Chicago Album: “Chicago XIII [Remaster]”

I've had the 12inch single of Street Player since 1980 and when I saw that the song was remastered on this CD, I figured I just buy it just for that. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. This CD is actually really good. The standouts for me on this disk are Street Player. I'm hearing sounds that just weren't captured on the vinyl record and Closer to You, which is, simply put, one of those feel good kind of songs. Window Dreamin is another favorite of mine. It kind of reminds me of Tuff Enough by the Fabulous Thunderbirds. I get a real kick out of negative reviewers. I wonder what they are hearing that I'm not. Oh well......

In an era when even the Rolling Stones went disco, it perhaps comes as no surprise that Chicago--in the search for fresh material--turned to Bee Gee territory themselves. The recently re-mastered Rhino re-release of CHICAGO 13 has given me a chance to re-evaluate one of Chicago's most unpopular collections, and I've found that it's the disco album that isn't.

I think "13" is a better set than the previous year's HOT STREETS, but I also think that--as an attempt to update their classic jazz-rock sound--it suffers from the too-many-cooks syndrome. As with HOT STREETS, much of the blame has traditionally fallen on guitarist/vocalist Donnie Dacus. The single, "Must Have Been Crazy," is a Dacus tune, featuring his strained vocals and rhymes, and it's as bad a song as any Chicago's been associated with. Perhaps not coincidentally, CHICAGO 13 marks his departure from the group. But Dacus wasn't really as bad as many (including me) have said, and "13" doesn't sink or swim on his strengths and weaknesses.

"Street Player" is the opener. As the only overtly disco tune, it *is* famously lame, and even some monster horn lines and a guest appearance by famed trumpet master Maynard Ferguson can't save it. Still, one song with a disco-influence does not a disco album make, and "13" should not be unfairly categorized on the basis of "Street Player" alone.

Sadly lame, too, however, are Pete Cetera's "Mama Take," Bobby Lamm's "Paradise Alley," and Jimmy Pankow's "Runaway" (my vote for Jimmy's worst song--not something I write with joy, either).

There are some bright spots. Cetera groans convincingly on the bluesy "Aloha Mama." Lee Loughnane and Walt Parazaider contribute "Window Dreaming," the best tune on the CD by far (it even showcases a great Dacus guitar solo). "Loser With a Broken Heart" proves that not ALL Cetera ballads are bad. And percussionist Laudir de Oliveira makes his writing debut with the latin-influenced "Life Is What It Is," a nice surprise (though it features a surprisingly sub-par Pankow trombone solo--again, not written with any glee).

The Rhino remaster features two bonus tracks: the single edit of "Street Player," and a Dacus tune called "Closer to You" which blows "Must've Been Crazy" away (why wasn't THIS ONE picked instead?). The liner notes are briefer here than on previous Rhino re-releases; perhaps the band really had little to say.

All things considered, CHICAGO 13 undoubtedly documents a struggling group. While its reputation as a disco set is very much unwarrented, fans of the very early Chicago sound will likely be disappointed even today.

I bought this back in the cassette days in the "cut out" bin. There was something familiar about the screeching trumpet on Street Player and behold it was the late great Maynard Ferguson. This was probably the last album of theirs most brass players can appreciate.

I have never understood the criticism of this album. Nor have I understood its "disco" labelling for that matter. As a long-time Chicago fan - spanning their entire era from the early experimental stuff to the later power ballad era - it still sits as one of my favourite albums of theirs and I don't find it that far removed from their earlier recent work to warrant the criticism (eg there is still plenty of the trademark Chicago brass section in play, which sadly disappeared to a large extent in the 80s). I find it to be a thoroughly enjoyable and consistent listen from start to finish, with my favourite tracks being Mama Take, Street Player, Reruns, Run Away and the precursor to the power ballad era - Loser With A Broken Heart. But the remaining tracks sit nicely with me as well, with the bonus track (Closer To You) an excellent addition. Ironically, probably the song I like least on the album was the one which was released as the lead single - Must Have Been Crazy. Why this was chosen is still beyond me to this day (there were other tracks which could have been better options, eg Run Away) and maybe it turned people off from buying the album in the first place.

I was never a big fan of Disco outside of hearing it in a club setting. And Chicago never came to mind when making a dance request(unless it was a slow dance to "Colour My World"). The band was possibly trying to stay contemporary in the wake of declining popularity. Even though the stigma of Disco taints the album somewhat, "Window Dreamin'", "Street Player" ,"Life is What it Is", "Reruns" and "Loser With a Broken Heart" are all listenable to some degree if you're a diehard Chicago fan (as I am).