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Chicago XXXII: Stone of Sisyphus (2008)

Where the lyrics of Chicago XXXII: Stone of Sisyphus take you, and where it was really made.

Finished in 1993, the album was rejected by its label and stayed unreleased until 2008.

Key places

Recording at Embassy Studios (2008)

Recording site Embassy Studios — The album was recorded at Embassy Studios in Simi Valley, California, in 1993. Producer Peter Wolf also engineered the recording. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Jordanaires sessions in Nashville (2008)

Recording site Nashville — The Jordanaires, who sang backing vocals on Bigger Than Elvis, recorded their parts in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1993. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Chicago XXXII: Stone of Sisyphus: 21st studio album, 32nd overall, by Chicago
• Often called the band's "lost" album
• Recorded in 1993, originally planned for release on March 22, 1994
• Label unexpectedly rejected the album; the lead names Reprise Records
• Released June 17, 2008 by Rhino Records, after about fourteen years unreleased
• Numbered XXXII in the band's count, after Chicago XXX and The Best of Chicago: 40th Anniversary Edition
• The 2008 release includes four bonus songs

Background

• Follows Chicago 18, Chicago 19, and Twenty 1 in the band's recent album series
• Conceived as a return to the band's personal, musical, and cultural roots
• Jason Scheff described it as the start of making music for the right reasons
• Working title was Chicago XXII; Robert Lamm suggested the title Resolve
• Producer Peter Wolf had declined earlier work with the band because of scheduling
• Walter Parazaider called it "a record that had to be made"

Recording

• Developed in complete secrecy from the outside world, including the record label
• Collaboration took place at producer Peter Wolf's residential studio
• Recorded at Embassy Studios in Simi Valley, California, in 1993
• Mixed by Tom Lord-Alge at Encore Studios, Burbank, in 1993 and 1994
• The Jordanaires recorded their parts in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1993
• Engineered by Peter Wolf and Paul Ericksen

Cover

• Warner Bros. created the artwork, depicting the mythical Sisyphus

Sources: en.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

• Doug Collette of Glide Magazine gave the album 11 stars out of 11, citing its "wealth of ideas"
• Collette wrote that fans of the original Chicago sound would find this album wholly comparable

Reappraisal

• AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave it 2.5 stars out of 5
• Erlewine said that judged alongside Chicago's other albums, it is flat-out bizarre
• Deseret News's Scott Nowlin gave three out of four stars, calling it well-written, well-produced, and fun to hear
• Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Rick Nowlin gave 3.5 out of 4 stars, hailing a no-prisoners funk groove
• Rick Nowlin also called the album adventurous

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• During production, Ensoniq made a Chicago-branded Signature Series CD-ROM for professional engineers and musicians, using sounds captured from the band's horns, Hammond B-3, drums, bass, guitar, and vocals
• The Ensoniq disc included a bonus audio track by Jason Scheff titled "Evangeline"
• Five of the 12 tracks were released in Japan between 1997 and 1998 on The Heart of Chicago compilations
• In 2003, three tracks ("All the Years", "Stone of Sisyphus", and "Bigger Than Elvis") were officially released in the US on The Box by Rhino Records
• In 2007, the album became a chapter in the book The Greatest Music Never Sold
• "Get on This" was intended for the 1994 release but was left out of the 2008 release with no reason given

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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