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35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Transitional Album, May 23, 2005
Given the transitional nature of Chicago V, I can't imagine that all diehard fans of the more poppy Chicago material and all diehard fans of the first three recordings would like it, although there must be some overlap. As a huge fan of the first three recordings (and as a bassist), I feel that Chicago V (1972) along with their 1969 debut (Chicago Transit Authority), II, III, and the live recording IV, defines a period where the band was at a creative peak. Although there are the (so-called) "pop" hits "Saturday in the Park", "Dialogue Pts I and II", and I suppose to some extent "All is Well", Chicago V is far from being a pop vehicle. Instead, the music seamlessly bridges the gap between their smash hits and the wild, full-throttle acid jazz-rock of 69-71. Specifically, the "big band" type arrangements on V (nearly all of which were written by Robert Lamm) sacrifice none of the instrumental virtuosity or experimentation of earlier works, although the pieces are somewhat shorter and presented in a tighter, more cohesive format. For example, there are no lengthy song-cycle suites or extended guitar solos. It does not however, take a careful listener to appreciate the sheer complexity of the arrangements on V, which emphasize dense ensemble work, odd time signatures (the waltzy 3/4 and 6/8 are used quite a lot, amongst others), and unusual chord voicings, in addition to the wide stylistic range of the music, which runs the gamut from the gospel-ish vocal parts on Alma Mater, to the awesome jazz-rock of "State of the Union" and "Goodbye". All of the musicians are absolutely top shelf and Peter Cetera is unquestionably the most under-rated bass player in all of rock. In fact, he is one of the few rock bassists that can play a convincing walking bass line. All in all, this recording (including the bonus tracks) makes a nice bookend at the conclusion of a five-album sequence of incredible music written during 1969-1972 that is also indicative of future trends. As a fan of both jazz-rock and progressive rock, Chicago V works for me on a number of levels and is highly recommended along with CTA, II, III, and IV.
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21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A new Chicago, November 10, 2002
CHICAGO V marked the beginning of a new incarnation of the Chicago sound. After 1971's double CHICAGO III (which depleted their reserves of songs) and the quadruple set CHICAGO AT CARNEGIE HALL, the band decided it was time for a change. Recorded in a mere few days in September 1971, CHICAGO V was released the following July featuring just one disc and ten relatively-shortened tracks. Of course "Saturday In The Park" and "Dialogue (Parts 1 & 2)" are well-known to Chicago aficionados, but what about the rest? Chicago basically merged their freewheeling avant-garde and melodic tendencies together to create classics like "A Hit By Varese", "All Is Well", "Now That You're Gone" and "Goodbye". Robert Lamm hit his peak on this album, authoring a staggering 8 of the 10 tracks. The album's enormous acceptance was evidenced by its incredible NINE weeks at # 1, making it the biggest album of 1972. Now, CHICAGO V is fleshed out with an early take of Terry Kath's fine "Mississippi Delta Blues", a backing track for "A Song For Richard And His Friends" (which appeared on the live CHICAGO AT CARNEGIE HALL) and the single version of "Dialogue". And take it from me, it all sounds GREAT. A well-done reissue.
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14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Chicago Focuses Their Style and Sound, April 27, 2003
Chicago V, released in 1972, remained the band's most successful album until Chicago 17, when that recording, with it's barrage of power pop hits went on to become their biggets seller after it's release in 1984. The success of Chicago V can be attributed, in large part, to the strength of the hit single "Saturday in the Park". This is truly a signature Chicago pop composition in every sense with Robert Lamm belting out the lead vocal with his warm timbre, the Chicago horns playing in classic style and great harmony vocal and rhythym section arrangements. This song stands as one of the all-time great pop music recordings and still sounds fresh today coming over the radio due to it's incomparable melody, timeless style and lean n' clean production value.
Unfortunately, because of the magnitude of the popularity of "Saturday in the Park", Chicago V is sometimes referred to as the point where Chicago tuned "pop", "soft" or "sold out".Fortuntely, none of this is true. This album finds the legendary band presenting some of their most focused writing and most avante-garde approach to the compositions and arrangements as found on any Chicago release.
The album's opening cut, "A Hit By Varese" is an energetic uptempo offering in 6/8 time. The horn section members trade solos and really stretch into some great dissonant territory. The rhythym section of Terry Kath on guitar, Peter Cetera on bass, Robert Lamm on keyboards and Danny Seraphine on drums are clearly at their best as a unit on this tune and throughout the entire CD. Every track on the album finds each of these great musicians exploring the boundaries of their instruments, effortlessly jamming through every arrangement.
As with every Chicago recording, Danny Seraphine just explodes with his drum parts. Arguably the best musician in the band, Chicago V stands as a definitive showcase of Danny's cutting edge chops and unique rock-jazz style.
Other great tunes such as "While the City Sleeps" and "State of the Union" remain as some of Chicago's most exploratory work. "Dialogue Parts I & II", the album's other single release, is simply terrific with Terry Kath's bluesy baritone and Peter Cetera's crisp tenor trading the lead vocal in Robert Lamm's classic, and perhaps best, political statement song.
The the band is very experimental on this album while maintaining the qualities that made up the Chicago "sound" for years: great lead and harmony vocals, interesting, powerful and tuneful horn arrangements by James Pankow, and strong melodic songwriting.
Chicago V is one of the best Chicago recordings, with the band finding great focus in their work and ability to blend their avante-garde inclinations and popular music styles.
An exciting listening experience and just a great CD.
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