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| Chicago VIII | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 24, 1975 | |||
| Recorded | August – September 1974 | |||
| Studio | Caribou Ranch,Nederland, Colorado | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 39:18 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Producer | James William Guercio | |||
| Chicago chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Chicago VIII | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
Chicago VIII is the seventh studio album by Americanrock bandChicago, released on March 24, 1975 byColumbia Records. Following the experimentaljazz/pop stylings ofChicago VII, the band returned to a more streamlined rock-based sound on this follow-up.
After five consecutive years of constant activity, the members of Chicago were feeling drained as they came to recordChicago VIII at producerJames William Guercio'sCaribou Ranch inColorado in thesummer of 1974. While the variety in styles explored onChicago VIII were reminiscent ofChicago VI, this particular album had a more distinctrock feel, as exemplified onPeter Cetera's "Anyway You Want" (later covered by Canadian singerCharity Brown) and "Hideaway", as well asTerry Kath'sHendrix tribute "Oh, Thank You Great Spirit" andJames Pankow's hit "Old Days" (#5). The ballad "Brand New Love Affair, Part I & II" charted at #61.
Preceded by Lamm's "Harry Truman" (#13) as lead single,Chicago VIII was held over for release until March 1975 asChicago VII was still riding high in the charts. While it easily reached #1 in the US, the album had a lukewarm critical reception — still commonly considered, by some, as one of their weakest albums from the original lineup, resulting in the briefest chart stay of any Chicago album thus far. It was also the first album to feature session percussionistLaudir de Oliveira as a full-fledged band member rather than merely a sideman, the first addition to the original lineup.
Inside the original LP package was an iron-ont-shirt decal of the album cover and a poster of the band in a station wagon being pulled over by a policeman.
On the RPM Canada charts, confusion endured when the LP was mis-identified during its chart run asChicago VII; the catalog number listed proved it was reallyVIII.
This album was mixed and released in both stereo and quadraphonic. In 2002,Chicago VIII was remastered and reissued byRhino Records with two unreleased songs: "Sixth Sense" (an instrumental, or possibly a backing track) by Kath and "Bright Eyes" by Lamm, as well as a version of "Satin Doll" recorded for aDick Clark's "Rockin' New Year's Eve" special - all as bonus tracks.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Vocalist(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Anyway You Want" | Peter Cetera | Cetera | 3:37 |
| 2. | "Brand New Love Affair, Part I & II" | James Pankow | Kath & Cetera | 4:28 |
| 3. | "Never Been in Love Before" | Robert Lamm | Cetera | 4:10 |
| 4. | "Hideaway" | Cetera | Cetera | 4:44 |
| 5. | "Till We Meet Again" | Terry Kath | Kath | 2:03 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Vocalist(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6. | "Harry Truman" | Lamm | Lamm | 3:01 |
| 7. | "Oh, Thank You Great Spirit" | Kath | Kath | 7:19 |
| 8. | "Long Time No See" | Lamm | Lamm | 2:46 |
| 9. | "Ain't It Blue?" | Lamm | Kath & Cetera | 3:26 |
| 10. | "Old Days" | Pankow | Cetera | 3:31 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Vocalist(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Sixth Sense (Rehearsal)" | Kath | Instrumental | 5:07 |
| 12. | "Bright Eyes (Rehearsal)" | Lamm | Lamm | 3:41 |
| 13. | "Satin Doll (Live)" | Duke Ellington,Billy Strayhorn,Johnny Mercer | Instrumental | 2:48 |
Chicago
Additional personnel
| Chart (1975) | Position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[2] | 27 |
| Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[3] | 3 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon)[4] | 40 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[5] | 30 |
| Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[6] | 6 |
| USBillboard 200[7] | 1 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[8] | Gold | 50,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[9] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
