Chicago V

PAGE INITIATED:  APRIL 19, 2003.

LAST UPDATED:  SEPTEMBER 3, 2005!

Chicago V

Originally released as Columbia KC 31102 in July, 1972.
Peak Hot 200 Album chart position:  #1.
Reissued as Chicago Records 3005 in 1995.
New remastered edition reissued as Rhino R2 76175 on August 20, 2002.

Produced by James William Guercio for Poseidon Productions.
Engineered by Wayne Tarnowski.
Recorded and mixed September 20-24, 27-29, 1971 at CBS Studios, New York, NY.

Cover design by John Berg.  Cover logo and woodcarving by Nicholas Fasciano.
Lettering by Beverly Scott.
Photography by Steinbricker/Houghton.

THE BAND
Robert Lamm -- Keyboard and lead vocals
Terry Kath -- Guitar and lead vocals
Peter Cetera -- Bass and lead vocals
Daniel Seraphine -- Drums and percussion
Lee Loughnane -- Trumpet and background vocals
James Pankow -- Trombone
Walter Parazaider -- Woodwinds and background vocals

REVIEWER'S NOTES

Chicago V was a great departure from the previous four albums in many ways.  It was the first single album (following three double-albums and a four-LP box set).  There were no suites, and 10 tightly-arranged and very well-performed tracks.  It was also the first in a string of five consecutive albums to hit #1 on the album charts.

"Satudray In The Park" is still a fan favorite 30 years on.

This album has (and, IMHO, will continue to) stand the test of time and the ever-changing tides and tastes (and even those infamous 'open mouth, insert both feet, echo internationally, and alienate the record-buying public' RIAA presidents) of the music industry.

DID YOU KNOW...?

...that record company payments influenced the development of this album?  It's true!  Around the time this album was being recorded, Columbia and other record companies decided to pay only 10 copyrights per record.  JWG and many other producers broke down songs into individual movements in order to get paid for each one, so that change affected the naming of songs.  Only one song on Chicago V, "Dialogue" would be split into separate parts.  This may also have led to the scrapping of two longer songs, both of which are now included on the 2002 remastered version.

...that radio editing also influenced the development of this album?  FM radio stations heavily trimmed out solos from songs of the first three albums (despite some shorter songs that were already there on II and III).  Five of the 10 songs on this album clock in at less than 4:00, and there are fewer long cuts.  Robert also credits this shift to his evolution as a songwriter, writing closer to real song forms instead of writing spaces for the great solos that were the hallmark of the first four albums.

MY TRACK-BY-TRACK REVIEW

01) A Hit By Varèse (Robert Lamm) -- 4:51
(Lead Vocals:  Robert Lamm)

Where "Lowdown" marked the birth of modern grunge, this song showcases the style that grunge acts would emulate in a future decade.  From Terry's haunting lead-in and riffs, to Peter's churning bass and Robert's Fender Rhodes, Danny's great brush work, and the punctuation and great industrial jazzy riffs added by the horn section, you feel like you're inside an industrial machine.  The first time I heard it, I thought I was inside a washing machine, with the bass lines resembling the agitator in motion.  Robert was inspired by early 20th-century French Composer Edgard Varèse.  Terry got some LPs of Varèse's work, and the band listened to them for hours.  Robert says, "It really kind of set us free in terms of what was possible musically."

02) All Is Well (Robert Lamm) -- 3:44
(Lead Vocals:  Robert Lamm, with Peter Cetera and Terry Kath)

Another great ballad with strong performances throughout.  A song about emerging from a bad relationship.

03) Now That You've Gone (James Pankow) -- 4:59
(Lead Vocals:  Terry Kath)
Issued as B-side of Columbia single #4-45717 on October 6, 1972.

Another lost love recalled, and trying to recover from it.  Seems rather odd that this song was sequenced after "All Is Well" non?  :-)

(Tracks 4-5 -- DIALOGUE)
Combined edit issued as Columbia single #4-45717 on October 6, 1972.  Peak position:  Pop #24.
04) Dialogue (Part I) (Robert Lamm) -- 2:57
(Billed as "Dialogue (Part One)" on the 2002 remaster)
(Lead Vocals:  Peter Cetera and Terry Kath)

The lyrical meat of this split tune is here, with Terry and Peter doing the dialogue about the world situation.  Some radio stations originally refused to play this song because of Peter's line about "I also hope to keep a steady high", wrongly believing that it was a drug reference, instead of about being high on life itself.

05) Dialogue (Part II) (Robert Lamm) -- 4:12
(Billed as "Dialogue (Part Two)" on the 2002 remaster)
(Lead Vocals:  Peter Cetera and Terry Kath)

An instrumental powerhouse showcase with a message:
"We can make it better.  We can change the world now.  We can save the children.  We can make it happen."

06) While The City Sleeps (Robert Lamm) -- 3:53
(Lead Vocals:  Peter Cetera, Terry Kath, Robert Lamm)

A great concept, with filtered white noise sounding like wind to lead-in to the great guitar, bass, drums and horn interplay, and another industrial/jazz fusion about some evil things that go on while the city sleeps.

07) Saturday In The Park (Robert Lamm) -- 3:54
(Lead Vocals:  Robert Lamm and Peter Cetera)
Issued as Columbia single #4-45657 on July 13, 1972.  Peak position:  Pop #3, AC #8.

An instant pop classic, as Robert recalls the events he saw from a hotel room overlooking New York's Central Park.

08) State Of The Union (Robert Lamm) -- 6:10
(Lead Vocals:  Peter Cetera)

The third entry from this album in Chicago's continuing string of politically conscious songs.  Great grunge/jazz stylings from Terry, Peter, and the horn section.

09) Goodbye (Robert Lamm) -- 5:52
(Lead Vocals:  Peter Cetera)

A great light and breezy ballad.  "The last three whole years have flashed by..."  This is another song that captures what touring has done to the band, and how they're always coming and going.

10) Alma Mater (Terry Kath) -- 3:47
Issued as B-side of Columbia single #4-45657 on July 13, 1972.

A great acoustic ballad recalling a class reunion.

BONUS TRACKS ON 2002 REMASTER

11) A Song For Richard And His Friends (Studio Version, without Vocals) (Robert Lamm) -- 8:13
(INSTRUMENTAL)

Missing vocals and one early riff from the Chicago IV performance, this showcases just how good of a band Chicago was.  Recorded 9/23/1971.

12) Mississippi Delta City Blues (First Recorded Version, with Scratch Vocal) (Terry Kath) -- 5:27
(Vocals:  Terry Kath)

One of the first original songs the band ever performed in 1967-1968, this captures the first try at recording it.  Even with only a scratch vocal, it's a darn fine song, and this version (and the live version recorded in Osaka one month later) have a great powerful ending that was left out of the version eventually recorded for Chicago XI in 1977. As with "A Song For Richard And His Friends", rock-solid performances of a great underrated band very much in its prime.  Recorded 5/10/1972.

13) Dialogue (Part I & II) (Single Version) (Robert Lamm) -- 5:00
(Lead Vocals:  Peter Cetera and Terry Kath)
Issued as Columbia single #4-45717 on October 6, 1972.  Peak position:  Pop #24.