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Thread: Chicago V

  1. #1
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    Chicago V

    Just revisiting this one. Forgot how good and proggy it was. Starts out with "A hit by Varese" which all music guide quotes being inspired by ELP and Yes. The next one, "All is Well" mixes CSN/Beach Boy harmonies with really complex horn arrangements. "Now that You've gone" has some more killer horn arrangements-some of their best, and great vocals from Terry Kath. Dialogue has always been a fav of mine, esp. live. Of course, "Saturday in the Park" is here. And I've read remarks by reviewers that one reason this album is so strong is that 80% is written by Robert Lamm. Chicago 2 is still my fav, but this is a close second. Any thoughts or comments?

  2. #2
    Member Since: 3/27/2002 MYSTERIOUS TRAVELLER's Avatar
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    one of the greatest artists of the early Prog era

    love their first 7 albums (yes, even 3 and 6)
    Why is it whenever someone mentions an artist that was clearly progressive (yet not the Symph weenie definition of Prog) do certain people feel compelled to snort "thats not Prog" like a whiny 5th grader?

  3. #3
    Beautiful album, solid from start to finish.

  4. #4
    Aside from Thick As A Brick and Passion Play, maybe the proggiest album to hit #1 in the U.S. in the 70's.

  5. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by YESHEAD777 View Post
    Starts out with "A hit by Varese" which all music guide quotes being inspired by ELP and Yes.
    ELP maybe, Yes not very much. I have read band members saying that Kath listened to Varese after reading Zappa's quote from him in Freak Out.

  6. #6
    Member Guitarplyrjvb's Avatar
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    This, along with VII, are the undiscovered gems of their catalogue! The remaster with bonus tracks is essential!

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    Member chescorph's Avatar
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    Chicago was a wonderful group with Kath. V and VII as noted are the ones to seek out beyond the first 2. I love how the drums were separately miked, innovative for its time.

  8. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by chescorph View Post
    Chicago was a wonderful group with Kath. V and VII as noted are the ones to seek out beyond the first 2. I love how the drums were separately miked, innovative for its time.
    III is pretty terrific as well aside from some overindulgence on the second side.

  9. #9
    One of the many great albums during the Kath era, and their first single LP! So much to digest sonically -- three distinct vocalists who harmonized great together, intricate arrangements with those horn parts, Kath's gritty guitar, Seraphine may have been overshadowed by the others but he had some interesting drum parts if you keyed in on that instrument. Cetera was also a damn good bassist which many people who only know him for his pop career may not realize. He was a big influence on my playing.
    You say Mega Ultra Deluxe Special Limited Edition Extended Autographed 5-LP, 3-CD, 4-DVD, 2-BlueRay, 4-Cassette, five 8-Track, MP4 Download plus Demos, Outtakes, Booklet, T-Shirt and Guitar Pick Gold-Leafed Box Set Version like it's a bad thing...

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    Love it. I love the first eight Chicago records.
    The Prog Corner

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    Quote Originally Posted by MYSTERIOUS TRAVELLER View Post
    one of the greatest artists of the early Prog era

    love their first 7 albums (yes, even 3 and 6)
    They should have been in the RRHOF long ago based on the strengths of I through VII alone.

  12. #12
    Excellent album and along with Chicago VII I think are both underrated. A Hit by Varese is really amazing.

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    Quote Originally Posted by jrw View Post
    They should have been in the RRHOF long ago based on the strengths of I through VII alone.
    Wow, are you looking at things backwards! By the "typical RRHoF voter" mentality, I-through-VII were that weird early crap Chicago did before they started their real career as a reliable, professional hit machine.

  14. #14
    I love everything with Kath on it, including X and XI. This one is certainly no exception. To me, their songwriting took a big leap forward with V.

  15. #15
    That's Mr. to you, Sir!! Trane's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by miamiscot View Post
    Love it. I love the first eight Chicago records.
    Well,6 and 8 are notably weaker

    Quote Originally Posted by flowerking View Post
    Excellent album and along with Chicago VII I think are both underrated. A Hit by Varese is really amazing.
    Yup, post Carnegie (AKA Chicago IV), a lot of progheads tend to forget 5 and VII (I have a preference for the latter's first disc, which is in some ways fairly un-Chicago sounding.

    Quote Originally Posted by Baribrotzer View Post
    Wow, are you looking at things backwards! By the "typical RRHoF voter" mentality, I-through-VII were that weird early crap Chicago did before they started their real career as a reliable, professional hit machine.
    Well, the good Chicago is definitely in a minority compared to the bad Chicago in terms of releases
    Last edited by Trane; 04-28-2016 at 05:42 AM.
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    Member Since: 3/27/2002 MYSTERIOUS TRAVELLER's Avatar
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    I suppose an artist has to have a strong "hit single" presence in order for the RRHOF to even look at it
    Why is it whenever someone mentions an artist that was clearly progressive (yet not the Symph weenie definition of Prog) do certain people feel compelled to snort "thats not Prog" like a whiny 5th grader?

  17. #17
    Member Vic2012's Avatar
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    I've gone through phases where V was my favorite Chicago album. Today I'd rank it after the first three. Chicago was a heavy band back then. The word is "heavy" not "hard/rock/metal." I was gonna mention early Chicago in Peter's thread but I figured I'd end up raising a ruckus. Whatever. When V was release I was a complete Chicago fanatic. The first 3 studio albums and the 4-disk live album where heavy jazz/rock with lots of radio friendly pop mixed in. The first time I heard Saturday In The Park on the radio I might've been a little disappointed (not that I didn't like the song, but because it was just too poppy for what I was expecting). To cut the story short, I ended up winning V. It was one of those "be caller number # and you have a choice of two albums to pick." I picked Chicago V. I loved it. I wanted another 2-record set but it had enough sophisticated jazz/rock and enough Terry Kath goodness that I really liked it. It really is their last great album to me. I haven't heard VII in decades. Yes it's a good album, but I'd take V over it. VI and VIII I didn't care for and that's where I jumped off and never looked back.

  18. #18
    Quote Originally Posted by MYSTERIOUS TRAVELLER View Post
    I suppose an artist has to have a strong "hit single" presence in order for the RRHOF to even look at it
    First off, Chicago has a lot of hit singles, many of which were early in their career. But more, all of you complaining about bands not making it into the RRHOF are missing the point. The HOF is not about music, its about fashion and fame (fashion in the sense of is it fashionable to like them?) RRHOF gets it wrong most of the time because they aren't interested in the music itself, just like Rolling Stone magazine. Its all about trying to tell people what they should listen to rather than what is good.

  19. #19
    Quote Originally Posted by Baribrotzer View Post
    Wow, are you looking at things backwards! By the "typical RRHoF voter" mentality, I-through-VII were that weird early crap Chicago did before they started their real career as a reliable, professional hit machine.
    Um.

    "Make Me Smile." "Beginnings." "Color My World." "Feelin' Stronger Every Day." "Just You'n'Me." "Saturday in the Park." "Wishing You Were Here." "Dialog." "Harry Truman." "Old Days." All from the first 8 albums; all were big radio hits.

    I'm just sayin'.
    Cobra handling and cocaine use are a bad mix.

  20. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sturgeon's Lawyer View Post
    Um.

    "Make Me Smile." "Beginnings." "Color My World." "Feelin' Stronger Every Day." "Just You'n'Me." "Saturday in the Park." "Wishing You Were Here." "Dialog." "Harry Truman." "Old Days." All from the first 8 albums; all were big radio hits.

    I'm just sayin'.
    Sure. But they also had tracks like "A Hit by Varese", or some of the middle portions of "Ballet for a Girl in Buckhannon". Tracks that weren't hit singles, could never be hit singles, and weren't even meant ever as hit singles - just as self-indulgence by self-styled "musicians" who wanted to do "something different". So, by Big Time Music Business thinking, all those dozen-or-so hits were just lucky flukes by an unprofessional band that didn't have its priorities straight.

  21. #21
    Quote Originally Posted by Sturgeon's Lawyer View Post
    Um.

    "Make Me Smile." "Beginnings." "Color My World." "Feelin' Stronger Every Day." "Just You'n'Me." "Saturday in the Park." "Wishing You Were Here." "Dialog." "Harry Truman." "Old Days." All from the first 8 albums; all were big radio hits.

    I'm just sayin'.
    25 or 6 to 4?

  22. #22
    My favorite Chicago album after II. Fantastic band with Terry Kath.

  23. #23
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    I grew up with older brothers and sisters so Chicago (along with the Beatles, Dave Clark 5 and Elton John) were in heavy rotation in my house. I didn't know what songs were on which albums then, but latter found out that II, V and VII most of the Chicago air time. V is great with not a bad track on it, but if you said I could on take 1 Chicago album to that desert island, it would have to be Night and Day Big Band!

    Gotcha, just wanted to see if you were paying attention!

    While I do like NaDBB a lot, and there are many excellent discs by Chicago, my fav is VII with V , II and CTA not far behind

  24. #24
    Love them all to varying degrees until the loss of Terry Kath. The first five are my favorites.

    Funny, I was just in Wuxtry here in Athens last week flipping through used vinyl and came across "Hot Streets"...it was like touching a stove burner.

  25. #25
    Moderator Sean's Avatar
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    It goes great with "Love Beach"!

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