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Chicago V

Chicago - Chicago V Audio CD

A fair review of the Chicago "Chicago V" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Chicago reviews here, or go back to the Chicago tabs.

Band: Chicago
Title: Chicago V
Rating:

Release Date: 2002-08-20
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: A Hit By Varese 2: All Is Well 3: Now That You've Gone 4: Dialogue (Part One) 5: Dialogue (Part Two) 6: While The City Sleeps 7: Saturday In The Park 8: Sate Of The Union 9: Goodbye 10: Alma Mater 11: A Song For Richard And His Friends 12: Mississippi Delta City Blues 13: Dialogue (Part I & II) (Single Version)

All Is Well With Chicago:1972
Even if the previous studio album to this Chicago III was a commercial disappointment there was no question here the band was back at 100% peak form all around. Three double lengh albums and a handful of smash hits from where they started Chicago are at the top of their game. One reason is of course the single album lengh that really helped. Not only that but there was a change in approch if not totally in sound. One thing that really works well for bands of this sort is if they can strech their strong chops across shorter songs as well as extended jams-it really shows your musical meddle when you can be creative AND concise and it's not as easy as it sounds. That is what happens here. No song is over 7 minutes and the overall approch is rhythmic,tight and compact. Basically what ends up happening is. . . . . it ends up being a funk album. "A Hit By Verse" really keeps things locked right up with this chunky,stuttering rhythm that turned out to be a surprising success for the band. In terms of breezier jazz-type music,if not necessarily down tempo "All Is Well" and "Goodbye" also deliver the goods. For the most part though this album consists of a strong funkiness across "Now That You've Gone","While The City Sleeps" and "State Of The Union". "Dialogue",presented here in both it's full seperate parts and as it's single version in the bonus tracks is definately the most funk oriented Chicago single up to this point,with the last part either way going into a jazzy jam with some of their best horn charts. Of course the big hit here is of course "Saturday In The Park";it couldn't be anymore "classic Chicago" then that and the odd thing is. . . . . it's poppier sound seems a bit out of place with the harder,funkier material on the rest of the album. As with almost everything here this song was a Robert Lamm composition. Terry Kath gets a go at "Alma Mater". It's a nice song and a good enough change of pace ballad but again clashes with the rest of the music with it's more obvious pop-rock flavor. As far as the bonus tracks go "A Song For Richard And His Friends" and "Missippi Delta City Blues" recall the longer jams of early Chicago which. . . . ironically this is still kind of a part of. Considering the longjevity and creative energy of this band,who survive in a modified form to the present day this still seems somewhat like part of the first phase of their musical accomplishment. As time went on the band would gradually embrace sounds from around them for continued commerical success. But plenty of that 60's musical cross pollination and 70's sense of the groove and funkiness is very much a part of what makes this album huge and sets a general blueprint for more of Chicago's musical adventures to come.

Chicago When They Were In Their Prime. A Must-Have!
It is everything that the term "Jazz-Rock" applies to. Chicago's fifth album is in my opinion their best. The musicianship and production are first-rate (especially since they recorded this album relatively quickly). The hit is obviously "Saturday In The Park", which is a great song. But, the highlight is when Cetera and Kath trade vocals in the obscure "Now That You're Gone". Kath's soulful voice in the verses is enhanced/countered by Cetera's pure melodic choruses. The rhythm track is Chicago in its prime. Seraphine is on fire and the horn break is one of their best. "Dialogue" is another song which contrasts Cetera and Kath's vocal abilities. There is no fluff on this release. It's a record of one of the most musically adept groups in their absolute prime.

Deserves the praise
Over time I began to whittle my collection down a bit because I discovered that many of the albums I really didn't like much beyond the hits and some of Chicago's albums from the late 70s are (sadly) a little to painful to listen to. I was born a Chicago fan with both my parents being fans of this band before I was born I was exposed to this music at a very early age and so when I was at an age where I started buying music I started collecting everything I could find with the Chicago logo on it. Of the few albums I kept, this one has over time become my favorite.

The reason this album works so well is that it is short. Chicago's first 3 albums were double LPs where this was their first single album. THis works because the early albums had a lot of fillers and some extended cuts that went a little long (one example is from Chicago II "Better End Soon" that is over 10 minutes long. It starts out being about the War in Vietnam but ends up being a song about it's self if you get my point). What is great is there is enough variety to keep this album interesting and most of the songs are not "love" songs which dominated the group's catalog on pretty much every album after this one. You have the fusion jazz rock songs like "A Hit by Varese" and "Now That You've Gone", the wonderful hit "Saturday In The Park", and the great wars time song "Dialogue 1&2". I recently looked up Billboard chart info on this album and discovered that not only did it go number one on the Pop album chart, it was also number one on the Jazz album chart as well. Of all of Chicago's albums this one deserves the Jazz/Rock status. It's too bad albums like this don't make it to those top 200 definitive album lists. Oh well.

If you assumed that this album is a soft rock album based on "Saturday In The Park" and avoided this please give this one a chance. "Saturday In The Park" is probably the lightest song on the album and really sounds nothing like the rest of the tracks.

Now I understand

It simply stinks!
Not a single tune worth remembering. Hello!
Now I understand why this album was never released. . .
CHICAGO died with Terry Kath.
It's a shame!
.

another piece of enjoyment
Thankfully, Chicago V IS at the same level of quality as the first three albums, only problem is that the album is pretty short overall. I went into Chicago V worried the album might not feature the same quality of songwriting that the first three Chicago albums had, along with the interesting brass arrangements, and spectacular vocal melodies. No more double albums of one amazing song after another- now there's just not as much as before. Not a REALLY bad thing, since, after all, it's how GOOD the music is that matters, and the music really is fantastic. You simply can't go wrong with 70's Chicago. Back when the band wasn't afraid to experiment and write songs in an unpredictable way loaded with tasty brass, guitar, and drum tricks. Great album.

You can see a complete list of all Chicago discography, or go back to the Chicago tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.