Chicago VIII
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Chicago VIII | ||
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| Studio album by Chicago | ||
| Released | 24 March 1975 | |
| Recorded | August–September 1974, Caribou Ranch, Nederland, CO | |
| Genre | Rock | |
| Length | 39:18 | |
| Label | Columbia Records | |
| Producer(s) | James William Guercio | |
| Professional reviews | ||
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| Chicago chronology | ||
| Chicago VII (1974) |
Chicago VIII (1975) |
Chicago IX - Chicago's Greatest Hits (1975) |
Chicago VIII is the eighth album by American rock band Chicago and was released in 1975. Following the experimental jazz/pop stylings of Chicago VII, the band returned to a more streamlined sound on this follow-up.
After five consecutive years of constant activity, the members of Chicago were feeling drained as they came to record Chicago VIII at producer James William Guercio's Caribou Ranch in Colorado in the summer of 1974. While the variety in styles explored on Chicago VIII were reminiscent of Chicago VI, this particular album had a more distinct rock feel, as exemplified on Peter Cetera's "Anyway You Want" and "Hideaway", as well as Terry Kath's Hendrix tribute "Oh, Thank You Great Spirit" and James Pankow's smash hit "Old Days" (#5). The ballad "Brand New Love Affair, Part I & II" charted at #61.
Preceded by Lamm's nostalgic "Harry Truman" (#13) as lead single, Chicago VIII was held over for release until March 1975 as Chicago VII was still riding high in the charts. While it easily reached #1 in the US, the album had a lukewarm critical reception - still commonly considered, by some, as one of their weakest albums, resulting in the briefest chart stay of any Chicago album thus far.
In 2002, Chicago VIII was remastered and reissued by Rhino Records with two unreleased songs: "Sixth Sense" (a backing track) by Kath and "Bright Eyes" by Lamm, as well as version of "Satin Doll" recorded for Dick Clark's "Rockin' New Year's Eve" special - all as bonus tracks.
[edit] Track listing
- "Anyway You Want" (Peter Cetera) – 3:37
- "Brand New Love Affair, Part I & II" (James Pankow) – 4:28
- "Never Been in Love Before" (Robert Lamm) – 4:10
- "Hideaway" (Peter Cetera) – 4:44
- "Till We Meet Again" (Terry Kath) – 2:03
- "Harry Truman" (Robert Lamm) – 3:01
- "Oh, Thank You Great Spirit" (Terry Kath) – 7:19
- "Long Time No See" (Robert Lamm) – 2:46
- "Ain't It Blue?" (Robert Lamm) – 3:26
- "Old Days" (James Pankow) – 3:31
Chicago VIII (Columbia 33100) reached #1 in the US during a chart stay of 29 weeks. It never charted in the UK.
[edit] Personnel
- Peter Cetera - bass, vocals
- Laudir DeOliveira - percussion, congas
- Terry Kath - guitar, vocals
- Robert Lamm - keyboards, vocals
- Lee Loughnane - trumpet, backing vocals
- James Pankow - trombone
- Walter Parazaider - woodwinds
- Danny Seraphine - drums
Additional personnel
- Caribou Kitchenettes - vocal chorus on "Harry Truman"
- Joanne Rocconi
- Kristy Ferguson
- John Carsello
- Laudir De Oliveira
- Brandy Maitland
- Linda Greene
- Steve Fagin
- James Pankow
- Katherine Ogden
- Donna Conroy
- Richard Torres
- Walter Parazaider
- Bob Eberhardt
- Lee Loughnane
[edit] Charts
Album - Billboard (North America)
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Pop Albums | 1 |
Singles - Billboard (North America)
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Brand New Love Affair, Part I & II | Pop Singles | 61 |
| 1975 | Harry Truman | Pop Singles | 13 |
| 1975 | Old Days | Pop Singles | 5 |
| 1975 | Old Days | Adult Contemporary | 3 |
| Chicago |
|---|
| Robert Lamm | James Pankow | Lee Loughnane | Walter Parazaider | Bill Champlin Jason Scheff | Tris Imboden | Keith Howland Terry Kath | Peter Cetera | Danny Seraphine | Laudir DeOliveira | Donnie Dacus | Chris Pinnick | Dawayne Bailey |
| Discography |
| Studio albums: The Chicago Transit Authority | Chicago | Chicago III | Chicago V | Chicago VI |Chicago VII | Chicago VIII | Chicago X | Chicago XI | Hot Streets Chicago 13 | Chicago XIV | Chicago 16 | Chicago 17 | Chicago 18 | Chicago 19 | Twenty 1 | Night & Day Big Band | Chicago XXX |
| Live albums: Chicago at Carnegie Hall | Chicago XXVI: Live in Concert |
| Compilations: Chicago IX - Chicago's Greatest Hits | Greatest Hits, Volume II | Greatest Hits 1982-1989 The Heart of Chicago 1967-1997 | The Heart of Chicago 1967-1998 Volume II | The Very Best of: Only the Beginning | Love Songs |
| Christmas albums: Chicago XXV: The Christmas Album | What's It Gonna Be, Santa? |
| Unreleased album: Stone of Sisyphus |
| Box sets: The Box |
