Maps of Music

Chicago VIII (1975)

Where the lyrics of Chicago VIII take you, and where it was really made.

The album easily reached No. 1 in the US, yet its chart run was the briefest of any Chicago album up to that point.

Key places

Caribou Ranch, Colorado (1975)

Recording site Caribou Ranch — The band recorded Chicago VIII at producer James William Guercio's Caribou Ranch in Colorado during the summer of 1974. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Chicago VIII: seventh studio album by American rock band Chicago
• Released March 24, 1975 on Columbia Records
• Follows the experimental jazz/pop style of Chicago VII with a more streamlined, rock-based sound
• Easily reached No. 1 in the US
• Mixed and released in both stereo and quadraphonic

Background

• The band members felt drained after five consecutive years of constant activity
• Recording took place in summer 1974 at producer James William Guercio's Caribou Ranch in Colorado
• Style variety is reminiscent of Chicago VI, but this album has a more distinct rock feel
• Lead single: Robert Lamm's "Harry Truman", No. 13
• Release was held until March 1975 because Chicago VII still ranked high in the charts
• Peter Cetera's "Anyway You Want" was later covered by Canadian singer Charity Brown
• Terry Kath's Hendrix tribute "Oh, Thank You Great Spirit" is included
• James Pankow's hit "Old Days" reached No. 5; the ballad "Brand New Love Affair, Part I & II" charted at No. 61
• Laudir de Oliveira became a full-fledged band member rather than a sideman, a new addition to the original lineup

Recording

• Producer: James William Guercio
• Engineers: Wayne Tarnowski, Jeff Guercio, Mark Guercio
• Mixing: Phil Ramone
• Vocal chorus by Caribou Kitchenettes on "Harry Truman"
• String orchestrations by Patrick Williams on "Brand New Love Affair" and "Old Days"

Cover

• Cover design credited to John Berg and Nick Fasciano
• Artwork and handwriting by Anthony Maggiore; poster photography by Reid Miles
• The original LP package included a band poster showing the group in a station wagon being pulled over by a policeman

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · ko.wikipedia.org · ja.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Chicago is an American rock band formed in Chicago, Illinois, in 1967.
• The band described itself as a "rock and roll band with horns" and blended classical music, jazz, R&B, and pop.
• The group first called itself the Big Thing, became Chicago Transit Authority in 1968, and shortened its name to Chicago in 1969.

Members

• The original line-up was Peter Cetera (bass), Terry Kath (guitar), Robert Lamm (keyboards), Lee Loughnane (trumpet), James Pankow (trombone), Walter Parazaider (woodwinds), and Danny Seraphine (drums).
• Lamm, Loughnane, and Pankow have remained constant members since 2009.
• Terry Kath died in 1978 after an accidental gunshot wound.

Career

• The band's debut double album, Chicago Transit Authority (1969), was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2014.
• In 1971 Chicago became the first rock act to sell out a week at Carnegie Hall.
• "If You Leave Me Now" (1976) became the group's first number-one single and won its only Grammy.
• Billboard placed the band among the most successful chart acts in its history, and it has sold more than 100 million records.
• The original line-up was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016.
• Chicago received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award on October 16, 2020.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Critical reception was mediocre
• Easily reached No. 1 in the US
• The chart run was the briefest of any Chicago album up to that point

Reappraisal

• Still commonly considered by some as one of the weakest albums from the original lineup

Records

• United States: No. 1
• Shortest chart run of any Chicago album up to that point
• "Harry Truman" (lead single): No. 13
• "Old Days": No. 5
• "Brand New Love Affair, Part I & II": No. 61
• RPM Canada chart: the LP was misidentified as Chicago VII during its chart run; the catalog number confirmed it was VIII

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · ja.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The original LP package included an iron-on t-shirt decal of the album cover, along with a band poster.
• On the RPM Canada chart, the LP was misidentified as Chicago VII, and the catalog number showed it was really VIII.
• Peter Cetera's "Anyway You Want" was later covered by Canadian singer Charity Brown.
• Laudir de Oliveira was the first session percussionist to become a full-fledged member of the band on a Chicago album.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · ja.wikipedia.org

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