‘Now’ showed Chicago could produce a better album than they have in years when given complete artistic control. But they still had to include a ballad.

Once, the Robert Lamm-sung “Free at Last” might have had something to do with freedom’s fight, since he was the fierce political heart of Chicago. Not now.

Asked to pick five favorite Yuletide songs (and only five), our panel of holly-jolly musical enthusiasts offered some occasionally offbeat suggestions.

My parents advised me growing up that if I can’t say something nice, I shouldn’t say anything at all.

Robert Lamm shows that he can still write and arrange great Chicago songs, but it’s a shame the production betrays him.

What does it say about the state of this band when Chicago doesn’t even phone it in for the best track on ‘Chicago XXXVI: Now’?

Like so many goodbyes, nobody knew “Better” would represent Bill Champlin’s last released original recording with Chicago.

‘Chicago XXX’ hadn’t lived up to its cross-genre promise – that is, until “Lovin’ Chains” finally offered a fizzy, long-hoped-for combination of mindsets.

“Already Gone” shows once again that ‘Chicago XXX’ isn’t a bad album. It’s a good album that was just ruined by poor production.

In retrospect, it’s not hard to see why this copycat-sounding self-titled debut is their only LP. ‘Gerard’ is perhaps the best Chicago album of the era.