Maps of Music

Chicago XI (1977)

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

The last Chicago album to feature Terry Kath came out just over four months before his fatal accident.

Key places

Caribou Ranch recording and mix (1977)

Recording site Caribou Ranch — Chicago XI was recorded and mixed at Caribou Ranch in Nederland. The studio is listed as both the recording and mixing location for the album. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Sound Labs strings session (1977)

Recording site Sound Labs — The strings for the album were recorded at Sound Labs in Hollywood, California, by Armin Steiner. The session took place there rather than at the main recording studio. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Chicago XI: ninth studio album by the American rock band Chicago
• Released 12 September 1977 on Columbia Records
• Last album to feature guitarist and vocalist Terry Kath before his death
• Last album produced by longtime band associate James William Guercio
• Reached No. 6 on the Billboard 200 in the US
• Three singles: 'Baby, What a Big Surprise', 'Little One', 'Take Me Back to Chicago'

Background

• Seems like a collection of solo songs rather than the group's ensemble work of the early 1970s
• Peter Cetera aimed to repeat the success of the Grammy-winning 'If You Leave Me Now'
• 'Baby, What a Big Surprise' became the album's biggest hit, reaching No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100
• It was Cetera's only writing contribution and his only song with him on lead vocals
• Terry Kath revived his old live favorite 'Mississippi Delta City Blues' for the album
• Kath was planning a solo album; 'Takin' It On Uptown' may have served as a preview
• Guercio's artistic control reached its breaking point during recording; the band decided to continue without him after the album was finished

Recording

• Recorded at Caribou Ranch and at Sound Labs in Hollywood, California
• Strings were recorded at Sound Labs by Armin Steiner
• Producer James William Guercio; audio engineer Wayne Tarnowski
• Mixed at Caribou Ranch

Cover

• The cover design is called 'Regional Map' on the group's official website
• Album cover design by John Berg

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · ko.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com

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

• Christine Hogan of The Sydney Morning Herald wrote that without Chicago X, this would have been the best album ever made by these perennials
• Hugh Cutler of The Evening Journal called the album a 'critical and commercial triumph'
• Cutler also noted that it drew a 'rave review' from Rolling Stone
• The album received generally positive reviews from critics

Records

• Reached No. 6 on the US Billboard 200
• Stayed on the charts for 20 weeks
• Went platinum in October 1977, the same year as release
• Did not chart in the UK
• 'Baby, What a Big Surprise' reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100
• 'Take Me Back to Chicago' charted at No. 63
• Last album by the band to reach the US top 10 until Chicago 16 in 1982

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Terry Kath died in a gun accident at a party at roadie Don Johnson's house on 23 January 1978, a few months after the album's release.
• Kath was regarded by many as the 'soul' of Chicago.
• After Kath's death the remaining members were shocked and devastated, and even considered breaking up.
• After a few weeks of mourning, the band decided to move on and recruited singer and guitarist Donnie Dacus for the follow-up, Hot Streets.
• Guercio's dismissal was a big change for the band, but it was minor compared with Kath's death.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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