Chicago (album)

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Chicago
Studio album by Chicago
Released	January 26, 1970
Recorded	August 1969, Columbia Recording Studios, New York and Hollywood
Genre	Rock
Length	67:21
Label	Columbia Records
Producer	James William Guercio
Professional reviews
All Music Guide link
Chicago chronology
The Chicago Transit Authority (1969) Chicago (1970) Chicago III (1971)

Chicago is the second album by Chicago-based rock band Chicago. It was released in 1970 after the band had shortened its name from The Chicago Transit Authority after releasing their same-titled debut album the previous year.

Although the official title of the album is Chicago, it came to be retroactively known as Chicago II, keeping it in line with the succession of roman numeral-titled albums that officially began with Chicago III in 1971.

While The Chicago Transit Authority was a success, Chicago is considered by many to be Chicago's breakthrough album, yielding a number of Top 40 hits, including "Make Me Smile" (#9), "Colour My World" (#7), and "25 Or 6 To 4" (#4). The centerpiece of the album was the thirteen-minute song cycle "Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon". In addition, guitarist Terry Kath also participated in an extended classically-styled piece in four separate songs. The politically-outspoken Robert Lamm also tackles his qualms with "It Better End Soon", another modular piece. Peter Cetera, later to play a crucial role in the band's music, donated his first song to Chicago and this album, "Where Do We Go From Here".

Released in January 1970 on Columbia Records, Chicago was an instant hit, reaching #4 in the US and #6 in the UK and has gone on to become - perhaps - the band's most revered album.

Columbia Records were very active in promoting their Quadraphonic 4-channel surround sound format in the mid-1970's, 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 Kath in "25 Or 6 To 4" and a different vocal take from Lamm in "Wake Up Sunshine", the latter of 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.

Contents 1 Track listing 1.1 Side one 1.2 Side two 1.3 Side three 1.4 Side four 1.5 Bonus tracks (2002 reissue) 2 Personnel 3 Charts 4 Certifications

[edit] Track listing

[edit] Side one

1. "Movin' In" (James Pankow) – 4:06
2. "The Road" (Terry Kath) – 3:10
3. "Poem for the People" (Robert Lamm) – 5:31
4. "In the Country" (Kath) – 6:34

[edit] Side two

1. "Wake Up Sunshine" (Lamm) – 2:29
2. "Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon" - 12:55
   1. "Make Me Smile" (Pankow) – 3:16
   2. "So Much to Say, So Much to Give" (Pankow) – 1:12
   3. "Anxiety's Moment" (Pankow) – 1:01
   4. "West Virginia Fantasies" (Pankow) – 1:34
   5. "Colour My World" (Pankow) – 3:01
   6. "To Be Free" (Pankow) – 1:15
   7. "Now More Than Ever" (Pankow) – 1:26

[edit] Side three

1. "Fancy Colours" (Lamm) – 5:10
2. "25 or 6 to 4" (Lamm) – 4:50
3. "Memories of Love" - 9:12
   1. "Prelude" (Kath/Peter Matz) – 1:10
   2. "A.M. Mourning" (Kath/Matz) – 2:05
   3. "P.M. Mourning" (Kath/Matz) – 1:58
   4. "Memories of Love" (Kath) – 3:59

[edit] Side four

1. "It Better End Soon" - 8:24
   1. "1st Movement" (Lamm) – 2:33
   2. "2nd Movement" (Lamm/Walter Parazaider) – 3:41
   3. "3rd Movement" (Lamm/Kath) – 3:19
   4. "4th Movement" (Lamm) – 0:51
2. "Where Do We Go From Here" (Peter Cetera) – 2:49

[edit] Bonus tracks (2002 reissue)

1. "Make Me Smile (Single version)" – 2:58
2. "25 or 6 to 4 (Single version)" – 2:51

[edit] Personnel

• Robert Lamm – keyboards, vocals
• Terry Kath – guitar, vocals
• Peter Cetera – bass, vocals
• Danny Seraphine – drums
• Lee Loughnane – trumpet
• James Pankow – trombone
• Walter Parazaider – woodwinds

[edit] Charts

Album

Year	Chart	Position
1970	Billboard Pop Albums	4

Single

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1970	"25 or 6 to 4"	Billboard Pop Singles	4
1970	"Make Me Smile"	Billboard Pop Singles	9
1971	"Colour My World"	Billboard Pop Singles	7

[edit] Certifications

Organization	Level	Date
RIAA – USA	Gold	April 13, 1970
RIAA – USA	Platinum	August 9, 1991

v • d • e Chicago Robert Lamm · James Pankow · Lee Loughnane · Walter Parazaider · Bill Champlin · Jason Scheff · Tris Imboden · Keith Howland Terry Kath · Peter Cetera · Danny Seraphine · Laudir DeOliveira · Donnie Dacus · Chris Pinnick · Dawayne Bailey Studio albums The Chicago Transit Authority · Chicago · Chicago III · Chicago V · Chicago VI · Chicago VII · Chicago VIII · Chicago X · Chicago XI · Hot Streets · Chicago 13 · Chicago XIV · Chicago 16 · Chicago 17 · Chicago 18 · Chicago 19 · Twenty 1 · Night & Day Big Band · Chicago XXV: The Christmas Album · Chicago XXX · Chicago XXXII: Stone of Sisyphus Live albums Chicago at Carnegie Hall · Live in Japan · Chicago XXVI: Live in Concert Compilations Chicago IX - Chicago's Greatest Hits · Greatest Hits, Volume II · If You Leave Me Now · Take Me Back to Chicago · Greatest Hits 1982-1989 · The Heart of Chicago 1967-1997 · The Heart of Chicago 1967-1998 Volume II · The Very Best of: Only the Beginning · Love Songs · Group Portrait · The Box · The Best of Chicago: 40th Anniversary Edition