Chicago III
Studio album by
Chicago
ReleasedJanuary 11, 1971
RecordedJune – December 1970
StudioCBS 30th Street (New York City)
Genre
Length71:29
LabelColumbia
ProducerJames William Guercio
Chicago chronology
Chicago
(1970)		 Chicago III
(1971)		 Chicago at Carnegie Hall
(1971)
Singles from Chicago III
  1. "Free"
    Released: February 1971
  2. "Lowdown"
    Released: April 1971
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]

Chicago III is the third studio album by the American rock band Chicago. It was released on January 11, 1971, through Columbia Records. The album was produced by James William Guercio and was the band's third consecutive double album in less than two years.[2]

Much like the previous year's Chicago (many times referred to as Chicago II), Chicago III is made up of both multi-part suites and more conventional individual songs. The album saw the band integrate a number of different genres including folk and country ("What Else Can I Say", "Flight 602"), free improvisation ("Free Country"), and musique concrète ("Progress?") into their sound, while also continuing in their trademark jazz-rock style.

Chicago III was a critical and commercial success. It peaked at number two in the US, their highest chart placement at that point, and received positive reviews. While neither of its singles ("Free" and "Lowdown") matched the success of the band's previous and following singles, both managed to make the top 40, peaking at numbers 20 and 35, respectively. After the release of the album, Chicago would become the first rock band to play the famous Carnegie Hall; performances from this run would be released on the following album, Chicago at Carnegie Hall.

Background

In the wake of the enormous worldwide success of their second album, Chicago spent almost all of 1970 on the road, an exhausting undertaking. Former drummer Danny Seraphine, described the members of the band as "fatigued and road-weary" when they went into the studio to record the album.[3]: 122 

Released in January 1971, initially on Columbia Records, Chicago III — the band's first album to sport a Roman numeral in its title[2] — sold well upon its release and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) a month later.[4] It provided Chicago with its highest charting disc yet in the US, going to No. 2 on the Billboard 200.[5] "Free", written by Robert Lamm, made it into the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and "Lowdown", co-written by Peter Cetera and Danny Seraphine, reached the top 40.[6] Chicago III marked a dwindling in UK fortunes in comparison to the band's first two albums, Chicago Transit Authority and Chicago, reaching No. 9 in a brief chart run.[7]

In 1974, jazz bandleader Stan Kenton added a suite of songs from the album ("Canon", "Mother", "Once Upon a Time" and "Free") to his band's repertoire, releasing it on the album Stan Kenton Plays Chicago.[8]

Musical style, writing, composition

The band had used up its storehouse of original material on its first two albums. It needed new material for Chicago III, and the songwriters worked "nonstop"[3]: 122  Danny Seraphine said the band "took the opportunity to experiment with instrumentals and showcase our skills as musicians."[3]: 122 

Their long hours on the road gave the principal songwriters, Robert Lamm, Terry Kath and James Pankow, much food for thought, resulting in more serious subject matter, which contrasted with the positivity of their first two sets. In his retrospective review of the album, Jeff Giles writes that Lamm's "Travel Suite" was "inspired by the boredom, loneliness, and beauty of the road," and characterizes Pankow's "Elegy" suite is an "ecologically minded composition",[9] (an issue Lamm also touches upon in "Mother"). While Kath's multi-part "An Hour in the Shower" provides a reprieve from the sobering explorations elsewhere, Chicago III was undeniably the result of a band who had seen the flip side of the world over the last several months. "Lowdown", co-written by Peter Cetera and Danny Seraphine, was Seraphine's first co-writing credit, and he was appreciative of the support Cetera gave him during the writing process.[3]: 123 

Chicago III incorporates a variety of musical styles.[10][11] "Sing a Mean Tune Kid" features the influence of funk, "What Else Can I Say" and "Flight 602" have a country feel, while abstract qualities are found in "Free Country" and "Progress?"

Recording and production

The album was produced by James William Guercio, who was Chicago's producer for its first eleven albums.[12][13] This album was mixed and released in both stereo and quadraphonic. In 2002, Chicago III was remastered and reissued on one CD by Rhino Records.[14]

Artwork and packaging

The album cover design is titled "Tattered Flag" on the band's website.[2] Included with the album was a poster of the band dressed in the uniforms of America's wars, standing in front of a field of crosses, representing those who had died in the still ongoing Vietnam War. It also gave the number of casualties from each war up until the time of the album's release.[15]

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleLyricsMusicLead vocalsLength
1"Sing a Mean Tune Kid"Robert LammLammPeter Cetera9:13
2"Loneliness is Just a Word"Terry Kath2:36
3"What Else Can I Say"CeteraCeteraCetera3:12
4"I Don't Want Your Money"LammKathLamm4:47
Side two
No.TitleLyricsMusicLead vocalsLength
1–6"Travel Suite"
(total length: 22:30)		"Flight 602"LammLammLamm2:45
"Motorboat to Mars"—Danny Seraphine—1:30
"Free"LammLammKath2:16
"Free Country"——5:46
"At the Sunrise"LammLamm
  • Lamm
  • Cetera
2:48
"Happy 'Cause I'm Going Home"7:28
Side three
No.TitleLyricsMusicLead vocalsLength
1"Mother"LammLammLamm4:30
2"Lowdown"
  • Cetera
  • Seraphine
CeteraCetera3:35
3–7"An Hour in
the Shower"
(total length: 5:30)		"A Hard Risin' Morning Without Breakfast"KathKathKath1:52
"Off to Work"0:45
"Fallin' Out"0:53
"Dreamin' Home"0:49
"Morning Blues Again"1:11
Side four
No.TitleLyricsMusicLead vocalsLength
1–6"Elegy"
(total length: 15:27)		"When All the Laughter Dies in Sorrow"Kendrew Lascelles—Lamm1:03
"Canon"–James Pankow—1:05
"Once Upon a Time..."——2:34
"Progress?"——2:34
"The Approaching Storm"—Pankow—6:26
"Man vs. Man: The End"——1:33

Personnel

Chicago

Production

  • Producer – James William Guercio
  • Engineering – Don Puluse and Sy Mitchell
  • Recording – Lou Waxman and Willie Greer
  • Logo design – Nick Fasciano
  • Album design – John Berg
  • Flag design – Natalie Williams
  • Photography – Sandy Speiser
  • Poster photo – Steve Horn and Norm Griner
  • Lettering – Annette Kawecki and Melanie Marder for Poseidon Productions

Charts

Chicago III (Columbia 30110) reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200 in the US during a chart stay of 63 weeks.[5]

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[22] Gold 50,000^
United States (RIAA)[23] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ↑ https://www.allmusic.com/album/r60769
  2. 1 2 3 "Chicago III". Chicagotheband.com. Archived from the original on January 22, 2019. Retrieved January 21, 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Seraphine, Danny (2011). Street Player: My Chicago Story. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. ISBN 978-0-470-41683-9.
  4. ↑ "Gold & Platinum: Chicago". RIAA. Archived from the original on February 9, 2019. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
  5. 1 2 3 "Billboard 200: Chicago III". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 22, 2019. Retrieved January 21, 2019.
  6. ↑ "Chicago Chart History: Hot 100, p. 4". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 22, 2019. Retrieved January 21, 2019.
  7. 1 2 "CHICAGO | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Archived from the original on December 24, 2018. Retrieved January 21, 2019.
  8. ↑ McDonough, John (February 27, 1975). "Stan Kenton Plays Chicago". All Things Kenton – Down Beat Record Reviews. Archived from the original on January 22, 2019. Retrieved January 21, 2019.
  9. ↑ Giles, Jeff (January 12, 2016). "Revisiting Chicago's Third Album, 'Chicago III'". Ultimate Classic Rock. Archived from the original on January 24, 2019. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
  10. ↑ Lass, Don (May 2, 1971). "Record Reviews: Chicago Revisited". Asbury Park Press. p. C13. Archived from the original on January 24, 2019. Retrieved January 18, 2019 – via newspapers.com.Free access icon
  11. ↑ "Rolling Stone Magazine - Lester Bangs' Review of Chicago III (1971)". Steve Hoffman Music Forums. September 28, 2008.
  12. ↑ Ruhlmann, William James (1991). Chicago Group Portrait (Box Set) (Media notes). New York City, NY: Columbia Records. pp. 1–8. Archived from the original (CD booklet archived online) on November 12, 2017. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
  13. ↑ "A Chicago Story – Chicago". Chicago the band. Archived from the original on October 30, 2018. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
  14. ↑ Waller, Don (July 20, 2002). "Killer Catalog: Ambitious Rhino Reissues Program Salutes "One of the Great Groups"". Billboard. p. 42. Retrieved January 18, 2019 – via Google Books.
  15. ↑ Newsom, Thomas B. (February 12, 1971). "'Blues Chick of Counter Culture'". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. St. Louis, Missouri, USA. p. 3D. Archived from the original on January 24, 2019. Retrieved January 21, 2019 – via Newspapers.com. Free access icon
  16. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 62. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  17. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Chicago – III" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
  18. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Chicago – III" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
  19. ↑ Pennanen, Timo (2021). "Chicago". Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 (PDF) (in Finnish). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 46.
  20. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Chicago – III". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
  21. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1971" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
  22. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Chicago – Chicago III". Music Canada. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
  23. ↑ "American album certifications – Chicago – Chicago III". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
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