Chicago - Chicago VIII

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Music reviews of Chicago VIII

Music Review: New life for a neglected album
Rating: 4 Stars

Tired or not, Chicago was definitely on a creative roll. They were often unfairly labeled as "slick" or "uninspired" because it was almost too easy for them to turn out great music. Standout tracks on VIII are "Hideaway", "Harry Truman", "Oh Thank You Great Spirit", "Ain't it Blue?", and the #5 hit "Old Days". But all of the songs are of good quality. Terry Kath dominates this album more than any other Chicago record (his vocal on "Brand New Love Affair Pt. 1" is excellent, and his guitar playing is superb throughout the record). While it might have been perceived at the time as a letdown after the sprawling Chicago VII, this album was nothing to be ashamed of. And now it's finally been given the proper CD treatment by Rhino.

Rhino does a fine job with the re-release of Chicago VIII. The sonics are much improved over the original, muddy-sounding CD issued by Columbia as a "Collectors Choice" mid-priced item in the mid 80's. Chicago VIII was definitely the flattest-sounding album the band made with James William Guercio, but the new remastering job by Rhino makes it sound as good as anything else from 1975. In addition to bad audio, the Columbia issue of VIII (along with most of Chicago's other Columbia CDs) also had horrendous packaging. When Chicago Records came along in the 90's, all they did was substitute "Columbia" with "Chicago Records" on the so-called reissued discs; the sound and packaging are exactly the same. Rhino didn't have to try very hard to improve the packaging. Thankfully, they did try (although there is a sense that the company accountant was part of the project team - keep reading for my thoughts on that). The red cardinal iron-on patch logo is restored to its prominence on the cover (Unfortunately, there is no real iron-on patch in the case; that would have been a nice surprise for fans). The liner notes by Phil Gallo do a good job of summing up the band's state of mind during the time of the sessions for Chicago VIII. Also included in the booklet is a small reproduction of the poster that came with the original LP. This was the first of the humorous police-chase pictures that would be featured on every album until XI. This one has the band and their equipment stuffed into an old woody station wagon, as they attempt to flee a motorcycle cop. My only real complaint with this, as well as the previous Rhino reissues, is that I wish the CD itself had been labeled the same as the original LP, instead of using a generic Chicago logo and bland background color. It makes me think that Rhino was trying to cut corners to save a couple of pennies (And also, they could have included more pictures and recording information, but you can't have everything).

The real treat, of course, is the Bonus Selections. They are:
"Sixth Sense" (Rehearsal) - A cool jazzy instrumental that would have sounded at home on the first LP in Chicago VII, which is probably why it was never developed for VIII. It's a good track, however; especially if it really is a rehearsal.
"Bright Eyes" (Rehearsal) - A Latin-tinged song that sounds like an outtake from Robert Lamm's 1974 solo album Skinny Boy. Lyrically, it's not fully developed, but it's actually better than several songs on Skinny Boy. Electric piano and skittering guitar are the dominant instruments. As with "Sixth Sense", if this is a rehearsal, these guys are damn good musicians!
"Satin Doll" - Recorded Live for Dick Clark's Rockin' New Years Eve in late 1974. This is an old Duke Ellington instrumental that the band "used to have to play every night", as Lamm tells the audience. Nothing spectacular, but it's another tight arrangement that shows how good this band was.

I give this reissue a 4-star rating mainly because of the above-mentioned packaging omissions and/or cost-cutting measures. I think if Rhino had spent another 15 cents or so per CD, they could have made it a 5-star. The sound quality certainly rates a 5 and the performance is good for a 3 or 4. The Bonus Selections aren't essential, but even a casual Chicago fan will like having them.

Description of Chicago VIII

Classic Rock CDs

• Music > Styles
• Pop
• Rock