How ‘Chicago XI’ Ended More Than One Era: Gimme Five
Even 45 years later, ‘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.
Even 45 years later, ‘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.
Chicago’s Terry Kath had never sounded smoother or more melancholy. It’s almost as if he knew tragedy would soon befall him.
Chicago’s “Takin’ It On Uptown,” the last Terry Kath song released in his lifetime, is a nod to idol Jimi Hendrix – and so much more.
The evolution of Chicago’s “Mississippi Delta City Blues” helps us chart the more personal evolution of Terry Kath as a songwriter, arranger and musician.
It’s a shame this wonderful, mostly acoustic jazzy bonus cut from the late Terry Kath didn’t find itself on ‘Chicago X.’
As with most of this underserved LP, “Hope For Love” had potential but Chicago simply doesn’t show the devotion of their pre-Caribou records.
A Chicago album that starts out so strong with “Once or Twice” ultimately becomes so uneven, thus making “Once or Twice” an unfulfilled promise.
Chicago is typically associated with horns, but “Oh Thank You Great Spirit” makes it clear that the rhythm section was the band’s heart and soul.
‘The Terry Kath Experience’ isn’t a documentary you merely watch; it’s one you experience and you feel.
Chicago’s “Till We Meet Again” is barely over two minutes long, and kindly labeled “filler.” Well-arranged filler, but filler nevertheless.