Chicago - The Box


Year of Release: 2003
Label: Rhino Records
Catalog Number: 73871
Format: CD
Total Time: 392:55:00

Figuring out the styles of music that Chicago has ventured into over their 36-year history is easy; the difficult thing would be to find a musical road they have not taken. The Box is a definitive collection spanning their illustrious, and for the most part, underrated career. Regardless of the fact that they may have been taken for granted and were not always the critics darlings they have been one of the most successful bands in the world.

Covering a career spanning 36 years is no easy task, yet Rhino does a superb job of choosing the key songs that feature Chicago's development from the beginning to present day of their eclectic blend of rock, jazz, fusion and pop. Before the premature death of founding member Terry Kath, this band not only had one of the most innovative guitar players and distinctive voices in music, they had two other vocalists/instrumentalist that carried quite a presence in the studio and onstage, Robert Lamm (keyboards) and Peter Cetera (bass).

Reflecting upon the first decade of the band's existence boggles the mind at how much talent was at their disposal. It is beyond my comprehension how they were not considered as one of the best bands in the world right out of the gate. At first, they had to travel to Europe to find an audience appreciative of their sophisticated sound and eventually U.S. audiences realized what they offered music lovers of all kinds. Crossing over the lines of jazz and fusion made them unique and hard to categorize. Adding horns to the mix of rock music was enticing to many groups but nobody could duplicate what Chicago did.

Personally, some of the very first vinyl LPs I ever purchased with my hard-earned paper route money was when they had just changed their name from Chicago Transit Authority to Chicago (they were forced to do so). I remained interested all the way through to volume V, and then somehow I got lost into a hard rock abyss and did not pull out those albums for many years. All of this music reminded me why I liked them so much to begin with, with one exception; I, like many others, never realized how complex and interesting their music was. I especially recognized this watching them go off into a free form jazz run on the archived live footage on the bonus DVD. Their music is still as breathtaking and fresh today as it was when they first created it.

The accompanying book is a fascinating compilation of photos of the band over the years with a detailed history of the music available on each disc. Keep in mind that this band has gone through several changes without missing a beat and their popularity has never waned. I am so glad that I had the opportunity to listen to all this music again. Of course, now I want to pick up the remastered albums I-III offered by Rhino.

You would think after listening to five CDs and watching a DVD that I would want to give it a rest but I want to start from disc one and do it all over again. Like the Beatles and Beach Boys, this music is timeless and will have the same appeal to listeners today and many years beyond the band's lifetime, giving significance to the thought- ?People live and die and music is immortal.?


Tracklisting:
Disc One:: Introduction (6:36) / Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is? (3:20) / Beginnings (6:27) / Questions 67 and 68 (5:01) / Listen (3:24) / South California Purples (6:11) / I'm A Man (5:43) / Movin' In (4:08) / Wake Up Sunshine (2:32) / Ballet For A Girl In Buchannon: Make Me Smile/So Much To Say, So? (7:02) / Ballet For A Girl In Buchannon: Colour My World (3:02) / Ballet For A Girl In Buchannon: To Be Free/Now More Than Ever (2:43) / Fancy Colours (5:11) / 25 Or 6 To 4 (4:51) / Poem For The People (5:31) / It Better End Soon: 1st Movement/3rd Movement/4th Movement (6:37)

Disc Two:: Loneliness Is Just Word (2:37) / Travel Suite: Flight 602 (excerpt) (2:48) / Travel Suite: Free (excerpt) (2:18) / Mother (4:31) / Lowdown (3:35) / An Hour In The Shower: A Hard Risin' Morning Without Breakfast/Off To? (5:30) / A Hit By Varàse (4:55) /All Is Well (3:50) / Saturday In The Park (3:55) / Dialogue, Pts. 1 & 2 (7:12) / Just You 'N' Me (3:43) / Something In This City Changes People (3:43) / In Terms Of Two (3:30) / Feelin' Stronger Every Day (4:14) / (I've Been) Searchin' So Long (4:30) / Mongonucleosis (3:27) / Wishing You Were Here (4:38) / Call On Me (4:02) / Happy Man (3:14)

Disc Three:: Harry Truman (3:01) / Old Days (3:31) / Brand New Love Affair, Pts. 1 & 2 (4:27) / Never Been In Love Before (4:10) / You Are On My Mind (3:12) / Mama Mama (3:30) / Hope For Love (3:03) / Another Rainy Day In New York City (3:01) / Gently I'll Wake You (3:33) / If You Leave Me Now (3:56) / Mississippi Delta City Blues (4:40) / Baby, What a Big Surprise (3:04) / Take Me Back To Chicago (5:15) / Prelude (Little One)/Little One (6:35) / Gone Long Gone (4:00) / No Tell Lover (3:49) / Alive Again (3:29) / The Greatest Love On Earth (3:18) / Little Miss Lovin' (4:36) / Hot Streets (5:14)

Disc Four:: Street Player (4:24) / Must Have Been Crazy (3:23)/ Manipulation (3:29) / Thunder And Lightning (3:32) / Song For You (3:42) / The American Dream (3:17) / Love Me Tomorrow (4:59) / Chains (3:22) / What You're Missing (3:31) / Hard To Say I'm Sorry/Get Away (5:06) / Stay The Night (3:48) / We Can Stop The Hurtin' (4:11) / Hard Habit To Break (4:43) / Along Comes A Woman (3:46) / You're The Inspiration (3:48) / Good For Nothing (3:38) / If She Would Have Been Faithful (3:53) / Forever (5:20) / Will You Still Love Me? (4:11) / Niagara Falls (3:42)

Disc Five:: Heart In Pieces (5:05) / Look Away (3:59) / What Kind Of Man Would I Be (4:19) / I Don't Wanna Live Without Your Love (3:56) / We Can Last Forever (3:45) / You're Not Alone (3:59) / Hearts In Trouble (4:01) / Only Time Can Heal The Wounded (4:39) / You Come To My Senses (3:48) / God Save The Queen (4:19) / Chasin' The Wind (4:18) / All The Years (4:16) / Stone Of Sisyphus (4:12) / Bigger Than Elvis (4:31) / Caravan (3:24) / Here In My Heart (4:14) / The Only One (4:38) / All Roads Lead To You (4:17) / Show Me A Sign (3:35)

Disc Six: Special Archival Bonus DVD: Backstage & Buildup / Now That You've Gone / Devil's Sweet / Saturday In The Park / Dialogue / End Credits / Intro / Must Have Been Crazy / Cat Pranks / Run Away / Street Player



Musicians:
Greg Adams ? horn
Phillip Ashley ? keyboards
Dawayne Bailey ? guitar, vocals, backround vocals
Robbie Buchanan ? keyboards
John Campbell ? keyboards
John Carsello ? choir, chorus
Kenny Cetera ? background vocals
Peter Cetera ? bass, guitar, vocals, orchestration, vocal arrangements, string arrangements, rhythm arrangements, orchestral arrangements, background vocals
Tim Cetera ? background vocals
Bill Champlin ? guitar, harmonica, keyboards, vocals, vocal arrangement
Tamara Champlin ? background vocals
Luis Conte ? percussion
Jody Cortez ? drums
Paulinho Da Costa ? percussion
Donnie Dacus ? guitar, vocals, soloist
Laudir DeOliveira ? percussion, conga, vocals, choir, chorus
Kevin Dukes ? guitar, background vocals
Kiki Ebsen ? keyboards, programming
Steve Fagin ? choir, chorus
Tim Feehan ? background vocals
Howard "Buzz" Feiten ? guitar
Maynard Ferguson ? trumpet
David Foster ? synthesizer, piano, keyboards, vocal arrangement, horn arrangements, string arrangements, rhythm arrangements
Bruce Gaitsch ? guitar
Guille Garcia ? percussion, conga
Barry Gibb ? background vocals
Maurice Gibb ? background vocals
Robin Gibb ? background vocals
Mark Goldenberg ? guitar
Gary Grant ? horn
Linda "Peaches" Green ? choir, chorus
James William Guercio ? acoustic guitar, bass, guitar, orchestration, string conductor
Jimmie Haskell ? strings, orchestration
Jerry Hey ? brass arrangement
James Newton Howard ? piano
Keith Howland ? guitar
Dan Huff ? guitar
Tris Imboden ? harmonica, drums
Paul Jackson, Jr. ? guitar
Alan Jardine ? background vocals
Charles Judge ? keyboards
Terry Kath ? bass, guitar, percussion, electric guitar, vocals
Peter Kaye ? programming
John Keane ? drums
Tom Keane ? keyboards
Chaka Kahn ? background vocals
Lenny Kravitz ? vocals
Stephen "Doc" Kupka ? baritone sax
Joe Lala ? conga
Robert Lamm ? synthesizer, percussion, keyboards, vocals, string arrangements, grand piano
Michael Landau ? guitar
Lee Loughnane ? percussion, trumpet, flugelhorn, vocals, choir, chorus, brass arrangement, soloist
Jeremy Lubbock - string arrangements
Steve Lukather ? guitar
Brandy Maitland ? choir, chorus
Richard Marx ? background vocals
Leslie Matkosky ? background vocals
Peter Mayer ? programming
Othello Molineaux ? steel drums
Airto Moreira ? percussion
Mike Murphy ? programming, cowbell
Katherine Ogden ? choir, chorus
J. G. O'Rafferty ? pedal steel
Donny Osmond ? background vocals
David Paich ? percussion, trombone, keyboards, timbales, vocals, choir, chorus, horn arrangements, brass arrangement
Walter Parazaider ? flute, percussion, saxophone, vocals, choir, chorus, woodwind, soloist
Chris Pinnick ? guitar
Steve Porcaro ? programming
Joanne Rocconi ? choir, chorus
Marcus Ryle ? programming
Chas Sandford ? guitar
Jason Scheff ? bass, vocals
Jerry Scheff ? bass
Daniel Seraphine ? percussion, conga, drums, programming, vocals, bells, drum programming, rhythm arrangements
Bo Tomlyn ? programming
Efrain Toro ? keyboards, drum programming
Richard Torres ? choir, chorus
Blue Weaver ? synthesizer strings
Leroy Williams ? steel drums
Patrick Williams ? orchestration
Carl Wilson ? background vocals
Dennis Wilson ? background vocals
Peter Wolf ? keyboards, programming
David Wolinski ? synthesizer, piano, keyboards, Mellotron, Arp, Fender Rhodes

Discography:
Chicago Transit Authority (1969)
Chicago II (1970/2002*)
Chicago III (1971)
At Carnegie Hall, Vols. 1-4 (Chicago IV) (1971/2005)
Chicago V (1972/2002*)
Live in Japan (1972 (1972)
Chicago VI (1973/2002*)
Chicago VII (1974/2002*)
Chicago VIII (1975/2002*)
Greatest Hits (Chicago IX) (1975)
Chicago X (1976/2002*)
Chicago XI (1977/2003*)
Hot Streets (1978/2003*)
Chicago Transit Authority: Live in Concert... (1978)
Chicago 13 (1979/2003*)
Chicago XIV (1980/2003*)
Chicago's Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 (1981)
Chicago 16 (1982)
Chicago 17 (1984)
Toronto Rock 'n' Roll Revival 69 (1984)
Chicago 18 (1986)
Live Chicago (1986)
Chicago (19 (1988)
Beginnings Live (1989)
Greatest Hits: 1982-1989 (1989)
Twenty 1 (1991)
Group Portrait (1991)
In Concert (1993)
Live In Concert (1994)
Night and Day: Big-Band (1995)
Chicago Live (1995)
Overtime (1995)
Live (1996)
In Concert (1996)
Live In Toronto (1996)
Great Chicago In Concert (1997)
The Heart Of Chicago 1967-1997 (1997)
Chicago's First Christmas (1998)
Chicago Transit Authority: Live in Concert... (1998)
Chicago 25: The Christmas Album (1998)
The Heart Of Chicago, Vol. 2: 1967-1998 (1998)
25 Years Of Gold (1998)
I'm A Man (1999)
Beat The Bootleggers: Live (1967 (1999)
Chicago XXVI - The Live Album (1999)
Live! (1999)
Rock In Toronto (1999)
Live '69 (2000)
Live (2001)
Live 25 Or 6 To 4 (2002)
The Very Best Of Chicago: Only The Beginning (2002)
Chicago: The Box (2003)
XXX (2006)
Stone Of Sisyphus: XXXII (2008)

Genre: Rock

Origin US

Added: July 27th 2003
Reviewer: Keith "Muzikman" Hannaleck
Score:
Artist website: www.chicagotheband.com
Hits: 2803
Language: english

  

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