Oakland's Vinyl Vault - Chicago II

This week's album features winds from the Windy City. That's right, it's the band with the least creatively named albums of all time: Chicago, with their album Chicago II!

Release date: January 26, 1970
Singles: 25 or 6 to 4, Make Me Smile, Colour My World

Chicago II (officially named Chicago, since the first album was before they shortened their name from the Chicago Transit Authority, but referred to as Chicago II because pretty much all of their over 30 albums are named "Chicago (number)"), like the band's first album, is a double album.  Although the first album was a success, Chicago II is the album that really made the band a household name, and for a good reason: it's a great album.  All three of the singles off this album charted in the top 10, and "25 or 6 to 4" is still one of their biggest hits.  And the rest of the songs aren't too shabby either.

The first disc flows really smoothly, with the highlight being the "Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon" suite of songs.  The third side of the album doesn't flow as well as the other 3 sides, but more than makes up for it by having three great songs in "Fancy Colours," "25 or 6 to 4," and "Memories of Love."  Early Chicago was not afraid to get political, and did just that on the fourth side, with the great song "It Better End Soon."

Rating: 10 thumbs up - Even though it's a double album, when it ends I always want more.  Great album from start to finish.  It's also a really easy find, as there are a ton of Chicago albums in every record store ever, and you should be able to get a copy on the cheap (I got mine for $0.50), so there's no excuse for not having it!

Well, I wanted to play you "It Better End Soon," my friends, but I could not find it in video form on the big truck that is the internet, so instead I will class up the joint a little with some "Fancy Colours" (and you know it's fancy because they added the "u" to the word color!)



Pat is crazy.