with five instrumentals: “Canon”--- a brass solo, “Once Upon A Time”--- a peaceful flute, and trumpet solo, “Progress?”--- as a listener, I really have no clue what James Pankow, and producer James William Guercio had one their minds when they wrote this… it must have some meaning… but it just sounds like a bunch of gibberish, “The Approaching Storm” one of my other favorite instrumentals… it gives everyone a chance to solo: guitar, sax, trombone, trumpet, and keyboard. I guess there is enough intense bass and drums in it already, seeing as there really isn’t any drum or bass solo in it, and finally, “Man vs. Man: The End”
So, all in all, Chicago III was a good album, but if it were radio material you’re looking for, this wouldn’t be the one you want.
But is it worth the money? Well yeah.
Chicago, Live at Carnegie Hall
I don’t have this album, but I do know a bit about it. I do know that the band was not happy with the way the recording turned out. They say that it just sounded bad… the bass was too low, and the horns sounded like kazoos. I would say that you should try to find “Live In Japan” first. BUT, Carnegie hall does have more content… so, regardless of the quality of sound, I’m still on the look out for this one!
Chicago V
Again, I’ve only heard a select few of the songs on here. The unforgettable “Saturday In The Park” a song about well, being in the park on a Saturday! One of Robert’s best piano songs.
“Dialogue Parts 1&2”- a political song that had Terry and Peter at the mic, talking about political issues. Peter is a naive college kid, who sees nothing wrong with the world around him, and Terry is upset over the wars, and the way the government is handling the issues. A great rocker, with the famous “WE CAN MAKE IT HAPP-“ ending.
Pankow’s “Now That You’ve Gone” which is a pretty good song. It starts out with a catchy drum solo by Danny Seraphine, and features Kath’s soulful vocals.
Now, I have heard that this is a great album from other people. And judging from the song’s I have heard, I would say that it probably is. But I’ve only heard three, so what do I know? But still, Chicago 5 was the first in five consecutive albums to hit #1 on the charts.
Chicago VI
The only thing I know about this album really is that it contains the hits “Just You n’ Me”- a good ballad, with a slow relaxing sax solo in the middle (nowadays, they perform the song with a long intense flute solo!) and “Feeling Stronger Everyday”- a good rocker. Both written by James Pankow.
Chicago VII
If you ask me, I think this is the most fun album to listen to. If you like jazzy tunes, and good rock, then this is the album for you. The album opens up with 5 consecutive instrumentals: “Prelude to Aire”, “Aire” which I always get a kick out of listening to because Walt Makes funny sounds while he’s playing he flute, “Devil’s Sweet”- a 10 minutes jazzy instrumental, with some rocking drums at the end, “Italian From New York”- which has some good wah techniques, but is slightly irritating… I guess it’s just me, and “Hanky Panky”- yet another jazzy song. These first five instrumentals give it that jazzy feeling to the whole album.
The first song with words in it is Lamm’s “Life Saver” which I think was a single, but I don’t think it hit top 10, but is a good song if you like the horn style in it.
The album also has Cetera’s ballad “Happy Man” which isn’t bad really, and then Pankow’s “(I’ve been) Searching so long” a great slow song at first and then ends as a good rocker.
The album also has some fun songs to listen to. Kath’s “Song of the Evergreens” which is actually sung by Lee Loughnane (trumpet) and believe it or not, he sounds a lot like Terry! I didn’t know the difference until I read it on the slipcover. He sounds almost just like Terry, but with a cold, ya know?
Another great song was Kath’s “Byblos.” This song is about Terry Kath meeting a girl, and then when he tries to find her later, she has met up with one of his friends. The song has some really good guitar by Terry; he even plays bass, as well as acoustic guitar on the song.
Another song is Lee Loughnane’s “Call On Me” which, all in all, isn’t a bad song, but I never liked it much... I just never liked the congas in it. And Peter Cetera’s “Whishing You Were Here”—sung with the Beach Boys.
All in all, this is a good, fun album to listen to.
Is it worth the money? Definitely.
Chicago VIII
I have to say that really, the album isn’t bad. It has some great rockers: Peter Cetera’s “Hideaway”, Kath’s “Oh, Thank You Great Spirit” (one of his best guitar works) and “Old Days” by James Pankow.
Some other songs, Robert Lamm’s “Harry Truman” which features Walt Parazaider’s only clarinet solo (I think). And a nice slow ballad “Brand New Love Affair Parts 1&2” which becomes a rocker at part two by James Pankow.
All in all, the album isn’t bad, but not one of the best.
Is it worth the money? Yes, but I would advise getting CTA or 7 first.
Chicago IX (Greatest Hits)
If you want a sample of what Chicago was like in the early days, then this is the way to go.
It has all of their best hits to that time.
Is it worth the money? Yes, considering it has most of their best songs if you don’t want the albums.
Chicago X
There’s not a lot I can say about this album other than, DON’T get it. If you want a good impression of Chicago, then don’t buy this album.
Granted, it does have some good songs. It did have Cetera’s (and Chicago’s first #1 single) “If You Leave Me Now”- which is a very nice song, but the other songs on the album just aren’t that good.
Such as Lamm’s “Another Rainy Day In New York City” the song is just too cheesy. Robert Lamm is one of my favorite writers, but this song isn’t very good.
The only good songs are “If You Leave Me Now”, “Mama Mama”- another good ballad, and “Hope For Love”- yet another good ballad. All in all, the only good songs on here are ballads. The band seemed to have made their possible rockers into disco style songs, or they were just off the wall, like “You Get It Up”, and “Gently I Wake You”
All in all, the album isn’t very good.
Is it worth the money? Not really. But I guess if you like disco sounding stuff, then this might be in your bag.
Chicago XI
Even though this album didn’t sell as well as their previous albums, what I have heard of Chicago XI was very good (for the exception of “Baby What A Big Surprise”) the band seemed to have gone back to the CTA style.
“Mississippi Delta City Blues” is a great example of that. It’s a good rocker/blues song by Terry Kath. Again, Chicago seems to have put depressing blues lyrics with upbeat music.
As for “Baby What A Big Surprise”, I don’t really like this song. After “If You Leave Me Now” Chicago entered the “ballad stage” of their career. “Baby What A Big Surprise” was supposed to be a follow-up of “If You Leave Me Now” it was after all a top ten hit, but I just think this song is irritating to no end.
And I did hear “Take Me Back To Chicago” At the concert this summer. I enjoyed it, but don’t remember enough details to give much of a description.
But is this album worth the money? I would say yes. Even though I have not heard every song, this album sounds like one to buy. Also seeing as it would be Terry Kath’s last appearance on any Chicago album.
Hot Streets (Chicago XII)
I don’t really know what to say about this album. After Kath’s death, and Chicago’s departure with producer Jimmy Guercio, Chicago brought in Donny Doucus to replace Terry Kath on guitar.
Even though Chicago denied having this album made into a CD when the opportunity came up (I think), I have heard a few of the songs. “Alive Again” I think is a very good song. Even though it almost has a bit of a disco flavor, but nonetheless is a good song. It really rocks. “No Tell Lover” is well…. Only ok. Not one of Pankow’s best ballads.
All in all, I don’t know what to think.
Chicago XIII
I can’t say too much about this album either, seeing as I have only heard two songs. But I do believe that this album is ultimately a failure. Not really on Chicago’s part. They were just “rolling with the changes”. This album has a heavy disco flavor (so I’ve heard) for a rock band.
“Street Player” has a catchy beat, and is what leads me to believe that the album had a heavy disco flavor, but is just not Chicago. The song is ultimately a dance mix. And “Loser With A Broken Heart”- in all fairness isn’t bad. Maybe in another time, in another place, this song may have gone somewhere. But it was not released as a single.
Donny Doucus stretched his legs some and wrote and sang the single “Must Have Been Crazy” but I have yet to hear it…
Is this album worth the money? Probably not. Then again, only judging from two songs here.
Chicago XIV
I was actually very impressed when I heard this album. Even though this album sadly failed miserably, I thought it was one of the best.
Chicago XIV brings back the idea of hard rock with horns. I have to say, the rockers on this album are nothing like they had done before. With Kath and Doucus gone, Chris Pinnick took over the guitar. He did not write or sing, but sounded a lot more like Terry Kath than Doucus did.
“Manipulation” was a good song. A good rocker with a punk edge. “Song For You” was… different. Considering Peter Cetera tries to sing a little lower than his vocal range allows. If maybe they had rerecorded it to where Lamm sang the low parts and Cetera sang the high, it would have made the song better.
One of the best rockers on the album was “Hold On” but once again Peter Cetera sings lower than his ability, but you’re too busy jamming with the song to care. It has a good hard rock edge, and is just one you have to like. It is too bad it wasn’t released as a single.
Another great rocker was “Overnight Café” Peter Cetera sings at his vocal range. It tells a story about him being on the road, and meeting a girl at the Overnight Café. It starts out as a slow song, but it becomes more of a hard rock song.
“Upon Arrival” is one of those kind of like “Overnight Café” it starts out telling a story, and gets a hard rock sound, and then goes back to the slower sound. I haven’t paid enough attention to the lyrics to give very many details.
“Birthday Boy” reminded me of a song that someone like Queen would do. The lyrics have good meaning; they are kind of about a depressed young man, and why his life isn’t so bad.
The only song that I really did not like was: “I’d Rather Be Rich”- to be honest, I was quite disappointed when I heard this song. It just doesn’t sound like the Robert Lamm that I had come to admire. After all his great political songs about how to make the world a better place, he starts singing about how cool having a lot of money is… just doesn’t sound like him.
All in all, I’m upset that this album didn’t make it. Although, I have to say that if it had, and Chicago stayed hard rock through the 80’s I probably would have never gotten into them.
Is it worth the money? I would say yes. If you like more of a hard rock edge, then this is the Chicago album you should get. But I guess it is more of an album for hard core Chicago fans.
Chicago XV (Greatest Hits Vol. 2)
Again, if you want a sample if Chicago’s hits from the later 70’s, then you should get this. But I would rather have Chicago IX the song selection on here isn’t as good as they are on IX
Chicago 16
This album marks the beginning of Chicago’s second golden era of success. After six years of struggle, Chicago makes an excellent come back, but for a price….
Chicago 16 is a great collection of soft rock ballads and such. But it indeed marked the end of Chicago’s hard rock reputation. Songs such as “Hard To Say I’m Sorry”, and “love Me Tomorrow” are both very good songs, and change Chicago’s sound for the 80’s.
But Chicago did add some good rock sounding material to such songs as “What You’re Missing” and “Chains” but none-the-less, this is still a soft rock collection.
Bill Champlin also joined the group to take over the gritty soulful vocals of Terry Kath.
All in all, this album is really good. The songs all fit and just groove real nicely. If you’re the soft rock type, this album may be more what you’re looking for in Chicago.
Is it worth the money? Indeed it is.
Chicago 17
This album was Chicago’s best selling album ever, and is one of my favorite albums of the 80’s.
Again it is a soft rock album, but what I like about it that not every song was a ballad (but all the singles were ballads, seeing as Chicago gained the soft rock reputation, none-the-less, the singles were very good.) but some of the other songs include “We Can Stop The Hurting”- which was a good song, more on the political side, about the neighbor hood falling apart, and what we can do to help. “Prima Donna” was a good song about finding fame.
As for the hit singles: “You’re The Inspiration”- one of the most memorable, “Hard Habit To Break”, “Stay The Night”- which considering the kind of music they were doing at the time, it has kind of a hard edge to it, and “Along Comes A Woman”- which also has an upbeat and harder sound.
All in all, the album was great. It was one you can just listen to.
Is it worth the money? Most certainly.
Chicago 18
Jason Scheff comes in after Peter Cetera’s departure the year before to pursue a solo career. Although, really, unless you listen real hard, it is kind of hard to really tell the difference. Jason’s voice adds a very nice touch to the songs on 18, and unless you’re a hard-core fan, you can’t really tell the difference.
Scheff also sings lead on the unforgettable power ballad “Will You Still Love Me” this song is probably the best Chicago ballad by my standards. It is the kind of song you can just crank up the volume to. And the vocals are superb. (Nowadays, in concert, Chicago performs this song as an all-piano remake, with Jason playing the piano, and singing. I saw them in concert, and I thought it was great how they did it, but was slightly disappointed that I didn’t get to hear the power version)
The album also contains the remake of “25 or 6 to 4” which all in all was an ok song considering the time frame. It’s got a very 80’s sound to it. And almost sounds as if the band was trying to make it sound almost like a heavy metal song. To be honest, if I were to remake “25 or 6 to 4” I probably wouldn’t do that. They slowed the tempo of the song down considerably. But all in all, it is still cool to hear a remake of an unforgettable song.
All in all, the album is good. Some of the other songs: “Over And Over”- which they are singing about old times, “One More Day”- which is another political kind of song, and “It’s Alright” a good rocker style power ballad. If that makes any sense.
So, the album is good. I would consider getting 16 or 17 first, but any fan can appreciate this record.
Is it worth the money? Just for the sake of getting to hear their first album without Peter Cetera, Yes.
Chicago 19
The album sales for Chicago 19 were slightly disappointing, but four singles off the album all hit top ten on the charts.
The singles include: “I Don’t Want To Live With Out Your Love”, “What Kind Of Man Would I Be?”, “We Can Last Forever”, and “Look Away”-which hit #1
The album contains some very good songs other than the singles. “Heart In Pieces” was a good rocker style power ballad. “Runaround” had a very catchy beat to it, and “Victorious” was an excellent slow song with Robert Lamm’s deep smooth vocals.
Even though the album didn’t do so hot in the stores, I think it’s good. Probably even better than 18. Jason Scheff once again adds a great sound in Peter Cetera’s absence. And Dawayne Bailey also comes in on this album to play guitar for Chicago.
Is this album worth the money? I would say yes.
Chicago 20 (greatest hits 1982-1989)
This album was a collection of Chicago’s soft rock hits from the 80’s. again, if you’re a soft rock fan, than I would definitely tell you to get this one, you don’t have get al the albums, just hear some of the highlights from the time.
Chicago 21
Surprisingly, as the 90’s rolled around, and after all the hits and fame from the 80’s, Chicago 21 ultimately went nowhere.
And I find it hard to understand why. The album again, has mostly ballads, but the ballads are very powerful compared to some of the other songs from the 80’s. Chicago 21 is an album you can turn the volume up to.
The only top 40 hit was “Chasing The Wind” which was a good song. But I liked “Explain It To My Heart” better. It was also released as a single.
“God Save The Queen” was one of the harder, more powerful tunes, and another good song about saving the Earth. Pollution and such. And I think that this may the first anti-pollution song by Chicago.
The slowest song was “You Come To My Senses”- which sounds slow enough that it could be equivalent to a slow song from the 70’s.
“Only Time can Heal The Wounded” is a good song with a catchy chorus. Not one of the most powerful, but the lyrics have meaning, and Robert Lamm’s voice gives it a great touch.
“One From The Heart”- again, not the most powerful, it has more of a happy sound. Robert’s voice again fits perfect with the song, and the lyrics have meaning.
“Who do You Love” now this is a powerful song. The horns are blaring, the guitar is rocking, and the vocals are very soulful. This is one of the most soulful and powerful songs. My favorite on the album.
All in all, I don’t understand how the album did so bad. The songs are great.
I think this album is worth the money.
Chicago 22 (better known as “Stone Of Sisyphus”)
Sadly, this album was never released. Chicago probably worked harder on this album than on any other.
I have managed to get my hands on some of the songs.
The song “Stone Of Sisyphus” is actually… VERY good. This was Chicago’s first attempt at a fully rock and roll album since Chicago XIV. The song “Stone Of Sisyphus” is a fast pace song. Great vocals by Robert Lamm, and even Dawayne Bailey (former replacement guitarist) sings lead on this song too. Bailey also co-wrote the song with Lee Loughane.
And “The Pull”- this is one of my favorite songs by Chicago. I certainly don’t see what’s wrong with this song. It’s got a great sound. The vocals are good. And the song is about a man who has traveled to our time from another and can’t get back. It’s kind of a random subject, but the song is just grooves nicely.
“Bigger than Elvis”- this song is… only ok. The lyrics are great in fact. The song is, I believe, I tribute to Jason Scheff’s father, Jerry Scheff (bassist for Elvis) I say, that if the song was rerecorded it would actually be a good song. There is just something about the way the song sounds… the horns don’t fit in… the background vocals don’t fit in. this is the first song I have ever heard by Chicago that was a bad sounding song. But again, the lyrics are good.
“The Show Must Go On”- it’s got a great sound to it, grooves nicely, and has a catchy chorus.
“Let’s Take A Lifetime”- ya know, this song is only ok. Everything sounds ok. To me, it’s just a boring song. A little slow. But this song could be redone too.
That is all that I have heard from SOS. If some of the songs were redone, and the album were released, I would definitely go buy it.
Chicago 23 (Night and Day) (the real Chicago 22, seeing as SOS was not released)
This album was made to pay tribute to big band legends. I have this… but I’m not particularly font of big band. But the songs are performed very nicely. If you like big band, buy it.
Chicago: The Heart Of Chicago, Vol. 1 and 2
These two greatest hits CD’s were counted in Chicago’s album line up. They both have some of Chicago’s greatest hits from the 70’s and 80’s. if you like both, then these would be what ya need to get.
Chicago 25 (Christmas collection)
I went and bought this album for my employer this year… and I listened to it before I gave it to her.
I only listened to it one time through (I’m not particularly fond of Christmas music) and the only complaint I had was that it sounded so poppy! It had a little too much of a hip-hop sound. Other than that, I hear other fans talking about it, and they love it. So it much just be me.
Chicago: Live in Chicago
Chicago, live in Chicago… makes sense… but anyway, this was a great album! The songs are performed flawlessly! Even though it was kind of short… they didn’t do as many of their hits… I would like to have heard more of their hits; like “Saturday in the Park”, “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?” so on… but I think this album was really just to promote their new singles…
The live versions of “Feeling Stronger Everyday”, “Beginnings”, “Just You N’ Me”- which had an awesome flute solo, and “25 or 6 to 4” were all very rockin and sounded perfect.
The only thing I didn’t really like, was that they put their new singles on this album. They are from the studio and are at the end of the album… the problem is… the songs aren’t good. After giving a rockin performance, they slow waaaaay down for their new singles. I had heard “Back To You” on the radio once. That one is only ok. Only if you really wanna slow way down. The songs have ok lyrics, but they are just boring to listen to.
All in all, for the live performance, the album is worth the money. But don’t expect much from the new singles on it.
Chicago 27--- SOON TO BE RELEASED!
