Chicago 13 is not a good album by any stretch of the imagination. Few would argue that the unlucky 13th album by Chicago was the band’s weakest effort to date at the time of its 1979 release.
The band was not over the tragic 1978 death of lead guitarist, vocalist and band leader Terry Kath. Kath would ultimately prove to be impossible to replace. In the meantime, Donnie Dacus – the record label’s forced “replacement” – was clearly not working out.
But Chicago had more serious problems than their problem-child lead guitarist.
One-time main songwriter Robert Lamm’s unhealthy personal habits were rapidly catching up to him. The keyboardist and singer is only responsible for two compositions and a single vocal on Chicago 13. At a time when the band needed him the most, Lamm was slowly fading into the background. His slowing participation empowered everyone to contribute a song, and that did not help. Bassist/vocalist Peter Cetera knew that Chicago needed some of that old R&B magic Kath supplied and decided to assume that role as well. (For all intents and purposes, Peter carried the band on his back from when Terry passed until Cetera left in 1985).
“Window Dreamin’,” credited to trumpeter Lee Loughnane and woodwinds specialist Walter Parazaider, kicks off with a tough horn figure, clearly a funky R&B workout. Cetera joins in with a weird voice, which he dubbed “P.C. Moblee.” The problem here is he possibly forgot what a great rock/R&B vocalist he already was and thought he had to assume another vocal tone color to cover Terry Kath’s grit.
The other possibility of course, is that Peter Cetera hated the song and used this goofy voice as a commentary here – as well as on “Aloha Mama,” which leads off the old side two. Lee Loughnane apparently contributed the music and Walter Parazaider the insipid lyrics, which are about missing one’s significant other while on the road.
Here is the chorus: “’Cuz I’m window, window dreamin’.” The bridge isn’t much better: “Gigs are fun. When they’re done, feel so down, act like a clown.” Cetera mumbles the last lyrics of the chorus, like he can’t stomach what he’s singing. Dacus contributes a generic guitar solo, then there is another verse, the bridge is repeated and Cetera grunts “uh-huh” over and over as the song fades out.
It’s a shame such a good horn arrangement, melody and structure are undone by the pedestrian lyrics and an awful lead vocal. Suddenly, Chicago found themselves in a changing musical environment that they could not navigate or understand. The group managed to survive, but with little of the musical integrity they originally prided themselves on.
- Chicago, “Watching All the Colors” (2014): Saturdays in the Park - January 22, 2022
- Chicago, “Love Lives On” from ‘Chicago XXXVI: Now’ (2014): Saturdays in the Park - January 8, 2022
- Chicago, “More Will Be Revealed” from ‘Chicago XXXVI: Now’ (2014): Saturdays in the Park - December 11, 2021
