Chicago VII

Chicago VII (Chicago, 1974)

1. Prelude to Aire - 2:47

2. Aire - 6:29

3. Devil's Sweet - 10:09

4. Italian from New York - 4:14

5. Hanky Panky - 1:53

6. Life Saver - 5:18

7. Happy Man - 3:17

8. (I've Been) Searchin' So Long - 4:28

9. Mongonucleosis - 3:28

10. Song of the Evergreens - 5:21

11. Byblos - 6:20

12. Wishing You Were Here - 4:38

13. Call on Me - 4:03

14. Women Don't Want to Love Me - 4:37

15. Skinny Boy - 5:17

Time for a little rediscovery. This album isn't new to me, but that's the joy of music: it can be eternally reborn in the ears of the listener. Besides, after the jagged, experimental jazz rock of Soft Machine, I thought it would be interesting to revisit a friendlier branch of the same musical tree.

This double album is a half-and-half affair: the first LP (tracks 1-7) is mostly instrumental and jazz-focused, while the second LP delivers the hits. The jazz half is invigorating and expansive, an excellent sequel to the sprawl of the band's first three albums, which were also doubles. The pop half doesn't abandon the musical fun, though, and it adds some transcendent harmony vocals. Though there are some weak spots--the cheesy bossa-nova of "Happy Man," the interminably rambling"Byblos"--this is a solid double album from a diverse and adventurous band.

"Prelude to Aire" is just drums, conga, flute, and Mellotron strings, painting a sound picture that swells gradually into "Aire," which features trombone and trumpet playing harmony leads in 7/8, courtesy of James Pankow and Lee Loughnane. The sunny horn melody is lightened by Walt Parazaider's flute to great effect, then Terry Kath's guitar takes over for some tasteful soloing. The horns come back in for a coda and bring it all to a graceful close.

"Devil's Sweet" starts as a smoky, indolent swing tune, one that might be playing in a speak-easy in the dead of night. This morphs into a gentle, almost pastoral song. As we float away on the purity of the heavenly horns, nothing bad could happen to us... right? Wrong! The drums are the first indication of trouble, playing away in a heathenish fashion as Robert Lamm's keyboards make atonal noises above the restrained din. Then the keys get dark and earthy as the horns blare a dissonant chart above a descending riff. This transforms into a thrilling 12/8 jam with a brash synthesizer solo over madly choppy rhythm guitar, sprinting bass, and occasional horn punctuations. The piece ends with another drum solo and then floats away on the drifting speak-easy swing of the intro.

"Italian in New York" and "Hanky Panky" continue the fun with creative tonalities, strange time signatures, and a sprightly trombone solo from the accomplished Mr. Pankow. They flow into the first song with words, "Life Saver," which is a pretty straightforward rock song with a little bit of swing and even funk creeping in (but not too much). The first half of the album ends on the Peter Cetera-penned "Happy Man," which, as mentioned before, is a weak spot. Airy keyboards, la-la vocals, and the inescapable bossa-nova groove...

Thankfully, the second half starts out with one of Pankow's best songs. "(I've Been) Searchin' So Long" starts out somber and somewhat mysterious, but as the melody unfolds and the harmony vocals fill the sky with warm light, you know you made the right decision. The song builds from a reflective piece to an anthemic celebration, bursting forth into a regular block party on "Mongonucleosis." The two Terry Kath compositions that follow these are a little weak. "Song of the Evergreens" and "Byblos" have some interesting chord progressions, but they aren't terribly memorable, and they repeat a lot. "Byblos" in particular feels endless and rambling as Kath recounts a potentially romantic encounter that fizzles (like the song) into nothing.

Cetera redeems himself from "Happy Man" with "Wishing You Were Here." Guitar and bass create a slightly darker mood, and the harmony vocals paint a deep twilight, with the dying rays of sunset mottling the blackening clouds. Some of the Beach Boys contributed backing vocals to this one, and it really elevates the song. This poignant ode to loneliness is followed by one of the brightest songs in the band's catalog. "Call on Me" boasts energetic horns, dancing rhythms, and a catchy, sunny melody that seems so effortless it belies the excellence of the craft. The last two songs, "Women Don't Want to Love Me" and "Skinny Boy," are fun rock songs with a little bit of funk and gospel thrown in. They are definitely more than filler, but they don't quite reach the heights of their predecessors.

On the whole, Chicago VII marks a last hurrah for a band whose rock and jazz leanings would be gradually constricted by the pressure for more hits. Of course, the hits came, but at what price?

Arbritrary rating: 4 out of 5 mongonuclei