Chicago VI

Last updated
Chicago VI
Chicago - Chicago VI.jpg
Studio album by
Chicago
ReleasedJune 25, 1973
RecordedFebruary 1973
Studio Caribou Ranch, Nederland, Colorado
Genre Jazz rock
Length38:21
Label Columbia
Producer James William Guercio
Chicago chronology
Live in Japan
(1972)		Chicago VI
(1973)		 Chicago VII
(1974)
Singles from Chicago VI
  1. "Feelin' Stronger Every Day"
    Released: June 5, 1973
  2. "Just You 'n' Me"
    Released: September 7, 1973
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [1]
Christgau's Record Guide C [2]
Rolling Stone (not rated) [3]

Chicago VI is the fifth studio album by American rock band Chicago and was released on June 25, 1973, by Columbia Records. It was the band's second in a string of five consecutive albums to make it to No. 1 in the US, [4] was certified gold less than a month after its release, and has been certified two-times platinum since. [5] It is the first album to feature percussionist Laudir de Oliveira, [6] who would become a full-fledged member of the band for Chicago VIII . [7] [8] VI is the first studio album (the other being 1975's compilation Chicago IX ) to feature the original band members on the cover before the death of leader and co-founder Terry Kath.

Contents

Background

After having recorded all of Chicago's first five albums in New York City (except for parts of the second album recorded at CBS in Los Angeles), producer James William Guercio had his own Caribou Studios built in Nederland, Colorado during 1972. It was finished in time for the band to record their sixth album the following February, [9] and would remain their recording base for the next four years. [8]

Robert Lamm authored half of the album's tracks, including his response to some of Chicago's negative reviewers in "Critics' Choice". James Pankow wrote the album's two hits, "Just You 'n' Me", which peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, [10] and "Feelin' Stronger Every Day", which peaked at No. 10. [11] The latter was co-composed with Peter Cetera, who also wrote "In Terms of Two", and sang lead vocal on all three songs.

Released in June 1973, Chicago VI was another commercial success, spending five non-consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart in the US, [4] [9] and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) less than a month after its release. [5] It was certified two-times platinum in 1986, the first year the RIAA awarded platinum certification to albums released before 1976. [12] The album did not chart in the UK, although the band's first three studio albums had charted in the top ten there. [13]

The album was mixed and released in both stereo and quadraphonic. The original US CD release (Columbia CK #32400) was mastered for CD by Joe Gastwirt. Chicago VI was remastered and reissued by Rhino Records in 2002, with two bonus tracks: a Terry Kath demo called "Beyond All Our Sorrows", and a recording of Al Green's "Tired of Being Alone", taken from the 1973 TV special Chicago in the Rockies. In 2013, the audiophile reissue company Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab remastered Chicago VI and released it on Hybrid SACD, which can be played on both CD players and SACD players.

Track listing

Side One
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
1."Critics' Choice" Robert Lamm Robert Lamm2:49
2."Just You 'n' Me" James Pankow Peter Cetera 3:42
3."Darlin' Dear"LammLamm2:56
4."Jenny" Terry Kath Terry Kath3:31
5."What's This World Comin' To"PankowLamm, Cetera, Kath4:58
Side Two
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
6."Something in This City Changes People"LammKath, Lamm, Cetera, Lee Loughnane 3:42
7."Hollywood"LammLamm3:52
8."In Terms of Two"Peter CeteraCetera3:29
9."Rediscovery"LammLamm4:47
10."Feelin' Stronger Every Day"Cetera/PankowCetera4:15
Bonus tracks (2002 reissue)
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
1."Beyond All Our Sorrows" (Terry Kath demo)KathKath7:06
2."Tired of Being Alone" (with Al Green)GreenGreen4:09

Personnel

Chicago

Additional personnel

Production

Charts

Chart (1973)Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report) [14] 12
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista) [15] 26
United States (Billboard 200) [16] 1

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada) [17] Platinum100,000^
United States (RIAA) [18] 2× Platinum2,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

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References

  1. ↑ Planer, Lindsay. "Chicago VI - Chicago : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved June 18, 2012.
  2. ↑ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: C". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies . Ticknor & Fields. ISBN   089919026X. Archived from the original on April 13, 2019. Retrieved February 23, 2019– via robertchristgau.com.
  3. ↑ Fletcher, Gordon (August 17, 1973). "Chicago: Chicago VI : Music Reviews: Rolling Stone". RollingStone.com. Archived from the original on January 6, 2008. Retrieved June 18, 2012.
  4. 1 2 "Chicago Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 1, 2019. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  5. 1 2 "Gold & Platinum". RIAA. Archived from the original on February 12, 2018. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  6. ↑ Seraphine, Danny (2011). Street Player: My Chicago Story. John Wiley & Sons Inc. p. 132. ISBN   9780470416839.
  7. ↑ Seraphine, Danny (2011). Street Player: My Chicago Story. John Wiley & Sons Inc. p. 138. ISBN   9780470416839.
  8. 1 2 Ruhlmann, William James (1991). Chicago Group Portrait (Box Set) (CD booklet archived online) (Media notes). New York City: Columbia Records. p. 7. Archived from the original on February 13, 2016. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
  9. 1 2 Rosen, Craig (1996). The Billboard Book Of Number One Albums. Watson-Guptill Publications. p. 163. ISBN   0-8230-7586-9.
  10. ↑ "Chicago Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. p. 1. Archived from the original on February 1, 2019. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  11. ↑ "Chicago Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. p. 2. Archived from the original on February 1, 2019. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  12. ↑ Grein, Paul (December 13, 1986). "CBS gets Pre-1976 Certs: 132 Honors Issued". Billboard. pp. 4, 67. Retrieved February 11, 2019– via Google books.
  13. ↑ "CHICAGO | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Archived from the original on December 24, 2018. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  14. ↑ 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.
  15. ↑ Pennanen, Timo (2021). "Chicago". Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 (PDF) (in Finnish). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 46.
  16. ↑ "Billboard 200: Chicago III". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 22, 2019. Retrieved January 21, 2019.
  17. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Chicago – Chicago VI". Music Canada . Retrieved June 21, 2023.
  18. ↑ "American album certifications – Chicago – Chicago VI". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved June 21, 2023.
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