Customer Reviews

Hot Streets

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Hot Streets" is a solid effort by the great American group, and an impressive achievement considering what the band had experienced in 1978, the year of it's release. When founding member and guitarist Terry kath was killed in a gun accident at the beginning of the year, the group found itself at a crossroads, deciding whether or not to stay together.
Thankfully, they picked themselves up and chose to forge ahead. Numerous auditions for a replacement on guitar (although no one copuld ever really replace the great Terry Kath) resulted in Chicago bringing in Stephen Stills protege Donnie Dacus. Not a perfect fit, as the band would discover, but Donnie is an interesting and unique stylist in his own right and did help the group through a troubled time with good energy and solid vocals and musicianship.
"Hot Streets" opens with trombonist James Pankow's "Alive Again", and uptempo tune with a rock edge that was a top twenty hit. "Alive Again" displays, however, the flaw with this recording: producer Phil Ramone. Ramone is certainly an accomplished producer with solid credits, but his fine work with the likes of Billy Joel and Paul Simon did not translate well for Chicago.
While James William Guercio produced Chicago's previous nine studio recordings with a minimum of effects and a great deal of creative stereo mixing, Ramone opted for a lot of reverb and a more compressed sound. Now, in 2003, with "Chicago Transit Authority" through "Chicago XI" still standing the test of time and sounding fresh, "Hot Streets" has a dated sound. The band pretty much sounds like they're playing in a giant tin can, which is unfortunate since the performances and some of the songwriting are truly excellent.
Ramone's approach to the guitar mix and vocal arrangements is also lacking. On "Alive Again", Dacus' guitar solo can barely be heard in the mix, when it should be blazing away over the rhythm sections' excellent track. Throughout the disc, Peter Cetera and Donnie Dacus, both fine vocalists with distinctive tenors, sound like the Chipmunks, with the vocals placed in a very high range with little bottom support from Robert Lamm's baritone.
There are some truly high points on "Hot Streets". The title track is one of Chicago's all-time best recorded songs and finds the group experimenting with some unique time signatures. Written by Robert Lamm, the tune features Walt Parazaider on an inspired flute solo in 7/4 time and a guitar solo section at the end in 5/4 time. Throughout, Danny Seraphime's drumming is simply fantastic. In fact, Danny shines on every track on the disc, literally soloing on drums on every tune and dislays cutting edge chops and unparallelled talent for melodic fllls. And, to Phil Ramone's credit, Danny's drums never sounded better in terms of mix and sound.
Donnie Dacus does a reat job on guitar on his tune "Take a Chance". His style is nothing like Kath's, but his very unique percussive approach to the instrument and nice use of syncopation is actually pretty cool.
Other highlights include "No Tell Lover" and "Gone Long Gone", two melodic gems from Peter Cetera.
The bonus track on this re-issue is simply a version of Robert Lamm's latin-tinged "Love Was New" featuring Donnie Dacus on lead vocal instead of Robert Lamm. Mildly interesting.
While "Hot Steets" may not be definitive Chicago, it is still an important release from the legendary band as it shows the group in a critical time of transition, successfully survivng a death in the famliy with the founding members showing great dedication to their craft and to their legion of fans in their decision to continue on.
The disc is essential for anyone interested in the group's history and legacy. Save for the lackluster production as noted herein, "Hot Steets" is a fine release from Chicago and a worthwhile purchase.

Chicago survive the death of guitarist Terry Kath well as
new recruit Donny Dacus proves himself a funkier,more rhythmic
player for the most part of the majestic pop rocker "Alive Again"
,the jazzy funk-rock of the tital cut and the oddball closer
"Show Me The Way".And with another great Cetera ballad in
"No Tell Lover" to top off on,who can complain?I own this so I
can't!

I've always felt Donnie Dacus got a bad rep. His vocals on this album are crisp and tight and his guitar style, while a departure from that of the late Terry Kath, works for this particular album.

The remixed version sounds so much crisper & cleaner than the original CD releases by Columbia and later Chicago records. The one thing that shines through on all of the Rhino remasters is Peter Cetera's exceptional bass playing. Known for his stellar stratospheric vocals, Peter's bass talents were often overlooked. The rhythm section is just as tight with Cetera, Seraphine, Olivera and Dacus as it was with Cetera, Seraphine, Olivera and Kath.

The title track really showcases the songwriting talent of Robert Lamm, the guitaristry of Donnie Dacus, and features a flute solo by Walt Parazaider that harkens back to his flute solo during "It Better End Soon" from the "Live at Carnegie Hall" album and left me begging for more.

Other stand-out moments on this fantastic album are Lamm's piano chops on the song "Gone Long Gone," Dacus all out wail and driving rhythm on "Ain't it Time," the fantastic vocal interplay between Cetera and Dacus on the catchy ballad "No Tell Lover," and the oft-overlooked vocals and guitar solo on the much underrated "Take a Chance."

Unfortunately this album is marred by a substandard bonus track, an alternate vocal version of "Love Was New" featuring Dacus on vocals instead of Lamm. Dacus is an exceptional singer and had he sung in his normal range it may have actually worked, his breathy falsetto really doesn't work for the song at all (the original album version of this song with Lamm's vocals is far superior). The other half strike (only a half-strike because some may see this as a plus not a minus) against this album is that it sounds decidedly dated as compared to some of the other albums in Chicago's back catalog.

As a devout fan of the original line-up, one cannot imagine what the intense emotions were for the band when they entered the studio to cut this album. But what a TREMENDOUS energy and effort shine through! On the contrary to some other reviews, Chicago XI while sending some prophetic chills down the spine of those who love them stands up well as a 'maintenance' album, Hot Streets comes out of the box 'swinging', as the band channels their many emotions into the best effort they would put forth until '83's stellar XVI comeback. This is perhaps the best showing of the Cetera/Seraphine rhythm section since Chicago III and or VII, and the Robert Lamm compositions are never more complex or tighter (Hot Streets) throughout this late seventies period. This album is ENTIRELY listenable and NOT dated or TIRED as XI certainly is today, a pity the energy evaporated for the XIII and XIV albums. Hot Streets stands as a testimony to the Band's resiliency in the face of unfathomable tragedy, keeps the Mojo (Little Miss Lovin') working and sincere (Terry would be proud) and exemplifies how Chicago could be on top and stay ahead of the game with ALL the Seventie's vast musical evolution

I want to respectfully disagree with many of the reviewers here. Yes, we miss Terry Kath - he can never be replaced, but there are a number of things about this album that make it a 5-star.

* Donnie Dacus - give the guy credit. He took on the most difficult challenge in rock history, and delivered. I appreciate that he did not try to mimic Terry. He played the music his way, and in so doing gave Chicago a different flavor. I commend him and the band for letting him be himself (on stage, however, this was not such a positive thing!). From the opening moments of Alive Again, it is clear this will still be a band with a guitarist. Donnie's opening licks, and closing solo on Run Away (from Chicago 13) properly bookend his solid contributions to this middle, transitionary era in the band.

2. Danny keeps his streak going. I have surmised that Danny Seraphine took on something of a creative leadership role at this time. More than ever, his drums seem to sing on this album.

3. Fun. Despite the tragedy of losing Terry, the boys are still having fun. Take off your counter-culture/underground hats, sit back and enjoy!

4. Listenable. This is the first album in Chicago's history, that you can play for your girlfriend, that before was indifferent to them. If I knew that someone didn't like Chicago, I would make sure this was the first album they heard, even before the Foster albums.

5. It delivers the key elements of a good Chicago album. It would be nice to hear a trombone or trumpet solo - but Walt's flute on Hot Streets makes up for that.

6. Peter's liberation is evident. You can hear his exuberance at finding his chops and you get the sense that a solo career is around the corner. This is not good in every way - but the guy knows how to write hits with hooks. (The thing about Cetera songs, is, you feel like you have heard them before - which to me is a great skill and talent).

So, how is this the beginning of a new Chicago era? There are the obvious reasons: Kath and Guercio are gone. The band has more control over production, Donnie Dacus enters. They are recording in Miami, not Caribou. It is not a disco album, but it is informed by disco trends. To me this is not a sellout. It shows that they can adapt and are curious about what they can do with any style of music. But please - Alive Again is not a disco song. 120 beats per minute are not an important element.

The album cover was unwise - they look kinda goofy, when we needed them to look more serious and "cool". Interesting observation is that Peter and Danny, the next of the originals to leave, are embracing on the cover.

Chicago proves that they are more than their members. Chicago is a sound, an idea, a concept, that can outlive tragedy and personnel changes. For this reason, and the fact that I can play it for people that don't think they like Chicago, I give it 5-stars. Yes - buy this album!

They'd just split with long-time producer/mentor James William Guercio when guitarist Terry Kath accidentally shot himself. The rest of the band thought about packing it in. TONIGHT SHOW bandleader Doc Severensin talked them out of it.

They auditioned for Kath's replacement. They picked Donnie Dacus, former Steve Stills session-man and HAIR co-star. Rhino Records has recently released a remastered version of the results. Sad to say, time hasn't been kind. HOT STREETS gets my vote as the worst Chicago album. The production is often tinny, and many of the tunes wouldn't warrent a B-side.

Dacus traditionally shoulders much of the blame. And, yeah, I have to admit that I've done my share of Dacus-bashing in the past. But, truth be told, no one could've replaced Terry Kath in Chicago in that situation successfully (Bill Champlin said recently that he was called the day after Kath's death, but--wisely?--turned down the offer). This is not to say that I don't believe Dacus has his faults. His singing is strained, and his lyrics aren't good. But his guitar playing isn't as awful as reviewers like me may have lead you to believe. I guess it was tough for a Chicago fan to shake off the shock of losing Kath, and Dacus became the natural whipping-boy because he was no Terry (and because he was there). So, 27 years later, I'll finally accept what happened and move on. Here endeth my penance.

Dacus can't bear all of the blame for what's wrong with this album anyway. HOT STREETS features some weak work from the Chicago vets. Songs such as "Gone Long Gone," "Take a Chance," and "Show Me the Way" indicate that Lee Loughnane, Pete Cetera, and Dan Seraphine were battling creative demons (and, as the liner notes indicate, various addictions, too). Robert Lamm's "Love was New" is equally as bad. Dacus contributes "Ain't It Time"; while he pens a decent guitar riff, the song is done in by a weird melody and bad lyrics.

There are some good things happening. Jimmy Pankow's "Alive Again" and Cetera's "Little Miss Lovin'" are worth a listen, even though Phil Ramone's lite-rock production emasculates them. "No-Tell Lover" is a decent ballad, as is "The Greatest Love on Earth" (admittedly, not for all tastes). And Lamm's title track, though not one of my favorites, showcases some good horn lines and a decent Dacus guitar solo.

The bonus track is an alternate take on "Love Was New," featuring Dacus on vocals (Lamm sings the released version). The liner notes for this edition are well done, though perhaps too enthusiastic about the resultant work.

Your enjoyment of HOT STREETS will, of course, depend on your taste. It's certainly not the worst record ever made. On the other hand, fans like me, who like the heavier stuff from Chicago, will probably never consider this set a highlight.

Musical historians condemn this album as something worse than the plague. I think part of the reason for that, beyond their dislike of the music on this album, comes from all the upheavals Chicago went through during the recording of this album. The tragic accidental suicide of their singer guitarist, the dropping of the roman numerals for a straightforward album title, showing the band members on the cover, breaking away from their long time producer and so on.

I personally think this is a pretty groovy album. I like the time period (I'm a fan of the 1970's in popular culture), I enjoy the mood of the album, which is slick, but also quite sombre. It's an adult album, like Chicago albums usually are. It might not be as inovative as earlier stuff, but it's a solid piece by real professionals.

Like I said in my title, this is a good album to just kick back and listen to. Close your eyes and relax after a long day at work, have a cold or warm beverage and just let the music wash over you.

True aficianados and/or longtime fans of Chicago can certainly cite the turbulent year of 1978 for the band: founding member Terry Kath's tragic passing; a shifting of musical trends and tastes; a new producer (Phil Ramone, who was simultaneously finishing Billy Joel's classic 52nd Street album) and the introduction of Donnie Dacus as Terry's replacement. And yet despite all of this chaos, the band produces what is still an underrated gem. I liken it to the 1980 "Drama" album by Yes - a key member is absent, but the band rallies and produces a winner. The remastered sound comes through loud and clear on "Alive Again," one of Chicago's best uptemp rockers since "Dialogue" from Chicago V. Pete Cetera's "Greatest Love on Earth" is the only marginally questionable track on the album, a bit cheesy and contrived (but nowhere as NEAR as bad as the 80s tripe looming on the horizon). "Little Miss Lovin" and the title track are solid, R&B-inflected cruisers. "Take A Chance" features one of Donnie Dacus' better vocal performances. "Gone Long Gone" is a countryish rocker from Cetera. The remaining tracks are also solid, but the album's standout piece is "No Tell Lover," which boasts a gorgeous melody and one of James Pankow's best brass arrangements in years. The song really does sound like a warm summer afternoon in the park.
I saw Chicago for the first time on the tour to support this album (almost 30 years ago!!), and they were absolutely spectacular. Dan Seraphine and Robert Lamm were really the glue of the band in this period. The band would begin to falter and lose focus with the next album (Chicago 13), and ultimately become a robotic manufacturer of cheesy, syrupy adult pop songs. Hot Streets represents Chicago's last great, cohesive and diverse album.

Luis Mejia (son) - Being Chicago's first album which brakes their tradition of numbered self titled albums, Hot Streets is respectively numbered as Chicago XII, and also being their first one to feature two fold out photos of the entire band. More respectively, it is the first Chicago album without guitarist and vocalist Terry Kath, who died in January, 1978 of an accidental, self-inflicted gunshot, but still the rest of the band followed their career, as they claimed they still had something to prove, which they certainly had. All in all, Kath's substitute was finally guitarist Donnie Dacus, while not being as talented as Kath, his guitar touches were the ones which made a great contribution into Chicago later trademark sound. It was obvious that all Chicago member were pretty shocked with such an unspected lost, but still, Hot Streets retains a more subtle talent than a lot of their past (and later) albums, one of their most underrated. The album is sometimes refered as one of their weakest and least important, while its musical approach is a much more disco influenced style, they still didn't break through disco music as they did with Chicago 13, although the album is not among their worst works, is far out from being their best. With the album's elastic popcraft detouring into a more disco oriented, funky, experimental, vaguely mellow and meaningless songs, it takes a great deal of talent from the band, and frankly, I would give to it 3.5 stars, although Amazon's system doesn't let me... Hot Streets also represented another point of turn in Chicago, since it's the first album without producer James Guercio, as Chicago stated, they had to fire him because he was too controling, still, while Guercio was a wonderful manager who built their basis into a huge commercial success and more recognizeable songs, the one who substituted him was, noneless genious producer Phil Ramone, who had a better temperament but a firm way of leading the band until their later breakthrough. Anyway, Hot Streets was still a famous release, both among its "radio friendly" style, and its interesting title which may have looked very interesting for fans, as it isn't a self titled release, and a couple of singles made it out, being the two most famous singles Alive Again and No Tell Lover, Alive Again is definitively a rousing opener with a fake out disco intro, its the second most famous song in the album, and of my personal favourites, its fast paced, catchy style and joyful, enjoyable melodies make it one of their most underrated songs, while the most famous No Tell Lover, stands also as an enjoyable, funky, smooth theme, a soft rock song with a wicked midnight groove and slow burning cheating feelings, stands better into the adult contempo style. While the album kept a mellow atmosphere throughout most of its songs, the slightly good but vaguely mellow The Greatest Love On Earth, as well as the unmemorable Love Was New, stand both as the worst songs in the album, though the sazzy rock style of Little Miss Lovin' get pretty close, only eventually saved by Gibb brothers' (Bee Gees) backing vocals contribution. Later On, there is one song that keeps some very firm traces of originality and fierceful performance, and this song is certainly the title track, Hot Streets, its intricate structure while still being a melodic pop song, Lamm's composition of course, keeps the song as one of their most unrecognizeable but bombastic songs, its full of an imaginary creativity and a soulful, cosmic atmosphere. The songs where there are seen Dacus' earliest compositions, abilities and vocal duties are Take A Chance and Ain't It Time, Take A Chance is a song composed by Loughnane, while being the first song sang by Dacus, he has a pretty melodic voice, simply good, average, standard, and after such a hard, raspy and serious vocal duties delivered before by Kath were a lot better, he was even my favourite Chicago vocalist, so I'm just saying that Dacus voice could never be compared with Kath, and Ain't It Me is actually Dacus first composition, he delivers here a fantastic guitar, although the song is too freaky and rocker for my style. The other two songs are Gone Long Gone and Show Me The Way, both stand as fantastic songs, Gone Long Gone is a minor hit, being a country flavoured pop composition, one of their most memorable and remarkable songs, it also shows a beautiful acoustic guitar performance, while the last Show Me The Way stands as a much more experimetal, dynamic song, while not being a very comprehensible effort, its chilly performamce, specially Lamm's synthesized forays displayed on the song, are quite amazing and appreciateable. The bonus track is Love Was New but now sang by Dacus. Hot Streets is still a hard point of discussion among many points of view, mainly regarded as one of their worst, I didn't heard the album as bad as the other reviewers describe, while most of them are quite right, this is not their worst album, much more of a mellow and experimental release.

What happened to this band? I know the great Terry Kath passed and all, but was going disco the best way to honor his memory?

Man, I'm just picturing one of my favorite bands all wearing leisure suits with their shirts open revealing mucho bling. We miss you Terry...but the band misses you more!!!