Chicago V is the fourth studio album by Americanrock band Chicago and was released on July 10, 1972. It is notable for being the group's first single album release, after having released three consecutive double albums and a four-disc box set of live material.
Following the release of Chicago III in 1971, the group changed from producing double albums, with many songs arranged in extended suites, in favor of more concise tracks on a single album.[3] It is often considered as the group’s return-to-basics as it has a sound resembling their first album, Chicago Transit Authority.Chicago V is also notable for Robert Lamm's prolific songwriting; eight out of its ten tunes are composed solely by him. Terry Kath wrote and sang the album's final track "Alma Mater", which showcased his acoustic guitar abilities. The song "A Hit by Varèse" is a tribute to French-American composer Edgard Varèse. This would be the last album not to have any compositions from Peter Cetera during his tenure in the band.
Recorded just before Chicago at Carnegie Hall was released in late 1971, Chicago V was cut in just over a week and held over for release until the following summer. Released shortly before the album, the single "Saturday in the Park" was the band's biggest hit to that point, reaching No. 3 in the US.[4]Chicago V was critically acclaimed and became Chicago's first No.1 album,[5][6] spending nine weeks atop the charts in the US.[7] In the UK, the release managed to reach No. 24.[8] The follow-up single "Dialogue (Part I & II)" also became a hit, peaking at No. 24 in the US.[4]
This album was mixed and released in both stereo and quadraphonic. In 2002, Chicago V was remastered and reissued by Rhino Records with three bonus tracks: a rehearsal of Lamm's "A Song for Richard and His Friends", which was debuted at Carnegie Hall, an early rehearsal of Kath's "Mississippi Delta City Blues" (which would later be re-recorded and released on Chicago XI), and a single edit of "Dialogue".
On August 17, 2011, Warner Japan released this album as a hybrid stereo-multichannel Super Audio CD in their Warner Premium Sound series.[9]
Critical reception[edit]
Accolades[edit]
1973: Chicago V, Best Small-Combo LP, Playboy Jazz & Pop Poll[10][11]
Track listing[edit]
Side One
No.
Title
Writer(s)
Vocals
Length
1.
"A Hit by Varèse"
Robert Lamm
Lamm
4:56
2.
"All Is Well"
Lamm
Lamm
3:52
3.
"Now That You've Gone"
James Pankow
Terry Kath
5:01
4.
"Dialogue (Part I)"
Lamm
Kath, Peter Cetera
2:57
5.
"Dialogue (Part II)"
Lamm
Kath, Cetera
4:13
Side Two
No.
Title
Writer(s)
Vocals
Length
6.
"While the City Sleeps"
Lamm
Lamm
3:53
7.
"Saturday in the Park"
Lamm
Lamm, Cetera
3:56
8.
"State of the Union"
Lamm
Cetera
6:12
9.
"Goodbye"
Lamm
Cetera
6:02
10.
"Alma Mater"
Kath
Kath
3:56
Bonus track (2002 re-issue)[edit]
"A Song for Richard and His Friends (Studio version without vocals)" (Lamm) – 8:15
"Mississippi Delta City Blues (First recorded version with scratch vocal)" (Kath) – 5:28
"Dialogue (Part I & II) (Single edit)" (Lamm) – 5:02
Personnel[edit]
Peter Cetera – bass guitar, wah-wah bass, lead and backing vocals
Terry Kath – electric and acoustic guitars, lead and backing vocals
Robert Lamm – acoustic piano, Hammond organ, Fender Rhodes, Hohner Pianet, lead and backing vocals
Lee Loughnane – trumpet, flugelhorn, percussion, backing vocals
James Pankow – trombone, percussion, backing vocals, brass arrangements
Walter Parazaider – saxophones, flute, percussion, backing vocals
Danny Seraphine – drums, congas, antique bells, percussion
Production[edit]
Produced by James William Guercio
Engineered by Wayne Tarnowski
Logo Design – Nick Fasciano
Album Design – John Berg
Photography – Jim Houghton and Earl Steinbicker
Lettering – Beverly Scott
Remastering – Joe Gastwirt
Charts[edit]
Chart (1972)
Peak position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[12]
5
United Kingdom (Official Charts Company)[13]
24
United States (Billboard 200)[14]
1
Certifications[edit]
Organization
Level
Date
RIAA – US
Gold
July 31, 1972
RIAA – US
Platinum
November 21, 1986
RIAA – US
Double Platinum
November 21, 1986
References[edit]
^Planer, Lindsay. "Chicago V - Chicago : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-06-18.
^"Chicago: Chicago V : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. 1972-12-07. Archived from the original on 2010-01-23. Retrieved 2012-06-18.
^Seraphine, Danny (2011). Street Player: My Chicago Story. John Wiley & Sons Inc. p. 125. ISBN 9780470416839.
^ a b"Chicago Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
^Seraphine, Danny (2011). Street Player: My Chicago Story. John Wiley & Sons Inc. p. 127. ISBN 9780470416839.
^"Chicago Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
^"Billboard 200 - 1972 Archive | Billboard Charts Archive". Billboard. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
^"CHICAGO | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
^"Warner Premium Sound 17 August 2011 releases" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2011-08-13. Retrieved 2011-11-03.
^"Jazz & Pop '73". Playboy. HMH Publishing Co., Inc. February 1973. available at, Bondi Data Viewer |access-date=October 20, 2017
^Harral, Don (February 18, 1973). "Chicago To Appear In State Tuesday". The Lawton Constitution And Morning Press. Lawton, Oklahoma, USA. p. 2D. Retrieved October 20, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
^Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 62. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
^"CHICAGO | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved January 21, 2019.
^"Billboard 200: Chicago III". Billboard. Retrieved January 21, 2019.
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