Chicago Album: “Chicago II [Digipak] [Remaster]”

As a huge fan of Chicago's blistering acid jazz rock from 1969-1972 (Chicago Transit Authority through V), it is hard to select a favorite from this incredibly creative peak, although this 1970 album always seems to come up.

I think that all of the albums from this period had distinct personalities and this one seemed to me to be the most classically influenced. Of course, this was big band style jazz rock (with an emphasis on the rock), punctuated by Terry Kath's searing guitar work, and blasts from the horns, so using terms like classical to describe this music might be a bit of a stretch. However, some of the pieces have classical overtones - the intro to Poem for the People and the obvious choice Prelude/AM Mourning/PM Mourning, which is a classical piece through and through (that borders on modern classical at points). There is also the presence of very sophisticated and lengthy multi-movement suites (Ballet for a Girl in Buchanan; It Better End Soon). In fact, upon reading through the liner notes, it became clear to me that the guys were very interested in writing "serious" pieces that followed in the style of the famous classical composers - for example, Walter Pankow had been listening to Bach's Brandenburg Concertos, which inspired his beautiful piece Colour My World. Certainly, efforts like these were being undertaken in England by a number of rock groups, yet with much different results.

All of the guys in Chicago were incredible musicians and the ensemble work on the album Chicago (I am resisting the impulse to call this Chicago II, although that is what I used to think of it as) is just phenomenal. The guys knew how to really COMPOSE a proper piece of music. Counterpoint, melodies, harmonies, and the use of sophisticated meters are all used very well and make this album an extremely interesting listening experience. The guys were great vocalists too and they used the differences in the texture of their voices very well - for example, Terry sang the heavier pieces, while Peter sang the "sweeter", more melodic songs etc. The dynamic range is fairly broad too and ranges from the delicate acoustic textures of Prelude/AM Mourning/PM Mourning, through the spacey Hammond organ intro of Fancy Colours, to the blazing rock piece 25 or 6 to 4. Then there is the use of instrumentation: great horn arrangements, searing electric guitar, Peter's fantastic bass playing (he is criminally underrated); Danny Seraphines great drumming...whew, this is great stuff.

The remastering job by Rhino is fantastic and there are now a ton of liner notes and photos to go along with the original album art. Although I do miss my old vinyl version of Chicago...II, this remastered version is of very high quality and has fantastic sound quality.

All in all, this is an incredible album that contains music written by Chicago during their creative peak. Very highly recommended along with Chicago Transit Authority (1969); Chicago III (1971); the live Chicago IV (1971); and Chicago V (1972).

After "Chicago Transit Authority" announced to the world the existence of this wonderful rock group, the question was whether the follow-up album would be as good as their debut. The follow-up is not as good, it is better.

In some ways this album shows a dichotomy in musical styles. Portions of the album are constructed as progressive rock. Other portions are pop or rock and jazz combinations. Some are nearly classical. Some reviews of the album hint at this dichotomy by noting what the reviewers consider to be unlistenable portions of the album. It is interesting to note that depending on the style of music the reviewer prefers, the portions considered unlistenable by different reviewers may be exactly opposite from each other.

The CD pulls together the two albums that originally made Chicago II. Additionally, the singles versions of "Make Me Smile" and "24 or 6 to 4" are added as bonus tracks. There are two groupings of tracks that make suites. Tracks 6 through 12 are part of "Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon", and tracks 19 through 23 make up "It Better End Soon". There are five additional tracks leading up to the first suite, and six tracks between the two suites.

The five introductory tracks are blues-flavored rock. The fourth track, "In the Country", may remind some listeners of Three Dog Night. The other tracks in this group have the brass-flavored sound of "Chicago Transit Authority", but muted somewhat in comparison to the former album.

The first suite is a concept album, or side from the days of vinyl. Out of this suite came two singles, "Make Me Smile", which peaked at #9, and "Colour My World", for which I do not have a peak chart position. There is a lot of instrumental music in this grouping of tracks, and you can almost imagine these relatively short songs actually being one extended track, in the manner of progressive rock.

In the group of six songs between the two suites, several are noteworthy. "Fancy Colours" has a blues-jazz opening, but about a minute and a half into the song it transitions to a lighter, nearly pop sounding and faster song than the opening. The contrast is startling and makes you think the opening is a completely separate song from that after the transition. "25 or 6 to 4" was written by Robert Lamm when he was bleary-eyed and had stayed up too late. Knowing the origin of the song, the title nearly makes sense as you realize his brain wasn't working well when he tried to see what time it was. The next three instrumentals seem to form a mini-suite: "Prelude", "A.M. Mourning", and "P.M. Mourning". Given the style of the next song, "Memories of Love", you could possibly include that with the previous four selections. All four are mellow and heavily orchestral as opposed to rock.

The second suite starts off with a faster rock beat. In the second movement a flute is prominent and though the bass and piano keep the beat moving, the instrumental has a strong jazz flavor. The third movement has a vocal part, with a strong blues flavor and a heavy beat. The fourth movement has a rock feel to it leading into the final song of the suite, "Where Do We Go from Here", which was released as a B-side single.

This album is amazing. The musical styles include jazz, blues, neo-classical, and rock. The combinations are broad enough and unusual enough to allow this music to be classified in a variety of genres. However, I choose to consider this album progressive rock because of the extended length of the suites and the unusual combination of styles. When considering the other groups considered progressive from this era, King Crimson, The Moody Blues, and Yes, it seems less of a stretch to consider this album progressive rock.

I have to address the one other issue brought up by some other reviewers regarding the sound of this CD. I was unaware that the masters had been destroyed at a fire. Regardless of what happened to the masters, this CD is an improvement over my vinyl album. I admit that perhaps in places the ranges, particularly the lower ranges, are not as well represented as they could or should have been. However, I would rather have this awesome work of art in its current form than not at all. Perhaps at some time in the future we will have the technology to take the recordings we do have and perform an even more advanced digital re-mastering. Until that time, I will enjoy this CD as it is. 5 stars for a phenomenally experimental and beautiful CD.

"Chicago II" is Chicago's masterpiece, and it is as vibrant today as when it was first released. The horns are solid, the songs are dynamic, and the vocals are unbelievable. Every song is so tight, so well constructed, that it is nearly an emotional experience listening to it. Actually, it is.

"Movin' In," with Terry Kath on vocals, is an upbeat proclamation of Chicago's intents on the album. "Poem For The People" carries Robert Lamm's social messages from "Transit Authority" a bit further, and his vocals are extraordinary. "The Road," and "In The Country" add to make "side one" memorable. "Wake Up Sunshine" is one of the best ballads Lamm ever came up with, and it is a great lead-in to James Pankow's "Ballet For A Girl In Buchannon," which includes "Make Me Smile" and "Colour My World." What more can be said about this? Kath at his vocal best, and just fantastic song-writing.

"Fancy Colours" and the classic "25 or 6 to 4" lead off the "third side," both of which are Lamm compositions, showing him at his song-writing best. Kath's guitar work on "25 or 6 to 4" is legendary and well deserved so. The surprise is Kath's "AM Mourning" and "PM Mourning," which lead into his soulful "Memories of Love." The strings and horns in these insturmentals are so finely designed that they can bring one close to tears. Outstanding.

The album closes with the opus "It Better End Soon," and Peter Cetera's first composition, "Where Do We Go From Here." "It Better End Soon" is Chicago at its finest. Again, Kath on vocals, and tight horns, building up and punching the listener to and fro... it never got any better than this. Cetera's song is a mite weak, but it is acceptable because it ties the fury of "It Better End Soon" into a hopeful prayer.

This album, in my opinion, stands up to the scrutiny of time just as the best Beatles' albums do. The only down factor of listening to it is knowing what the original Chicago seven was capable of... and how sad it was that it all culminated into sappy pop ballads, and Bill Champlin. Listen to "Chicago II," and you're swept back into the magic of the best of the early 70s.

This album, Chicago's second, is easily one of their best (along with CTA, III, Carnegie Hall and V). Jimmy Pankow's "Ballet for a Girl in Buchanon" is the album's acknowledged masterpiece, which can still be heard in Chicago's live concerts today. "25 or 6 to 4" is a classic rock guitar classic, with a killer riff and great solos from Terry Kath. "It Better End Soon" captures the anti-war sentiment that mobilized so many young adults in the late '60s and early '70s "Woodstock" generation -- listening to it and other songs of that time makes you wonder if the youth of today even know the names of our world leaders and how their government policies affect our daily lives. The "Memories of Love" pieces show off the band's 'classical' tendencies, and the first five tracks show the band continuing to keep their feet grounded in American pop music -- the very music that continues to keep them afloat to this day -- all the while showing off their trademark three-piece horn section.

The sound quality of this reissue is only marginally better than previous releases. You'll have to listen really closely to hear any significant improvements. So if you're looking to upgrade to a better sounding version, you'll most likely not be overly impressed with this version of the album. HOWEVER, the 5.1 surround sound DVD-AUDIO edition of this album sounds INCREDIBLE! The improvement is so significant, you'll never want to listen to the older editions again. The new mix is clean, crystal clear, like hearing the band play for you in your living room. If you can find the DVD-Audio edition, don't hesitate to buy it and consider it the definitive edition of this album. You will not be disappointed!

This album, along with Chicago Transit Authority are two of my all time favorite albums.This album has it all. Great songs, great musicianship and great vocals.Terry Kath was definitely one of the most underrated Rock guitarist of all-time.The guy could do it all, both on the guitar and vocally."In the Country" is a good track to get a feel for what he was about.This Album also contains several of Chicago's biggest hits including "Make Me Smile", Colour My World" and "25 or 6 to 4". This album along with The first one are what I consider the "Real" Chicago. It's a shame that many people that have heard of Chicago associate them with that "Garbage" they put out in the "80's".This is a must have for all Chicago fans and anyone who appreciates Great musicianship, something that has been missing in "Popular" music for a long time.