Chicago - Stone of Sisyphus (XXXII)
|
List Price: Our Price: $5.56 You Save: $13.38 (70%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $3.66 (click here) Category: Music CD See more new music releases 
|
|---|
Buy this Music CD at online store in your country
Canadian Music Store
Canadian Music Store
Free Music Notes for Stone of Sisyphus (XXXII)
Free Music Review: Finally
Hit: 5 Stars
Ok, if you're a big Chicago fan then you've probably heard of the so called lost album. If you're a major fan of one of the best bands of all times then you know the album wasn't merely a so called lost album, it really was lost. My introduction to the lost album came back in '93. July 9, 1993 Chicago preformed at LA's Greek Theater and later that summer I saw that concert on one of my local PBS stations as part of their pledge drive. Halfway through the concert Robert Lamm is going through introductions of the members of the band and just talking to the audiance in general including refering to being in a band that's been around as Chicago as like being in a marriage (to quote Lamm "It's like a marriage, it's like a love marriage. And if you don't know what I mean then get married.)
He then proceeds to explain that the band had been working on their next album and they were prepared to give the audiance a taste of that album. What they went into next was "The Pull." Forget the audiance's reaction, I was already captivated. A new Chicago album, I just had to have it to go with my collection. And so I started looking forward to Chicago XXII to see what else besides "The Pull" was going to be on it. But then fate stepped in and my disappointment grew as the months turned into years and XXII never hit stores. "Night and Day" came out and I was like "wow, their putting out their twenty-third before their twenty-second album hits stores? What's going on?"
It was only in the late '90s that I finally learned that XXII, which I also learned was going to be the first album of new material since "Hot Streets" to have an actual title and was to have been called "Stone of Sisyphus," had been lost to the public. I read about how Chicago had a falling out with their label and left without the album being released. According to a site dedicated to trying to get "Stone of Sisyphus" produced only a handful of demo albums had been released for folks at the label and some of these had gotten out and into yard sales and such. If you were extremely lucky you might just find this holy grail for Chicago fans. The lost Chicago album.
And it was with a little knowledge of what was on "Stone of Sisyphus" that I absolutely had to buy "Chicago Overtime" when I saw the compilation in stores. Sure there was some live versions of classic songs "Saturday in the Park" and "Diaolgue Parts I & II." But the real draws for me on this little gem out of Canada were "Stone of Sisyphus" and "Bigger than Elvis." I'd finally be able to hear some more of the album and apparently the website's claim that there had been demos of the album were true. Never able to get their box set compilation that came out in 2003 I had to figure having accuried a video of the Greek Theater concert in '94 and a copy of "Chicago Overtime" would have to do me on the album.
That is until this May when I saw Amazon tacking pre-orders for "Stone of Sisyphus." My yell of excitment would have you think I'd just won some major sporting event. Needless to say I preordered.
This album was certainly worth the wait even though it came out under Rhino. Having heard "Stone of Sisyphus" and "Bigger than Elvis" on "Chicago Overtime" there's no surprises there. Nothing seems to have been changed there. The big surprise for me on either of these two really came in learning Jason Scheff's father, Jerry Scheff, and the Joradaires prefromed on "Bigger than Elvis." "The Pull," already a favorite of mine for years before I finally got the album, I'm a little disappointed in as it's different from what I heard the band preform in concernt. Of course I don't know if that's Rhino or if that's more a usual concert version being different from album version. Still it's a worth listening to over and over again.
Of the other songs I've got to say I find "Sleeping in the Middle of the Bed" a little bizarre for Chicago. To hear my favorite band rapping is just plain strange. Though I particulary find the liner notes intresting on this one, more accurately Parazaider's comment's about giving the band enough time and they'd put out Dixieland and polka songs (which I find even more disturbing actually). "All the Years" reminds me, as I believe it should any fan who has CTA, of "Chicago Transit Authority" and the tracks "Prologue, August 29, 1968" and "Someday (August 29, 1968)." Which it rightly should as it includes the protestors chanting at the Democratic National Convention from August 29, 1968. "Mah-Jong" I'm actually more drawn to the demo version on the album as for some reason I had an easier time understanding what Champlin was singing.
Serious Chicago fans, more accurately fans who don't make a difference between eras of the band, will most likely be the ones to be drawn to this album. It is very much a Chicago album that has the energy of Chicago as they were in the '70s. This isn't about ballads, which the band is very good at. It's about Chicago doing what they do best. writing fantastic music and exploring what they can do as musicians.
Free Music Review: It's NOT Greek to Me!
Hit: 5 Stars
14 years ago I had the fortune to have a few good deeds repayed with mysterious taped copies of unreleased music by the band CHICAGO appearing in my mailbox from various sources. Some of the quality of the recordings were suspect, but as a Chi junkie I wore the tapes down listening again and again and again. Some of the music was available in different forms elsewhere, like ALL THE YEARS on Robert Lamm's solo effort "Life is Good", THE SHOW MUST GO ON on The Fixx's INK album (with different lyrics and named FALLING IN LOVE), CRY FOR THE LOST on Champlin's "Through It All" which was titled PROUD OF OUR BLINDNESS.
Later, other songs emerged: MAH JONG on Jason Scheff's "Chauncy" and SLEEPING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE BED AGAIN on another Lamm solo CD. A few official recordings became available on varied domestic and import compilations as well. The internet buzz about the album in the 90s was always there as CHICAGO pursued their Big Band and Christmas projects as well as recording a few new songs included in compilations of old material. After a time, The buzz muted to a low hum... white noise in the background of a band whose identity was never in question, but searching for its niche in an industry it once dominated. But the life of the project never went away.
I just got the official version of "The Stone of Sisyphus" and must say that it was worth every penny, in spite of already being gifted the music years ago. No longer will I have to dig out the tapes (except to hear the rocker GET ON THIS which was left off the official release for some reason) nor will I have to wonder when this project would see the light of day. All I have left is to wonder what success the album would have had back then had the record industry embraced the project.
What we now have is a collection of music that sounds just as relevant today as it was then. The anti-establishment themes are still valid because the problems in our society still exist despite the Year 2000 regime change. The personal relationship/life themes are timeless and dig deeper than many of the more pop friendly hits the band offered in the 80s.
HIGHLIGHTS:
Dawayne Bailey's STONE OF SISYPHUS is a fiery rocker with CHICAGO's thematic element of working hard yet always having setbacks which cause one to start over from the bottom.
Jason's BIGGER THAN ELVIS is a huge son-to-father love song which uses every tool possible to say those three words men aren't supposed to say to each other without actually saying it. The Jordainaires and Jason's dad Jerry guest.
ALL THE YEARS includes 60s political samples including the "Whole World's Watching" chant which was also sampled in the original Chicago Transit Authority album. It's a great groove and has a great bitter edge to it.
MAH JONG is probably the most timeless musical piece. It's just a great sounding track that tells a good story.
SLEEPING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE BED - what can you say about the band that's done every musical style tackling a little rap but with more intellectual lyrical content than 99% of the music in that genre?
LET'S TAKE A LIFETIME - a song that tells a message contrary to what most of society tells us to do - but in a beautiful love ballad.
THE PULL - I love the bridge. Great lyrical content throughout. Excellent Rock music by the band who had to leave rock behind for awhile.
HERE WITH ME - An amazing failed-relationship song. Look for the brass interlude.
PLAID - Anyone who has been unhappy in their job situation without actually hating their job can probably relate... unique looped intro and amazing Champlin vocals (I know - redundant). Love the lyrics "Ride this train til we run clean out of track" and "Hundred pounds of monkey on my back"
CRY FOR THE LOST - love the transitions between the sections of the song... strange hook but that's what gets me on this one.
THE SHOW MUST GO ON - the last song of the original album has a fitting title. Look for great horn work and the circus style music which hearkens to BS&T's SPINNING WHEEL as well as Scheff's ringmaster call.
I think the album is a good purchase for anyone who has been a fan of any version of the band. A good analogy would be that it's their "White Album" Hopefully good sales will show the industry that it was wrong and that great music simply goes on.
Free Music Review: SISYPHUS PROVES THAT CHICAGO STILL HAS GREAT MUSIC IN THEM!
Hit: 5 Stars
After 15 years of waiting the legendary album is finally released. I have been a fan of Chicago for many years. The group has gone through many changes over the years. Some good and some not so good. But this album shows that they can still write and perform music that breaks them away from the David Foster sappy love song genre. People that have said that there hasn't been a great project from Chicago since Chicago III are ignorant. Granted... those first three albums were revolutionary. But VIII, X, and Kath's last album XI are great projects. Hot Streets (12) was more pop oriented, but that was due to the group wanting to change it's image after the tragic death of Terry Kath. 13 was more disco oriented... but that was a sign of the times. 16 had some great horn charts... Get Away is still one of the best horn charts that the group has put out. 17 was a great album and was right around the same time as Toto IV (which the Chicago horns played on). Both albums by these groups were great. But... that was also the album that the love song era started. The Night and Day album was a realization by the group from the early '70's and is a great album that didn't get much exposure. It was actually the album that followed Sisyphus. Chicago was trying to make a turn away from the sappy genre, but it seemed that the public and corporate music just didn't want that to happen. XXX (their newest project) was disappointing and exciting at the same time. Half of the album was more of the same drudgury with the slow, mindless love songs... but the other half has some great charts. Please give us more of that and what is on Sisyphus.
Sisyphus starts with the title track and it's roaring with great horn writing and is purely Chicago.
"Bigger than Elvis" is a great heartfelt song and has a lot of taste in the bass playing and Pankow's horn writing in it really closes out the tune.
"All the Years" is a throwback tune that brings us back to the early years of the band, but with a funky reggae/fusion mix.
"Mah-Jong" is just great. It is one of the best tunes written on the album and is just a funky good ride.
"Sleeping in the Middle of the Bed" is Robert Lamm's attempt at quasi rap. It's not bad... but what makes the chart is the chorus of the tune and the excellent horn writing. If rap had horn charts in it like this tune I'd be listening to more of it. AND... throw in the high energy trombone solo at the end from Pankow... it's a winner.
Scheff's "Let's Take a Lifetime" is a ballad, but not the same ballad mold from the Foster years. This tune is of the same quality of "If You Leave Me Now" from the mid '70's and has some great fretless bass playing.
"The Pull" is a high energy tune with some of the best horn writing on not just this album, but on any since 16.
"Here with Me" is a slower tune, but not really a ballad... another winner from the pen of Jimmy Pankow.
"Plaid" is simply the best track on the album. It is a tribal, funky, squeeze-box tune (hard to describe) with some of the best vocals from Bill Champlin on any recording. This is the "cutting-edge" type material that Chicago was known for. A GREAT chart!
"Cry for the Lost" is a great ballad with Champlin singing lead. Of all of the tracks this is probably the weakest... but is a good tune. Just a little too pop for me (but I think that was the intent to show a contast from Plaid to this tune).
"The Show Must Go On" is the groups way of slapping the face of record execs. (Gee... I wonder why they didn't want to release this album???). This is the stuff that made Chicago what it is. Go against "The Man"... this is the kind of in-your-face type tune that Chicago was known for.
There are some bonus tracks... but not really worth mentioning. In all I would rank this album in the top 5 of Chicago's library... in this order: Chicago II, Chicago III, Chicago Transit Authority, Chicago VIII, Stone of Sisyphus. Yes... It's that good. It's hard to rank these albums... but it's up there. Some of the style changes that the group has in this album is a lot like Paul Simon's "Graceland" album... but with a harder beat.
This album is a must have... This album and Toto's "Falling in Between" are the two best albums in years.
Free Music Review: My Favorite Post-Cetera Album
Hit: 5 Stars
As the title says, this is by far my favorite album of theirs since "Chicago 17." It is really too bad that it was shelved for so many years. Talk about creativity! I mean, this stuff is good! It's extremely diverse, different musical styles ranging from hip-hop to driving rock to unique instrumentation incorporating flute and bass clarinet. Not only that, but the brass is back in FULL FORCE! Finally! You will not be disappointed with this album, I guarantee!
About the album...If you're a fan, then you know the history of the album, why it wasn't sold until now, and the circumstances that lead up to it. You can find all of the specifics online or read through my reviews of Chicago's albums "16-19." In a nutshell, supported by their producer Peter Wolf, Chicago went back to what they did in the early 1970's with a modern twist. Breaking away from the formula-pop, they did what they wanted. The title track and the album's name derives from Greek mythology about Sisyphus who was cursed to roll a huge stone up a hill, only to have it roll back down before reaching the top - feelings about what the band had towards corporate rock. Warner Brothers didn't like it and so it was shelved.
About the music...I like just about every song on this album, which is rare for me. As a whole, the melodies are extremely catchy and well written - it's not boring, in otherwards. There's lots of thematic material here, too. Outside of the typical love themes, many of the songs lyrically reflect the negative sentiments towards the politics that musicians face with the guys that sit behind the desk in corporate music- the title track, "Plaid," "Sleeping in the Middle of the Bed," (Chicago's only rap tune) and "Cry for the Lost." "All The Years" beckons back to their CTA days and one of the best ballads on the album is a tribute to Jason Scheff's dad called "Bigger Than Elvis" - great backing vocals here!
My favorite tune is "Plaid." It opens with flute and bass clarinet in 12/8 time with congas and bongos in the background. The chorus incorporates quite a few jazz harmonies, particularly in the vocals. Later, during the instrumental bridge, the band goes into polyrhythms - Crazy!
Chicago was quite progressive for the early 1990's, branching out into the hip-hop area. "Sleeping..." is one of their weaker tunes - according to Robert Lamm, the rap part being the result of struggling to come up with a melody. "Mah Jong," however, is one of their better songs. The band does an incredible job incorporating the brass lines with the hip-hop beat. This song certainly would have been a hit had Warner released it.
My other favorites are the title track and "The Pull." Both songs begins with a great brass intro that flows into the verse. The verses builds with each successive measure up to the chorus, as it should, but the final chorus - amazing! The brass come back for a soli at the end, Lee Loughnane wailing on those high notes - totally awesome, especially if you're a brass player like myself.
This album may not suit every taste, but at the very least, I hope you take an opportunity to listen to the samples. I don't think you'll be disappointed.
Free Music Review: You definitely won't be bored (unlike XIV, 19, 21, etc...)
Hit: 5 Stars
I dare to say that even if you are not a hard-core Chicago fan, you will at least not be bored by any track on this release. But fix the order - put "All The Years" at #1, then everything else, as is, after that. And yes, you need to scour the Net and/or Newsgroups and find "Get On This," make it Track # 11. It's sorely needed to balance out the disc once you get to Track #6 & beyond. While some of the tracks get well into wild and wilder, there is no denying that the band was truly wanting to return to its' roots and and the backing horn arrangements are absolutlely some of Jimmy Pankow's finest. I was in High School when Chicago VIII and Harry Truman was out, and "All The Years" is a perfect 30-years-on version of what happens when the optimism of Harry Truman is replaced by realism. The title track just busts out with power - very much like how "Alive Again" on Hot Streets pulled them out of the rut they had gotten in with the lackluster X and XI albums. Next we have Bigger Than Elvis. This may be one of the two best songs Jason Scheff has ever written, transcending his predecessor. After Hot Streets, Cetera's songs always made me want to reach for the insulin they were so sugary, but Bigger Than Elvis made me reach for the tissues. To understand the song, though, you need to know Scheff's father was Elvis' bass player, and so I being a amateur musician as well as my own father is, makes this deeply touching. Then we're snapped into "Sleeping in the Middle of the Bed Again". Possibly the wildest Robert Lamm composition ever. Who says white guys don't have rhythm? So it's "Chicago does Rap", but with the brilliant horn arrangement in the background, it works! MahJongg has often been dismissed as just 'funk', but again, the background horns make it groove. After this, we get to the other great Scheff song - Let's Take a Lifetime. Surprised this hasn't hit the Christian stations. A young man is faced with a tempting situation at end of a day or date, and he declares the best thing for he and his girlfriend is to "take a lifetime" and go to bed in separate rooms. Powerful. That is followed up with "The Pull", which talks about what so many people in or past their 40s experience - a Pull - towards the past. The remainder of the tracks (except for the one they left off!) are similar to other Chicago albums of the late 80's-90s, and not standouts, but lyrically above average. About "Get On This" - the hard rocking drive of this track coupled with the judicious use of the background horns would make it a welcome respite from the previous tracks 6- 10. And it has an awesome hook on the Chorus. No telling what mental lapses made Rhino drop this track - it's not the Credits as Dawayne Bailey was co-writer of the title track as well. And if it was any of the 'edgy' religious references, I think "Sleeping" negates that argument, case closed. The bonus tracks are all OK, but as has been said repeatedly, it wasn't worth them dropping Get On This to put these fillers in here. Overall, I feel this disc is on a par with Night & Day, while completely different material, the same energy if not more is there. And nothing they have released since then has come close.