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Editorial Reviews
Chicago VI was another solid platinum plus smash for Chicago. Buoyed by the success of huge hit singles like "Just You 'N' Me" & "Feelin' Stronger Every Day," their sixth platter was chock filled of even more smashes like the piano driven opener "Critic's Choice" and "Hollywood." Friday Music is honored to announce the Chicago 180 Gram Audiophile Vinyl Series with our first chapter Chicago VI. This LP features the original core line-up of Lamm, Kath, Cetera, etc. Mastered impeccably from the original Chicago Records/ Warner Bros. tapes by Joe Reagoso, also presented in a nice gatefold cover.
--This text refers to the
Vinyl
edition.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
45 of 52 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
The period during which Chicago released their first eleven albums, the Terry Kath era, is generally acknowledged to be their creative zenith. For comparison purposes, I will leave out three of these albums: IV (the live album of performances of previously released songs), IX (their first greatest hits album), and XI (with which I am less familiar.)
The remaining eight albums can be grouped thus:
The Sprawling Double Album Masterpieces: CTA, II, and VII.
The Very Good Albums: V, VI, and X.
The Inconsistent Efforts: III and VIII.
As brilliant as is Chicago's recording history, they never put out a perfect record. Each of CTA, II, and VII contains far too much landmark material to have been confined to a single LP, but none of the three is without its dry stretches (sides four on CTA and II, and side one on VII.) But each of these double LPs are without doubt Chicago's greatest achievements, next to which the other Chicago records suffer by comparison. Those are the discs on which Chicago dismissed the boundaries of popular music, packing every manner of harmonic and rhythmic experimentation successfully into structures that didn't easily condense for radio play.
The fifth and sixth albums are commonly described as the ones on which Chicago abandoned the upper reaches of their jazz-rock experimentation, pursuing more digestible, simpler pop tunes. While it's true that each of the fifth and sixth records is more concise and pop-crafted than are the double-album magnum opera, they are far deeper than this description credits.
Chicago VI opens in startling fashion, with Robert Lamm's gorgeous but bitter "Critic's Choice," consisting only of Lamm's voice and piano. This establishes the album's mood. It's tuneful, but far more introspective and haunting than much of Chicago's previous work, especially than their traditional up-tempo openers.
Throughout VI, Lamm pours his heart out, expressing loneliness and disappointment in his California experience (an sensitive contrast with the amused cynicism that Steely Dan expressed on the same subject.) The song that originally opened the second side, "Something in this City Changes People," is well reputed for its graceful three-part harmony, but for this listener, the musing, brooding opening, Lamm alone on the piano, is when it inhabits its deepest, most poignant place. Lamm is not, on this album, about being a hit-maker, but rather about venting a backlog of emotion.
James Pankow's contributions to VI include the two powerhouse hits, "Just You N' Me," and "Feelin' Stronger Every Day" (the latter a collaboration with Pete Cetera.) Great as these pieces are, for my money it's the lesser-known pieces that make VI one of Chicago's best records. Lamm and Pankow each contributed terrific up-tempo pieces in addition to the pieces cited above: Lamm's "Darlin' Dear" and Pankow's "What's This World Coming To." Each is irresistibly funky and good-humored.
If I had to pick a single Chicago cut to play for someone who had never heard the band, I would seriously consider "What's This World Comin' To." With a single Chicago cut, you usually have to choose between Terry Kath's vocals or Pete Cetera's. "This World" by contrast brings all of the band's great elements together. Kath, Cetera and Lamm all sing their lungs out, and the whole band stretches out together with a furious power. Your adrenaline will be pumping by the gallon by the end of the cut.
Chicago VI's first side is one of the best they ever laid down. The second side doesn't hold to the same standard, but it's a ridiculously high standard.
This edition of Chicago VI contains two bonus tracks. They are interesting, worthy additions, but not the seamless products that are many of the other cuts.
Chicago band members have reminisced about the difficulty of recording this album at high-altitude, with shortness of breath, and general disorientation. If that's true, they hid it well. The horns have rarely sounded better than they do here, and the same is true for the vocals.
Aficionados should listen to and study CTA, II, and VII before this disc. But for anyone who just wants a great single Chicago disc, this one should be strongly considered. I would buy it even before its biting, well-regarded predecessor, V. Chicago VI is one of their very best.
The remaining eight albums can be grouped thus:
The Sprawling Double Album Masterpieces: CTA, II, and VII.
The Very Good Albums: V, VI, and X.
The Inconsistent Efforts: III and VIII.
As brilliant as is Chicago's recording history, they never put out a perfect record. Each of CTA, II, and VII contains far too much landmark material to have been confined to a single LP, but none of the three is without its dry stretches (sides four on CTA and II, and side one on VII.) But each of these double LPs are without doubt Chicago's greatest achievements, next to which the other Chicago records suffer by comparison. Those are the discs on which Chicago dismissed the boundaries of popular music, packing every manner of harmonic and rhythmic experimentation successfully into structures that didn't easily condense for radio play.
The fifth and sixth albums are commonly described as the ones on which Chicago abandoned the upper reaches of their jazz-rock experimentation, pursuing more digestible, simpler pop tunes. While it's true that each of the fifth and sixth records is more concise and pop-crafted than are the double-album magnum opera, they are far deeper than this description credits.
Chicago VI opens in startling fashion, with Robert Lamm's gorgeous but bitter "Critic's Choice," consisting only of Lamm's voice and piano. This establishes the album's mood. It's tuneful, but far more introspective and haunting than much of Chicago's previous work, especially than their traditional up-tempo openers.
Throughout VI, Lamm pours his heart out, expressing loneliness and disappointment in his California experience (an sensitive contrast with the amused cynicism that Steely Dan expressed on the same subject.) The song that originally opened the second side, "Something in this City Changes People," is well reputed for its graceful three-part harmony, but for this listener, the musing, brooding opening, Lamm alone on the piano, is when it inhabits its deepest, most poignant place. Lamm is not, on this album, about being a hit-maker, but rather about venting a backlog of emotion.
James Pankow's contributions to VI include the two powerhouse hits, "Just You N' Me," and "Feelin' Stronger Every Day" (the latter a collaboration with Pete Cetera.) Great as these pieces are, for my money it's the lesser-known pieces that make VI one of Chicago's best records. Lamm and Pankow each contributed terrific up-tempo pieces in addition to the pieces cited above: Lamm's "Darlin' Dear" and Pankow's "What's This World Coming To." Each is irresistibly funky and good-humored.
If I had to pick a single Chicago cut to play for someone who had never heard the band, I would seriously consider "What's This World Comin' To." With a single Chicago cut, you usually have to choose between Terry Kath's vocals or Pete Cetera's. "This World" by contrast brings all of the band's great elements together. Kath, Cetera and Lamm all sing their lungs out, and the whole band stretches out together with a furious power. Your adrenaline will be pumping by the gallon by the end of the cut.
Chicago VI's first side is one of the best they ever laid down. The second side doesn't hold to the same standard, but it's a ridiculously high standard.
This edition of Chicago VI contains two bonus tracks. They are interesting, worthy additions, but not the seamless products that are many of the other cuts.
Chicago band members have reminisced about the difficulty of recording this album at high-altitude, with shortness of breath, and general disorientation. If that's true, they hid it well. The horns have rarely sounded better than they do here, and the same is true for the vocals.
Aficionados should listen to and study CTA, II, and VII before this disc. But for anyone who just wants a great single Chicago disc, this one should be strongly considered. I would buy it even before its biting, well-regarded predecessor, V. Chicago VI is one of their very best.
12 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
When I heard Rhino Records was planning to release the remastered Chicago catalogue, I was certainly pleased since the band itself seemed intent upon putting out only basic versions of their first 14 albums. So far, the Rhino collection (CTA, II, III, V) has been nothing short of excellent.
CHICAGO VI is no exception. I'll grant that the sound quality is not significantly improved over the Columbia originals--proof positive of Jim Guercio's very modern production techniques. But the liner notes and the bonus tracks here are worth the 12 bucks you'll pay and then some.
The gold is an added Terry Kath demo, a tune he was working on called BEYOND ALL OUR SORROWS. It's just piano and Kath vocals, and though it's not quite in finished form, it's an absolutely powerful and haunting performance ("He could've been a monster as a solo artist," Guercio has said). For Chicago fans, tracks like this are the equivilant of the Holy Grail.
Good, too, is a live version of Al Green's TIRED OF BEING ALONE featuring Al himself. The tight arrangement and the afterglow chit-chat hearken back to I DON'T WANT YOUR MONEY on III.
VI itself, of course, features two classics: JUST YOU N' ME and FEELIN' STRONGER EVERY DAY. Strong, too, are Kath's JENNY and the Lamm tune SOMETHING IN THIS CITY CHANGES PEOPLE. The band has fun with loose rockers like DARLIN' DEAR and WHAT'S THIS WORLD COMIN' TO? In fact, only Cetera's IN TERMS OF TWO and Lamm's HOLLYWOOD ring the dud bell.
With these excellent reissues behind them, Chicago fans can only be happily anticipating what Rhino will do next.
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I don't understand all of the carping about "VI". This is by far the finest single album Chicago ever released. It blends styles so perfectly and honestly. From the horn-free "Critic's Choice" to the explosive "Feeling Stronger Every Day", this is one of the few Chicago albums that hold up and sound as fresh as they did in 1973.
It is also one of the few Chicago albums in which I like each and every song and can actually listen to all the way through. This is a must for all Chicago fans.
Does anyone notice that James Pankow actually wrote most of the early hits? Too bad he wasn't able to contribute more hits to the catalog. His contributions began to get less and less with each album. In "VI", he contributes both major hits:Just You N'Me and "Feeling Stronger Every Day" (co-written with Peter Cetera).
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Forgotten charms
I had forgotten how incredibly appealing this album really is until a recent vinyl renaissance that has had me exploring older titles. Read more
Published 4 months ago by maelje
Chicago VI Great album!
Love this old Chicago stuff! Wish they would go back to that old sound again instead of what they are doing now.
Published 5 months ago by chicubby
Chicago VI, vinyl rejuvinated
Lets face it, while not the best Chicago LP, it is one of their better efforts, and includes Kath prior to his demise. Read more
Published 14 months ago by G. Cacciatore
Chicago starts a new chapter at the Caribou Ranch
Chicago VI, released in 1973, was the very first album recorded at the famed Caribou Ranch (which sadly burned down years later). The results didn't disappoint. Read more
Published on November 8, 2009 by J. Austin
Chicago At Their Best
Chicago VI is a tight, diverse collection of tunes by a band with a skill set that wasn't shy about using them. Read more
Published on September 25, 2009 by Brian Bara
what's to worry about, huh?
Thank goodness for THIS album because if I didn't like Chicago VI, I would say there was *no* consistently enjoyable Chicago albums during the bands pop or ballad-dominated period... Read more
Published on July 25, 2009 by B. E Jackson
Something About Chicago Changes People
During this period in Chicago's musical development was forging ahead at such a high speed that it seemed they'd meet themselves along the way at any point. Read more
Published on June 15, 2009 by Andre S. Grindle
Another Great Chicago CD
CHICAGO VI is yet another great CD by Chicago. Most of the songs on here are of high quality, with the best being the rocker "Feelin' Stronger Every Day. Read more
Published on February 27, 2008 by The Footpath Cowboy
It's the performance and the sound
I agree with those who say this is among Chicago's best, and therefore among the best albums of that era, but it's a lot simpler than they want to make it. Read more
Published on October 2, 2007 by svs95
Undanceable bummer, with hits
From the very first doleful chords of Robert Lamm's "Critics' Choice," the emotional tone of this album can only be described as depressive. Read more
Published on July 17, 2007 by Jean E. Pouliot
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SoundUnwound - the personal music encyclopedia
Chicago VI is Chicago's fourth studio release.
Peter Cetera, Bill Champlin, Jason Scheff, Robert Lamm, Bruce Gaitsch and 12 other artists have been a member of Chicago.
Peter Cetera, Bill Champlin, Jason Scheff, Robert Lamm, Bruce Gaitsch and 12 other artists have been a member of Chicago.
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