Chicago VIII
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| Chicago VIII | |||||
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| Studio album by Chicago | |||||
| Released | March 24, 1975 | ||||
| Recorded | August – September 1974, Caribou Ranch, Nederland, CO | ||||
| Genre | Rock | ||||
| Length | 39:18 | ||||
| Label | Columbia Records | ||||
| Producer | James William Guercio | ||||
| Professional reviews | |||||
| Chicago chronology | |||||
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Chicago VIII is the eighth album by American rock band Chicago and was released in 1975. Following the experimental jazz/pop stylings of Chicago VII, the band returned to a more streamlined sound on this follow-up.
After five consecutive years of constant activity, the members of Chicago were feeling drained as they came to record Chicago VIII at producer James William Guercio's Caribou Ranch in Colorado in the summer of 1974. While the variety in styles explored on Chicago VIII were reminiscent of Chicago VI, this particular album had a more distinct rock feel, as exemplified on Peter Cetera's "Anyway You Want" and "Hideaway", as well as Terry Kath's Hendrix tribute "Oh, Thank You Great Spirit" and James Pankow's smash hit "Old Days" (#5). The ballad "Brand New Love Affair, Part I & II" charted at #61.
Preceded by Lamm's nostalgic "Harry Truman" (#13) as lead single, Chicago VIII was held over for release until March 1975 as Chicago VII was still riding high in the charts. While it easily reached #1 in the US, the album had a lukewarm critical reception - still commonly considered, by some, as one of their weakest albums, resulting in the briefest chart stay of any Chicago album thus far. It was also the first album to feature session percussionist Laudir De Oliveira as a full-fledged band member, the first addition to the original lineup.
Inside the record album is an iron-on t-shirt decal of the album cover
In 2002, Chicago VIII was remastered and reissued by Rhino Records with two unreleased songs: "Sixth Sense" (a backing track) by Kath and "Bright Eyes" by Lamm, as well as version of "Satin Doll" recorded for Dick Clark's "Rockin' New Year's Eve" special - all as bonus tracks.
Contents |
[edit] Track listing
[edit] Side one
- "Anyway You Want" (Peter Cetera) – 3:37
- "Brand New Love Affair, Part I & II" (James Pankow) – 4:28
- "Never Been in Love Before" (Robert Lamm) – 4:10
- "Hideaway" (Peter Cetera) – 4:44
- "Till We Meet Again" (Terry Kath) – 2:03
[edit] Side two
- "Harry Truman" (Robert Lamm) – 3:01
- "Oh, Thank You Great Spirit" (Terry Kath) – 7:19
- "Long Time No See" (Robert Lamm) – 2:46
- "Ain't It Blue?" (Robert Lamm) – 3:26
- "Old Days" (James Pankow) – 3:31
Chicago VIII (Columbia 33100) reached #1 in the US during a chart stay of 29 weeks. It never charted in the UK.
[edit] Personnel
- Peter Cetera - bass, vocals
- Laudir DeOliveira - percussion, congas
- Terry Kath - guitar, vocals
- Robert Lamm - keyboards, vocals
- Lee Loughnane - trumpet, backing vocals
- James Pankow - trombone
- Walter Parazaider - woodwinds
- Danny Seraphine - drums
Additional personnel
- Caribou Kitchenettes - vocal chorus on "Harry Truman"
- Joanne Rocconi
- Kristy Ferguson
- John Carsello
- Laudir De Oliveira
- Brandy Maitland
- Linda Greene
- Steve Fagin
- James Pankow
- Katherine Ogden
- Donna Conroy
- Richard Torres
- Walter Parazaider
- Bob Eberhardt
- Lee Loughnane
[edit] Charts
Album - Billboard (North America)
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Pop Albums | 1 |
Singles - Billboard (North America)
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Brand New Love Affair, Part I & II | Pop Singles | 61 |
| 1975 | Harry Truman | Pop Singles | 13 |
| 1975 | Old Days | Pop Singles | 5 |
| 1975 | Old Days | Adult Contemporary | 3 |
| Preceded by Physical Graffiti by Led Zeppelin |
Billboard 200 number-one album May 3 - May 16, 1975 |
Succeeded by That's the Way of the World (soundtrack) by Earth, Wind & Fire |
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