'' is the second album by
Chicago -based
Rock band
Chicago . It was released in
1970 after the band had shortened its name from
The Chicago Transit Authority after releasing their same-titled
Debut album the previous year.
Although the official title of the album was ''Chicago'', it came to be known and rereleased as ''Chicago II'', keeping it in line with the succession of
Roman Numeral -titled albums that officially began with ''
Chicago III '' in
1971 .
While ''The Chicago Transit Authority'' was a success, ''Chicago'' is considered by many to be Chicago's breakthrough album, yielding a number of Top 40 hits, including "Make Me Smile", "Colour My World", and "25 Or 6 To 4". The centerpiece of the album was the 13-minute
Song Cycle "
Ballet For A Girl In Buchannon ", which is considered one of Chicago's finest moments. In addition, guitarist
Terry Kath also participated in an extended
Classical ly-styled piece in four separate songs. The politically-outspoken
Robert Lamm also tackles his qualms with "It Better End Soon", another modular piece.
Peter Cetera , later to play a crucial role in the band's music, donated his first song to Chicago and this album, "Where Do We Go From Here".
Released in January 1970 on
Columbia Records , ''Chicago'' was an instant hit, reaching #4 in the US and #6 in the UK and has gone on to become - perhaps - the band's most revered album.
In
2002 , ''Chicago'' was remastered and reissued on one
CD by
Rhino Records with the single versions of "Make Me Smile" and "25 Or 6 To 4" as bonus tracks.
#"Movin' In" (
James Pankow ) - 4:06
#"The Road" (
Terry Kath ) - 3:10
#"Poem For The People" (
Robert Lamm ) - 5:31
#"In The Country" (Terry Kath) - 6:34
#"Wake Up Sunshine" (Robert Lamm) - 2:29
#"Make Me Smile" (James Pankow) - 3:16
#"So Much To Say, So Much To Give" (James Pankow) - 1:12
#"Anxiety's Moment" (James Pankow) - 1:01
#"West Virginia Fantasies" (James Pankow) - 1:34
#"Colour My World" (James Pankow) - 3:01
#"To Be Free" (James Pankow) - 1:15
#"Now More Than Ever" (James Pankow) - 1:26
#"25 Or 6 To 4" (Robert Lamm) - 4:50
#"Prelude" (Terry Kath/Peter Matz) - 1:10
#"A.M. Mourning" (Terry Kath/Peter Matz) - 2:05
#"P.M. Mourning" (Terry Kath/Peter Matz) - 1:58
#"Memories of Love" (Terry Kath) - 3:59
- ''Tracks 15-18 form the Memories Of Love suite''
#"1st Movement" (Robert Lamm) - 2:33
#"2nd Movement" (Robert Lamm/
Walter Parazaider ) - 3:41
#"3rd Movement" (Robert Lamm/Terry Kath) - 3:19
#"4th Movement" (Robert Lamm) - 0:51
- ''Tracks 19-22 form the "It Better End Soon" suite''
#"Where Do We Go From Here" ( Peter Cetera ) - 2:49
''Chicago'' (Columbia 24) reached in the US during a chart stay of 134 weeks. It also peaked at '''#6''' in the UK.
