A Record a Week: Chicago - Chicago (or Chicago II)

SIDE 1.
MOVIN' IN
THE ROAD
POEM FOR THE PEOPLE
IN THE COUNTRY

SIDE 2.
WAKE UP SUNSHINE
BALLET FOR A GIRL IN BUCHANON(TITLE TO ENCOMPASS ALL OF THE FOLLOWING SONGS)
~MAKE ME SMILE
~SO MUCH TO SAY, SO MUCH TO GIVE
~ANXIETY'S MOMENT
~WEST VIRGINIA FANTASIES
~COLOUR MY WORLD
~TO BE FREE
~NOW MORE THAN EVER

SIDE 3.
FANCY COLOURS
25 OR 6 TO 4
MEMORIES OF LOVE(TITLE TO ENCOMPASS ALL OF THE FOLLOWING SONGS)
~PRELUDE
~A.M. MOURNING
~P.M. MOURNING
~MEMORIES OF LOVE

SIDE 4.
IT BETTER END SOON(TITLE TO ENCOMPASS ALL OF THE FOLLOWING SONGS)
~1ST MOVEMENT
~2ND MOVEMENT
~3RD MOVEMENT
~4TH MOVEMENT
WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE

The first thing I thought when I put on this album was 'sounds like Phish meets Led Zeppelin.' The album features multiple singers, or rather four singers where each one sings at least a couple of songs on the album.

That 'progressive rock' or jazz-rock style doesn't really sit all that well with me. Add to that the fact that I felt like crap yesterday and it made for a long listen. The album is full of long songs wrought with solos by whoever feels like it at the time and lyrics that come in and out. They aren't as stoner rock as Phish, but the jam band sense is still there.

On a production note, this was Chicago's breakthrough album and possibly their most successful. It was the groups second album a self-titled one, which was later re-named Chicago II after the following record was titled Chicago III and they continued on with that naming style for all albums. Their success went on through the early and mid 70's until their lead singer, Terry Kath, died of an accidental self-inflicted gunshot in 1978. The band replaced Kath and continues on to this day, having gone through several different lineups over the years.