CHICAGO VII

There are only three Chicago albums that have remained on my rotation of play since their release and this is one of them. Don't get me wrong: I've always liked the band and their music--and many, many of their "hits"--but the albums as a whole didn't always retain my interest and/or enjoyment after the first year or two. (This did not, however, prevent me from going to see them in concert every opportunity I got.) Like their debut album, 1969's Chicago Transit Authority, this was an album that always received my full attention, full side plays, no matter which side was being played, each one being anchored by at least one stellar song: Side One by "Aire" and its prelude as well as the "Devil's Sweet" suite; Side Two by "Italian from New York" and "Happy Man"; Side Three by "(I've Been) Searchin' So Long" and "Byblos"; Side Four by "Wishing You Were Here" and "Call on Me." Chicago is also a band that has been re-gaining my attention and esteem due to the wonderful videos done by Leonid and Friends (Leonid Vorobyev): their attention to detail to the faithful replication of every nuance of Chicago's studio recordings help one to appreciate just how amazing each of the band members were as individual musicians as well as how well-crafted were the many-layered songs.

A-/Five stars; a masterpiece of somewhat pop-oriented jazz rock fusion which shows a band at the very peak of their collaborative powers. Despite their ability to create Top 10 hits with relative ease, this is a band whose compositional creativity and virtuosic instrumental prowesses deserve more attention and appreciation from prog lovers.

P.S. Thanks to MortSahlfan for the prompt to write up a review for this album.