CHICAGO - Chicago X (1976) (2024)

There might have been some changes in the market and flows of revitalization as adiversification of music and a change in the situation since the middle of the 1970's. Thedefinition of Rock that consisted by the latter half of the especially 70's to some degree hadthe part that existed as an opinion that drew the flow that had been established. Insistenceon part besides politics and system. Music represented the listener's existence andinsistence and there was a part where the activity that influenced the society had been atleast approved for the item of Rock in the 70's.

The form of Rock in the 70's will present the aspect that changes completely before longwith the existence of Punk Rock in the latter half of the 70's. It might also have had the flowmade a ruin as a style superficially received from young people.

However, the music character of Chicago where shape and the message existed partiallyof the symbol as a strong part and Rock might have acquired a wide-ranging oppositely fanin the flow that took the part of construction and POP of the refined music character andrepeated groping. It will have been time of "V" from which the part where the tendency hadappeared gradually had been announced in 1972. This time was time when the elementas Brass Rock had been suited enough. Single Hit was made to succeed one after anotherwhile putting out the color of the sociality and the message and it ensured existence as onegroup.

The flow that the album to announce afterwards also contributes to the chart has beenestablished. It is also certain that the part where shape concerning the composition ofPeter Cetera and Robert Lamm began to appear mutually and clearly at this time isremarkably projected to the album.

And, there was a part that was not the form that acted around an originally complete leaderfor the group in the band. The part of the composition and the song might be in simple JazzRock and Brass Rock because each member was related and there be a flow that did notbecome it either in Chicago.

However, it is also certain that there were some frictions for circ*mstances in the band.Sensibility of POP that Peter Cetera has. Or, it is a flow of the directionality of Robert Lammand Terry Kath that tried to emphasize the part of a more novel idea and Rock to the musiccharacter of Chicago. And, the member might always have been stimulating each otherwith James William Guercio that always supported the music character of the band.

The position of this album is hit at the time of maturity as the band exactly establishedwhen thinking about the situation and the history of the band. Fact to which "If You Leave MeNow" that had been collected to this album acquired the first place of single for the first timefor band in the United States. Or, the point that James Pankow and Lee Loughnane takecharge of the song by the tune. The band exactly announced the work it made to the tenthwork and with evenness.

"Once Or Twice" is straight Rock And Roll where the music character of Terry Kath appears.The Horn section and ensemble are splendidly constructed. Melody of Funky with piano. Or,the dash feeling that you may combine Solo of Sax is given.

"You Are On My Mind" is a tune by James Pankow. And, James Pankow takes charge of thesong. Exhilaration one feels in which you may make the rhythm of Samba a base areproduced. The melody of Brass remarkably shows the music character of Chicago. Theflow that construction and the tension of the part and the melody by the chorus areintroduced well might be good.

"Skin Tight" is a tune with the element of Jazz Funk where the originality of Chicagoappears. As for the chorus and the melody to get on complete Groove, the band gives agood arrangement to the progress of Chord of the base of Rock And Roll. The part of Soloof the guitar and a few Bluesy is suitable for the tune well, too.

"If You Leave Me Now" is a tune where the element of POP and Love Song of Peter Ceteraappears completely. Progress of beautiful melody and Chord. Strings are effectivelyintroduced and the width of the album has been expanded as a complete Love ballade.

"Together Again" is a tune by Lee Loughnane. Progress of melody with exhilaration onefeels in which age is caught. Or, the melody with an anacatesthesia and a transparentfeeling in which it introduces it on the way. The composition in which the sound of thedecoration twines round the part of the tune to recollect their initial works might besplendid. The atmosphere of this tune is succeeded by the content of "XI".

"Another Rainy Day In New York City" has introduced the element of the calypso as a basisof the rhythm. A fresh impression is given to the listener overall while mixing the progressof Chord with expression of feelings.

"Mama Mama" is a tune with the atmosphere of good AOR that catches the age. Progressof melody and Chord with transparent feeling and exhilaration one feels. The impression ofthe tune is completely decided while effectively introducing strings. The flexibility of the bandappears in the melody of Brass. However, the tendency to the work at this time might havebeen time as the impression of the tune when the element of POP and AOR a little hadbegun to appear. It might be proof from which the music character of Peter Cetera isgradually projected to the work.

"Scrapbook" is a tune of which the element of Jazz Funk has gone out. Part whereemphasized song and sound effect were introduced. A good music character of RobertLamm might appear originally in the part where the complex melody that the band had hadwas used well. It is possible to improve it as a tune with the element of Funk. The guitar ofTerry Kath is perfect.

In "Gently I'll Wake You", a beautiful piano melody and a gentle chorus are features. And,the width of the tune has been expanded by effectively introducing the melody of Bluesy. It isa tune where the idea of Robert Lamm shines. There is a part where an initial work is alittle reminiscent as the impression.

"You Get It Up" is a tune where the arrangement of the band shines. Part of arrangement byBrass. The flavor of complete Jazz Funk and the flavor of Soul Music might go out ahead.The work of the guitar and the keyboard twines round the tune well. There is little song.However, it can enjoy the capability of the band enough.

"Hope For Love" is a tune by Terry Kath. The music character of Terry Kath is indeedflexible. The flow of a beautiful ballade might be suitable for the end of this album. Part ofgrand melody and strings. The impression with a good melody of the piano and theemphasized song is given.

The band that established it while constructing the directionality of groping and the band atthis time tried to enter the next step indeed with fame. The band was exactly rushing into atthe time of maturity.

How could we let it slip away

Having suffered from collective exhaustion during the recording of "Chicago VIII", the bandtook their time in returning to the studio to record their next album. To retain the public'sattention, a greatest hits album was released in the meanwhile, being given the sub-title "Chicago IX" in the numeric discography. In retrospect, this proved to be a classic caseof bad timing, as the band's biggest singles success and first ever number one was toappear on "Chicago X".

It was spring 1976 before Chicago got around to recording "Chicago X", the group onceagain retiring to deepest Colorado (USA) for the sessions. By now, any remaining hints ofthe jazz rock band which recorded their innovative early albums had been firmly cast aside,in the studio at least. The longest track on this album runs to under 4 minutes, the tracksbeing simple, commercially orientated pop affairs. Despite this, the song which sealed theband's destiny, the Grammy award winning "If you leave me now", was actually a lastminute addition.

Peter Cetera had presented "If you leave me now" to the band who, while impressed withthe results of the recording, felt that it was not a Chicago song. Producer JamesGuercio however was struggling to find a guaranteed hit single on the album, and over-ruled any misgivings the band had about its inclusion. The song will be familiar to virtuallyeveryone, being one of radio's most played songs over the years. It may be a smooth,romantic ballad, awash with strings, but it touched a chord with the record buying publicand the rest is history. Despite the fact that by this time the band had been all but forgottenoutside their native USA, the single found success throughout the world, reminding us atleast what a fine band Chicago once were.

It should not therefore be assumed that "If you leave me now" is representative of thealbum as a whole, it is not. The opening "Once or twice" is a thunderous slice of boogierock, Terry Kath's gruff vocal being reminiscent of fellow traveller David Clayton Thomas(BS&T). As a committed non-singer in the band, James Pankow traditionally "auditioned"the band's singers before deciding who should sing his compositions. When it cameto "You are on my mind" though, he found that none of the singers captured the song theway he envisioned. The result is that he makes his vocal début here, and does a decent jobof it too. It is fair to say the hustle nature of the composition is hardly vocally testing, but thearrangement is one of the more interesting on the album.

Pankow allows Peter Cetera to deliver "Skin tight", a song which, despite a good hornarrangement, is one of the worst recorded by the band up to this point. LeeLoughnane's "Together again" continues the pop rock, although the incorporation of timechanges in the song does at least offer something a little more challenging. RobertLamm's "Another rainy day in New York City", sung once again by Cetera, was also pluckedfrom the album as a successful single release. The song has a bit of a reggae/calypsorhythm, clearly designed to attract pop buyers.

Cetera's domination of the album continues with his self composed "Mama mama", a mid-paced piece of smooth pop saved by a good horn arrangement. Robert Lamm's threecompositions on the album are played back to back, Lamm taking lead vocals on two,while the band collectively sing the third. "Scrapbook" is a funky reminiscence of variousartists the band have toured with over the years (Zappa, Hendrix, the Beach Boys and TheMothers all get a name check). "Gently I'll wake you" is inevitably a soft ballad, Lamm'smulti-tracked vocals being decidedly un-Chicago like. "You get it up" is little more than apiece of collective buffoonery. The album closes with Terry Kath's "Hope for love", apleasing ballad featuring mellotron (played by David Wolinski), Kath's soulful vocals beingperfectly suited to his song.

While the band may have returned to the studio invigorated after their break, it seems theircollective yearning for commercial success was winning the battle against their artisticintegrity. While the brass section is still here, it is firmly relegated to a supporting rolethroughout, the emphasis being repeatedly placed on finding a hit single. The fact that thealbum spawned what for many is now the band's signature song is something of a doubleedged sword. It may have vindicated their efforts to find chart success, but it drew the bandinto territories already well served by many other pop acts, while depriving the jazz rockworld of one of its finest ambassadors.

One could say that CHICAGO X was the 'Dark Side Of The Moon' for the band's career - for surethe commercial success of the album attaining Grammy awards for best album packaging (agatefold LP with a picture of a partially unwrapped 'Chicago' stamped chocolate bar on the outer, and an amusing police-chase scene on the inner, an inner sleeve & lyrics sheet) along with the Hit Single (with a bullet, actually, several bullets world-wide -going to 'If You Leave Me Now') indeed garnered them a household name and plenty of bucks.All said, the musicality and execution of the 11 songs presented on this release are, for themost part, flawless. Accessible for sure, it's catchy and many melodies are memorable, theinstrumental display, at times, impressive. This is the only album I've noticed to have everytrack over 3 minutes and under 4 minutes. Said smash hit, the Cetera penned 'If You LeaveMe Now' was a last minute addition to the album (and it does show), forced by manager anddirector James William Guercio (whose dictatorship would dissolve after the following album)sees Cetera taking the lead vocal and acoustic guitar duties (Guercio on bass) along with a rather wistfulOrchestral arrangement backing the track - well, for this listener it's a pleasant M.O.R. ride withsome unusual key changes amongst its structure, but for most it may be a horribly over-played and way-too-pedestrian ballad. This piece paved the way for future Cetera successesand showed him off as a great singer/songwriter - but having many forget what a great Bassisthe actually is (or can be). Keyboardist Robert Lamm has expanded on his choice of sounds by utilising varied e-piano textures, and adding occasional mini-moog and Hammond parts here and there. Elsewhere, there are some minor gems to be found as 'You Are On My Mind' (with excellently placed drum fills fromDanny Seraphine), the funkiness of 'Skin Tight' (which boasts a great bass-line and a top brass arrangement), and the band jam 'You Get It Up' (a blowing groove with killerbass (again) from Cetera - and being a bassist, I listen closely to what he does - many may beinspired by his approach). Overall, quite an acceptable album of classic-rock/brass-rock which someProggers may find engaging elements within. Any weaknesses I can attribute go to the syrupy 'Mama Mama', 'Hope For Love' (which colleague David Wolinski couldn't save with his mellotron...) and the try-hard ballsiness of 'Gently I'll Wake You' (with a rather goofy piano riff) . 3 stars never-the-less.

Being a fan of Chicago has been at times an extremely rewarding attraction and at other times anincredibly frustrating one. After hearing them initially in '69 when they opened up a Jimi Hendrixconcert I attended they quickly became one of my favorite bands and I almost wore the grooves out oftheir first three double LPs because they were so progressive-minded and innovative. I developed areal sense of kinship with them. But, like all extended family members can, they began to test mypatience. My Chicago cousins started to delve into realms they were unsuited for, moves I foundperplexing and, on occasion, downright idiotic. Instead of continuing to develop their uniqueability to fuse rock with jazz they foolishly wandered into other genres because they liked them,not because they were talented at working in them. It happens. I get it. But it's one thing toadmire, say, The Rolling Stones, quite another to incorporate their sound into yours without comingoff as a cheap imitation. I attribute the uneven nature of albums V and VI to that tendency. Thecourageous return they made to their fusion foundations on VII was cause for exuberant celebrationbut just one year later they plunged to rock bottom with the dull, lifeless VIII, leaving mescratching my head in confusion. So in 1976 they were at a crucial fork in the road and I wonderedwhich path they'd take. Finally, after 15 months of waiting (and not being appeased by a greatesthits package in the interim), I got my answer in the form of number X. Unfortunately it didn't bodewell as to where their future endeavors would be headed.

They begin with guitarist Terry Kath's "Once or Twice," a tune that can't be categorized as beinganything other than full-frontal rock & roll with no apologies offered. While not all thatmemorable the enthusiasm they exude at least makes it appear that all eight members were on the samepage once again after looking like F-Troop rejects on the mess that was VIII. Trombonist JamesPankow's "You Are On My Mind" fosters hope for better things. It's a jazzy little number with asubtle Latin feel and a funky middle section that provides a healthy amount of contrast. BothPankow's vocal debut on the track and his ever-reliable trombone make a good impression. His "SkinTight" is next, a slice of contemporary funk with a big band attitude where the bright horns andKath's spunky guitar really stand out. At this point I felt pretty optimistic about the directionthey were going in but that bubble of anticipation burst as soon as Peter Cetera's schmaltzy "If YouLeave Me Now" commenced to play. I realize this wasn't the first time they'd waded into the popballad pool but it was the first time they'd so blatantly bathed in it. What I'm saying is thatinside songs like "Wishing You Were Here" and "Color My World" there were still ingredients thatidentified it as being a product of Chicago but this tepid tune could've been done by Barry Manilowand no one would've known the difference. I've read that they had serious misgivings about it andthat it was their overbearing producer James Guercio who insisted they include this saccharine cupcake on the record but, in the end, they have to take responsibility for giving in to his demands.Despite the fact that the song became their first #1 hit single the damage it did to their alreadyfading reputation as rebels was devastating. From that moment on they ceased to be viewed asserious jazz/rock fusion explorers.

Trumpeter Lee Loughnane's "Together Again" follows, a lukewarm specimen of "lite rock" that driftsin and out of flowerland without ever finding a place to stake its claim. Lee tries his hand atsinging lead but his voice is unremarkably pedestrian and the tune's drawn-out ending is uneventful.Dipping their toes into Caribbean waves on keyboard man Robert Lamm's "Another Rainy Day in NewYork" is a welcome change of pace but the results are mundane at best because they generate zilch inthe excitement department. Cetera contributes "Mama Mama," a song propelled by a halfhearted R&Bgroove blended with pop sensibilities that water down a tune that had the potential to transcend thenorm if they'd taken a more aggressive tact. A hard funk/rock beat generates a spark under Lamm's"Scrapbook," providing a brief respite from the mediocre. The track's rowdy horns and Terry'splayful guitar solo give the number character while the nostalgic lyrics of "Jimi was so kind tous/had us on the tour/we got some education/like we never got before" strike a chord. Robert's"Gently I'll Wake You" is hard to label. It starts out as a low-key, piano bar sing-along kindadeal but then it escalates into something bigger. It does show they were trying to push themselvesa bit yet the composition isn't strong enough to make a lasting impression. The apex of the albumis Lamm's "You Get it Up," a sexy, motivating, mostly instrumental piece that features a group-sungchorus and contains more oomph than anything else on the record. It sounds like they were givingtheir egos a night off and letting themselves have fun recording it. Kath's heartbreak song, "Hopefor Love," is the closer, a simple tune they unwisely over-produce and, in the process, drain it ofany emotional impact it might've had before it evaporates into nothing, just like my hopes did forthe band to reinvigorate themselves.

In some circles X was viewed as a success. It went to #3 on the album charts, won three Grammys andgave them the elusive Top 40 topper their record company had dreamed of them delivering to them forseven years. Guercio was proven right but his commercial tactic only serves to remind me of thescripture that warns of gaining the whole world at the expense of losing one's very soul. Chicagowould go on to become one of the most enduring and affable acts on the planet but in June of '76with the release of this, their eighth studio project; they officially forfeited their "coolness."The signs were there on VIII but this confirmed their willful decision to never rock the boat againand just go with the popular flow. They had become, sadly, satisfied with being average musicallybut profitable financially. The establishment they once railed against had devoured them. 2.2 stars.

The feel of Chicago X is really very close to Chicago VIII (Chicago IX was a greatest hits collection, sowe'll skip that one). Just like VIII, X has a great variety of blues and jazz infused rock, streamlinedshorter yet well developed tracks, but this one is not as guitar oriented as VIII was. Still, the tracks arestill enjoyable and their are plenty of things to love about it. You will notice the trend though especiallyafter this album. Things are less interesting on "XI" and "Hot Streets", then after that, Chicago lost myinterest completely. So, I still love this album, again it is not perfect, but it is still enjoyable and betterthat "V" and "VI". They didn't give it all up to pop quite yet, but it is getting close. Another excellentalbum and addition to your rock collection. 4 stars.