Chicago Xiii [Extra tracks, Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered]

Chicago | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 22, 2003)
• Original Release Date: 1979
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Extra tracks, Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
• Label: Rhino / Wea
• ASIN: B00008LKH4
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #49,717 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Producer Phil Ramone returned for this 1979 smash, highlighted by the hit Street Player and featuring two bonus tracks!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Good Effort by Chicago, July 5, 2003

By 

Rik22 (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chicago Xiii (Audio CD)

"Chicago 13" is sometimes referred to as the band's "disco album".
True, the disc, originally released in 1979 at the height of the disco era finds Chicago dipping into the disco idiom. However, aside from the opener, "Street Player", none of the album's other tracks have anything resembling a disco groove.
"Street Player" is really a great tune and should not be boxed into the term, "disco". The track features some excellent percussion tracks (with jazz artist Airto guest starring) and a hot trumpet solo (with jazz artist Maynard Ferguson also guest starring). Trombonist Jimmy Pankow's horn chart on "Street Player" stands as one of his best works as well on this tune written by drummer Danny Seraphine.
There are some excellent songs on "Chicago 13" including Bobby Lamm's snappy "Reruns", the uptempo latin-styled "Life is What It Is" (written by percussionist Laudir De Oliveira) and Jimmy Pankow's "Runaway".
The only problem with this recording is the production value. Following in the footsteps of 1978's "Hot Streets" (the band's first album without guitarist and founding member Terry Kath), the approach of producer Phil Ramone to recording this American superband just doesn't click. Like he did on "Hot Streets", Ramone again uses a lot of reverb on the recorded tracks, making the overall sound very thin. Also, the vocals do not involve a lot of harmony arrangement, thus, the classic Chicago vocal sound, so beautifully evident in their first nine studio recordings (produced by James William Guercio) is sorely missing.
"Chicago 13" is still a good album with a great deal of melody permeating the songwriting as we had come to expect from the group over the years. The performances are solid and the horns are in fine form.
The bonus track on this 2003 re-issue is the club mix of "Street Player", which is pretty cool.
A worthwhile purchase.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sorry, but I think it's good!!!, December 16, 2005

By 

MontyB "MontyB" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chicago Xiii (Audio CD)

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......

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unlucky Number Or Not?I say the latter, November 17, 2005

By 

Andre S. Grindle "Andre' Grindle" (Brewer Maine) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Chicago Xiii (Audio CD)

'Chicago 13' is one of those albums that music critics love to hate.Like Rod Stewart's Blondes Have More Fun or the Rolling Stones Some Girls it is seen as a blatant attempt to jump onto the disco bandwagon.Well the opener "Street Player" isn't exactly disco either-it's a dancable latin-funk jam that was originally written and recorded by Rufus And Chaka Khan one year earlier on their album.....Street Player.And therin lies my only condemnation of the tune-it is not a Chicago original but it it still a great opener.Not disco but crossover and works in both world. That being said 'Chicago 13' actually contains more then handful of wonderful tunes.Sadly Donnie Dacus's 'Must've Been Crazy" isn't one of them-it's a yawn inducing rocker that's so pedestrian and unworthy of Chicago's normally funky jazz-rock style.If great rockers in their classic style is what you want then look no further then the driving "Window Dreamin'","Run Away",the almost arena worthy "Mama Take" and the equally impressive "Reruns",all sounding like vintage Chicago.On the softer side the gentle latin ballad "Life Is What It Is" is a sure fire should've been a hit-could've shared the same album with a song like "Just You N'Me".Same goes for the like-minded bonus cut "Closer To You".This album also has a couple jazzy funk tunes in "Paradise Alley" and the shuffling "Aloha Mama" for good measure. All this makes this 1979 release only inessencial in and of itself is it's lack of big Top 40 pop hits.So if all your favorite songs are only the ones you hear on the radio (which sadly seems to account for about 99.5 % of the music loving public) then 'Chicago 13' might not be for you.But if your traveling in your car and you want something good in the CD player,pick this one.It flows very well from beginning to end and if you tend to be an album listener rather then into only the hit singles this will do fine!