Chicago V is the fourth studio album by the American rock band Chicago. It was released on July 10, 1972, by Columbia Records. 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.
History
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 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".
^"Jazz & Pop '73". Playboy. HMH Publishing Co., Inc. February 1973. available at, Bondi Data ViewerArchived 2017-10-21 at the Wayback Machine |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. Archived from the original on October 21, 2017. 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.
^Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 166. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
^"Classifiche". Musica e Dischi (in Italian). Retrieved June 20, 2024. Set "Tipo" on "Album". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Chicago".
^Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
[1]
