‘Chicago XI’ isn’t their best-loved original-lineup album. Yet, for better or worse, it remains one of the most memorable of the era. Released on Sept. 12, 1977, this LP was the last of long-time producer James William Guercio’s tenure, and the last with co-founding guitarist Terry Kath, and the last Top 10 album before an ‘80s-themed renovation under the auspices of David Foster. Here’s a look back at five key tracks:
‘MISSISSIPPI DELTA CITY BLUES’
I remember it like it was yesterday: Canandaigua, N.Y. My older sister and her family had recently moved. It was 1990 or ’91, and in a musty old basement I found a dresser left behind by the previous owner with a stack of vinyl records in one of the drawers.
As a child of the ’80s and part of the “second wave” of Chicago fans (those far more familiar with Chicago 17 than the Columbia Records era) this was my first REAL exposure to Terry Kath. So, finding a stereo in my sister’s then-new home, I dropped the platter on the turntable and gently placed the needle in the groove.
And in that moment with that opening guitar riff with a nervous chuckle from Terry Kath and the rhythmic chemistry of Terry, Peter Cetera, and Danny Seraphine, I fell in love with Chicago for the first time all over again. Because, truly — hearing that incarnation of the band was like hearing a completely different band than the one that had already sunk its teeth into me with Chicago 16-19.
“Mississippi Delta City Blues” had been kicking around for years before I finally heard it and even then it had evolved dramatically from its origins when it was played by a band on the Windy City nightclub circuit called the Big Thing. Chicago had briefly dusted it off when performing live in Japan in 1972, with yet a different arrangement than was first showcased in those Chicago clubs and later on 1977’s Chicago XI. But by then, the group had finally perfected it. The evolution of “Mississippi Delta City Blues” was complete and, sadly, just in time given that it was Terry Kath’s final album with the band.
Where the earliest incarnations of “Mississippi Delta City Blues” had a slow, almost plodding rhythm that gradually built into a crescendo of horns, the 1972 version on Live in Japan (and its studio counterpart on the 2002 Rhino re-release) picked up the tempo, giving it more of a traditional blues riff that was a bit closer to the version that eventually made it onto Chicago XI. The ’72 arrangement was more of a Kath showcase while the arrangement that opened XI found a rhythm section firing on all cylinders, underlining their chemistry.
What makes the song so interesting, however, is that in listening to the different versions one can hear not only the evolution of “Mississippi Delta City Blues,” but the evolution of Terry Kath as a songwriter, arranger and musician. It’s one of the few instances where one can experience a musician’s growth with that level of insight.
Given the loss of Kath less than a year after this album’s release, the nervous chuckle that opens this song almost feels eerie. In retrospect, Terry Kath’s passing gives the whole vibe of the song an overall air of finality. It’s a goodbye of sorts. – Perplexio
‘BABY, WHAT A BIG SURPRISE’
Selected as the first single from Chicago XI, “Baby, What a Big Surprise” furnished the band with yet another humongous hit, peaking at No. 4 on the charts in the autumn of 1977.
Composed and sung by Peter Cetera, this tuneful track proposes the universal theme of relationship insecurity, which in this case means wondering if the object of affection shares your feelings. “Right before my very eyes, I thought that you were only fakin’ it,” croons Cetera in his one-of-a-kind voice at the beginning of the song – attended by the stirring sound of a skittering flute – then confesses his heart was takin’ it. But his mind was “softly changed,” and love is real and returned. Needless to say, the revelation comes as a big surprise, and life is now good. No more wasting time or being alone.
Starting out on a quiet pitch, “Baby, What a Big Surprise” picks up the pace piece by piece, resulting in a top-flight toe-tapper. A lively and catchy chorus, adorned with “oh, oh, woah, oh’s” gives the song a bit of a charming doo-wop touch. Such spine-tingling harmonies are the work of the late Beach Boys great Carl Wilson, along with Cetera’s brother Tim. Crisp acoustics, the tweeting of a piccolo trumpet and strategically situated breaks that tug and twirl are additional perks offered.
Lounging somewhere between Chicago’s vintage poppier moments and the slicker stance the band had recently adopted, “Baby, What a Big Surprise” contains the best of both worlds. Peter Cetera always let it be known how much he enjoyed writing and performing romantic ballads, and he truly shines like the star he is here. – Beverly Paterson
‘TAKE ME BACK TO CHICAGO’
“Take me back to Chicago, lay my soul to rest …”
Robert Lamm’s voice, almost in a whisper, cascades from my speakers and invites me to remember the tortured soul who left home for a dream and would never return: The story of a man who yearned for the simple freedom of life before it became so much harder to understand. “Take Me Back to Chicago is an unintentionally prophetic song telling the tale of Fred Page from a little-known band named Illinois Speed Press.
The song was released a few months after Terry Kath’s tragic death, however, and it took on an even deeper meaning when listened to in this new context: “’cause my life was so much simpler then.” “Take Me Back to Chicago” began to seem like more than the story of so many who dream of fame and don’t know how to cope with the pitfalls associated with it; this felt like Kath’s story.
Written by drummer Danny Seraphine and Rufus keyboardist David “Hawk” Wolinski, “Take Me Back to Chicago” is a standout from a disjointed album. There is some debate as to whether this could have possibly been the last project from the original seven members. Chicago XI, by itself, is seven people going in very different directions. The band was struggling to maintain an identity as the music scene was quickly evolving around them, and this is very evident on the album.
“Take Me Back to Chicago” is an exception. It represents what was still possible from the band. The melody flows effortlessly over their arrangement, and the use of several minor chords gives it a feeling of melancholy and inevitability. The singer has accepted his fate, and wants desperately to go home and rest in the one place he felt truly happy.
We breeze through our childhood and early adult years constantly grabbing for the next rung, without taking a breath and truly appreciating the fleeting moments that we later hold onto so tightly. As the years pass and the layers of life begin to smother our innocence and amazement at the world around us, we increasingly long for the time when spending summer with our friends, sleepovers, amusement parks, and riding bikes were our entire lives. As John Lennon said, life is what happens when we are busy making other plans.
We all have a “Chicago” to go back to. May we all find that place within us. – Richard Normandie
‘TAKIN’ IT ON UPTOWN’
Chicago’s “Takin’ It On Uptown” is the last Terry Kath composition to be released in his lifetime: What a way for the great lead guitarist/lead vocalist to go out!
The lyrics for this tune are credited to Fred Kagan, about whom little is known; the music, of course, is by Kath. We are in power-trio mode here, not unlike his idol Jimi Hendrix. When I saw the band in 1977, keyboardist/vocalist Robert Lamm introduced the song. (Terry had stopped making stage announcements a few years prior.) “We’re giving the horns a rest on this new Terry Kath tune,” Lamm said. “That’s OK; they don’t like to work too hard anyway!”
The piece starts with a blast of atonal, distorted guitar, not unlike some of the Jimi Hendrix Experience things. This is not to say Terry is stealing anything on “Takin’ It On Uptown,” but your influences will pop out from time to time. A good example would be some jazz saxophonists incorporating John Coltrane’s fondness for arpeggio phrases. Kath settles into a stone-classic riff and we’re off. Percussionist Laudir de Oliveira contributes cowbell and other important little touches here and there; bassist/vocalist Peter Cetera and drummer Danny Seraphine lay down a rhythmic bed for Terry Kath to soar over.
The lyrics are more or less about leaving the blues behind and taking a trip, yes, uptown to revive one’s spirits. Kath’s guitar is a force of nature, shifting into atonal blasts and wah-wah jamming here and there. However, things are never reduced to tuneless noise. Terry makes it all work one last time, giving it his all on the vocal and, of course, guitar.
It’s ironic that on his last album with Chicago, the arrangement is very similar to the first part of Robert Lamm’s “Poem 58” from the band’s 1969 debut album, Chicago Transit Authority. The original liner notes to this tune on Chicago XI advised one to “keep your eyes open.” Terry was to begin recording his debut solo album with his new power trio Cook County, the day after he tragically passed.
I think a lot of us would have followed him and ceased listening to future Chicago albums had he indeed fulfilled his Cook County dream. His passing marks the end of the classic Chicago lineup, but we still have all the great recordings he made with the band. What a legacy it is! – Bob Helme
‘THIS TIME’
Following the raw piss-and-vinegar grit of “Takin’ It On Uptown,” Chicago’s “This Time” makes for an interesting shift. Featuring Lee Loughnane on a vocal that seems to be channeling Terry Kath, the track finds Kath contributing a beautifully polished and melodic guitar solo. That’s quite a departure from the raw power of the previous song, making “This Time” something of a melodic counterpoint to “Takin’ It On Uptown.”
Written by Lee Loughnane, “This Time” almost comes across as a plea from the band for Terry to stick around. While the lyrics speak more to Lee’s love du jour of the time, the music — a true whole band effort – feels more like a plea for a fresh start and new beginning, and a clearing of the air.
Shortly after Chicago XI, the band made a momentous decision. For better or worse (most would argue, in hindsight, for worse), they severed ties with their benefactor, the only manager and producer they had ever known, the “man behind the curtain” who bankrolled the group’s move from Chicago to L.A. and got them their contract with Columbia: James William Guercio. And unfortunately, not long after that, Chicago was rocked to the core with the untimely death of Terry Kath.
In hindsight, “This Time” is an encapsulation of what could have been had Chicago XI been a starting point in a new direction for the band, instead of a sad and abrupt end of an era. It’s a statement of hope for the future, a hope that was tragically snuffed out on Jan. 23, 1978.
“This Time” is also, in a way, a precursor of the music Chicago would record in the ’80s. It was the next step in the band’s evolution (or some might argue, regression) from a rock and roll band with horns to a pop band with horns – a song with a glimpse of a future that might have been under less unfortunate circumstances. – Perplexio
- Skerik, “Air Garden” from ‘SKERIK 0610725’: Something Else! sneak peek - March 11, 2026
- Luis Nacht and Camila Nebbia, “Me Condiciona el Nombre” (2026): Something Else! video premiere - March 5, 2026
- Bellbird, “Firefly Pharology” from ‘The Call’ (2026): Something Else! video premiere - February 2, 2026
