Album length: 45:16
Production: James William Guercio
Release date: 1972
Label: Columbia Records
“Chicago V” was the first album in the history of American jazz rock fusion champions Chicago that didn’t come out as a double LP. Unlike their earlier records, with their epic suites, it went for somewhat tighter compositions, which noticeably trimmed down the scale of the new studio project. One of the quirks of this album is that most of the songs were written by vocalist and keyboardist Robert Lamm, while vocalist and bassist Peter Cetra didn’t contribute a single songwriting credit, which, until his departure in the mid-eighties, happened for the last time in Chicago’s story. Still, Cetera shone on vocals and bass across a good number of tracks, while the closing, acoustic-leaning piece “Alma Mater” was sung by guitarist Terry Kath. “Chicago V” was a huge commercial success, and thanks mostly to the song “Saturday Park” it was the record that finally took them to the top of the charts of the day.
With this one, Chicago became even more commercially appealing, and you can hear it right away on the opening funky jazz-rocker “A Hit By Varese”, dedicated to the cult French avant-garde composer Edgar Varese. Apart from some instrumental wrangling among the horn section in the middle, though, it’s far from an avant-garde venture. Still, it’s one of the better moments on “Chicago V”, and even today it should please both those who worship the early, more experimental era and those who swear by the later, radio-friendly AOR phase. “All Is Well” is more than obvious proof that Chicago must have heard a Yes record or two back in 1972, because the ‘angelic’ vocal harmonies in the chorus are uncannily reminiscent of that legendary English prog rock band.
“Now That You’ve Gone” brings back the funky rhythmic influences, which is no surprise, since funk had just become the ‘hot stuff’ among plenty of (jazz) rockers too. Both parts of “Dialogue”, which carry a sharp social message and a critique of the Cold War climate of the time, feature superb vocal harmonies and sung ‘dialogues’ between Lamm and Cetera, who were the main driving force of this legendary band for a long time. On “While the City Sleeps” you can hear that Cetera used a wah-wah pedal on bass, while Kath served up an incredibly juicy guitar solo. The already mentioned “Saturday in the Park” was a hugely successful single and is probably the most recognizable song on this album. The dynamic “State of the Union”, surprisingly socially critical by Chicago standards, is another one of the highlights of “Chicago V”, with rhythmic shifts, horn section, guitar passages and vocal feats all in perfect harmony. “Goodbye”, another one with Cetera on lead vocals, is a tasty, dramatic blend of genres before the melancholic finish of the album with the aforementioned “Alma Mater”.
With “Chicago V”, Chicago were on top of the American jazz rock scene in 1972. It was without a doubt one of their best efforts, with just the right amount of rich horn arrangements, melodic guitar passages, dynamic rhythmic leaps and mighty vocal harmonies. Through the seventies and beyond, Chicago followed various musical trends and at this stage they were obviously smitten with funk, but that didn’t last very long, since “Chicago VI” was already a whole different story again.
Rating: 9/10
