Chicago Albums (26)
'Stone of Sisyphus: XXXII'
Release Date 1/1/2008
Tracks 15
Label Rhino
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What The Critics Say
Recorded in 1993, Stone of Sisyphus didn't appear as scheduled in 1994 due to Chicago's record label, Warner, believing the album to be too uncommercial. As it often happens with unreleased records by major acts, a legend built up around the scrapped record, at least among devoted Chicago fans, the kind who would appreciate the musical stretching found on Stone of Sisyphus. Frankly, they may be the only group to appreciate the departures on Stone of Sisyphus, as it's a curious creature -- a splashy, expensive mainstream album that's restless yet not quite experimental but entirely devoid of pop songs. If this had been the Chicago of the early '70s, who specialized in ten-minute jazz-rock songs on their series of double albums, perhaps it would have been easier for the label to accept the variety of sounds here, but this was a Chicago coming out of five years of big placid adult contemporary hits -- songs that courted an audience that would bristle at the stiff funk of "Mah-Jong" or the Jordanaires singing harmonies on the airy "Bigger Than Elvis." Surely, any listener would shudder at "Sleeping in the Middle of the Bed," an absurd socially conscious rap track by Robert Lamm that almost certainly was the final nail in the coffin for Warner, as it's hard to imagine any audience that would find this appealing. "Sleeping in the Middle of the Bed" also goes a long way toward illustrating just how odd Stone of Sisyphus is: it's tame compared to any other record from 1993-1994, but judged alongside Chicago's other albums it's flat-out bizarre, the sound of a group desperate for a departure in the wake of a flop (1991's Chicago Twenty 1), so the bandmembers will try anything different within the confines of their sound. This means not abandoning the pristine productions -- this time courtesy of Peter Wolf, not the guy from J. Geils -- but it does mean leaving melody behind, switching up song constructions, getting a little jazzy again, and indulging a social consciousness, all things that reward the patience of loyal listeners and bewilder anybody else. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Despite the possible euphemisms of the title, 2006's Chicago XXX is not the band's raciest album since Hot Streets, nor is it their installment in the extreme-action spy series kicked off by Vin Diesel -- instead, it's the veteran group's first proper studio album since 1995's flop Night and Day: Big Band, and considering that was a detour into retro-swing, XXX is their first mainstream pop album since 1991's Twenty 1, which is a 15-year gap between pop records. That's an awfully long wait -- in the meantime, the band has been putting out live albums, Christmas records and hit comps, bringing the total up to 30 LPs -- but apart from the diluted trip-hop beat from "Feel (Hot Single Mix)" that kicks off the album, you'd never know that XXX was made and recorded in 21st century. It sounds like it could have been released in 1991 as Twenty 1, since it contains the same kind of sunny good-time pop and power ballads that made Chicago a staple on adult contemporary stations in the late '80s. But there is a difference this time around: XXX is actually a better overall record than anything the group released in the wake of Peter Cetera's departure. Song for song, it's memorably melodic and Jay Demarcus, best-known as a member of contemporary country-pop act Rascal Flatts, has given the album a bright sheen that is nevertheless varied, punching up the horns on "Better," emphasizing the sweet melody on the "Hard to Say I'm Sorry" dead ringer "King of Might Have Been," turning up the guitars on "Caroline," a happy variation on "Look Away." It sounds as if Chicago and Demarcus went into the album with the intention that this would be a hit along the lines of Chicago 19, and while that kind of wishful thinking may not be fulfilled -- there are very few radio stations in 2006 that will play this kind of slick adult contemporary music -- this sense of purpose and drive has resulted in a surprisingly strong, thoroughly entertaining comeback album that's actually better than the albums it intends to emulate. It's not for every Chicago fan -- those who long for either the early-'70s or early-'80s heydays will find this too produced and MOR for their liking -- but fans of Chicago's late-'80s albums will find themselves right at home on XXX. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
'Christmas: What's It Gonna Be, Santa?'
Release Date 10/14/2003
Tracks 20
Label Rhino
See Album Tracklist and Review
'Chicago XXVI -- The Live Album'
Release Date 10/12/1999
Tracks 13
Label Chicago
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Perhaps a Chicago live album sounds terribly unfashionable. Indeed, the band fell into decline in the early '90s, but by decade's end, the hit-making group known for its horn charts and high harmonies was in fighting shape, as this live set will attest. Four of the six original members are here, and they cook up some delicious sounds from the group's early history -- a stunning "Seachin' So Long," a convincing "Call On Me," a suitably dramatic "Just You 'N' Me," and a solid "Beginnings." Later material like "Hard Habit to Break" is here, but, wisely, the late '80s material was left out of the final mix. Sadly, the new material, produced by Roy Bittan, doesn't have any bite, and an appalling cover of Jackie Wilson's "Higher and Higher," sung by Doobie Brother Michael McDonald, closes the show. ~ Denise Sullivan, All Music Guide
'Chicago's First Christmas'
Release Date 9/15/1998
Tracks 14
Label Chicago
See Album Tracklist and Review
'Chicago 25: The Christmas Album'
Release Date 1/1/1998
Tracks 14
Label Chicago
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What The Critics Say
When Chicago first achieved national recognition in the late '60s and early '70s, it wasn't hip for rock bands to make Christmas albums. Things changed, of course, but it took until 1998 for Chicago to finally fill this missing item in its catalog, at a time when the group seemed to have entered that phase of its career when it wanted to keep putting out records but didn't want to risk releasing new material. (Chicago's three previous releases had consisted of an album of big-band standards and two greatest-hits sets.) Whatever the circumstances, however, it was good to hear the Chicago style applied to seasonal standards. As ever, the group was a cooperative unit, with the three lead singers -- Bill Champlin, Robert Lamm, and Jason Scheff -- taking turns on the different songs, arranged by various bandmembers and always allowing for generous contributions by the horn players Lee Loughnane, James Pankow, and Walt Parazaider. The songs were all seasonal favorites except for Loughnane and John Durrill's "Child's Prayer," featuring a choir dominated by the musicians' children, which sounded so much like a Middle Ages English hymn that it fit right in. Highlights included a particularly moving vocal on "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" by the gruff-voiced Champlin, a wonderful doubled flute passage by Parazaider on "O Come All Ye Faithful," and a rare lead vocal by Loughnane on "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" But the whole album, pristinely produced by E Street Band pianist Roy Bittan, was well performed. It sounded exactly like you would expect a Chicago Christmas album to sound, and if you liked the band and holiday music, you'd like the record, too. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
'Night and Day: Big-Band'
Release Date 5/23/1995
Tracks 12
Label Giant
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What The Critics Say
Generally, when contemporary performers have taken on retro projects like this one, they have tended to emphasize their fidelity to the sources -- consider Linda Ronstadt hiring arranger/conductor Nelson Riddle to recreate his string backgrounds for albums like What's New. Chicago takes a different approach to the swing band classics it tackles here -- it Chicago-izes them. The arrangements are by trombonist James Pankow, who manages to make everything from Duke Ellington's "Caravan" to Glenn Miller's theme "Moonlight Serenade" sound like a lost Chicago track. Those familiar with the originals, many of which were instrumental hits, may be surprised to hear the lyrics to songs like "Sing, Sing, Sing." Clearly, the group is aiming more at pleasing contemporary fans than evoking nostalgia, and it succeeds in reinventing some well-established standards, even if older fans may find some of these versions radically altered. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
'Chicago Twenty 1'
Release Date 1/16/1991
Tracks 12
Label Full Moon/Warner Bros.
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
The '90s found Chicago's lineup minus drummer Daniel Seraphine, but with guitarist Dawayne Bailey, who had been a sideman, a full-fledged member. It also found the group at the closest thing to a career crisis in a decade. This album sold poorly and spun off only one Top 40 hit, "Chasin' the Wind," despite containing some typical, if not outstanding, material in tunes like "You Come to My Senses" (which belatedly scaled the adult contemporary chart) and "Explain It to My Heart." Clearly, a new approach was in order. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
'Chicago 19'
Release Date 6/21/1988
Tracks 10
Label Full Moon/Reprise
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Chicago 19 contained four Top Ten hits, "I Don't Wanna Live Without Your Love," "Look Away" (which hit number one), "You're Not Alone," and "What Kind of Man Would I Be?," yet did not reach the Top Ten on the album list, definite proof that Chicago was reaching an easy listening, (or adult contemporary) radio audience but missing the rock audience. It paid the bills, though. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Chicago 17 was a peak for the '80s incarnation of Chicago, the ideal blend of Peter Cetera's adult-pop craft and David Foster's slick yet lush production, an album that spawned four huge singles and went platinum six times, turning it into their biggest hit ever. Cetera decided that the blockbuster success of Chicago 17 would be a perfect launching pad for a solo career, so he bolted prior to the recording of Chicago 18 -- but the band didn't pause, hiring Jason Scheff as his replacement and retaining Foster as producer in the hopes of replicating the success of its predecessor. Certainly, Chicago 18 is within the vein of 17, although Foster's production here relies too heavily on synthesized sounds and echoes. The power ballad "Will You Still Love Me?" works in this context, though, and Scheff performs his role as the stand-in Cetera ably, slipping into the allotted spaces in Foster's production and never standing out from the wall of sound. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
