Chicago VIII [Bonus Tracks] [Remaster]

Performer: Chicago
Engineer: Mark Guercio; Jeff Guercio; Armin Steiner; Wayne Tarnowski
Producer: James William Guercio
Distributor: WEA (Distributor)

Notes: Chicago: Terry Kath (vocals, guitar); Robert Lamm (vocals, keyboards); Peter Cetera (vocals, bass); Walter Parazaider (winds); Lee Loughnane (trumpet, background vocals); James Pankow (trombone); Danny Seraphine (drums); Laudir De Oliveira (congas, percussion). Recorded at Sound Labs, Hollywood, Clifornia and Caribou Ranch, Nederland, Colorado in September 1974. Originally released on Columbia (33100). Includes liner notes by Phil Gallo. All tracks have been digitally remastered. Personnel: Terry Kath (vocals, guitar); Walter Parazaider (vocals, woodwinds); Lee Loughnane (vocals, trumpet); James Pankow (vocals, trombone); Robert Lamm (vocals, keyboards); Laudir DeOliveira (vocals, congas, percussion); Brandy Maitland, John Carsello, Katherine Ogden, Joanne Rocconi, Linda "Peaches" Green, Steve Fagin, Krista Ferguson, Peter Cetera, Richard Torres (vocals); Daniel Seraphine (drums). Audio Mixers: David Donnelly; Phil Ramone; Jeff Magid. Audio Remasterer: David Donnelly. Liner Note Author: Phil Gallo. Recording information: Caribou Ranch, Nederland, CO (09/??/1974-11/26/1974); Sound Labs, Hollywood, CA (09/??/1974-11/26/1974). Photographer: Reid Miles. Road-weary and running low on steam, the members of Chicago began tinkering with their formula on the nostalgic Chicago VIII. Robert Lamm continued to loosen his grip on the songwriting, allowing Peter Cetera, Terry Kath, and James Pankow to pen the majority of the album. The enthusiasm and drive that the band had displayed on their previous efforts was audibly escaping them, best exemplified by the lazy drawl that Cetera affects on his otherwise rocking "Anyway You Want." Finally, the jazz tinges continued to appear less and less, replaced by a brassy R&B approach that provides a more rigid structure for their tunes. But these factors don't necessarily count against the band, as many songs have a lazy, late-afternoon feel that provides a few feel-good moments. Pankow's "Brand New Love Affair -- Part I & II" is a smooth, light rock ballad that Terry Kath wraps his soulful voice around, transforming it into a brooding lament on lost love. This track also begins to incorporate the multi-vocalist approach that would become the trademark of their '80s work, as the second half of the song is sung by Cetera and Lamm as well. Kath's "Oh, Thank You Great Spirit" is another winner, as his delicate vocals drift along on a sparse and psychedelic (for Chicago at least) sea of guitars. Pankow's "Old Days" may be the only other notable track, a powerful rocker that showcases his tight compositional skills and provided the band with the only memorable hit song from the record. Lamm's contributions are the least-commercial songs, as his arty and dynamic tracks are nostalgic entries that show him moving in an atypical direction lyrically and musically. Only his "Harry Truman" really connects, and the instrumental tributes to Depression-era jazz and the goofy singalong ending manage to render the song silly before it can really sink in. Although not terrible by any means, Chicago VIII is heavily burdened by their obvious desire to take a break. The band hits upon some wonderful ideas here, but they are simply too weary to follow them up, and the resulting album has none of the tight orchestration that reigns in their more ridiculous tendencies. ~ Bradley Torreano Road-weary and running low on steam, the members of Chicago began tinkering with their formula on the nostalgic Chicago VIII. Robert Lamm continued to loosen his grip on the songwriting, allowing Peter Cetera, Terry Kath, and James Pankow to pen the majority of the album. The enthusiasm and drive that the band had displayed on their previous efforts was audibly escaping them, best exemplified by the lazy drawl that Cetera affects on his otherwise rocking "Anyway You Want." Finally, the jazz tinges continued to appear less and less, replaced by a brassy R&B approach that provides a more rigid structure for their tunes. But these factors don't necessarily count against the band, as many songs have a lazy, late-afternoon feel that provides a few feel-good moments. Pankow's "Brand New Love Affair, Pts. I & II" is a smooth, light rock ballad that Terry Kath wraps his soulful voice around, transforming it into a brooding lament on lost love. This track also begins to incorporate the multi-vocalist approach that would become the trademark of their '80s work, as the second half of the song is sung by Cetera and Lamm as well. Kath's "Oh, Thank You Great Spirit" is another winner, as his delicate vocals drift along on a sparse and psychedelic (for Chicago at least) sea of guitars. Pankow's "Old Days" may be the only other notable track, a powerful rocker that showcases his tight compositional skills and provided the band with the only memorable hit song from the record. Lamm's contributions are the least-commercial songs, as his arty and dynamic tracks are nostalgic entries that show him moving in an atypical direction lyrically and musically. Only his "Harry Truman" really connects, and the instrumental tributes to Depression-era jazz and the goofy singalong ending manage to render the song silly before it can really sink in. Although not terrible by any means, Chicago VIII is heavily burdened by their obvious desire to take a break. The band hits upon some wonderful ideas here, but they are simply too weary to follow them up, and the resulting album has none of the tight orchestration that reigns in their more ridiculous tendencies. [The 2002 reissue reveals the band did have some jazz-oriented tunes on deck, as bonus tracks "Sixth Sense" and "Bright Eyes" are rough sketches of what could have been two of the better songs on the record. A live version of "Satin Doll" rounds out the extras.] ~ Bradley Torreano

Chicago was the longest-running and most commercially successful of the hordes of jazz-rock bands with horn sections that sprang up in the late-1960s wake of Blood, Sweat & Tears. After myriad personnel changes (including the death of founding guitarist Terry Kath due to a self-inflicted gunshot wound), Chicago eventually mutated into a more conventional pop group that was able to score hit after hit well into the '80s, usually with romantic ballads. They remain among the best-selling American bands of all time. In the mid 1990s they briefly returned to their roots with an album of big band-era standards given the Chicago treatment.

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