Chicago - Chicago IX: Chicago's Greatest Hits (1975)

The group Chicago originally aspired to be as encompassing and expansive as the music of the city they came from and named themselves after - a fusion of jazz, blues, soul and rock that meant to build on the vision offered up by Al Kooper when he formed Blood, Sweat and Tears.  Chicago instead became a competent singles band whose approach to "fusion" was a melding of rock playing with pop arrangements.  This was due in part to Chicago's association with Blood, Sweat and Tears producer James William Guercio; as Chicago's manager and producer, Guercio gave their sound a polished, antiseptic feel that was far removed from the jazz and blues Chicago's records sought to emulate but close to the sound he created with Blood, Sweat and Tears after Kooper left.  Such a sanitized sound worked against Chicago when they attempted extended suites and instrumentals on their albums, which mostly sounded dull.  One critic said that a more appropriate name for the band would have been San Diego.  

Fortunately, Chicago had sharper musicians than Blood, Sweat and Tears, whose biggest hits sounded like the work of a tired lounge ensemble, and Chicago's vocalists - especially bassist Peter Cetera - had more character that BS&T's David Clayton-Thomas.  Thus Chicago was able to conjure up several toe-tapping hit singles that sounded great on the radio, usually augmented by their brass section, but made more interesting by some crack playing and arranging.  Though remembered as one of the "faceless" bands of the seventies (one of those bands whose members could walk through the audiences of their own shows without being recognized), Chicago was hardly a band of random players.  Their chemistry is obvious on Chicago IX, their first greatest-hits compilation; consider the tight backup behind Terry Kath's guitar soloing on "25 or 6 to 4," the phrase turning of Cetera's bass going into the bridge of "Saturday In the Park," or the way Danny Seraphine's drums explode the beat on "Make Me Smile" or pull the band in going into the instrumental break of "Just You 'N' Me." The brass section has always been a cliché on Chicago songs in the same way a string section was on the Electric Light Orchestra's hits, though the brass fit more nicely on some Chicago songs than others.  The most notable contribution here from Chicago trombonist James Pankow is in songwriting rather than performing; his "Colour My World" (sung by Kath) with, interestingly enough, a flute solo and a lack of brass, slyly sets the mood with piano notes dissolving into one another.  

Chicago IX is the only Chicago album you need in your collection, really. The group softened after that, and their best ideas - including the Latin-tinged "Beginnings" and their mix of heartland jazz with LA balladeering with the Beach Boys on "Wishing You Were Here" - were pretty much behind them (however, there is one gem from 1978, their single "Alive Again" - conceived as a tribute to Kath after his accidental gun suicide - that's worth seeking out).  The few moments of brilliance that had come from their early extended LP tracks, ironically, only worked when Guercio edited them down to produce singles like "Make Me Smile" and "Colour My World" (both culled from their multi-track suite "Ballet For a Girl In Buchannon").  If you simply accept Chicago's music for what it is - enjoyable pop to listen to on occasion - you'll have no argument with their music.  But for a genuine jazz/blues/soul/rock fusion experience, one ought to move on.