Chicago VI
| Chicago VI | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Chicago | ||||
| Released | June 25, 1973 | |||
| Recorded | February 1973 | |||
| Studio | Caribou Ranch, Nederland, Colorado | |||
| Genre | Jazz rock | |||
| Length | 38:21 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Producer | James William Guercio | |||
| Chicago chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Chicago VI | ||||
| ||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
| Robert Christgau | C[2] |
| Rolling Stone | (not rated)[3] |
Chicago VI is the fifth studio album by American rock band Chicago and was released in 1973. It is the first album to feature percussionist Laudir de Oliveira, who would become a full-fledged member of the band for Chicago VIII.
Background
After having recorded all of Chicago's first five albums in New York City (except for parts of the second album recorded at CBS in Los Angeles), producer James William Guercio had his own Caribou Studios built in Nederland, Colorado during 1972. It was finished in time for the band to record their sixth album the following February. It would remain their recording base for the next four years.
Robert Lamm authored half of the album's tracks, including his response to some of Chicago's negative reviewers in "Critics' Choice". James Pankow wrote the album's two hits, "Just You 'n' Me" (#4) and "Feelin' Stronger Every Day" (#10). The latter was co-composed with Peter Cetera, who also wrote "In Terms of Two", and sang lead vocal on all three songs.
Released in June 1973, Chicago VI was another commercial success, spending five weeks at #1 in the US. The band would not chart in the UK at all until 1976's Chicago X.
The album was mixed and released in both stereo and quadraphonic. The original U.S. CD release (Columbia CK #32400) was mastered for CD by Joe Gastwirt. In 2002, Chicago VI was remastered and reissued by Rhino Records, with two bonus tracks: a Terry Kath demo called "Beyond All Our Sorrows", and a recording of Al Green's "Tired of Being Alone", taken from the 1973 TV special, Chicago in the Rockies. In 2013, the audiophile reissue company Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab remastered Chicago VI and released it on Hybrid SACD which can be played on both CD players and SACD players.
Track listing
| Side One | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Vocals | Length |
| 1. | "Critics' Choice" | Robert Lamm | Robert Lamm | 2:49 |
| 2. | "Just You 'n' Me" | James Pankow | Peter Cetera | 3:42 |
| 3. | "Darlin' Dear" | Lamm | Lamm | 2:56 |
| 4. | "Jenny" | Terry Kath | Terry Kath | 3:31 |
| 5. | "What's This World Coming To" | Pankow | Lamm, Cetera, Kath | 4:58 |
| Side Two | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Vocals | Length |
| 6. | "Something in This City Changes People" | Lamm | Lamm/Lee Loughnane/Kath | 3:42 |
| 7. | "Hollywood" | Lamm | Lamm | 3:52 |
| 8. | "In Terms of Two" | Peter Cetera | Cetera | 3:29 |
| 9. | "Rediscovery" | Lamm | Lamm | 4:47 |
| 10. | "Feelin' Stronger Every Day" | Cetera/Pankow | Cetera | 4:15 |
| Bonus tracks (2002 reissue) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Vocals | Length |
| 1. | "Beyond All Our Sorrows" (Terry Kath demo) | Kath | Kath | 7:06 |
| 2. | "Tired of Being Alone" (with Al Green) | Green | Green | 4:09 |
Personnel
Chicago
- Peter Cetera – bass, lead & background vocals, harmonica on "In Terms of Two"
- Terry Kath – electric & acoustic guitars, slide guitar, lead & background vocals
- Robert Lamm – acoustic piano, Hammond organ, clavinet, Wurlitzer electric piano, Fender Rhodes, ARP synthesizer, Hohner Pianet, lead & background vocals
- Lee Loughnane – trumpet, background vocals, percussion
- James Pankow – trombone, brass arrangements
- Walter Parazaider – saxophones, flute
- Danny Seraphine – drums, percussion
Additional personnel
- Laudir de Oliveira – congas
- Joe Lala – congas
- J. G. O'Rafferty – pedal steel
Production
- Produced by James William Guercio
- Engineered by Wayne Tarnowski
- Assistant Engineer – Jeff Guercio
- Mixed by Phil Ramone
- Mix Assistant – Richard Blakin
- Cover Design – John Berg and Nick Fasciano
- Photography by Barry Feinstein
Charts
Weekly charts
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Billboard Pop Albums | 1 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | "Feelin' Stronger Every Day" | Billboard Pop Singles | 10 |
| 1973 | "Just You 'N' Me" | Billboard Adult Contemporary | 7 |
| 1973 | "Just You 'N' Me" | Billboard Pop Singles | 4 |
Certifications
| Organization | Level | Date |
|---|---|---|
| RIAA – USA | Gold | July 18, 1973 |
| RIAA – USA | Platinum | November 21, 1986 |
| RIAA – USA | Double Platinum | November 21, 1986 |
References
- ↑ Planer, Lindsay. "Chicago VI - Chicago : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-06-18.
- ↑ "CG: chicago". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 2012-01-05.
- ↑ "Chicago: Chicago VI : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone". RollingStone.com. 1973-08-17. Archived from the original on 2008-01-06. Retrieved 2012-06-18.