Customer Reviews

Chicago Xiv

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Charging into the 1970's, Chicago took radio by storm with hits such as "Beginnings," "Make Me Smile," "Colour My World," and "Saturday in the Park."

Limping into the 1980's, hardly anybody noticed Chicago at all. The liner notes to this Rhino remastered re-release explain (in part) why.

CHICAGO XIV, the band's first set of the decade, is a real mixed bag. It features better tunes than the previous offerings--the dismal "Hot Streets" and "Chicago 13." It boasts the talented guitarist Chris Pinnick, who replaces the mercifully departed Donnie Dacus. But it also heralds the complete dominance of vocalist Pete Cetera and the indifferent production of Tom Dowd.

Dowd, who produced some classic Allman Brothers and Lynyrd Skynyrd albums, badly misfires with Chicago, muting the overall "big" sound the band had developed under James William Guercio. Too, he lets a series of awful Cetera ballads dominate the first half of the CD; drivel like "Song for You" and "Where Did the Loving Go" signal the eventual decline of Chicago into Cetera-spun sap (the same goes for the dreadful "Birthday Boy," a Daniel Seraphine/David Wolinski opus best left in the out-take bin). The liner notes indicate that Dowd was unable to control much of what went on during the sessions, and band profiles (such as "Chicago: VH1 Behind the Music") show that no one was able to control what went on OUTSIDE the sessions.

The band somewhat overcomes these disadvantages with solid rockers like Bobby Lamm's "Manipulation," Cetera's "Hold On," and Jimmy Pankow's "The American Dream."

The second half of the CD is aided as well by the great uptempo single "Thunder and Lightning" (why it didn't chart higher is still a mystery to me), and Lamm's excellent "I'd Rather Be Rich"--the CD's absolute standout, ranking among the best Chi's ever done (an early version of this great tune can be found on Rhino's remaster of Chicago X). Even Cetera's mid-tempo "Overnight Cafe" has a pleasing hook and a killer bridge.

The Rhino remaster features three bonus tracks, any one of which is preferable to "Song for You." Lamm's "Doin' Business" is uptempo and catchy, and his "Soldier of Fortune" is perhaps better than anything that wound up on on the original release. Cetera growls out the Pankow-penned "Live It Up," which, admittedly, is nothing special.

CHICAGO XIV sold poorly. Very soon after its release, Columbia dropped the band, sending it into limbo. This is sad, because XIV features some of the band's best work in years, mishandled though it may be.

Why fans hate this album is beyond me. It rocks much like their early efforts though with a harder edge. If you want to hear the swan song of their rock days get this worst(?) selling album-soon to come were the syrup ballads of Pete and David Foster. Who cares if there is too much guitar (often heard complaint)or that some tunes are possessing goofy titles-creativity should be reconsidered. Tunes like "Thunder and Lightning", "Manipulation", and "The American Dream" are great. It is better than 13 and far more interesting than Hot Streets. Being the first album I bought of the band at age 14-it kicked!!!!!!! Chicago has survived by changing with the times. They would have bombed even worse trying to release something harkening back to the early 70's in that punk rock-Adam Ant era of 1980. So be kind and please rewind to a different sounding band. As I write this, once again we come to a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame initiation with no Chicago-does Blondie really outrank them in success and popularity? Oh Great Spirit,help us!!!!

Following Terry Kath's death after Chicago XI, the group band produced three albums without longtime producer James William Guercio: Hot Streets, 13, and XIV. These three albums tend to be referred to by fans as the "low point" in Chicago's career. Chicago XIV has received undo criticism of not being a great album; however, I would tend to disagree. Though it's not their strongest effort, it contained far better material than Chicago 13 and was much better than their eighth album.

Chicago XIV marked the end of a chapter for the band; this was the last studio album to have songs written solely by members of the band. Chicago 16 marked a drastic change by adding extra studio musicians (look at the liner notes and you'll see several members from Toto contributing their talents), as well as outside songwriters. This changed the overall sound of the band, which has been a contention amongst diehard fans that were used to the old sound. Because sales were so poor with Chicago XIV, Columbia dropped them, even though they released a greatest hits album the following year.

I've said this in other Chicago reviews, so I'll say it again here. What I've always admired about the band is the balance between singers and songwriters. This balance brings a great amount of variety and does not leave one hearing the same "sound" again and again. Robert Lamm's compositions tend towards the classical vein, which you hear those elements (mixed meter, especially) in his tune "Manipulation." Trombonist James Pankow's tunes lean towards driving rock and funk, which is quite present in the tunes "Thunder and Lightning" and "American Dream." He also adds a great solo at the end of the former tune. Peter Cetera, the frontman for the group, was better at writing pop, which is clearly demonstrated in "Song for You" and "Where Did the Lovin' Go."

This album contains great brass arrangements by Pankow and the remastered edition has three additional unreleased tunes: two by Robert Lamm and one by James Pankow. Of the three post-Kath albums, this one comes the closest to their older "classic rock" sound - very guitar-centered, which may partially explain why the sales were low; the advent of punk/new wave was most likely the real reason. Totally unrelated to the music is the album cover. The fingerprint is clearly the coolest Chicago cover to be produced, the next one being the chocolate bar of Chicago X.

If you're unsure of whether or not to pick this album up, I can guarantee that you won't be disappointed. This is one for the library.

I don't care what anyone says, but this album is one of the absolute best that Chicago has made. It certainly deserved better than it got. Of course around the time of its release (July, 1980) music was going in different directions with punk and disco fading away and new wave and "Arena Rock" bands such as Journey, Styx, and REO Speedwagon taking center stage, leaving Chicago at a crossroads, so to speak. The music on this album tips a hat to the Chicago of old and propels them to pop superstardom two years later with the success of CHICAGO 16 and the international #1 hit "Hard To Say I'm Sorry."

The band kicks into sonic overdrive on the up-tempo lead-off track, "Manipulation," one of Chicago's hardest rocking songs ever. Guitarist Chris Pinnick does a fine job replacing Donnie Dacus, who two years previous, replaced legendary founding vocalist/guitarist Terry Kath. "Song For You" is one of the most beautiful ballads that bassist/vocalist Peter Cetera has ever sang with the band and it's a shame that the band doesn't go back to this or any of the material on this album, for that matter. It's a great song to dance to at a wedding. Other great songs like the minor hit "Thunder And Lightning," "Upon Arrival," "Hold On," and "The American Dream" make this album just as great as CHICAGO 16 and even 17 and I stand by my opinion. Even the first of the three bonus tracks, "Doin' Business" rocks like never before!

The horn players (Pankow, Loughnane, and Parazaider), as always, are in top form on XIV. Seraphine's drumming is as tight as ever and Cetera's bass playing/vocals and Lamm's keyboard playing/vocals are as good as ever. And Chris Pinnick is one hell of a guitar player. His shredding is just as good as his rhythm playing.

It's songs like these that make you wonder why this album didn't get as far as it should have.

The music on this album is highly underrated and underappreciated. Please check this great album out and see how they got their success in the 80's.

I rank this a 3-star, because I would not want this to be someone's first exposure to Chicago. When it first came out, I was disappointed. First, I had started to like Donnie Dacus, and now he was gone. Other than that, I don't know why I didn't like it. I think that a good Chicago album has to have less overall Cetera on it. But the group as a whole was struggling creatively right about now, and Peter Cetera is to be credited with keeping them afloat. He was entering his creative wave at this point (witness his self-titled first solo album). Danny Seraphine continues to present fine compositions, as well.

It also is the last de Oliveira album. The congas and percussion will not be a staple of the band from now on.

I thought that Thunder and Lightning was a legitimate return to their early 70s form. There was a lot that I loved about the rest of the album - but still used to feel empty after listening to it.

In college in 1983, a friend of mine told me it was his favorite Chicago album. I though "what?", and from then on started listening to it with the goal of liking it. Gradually, through the years, it has slowly become an album that I truly like.

Robert Lamm and Peter Cetera carry all of the lead vocals, proving that Chicago does not need a prominent third voice (although it helps).

This is the final album in Chicago's third era - the post-Kath years of wandering in the wilderness. As the first part of the era dabbles in disco and glitz, this one tests the edges of punk and new wave. The weak efforts of the suits, and hate campaigns of industry rags notwithstanding, this album does not disappoint. It bridges the past (Chris Pinnick's strong guitars) with the Cetera-pop-heavy future.

Add the three bonus tunes, and you have an outstanding Chicago album. But please - reader - do not buy this unless you are a tried and true Chicago fan that appreciates all of their styles and eras!

This controversial album was a turning point for the band, and it also marked the end of another chapter of awesome tunes from this hit machine. Most fans know that Chicago 16 in '82 starts another chapter, so Chicago XIV from 1980 holds a special place in the hearts of many who have followed the guys this amazing ride.
Chicago XIV comes eleven years after the debut album. The late 70s was a tough period for the band for many reasons, as "Hot Streets" and "Chicago 13" did ok, but not as well as all Chicago records from approx 1970-77. It was back to the Roman Numerals we love for this release, and after this they went to solid numbers for quite some time until around XXV with the Christmas Album in '98 and XXVI (Live) in '99.
In this reviewer's opinion, over half of the songs are great...which usually shows that you have a winner.
The Good: "Hold On" should have been released as a single, and I think it would have become a huge hit. This is by far the best song on the album. 'Overnight Café,' 'Thunder and Lightning,' 'Upon Arrival,' 'Where did the Lovin' Go,' and 'The American Dream' follow as the best songs. Of the bonus tracks, the two previously unissued songs are great (Live it Up, Soldier of Fortune.)
The bad: 'Song for You', 'Birthday Boy', 'I'd Rather be Rich', and the bonus track 'Doin' Business.' SFY and BB are really bad but the rest of this record makes up for it. 'Manipulation' is adequate but should not be considered their #1 song from this album.
Stories swirl about how Columbia mistreated this record, how it was barely visible on the store shelves back in 1980, and about how the band wasn't promoted properly. It only reached #71 on the famous Billboard list, a far cry from what Chicago was used to. There are great liner notes in this Rhino Reissue, and a picture of the guys unlike in the original album release. Chris Pinnick, who took over for the departed Donnie Dacus, is NOT pictured even though he is listed as an official member of Chicago from 1980-84.
Give this album a try if you haven't already. There are some really good songs on here, even though this is considered by many to be the LEAST favorite or popular of all the albums to date.

I wrote an earlier review for this album after hearing a vinyl album that sounded awful. It's a pity too because,frankly upon hearing this remastered CD it emerges as far stronger then I remember. We are dealing with a recording that almost ruined Chicago's career though and I think that is part of the reason why this gets so many poor reviews. Aside from that what sets this album apart from a lot of other Chicago album?Well the previous album,the also unsuccessful Chicago 13 was really based in a jazzy R&B/rock sound where rhythms were as emphasized as much as songwriting. On this outing the band in general are going for a far harder rocking sound. The awkward part is the bands new guitarist Chris Pinnick was a session player who was never officialy part of the band so his sound tends to clash with Chicago's in a lot of cases.On "Manipulation" Robert Lamm does a good job at keeping that from happening and the song retains enough of Lamm's jazzy touches to give it a nice bite.On "Hold On","I'd Rather Be Rich" and "The American Dream" the sound is a bit more out front and are really very powerful songs,among the best here in general. As far as Peter Cetera's talents as a balladeer go the best of the lot if "Song For You",which goes pretty much right along with his triumphs of the 70's. Where he went wrong was "Where Did The Lovin' Go",no matter how you cut it it just sounds bloodless and insincere-NOT qualities I see as part of Cetera's abilities.Although not a Cetera song "Birthday Boy",co-written by Rufus's David Wolinski yet again is not much better sadly enough. Cetera saves his day with the Caribbean rock flavored "Overnight Cafe",a bright little tune that will have your head easily bobbing along.The real triumph of this though is "Thunder And Lightening",the only semi-successful single from this collection that deserved a far better commercial fate:with it's rhythms,horns,great hook and harmonies this could've easily spelled a modernized update of that the bands classic sound circa....Chicago II (Repackaged) even. It's easily the very best song here and I could listen to it forever.The bonus tracks really make you wonder why a couple of the songs that made the final selection ended up there. It wasn't the edgy,overcooked outtake rocker "Doin' Business" that really caught my ear but the two others;the extended funk oriented jam of "Live It Up" and "Soldier Of Fortune" did though;now that last one really captures a certain Becker-Fagan flavor in the overall sound and....if the two dud tracks on the album had been removed in favor of these two the album would've likely fared a lot better then it did.Maybe a little more to be realistic. But upon hearing this with crisp,remastered sound and at least two excellent bonus tracks this earned the album at least one more star for me and this will be something I will be taking time to listen to again and again.

Chicago XIV is one of my favorite albums...definitely ranks in the top 3 for me. After this, Chicago no longer existed. Although Kath was gone, Chicago XII and XIII were all decent outtings, but Chicago XIV was a return to true greatness. If you like hot brass and a lot of guitar, get this one. The one difference I noticed in the album (and it is still something I like), it's much punchier and lean. In fact, the production reminds me a bit of Billy Joel's Glass Houses, I guess in an attempt to infuse a bit of the new wave style of the time. Yes, there are three ballads in a row for Peter Cetera, and I consider them more like a suite. They are not the best Cetera ballads, but they've grown on me over the years (I bought the LP when it was first released). He really shows his chops and the songs, though lean, have some pleasant hooks. These are bookended with two killer Cetera tracks, the wonderfully melodic "Upon Arrival" and the all out ball busting "Hold on." I'm not kidding. The guitar solo alone is great...it reminds me of something Foreigner might have done on Double Vision. Seriously, even if one doesn't care for the production on this album, there are some really great songs. With all the buzz about Sissyfuss these days, I'd say this is a much better "lost" album. The official sap-fest began in earnest after this one, and the band was really no longer Chicago. More like Chi-mush-o. It's a shame, as they were really onto a great and creative sound here, and then David Foster gave them the magical sell-out ballad formula to repeat about fifty times. And then Cetera's replacement completed the encapsulation of the veteran members in a giant gob of plastic with a really nice Yanni/Kenny G sheen. I get my real Chicago from the old records, some of Robert Lamm's solo material, and the recently formed and cooking hot California Transit Authority, Danny Seraphine's latest cool adventure.

I first got into Chicago shortly after the death of Terry Kath, and quickly caught myself up on most of their back catalog. I was somewhat disappointed by most of HOT STREETS, but thought 13 was a step up of sorts. So I eagerly anticipated their next album and was intrigued upon hearing a couple of its tracks on the radio in advance (especially since I had actually already heard of one of them, "I'd Rather Be Rich," which had been mentioned in a post-XI, pre-Kath's-death interview as a planned track for the "next" album).

But XIV, despite its very interesting cover, turned out to be much less interesting of an album than 13 was. Donnie Dacus was gone, replaced by a guest guitarist. (One of the surest signs that a major band is past its peak is when it no longer comprises a full performing unit without the addition of sidemen -- although Chicago would eventually be one of the very few which, having arrived at that condition, managed to leave it again.) There were loads of just the kind of sappy ballads which 13 had avoided. There were only a few really good songs ("Manipulation" -- the best track by a very long shot -- "Thunder and Lightning," and "I'd Rather Be Rich"), a couple of really bad ones ("Song For You" and the downright embarrassing "Hold On"), and a bunch of simply mediocre ones.

When the obviously thrown-together GREATEST HITS, VOL. II came out the following year, I thought it was a sure sign that Chicago was over. And frankly, given the quality (or lack thereof) of their subsequent albums (however financially successful), I still consider XIV to be the album that Chicago ended with.

The Rhino remaster adds three bonus tracks which collectively raise this album's value. "Doin' Business" (previously available on the GROUP PORTRAIT box set) is one of the best songs from the XIV sessions; there is simply no excuse for its having been left off the album. "Live It Up," a half-hearted attempt at upbeatness, and the somewhat better "Soldier of Fortune" manage to sound like outtake material while still being better than most of what made it on to the album.

Even compared to Chicago XIII, the up-tempo 1979 release with only a moderate amount of good tracks, Chicago XIV takes the band to probably their lowest point. This album comes at the early part of the 80s, as the band struggled to balance the disco era, punk era, new wave, and soft-rock power ballads that commanded the radio.

In many respects, this album was Chicago's attempt to balance the popular genres of the radio and the menagerie came out a relative mess. Even the seemingly catchy "Thunder and Lightning," which was a minor hit on the album, seems lost in time. Dare anyone see the YouTube clip of them singing it live and you'll like the song less.

Better tracks include "I'd Rather Be Rich," a fast-tempo, "hard rock for Chicago" song that embraces the yuppieness of the 80s--maybe ahead of its time.

"Soldier of Fortune" is an underrated track, with a solid drum line and catchy chorus. However, Robert Lamm sounds nasally through the song, at least to me. He did sing this, right?

Overall, Chicago was in a confused place between the classic songs of the 70s and the ballads of the 80s. This album, hate to say it, doesn't represent the best of this top notch group.