Chicago X
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''Chicago X'' is the eighth studio album, and tenth album overall, by the
American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...
band
Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...
. It was recorded at
Caribou Ranch Caribou Ranch was a recording studio built by producer James William Guercio in 1972 in a converted barn on ranch property in the Rocky Mountains near Nederland, Colorado, on the road that leads to the ghost town of Caribou. The studio was in oper ...
and it was released by
Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...
on June 14, 1976. The album made it to number three on the ''Billboard'' 200, and was certified gold by the
Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
on June 21, 1976, a week after its release. It was the band's first album to be certified platinum, on September 14, 1976, and has since been certified multi-platinum. In honor of the group's platinum album achievement, Columbia Records awarded the group a 25-pound bar of pure platinum, made by
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. (''
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'' magazine reported it as a 30-pound bar.) ''Chicago X'' was nominated for a
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
for
Album of the Year Album of the Year, often abbreviated to AOTY, may refer to: Awards * ARIA Award for Album of the Year, Australia * Brit Award for British Album of the Year, UK * Grammy Award for Album of the Year, US * Juno Award for Album of the Year, CA * Lati ...
, and it won a Grammy Award for
Best Album Package The Grammy Award for Best Recording Package is one of a series of Grammy Awards presented for the visual look of an album. It is presented to the art director of the winning album, not to the performer(s), unless the performer is also the art dire ...
. The album produced Chicago's first number one single in the United States, "
If You Leave Me Now "If You Leave Me Now" is a song by the American rock group Chicago, from their album '' Chicago X''. It was written and sung by bass player Peter Cetera and released as a single on July 30, 1976. It is also the title of a Chicago compilation a ...
". The single went on to win two Grammy Awards: for Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo, Group or Chorus, the band's first Grammy Award; and for Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalists, for arrangers
James William Guercio James William Guercio (born July 18, 1945) is an American music producer, musician, songwriter, and director. He is well known for his work as the producer of Chicago's early albums as well as early recordings of The Buckinghams and Blood, Sweat ...
and
Jimmie Haskell Jimmie Haskell (born Sheridan Pearlman, November 7, 1926 – February 4, 2016) was an American composer and arranger for motion pictures and a wide variety of popular artists, including Elvis Presley, Neil Diamond, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Steely Da ...
. It was also nominated for the
Grammy Award for Record of the Year The Grammy Award for Record of the Year is presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without reg ...
. It would later go on to be featured in the 2013 video game Grand Theft Auto V on the Los Santos Rock Radio station. Two other songs from the album released as singles—" Another Rainy Day in New York City", and "You Are On My Mind"—made it into the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. "Another Rainy Day in New York City" made it to number 32, and "You Are on My Mind" went to number 49. ''
Record World ''Record World'' magazine was one of the three main music industry trade magazines in the United States, along with '' Billboard'' and '' Cashbox''. It was founded in 1946 under the name ''Music Vendor'', but in 1964 it was changed to ''Record Wo ...
'' called "You Are on My Mind" "another ''Chicago X'' showstopper."


Background

After recording ''
Chicago VIII ''Chicago VIII'' is the seventh studio album, and eighth album overall, by American rock band Chicago, released in 1975. Following the experimental jazz/ pop stylings of ''Chicago VII'', the band returned to a more streamlined rock-based sound o ...
'' in a state of exhaustion, Chicago did not return to the studio until the spring of 1976, feeling refreshed after a substantial break away. ''Chicago X'' was released on June 14, 1976, to a receptive audience, giving Chicago a number three album on the ''Billboard'' 200 in the United States, and their first album to chart in the UK in years, at number 21. The album featured two top forty singles: Robert Lamm's composition, " Another Rainy Day In New York City", which peaked at number 32 after a brief run in August 1976; and
Peter Cetera Peter Paul Cetera ( ; born September 13, 1944) is an American retired musician best known for being a lead vocalist and the bassist of the rock band Chicago from 1967 until his departure in 1985, before launching a successful solo career. His c ...
's composition, "
If You Leave Me Now "If You Leave Me Now" is a song by the American rock group Chicago, from their album '' Chicago X''. It was written and sung by bass player Peter Cetera and released as a single on July 30, 1976. It is also the title of a Chicago compilation a ...
", which became the band's first number one single in October of that same year. Originally written at the same time as ''
Chicago VII ''Chicago VII'' is the sixth studio album (seventh overall) by American rock band Chicago and was released in 1974. It is notable for being their first double album of new material since 1971's ''Chicago III'' and remains their final studio rel ...
s "
Wishing You Were Here "Wishing You Were Here" is a song written by Peter Cetera for the group Chicago and recorded for their album ''Chicago VII'' (1974), with lead vocals by Terry Kath (uncredited on the original album package), while Cetera sang the song's bridge. ...
", "If You Leave Me Now" was one of the last to be completed and, according to reports, was very nearly left off the final product. Band member
Walter Parazaider Walter Parazaider (born March 14, 1945) is an American woodwind musician best known for being a founding member of the rock band Chicago. He plays a wide variety of wind instruments, including saxophone, flute, and clarinet. He also occasionally ...
has been quoted as saying he heard the song on the radio while cleaning his pool and initially thought "it sounded like
McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...
," not realizing it was his own band's work. The song became the band's first number one hit in the US and UK, and some band members felt the song's success changed the public's perception of the band, leading to more demand from Columbia Records for ballads, although Robert Lamm has since acknowledged that the band had started moving away from their politically-oriented music into the mainstream years earlier, beginning with 1972's ''
Chicago V ''Chicago V'' is the fourth studio album by American rock band Chicago and was released on July 10, 1972. It is notable for being the group's first single album release, after having released three consecutive double albums and a four-disc b ...
''. Band members who normally were not vocalists received vocal credits on this album. The album is notable for the lead vocal debut of trombonist
James Pankow James Carter Pankow is an American trombone player, songwriter and brass instrument player, best known as a founding member of the rock band Chicago. Early life, family and education Born in St. Louis, Missouri of German and Irish descent, Pa ...
. Different band singers tried "You Are On My Mind," but Pankow felt they were not nailing it the way he heard it in his head as the song's composer, so producer Guercio said, "You sing it," and that effort landed on the final album. "You Are On My Mind" was the third single for the album, reaching number 49 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in April 1977. ''
Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...
'' said of it that "the same mellow vocal blend is here, along with a velvety texture on the horns, but the rhythm section has speeded into a quick samba, decorated with colorful percussion.."
Lee Loughnane Lee David Loughnane (pronounced LOCK-nain; born October 21, 1946) is an American trumpeter, flugelhorn player, vocalist, and songwriter, best known for being a founding member of the rock band Chicago. Early life and education Lee David Loughna ...
contributed the lead vocal for his song "Together Again". (Both Pankow and Loughnane would contribute lead vocals again on the next album, ''Chicago XI''.) The brief vocal section of "You Get It Up" was sung by the entire band in unison — thus the album's atypical crediting of
Danny Seraphine Daniel Peter Seraphine (born August 28, 1948) is an American drummer, record producer, theatrical producer and film producer. He is best known as the original drummer and a founding member of the rock band Chicago, a tenure which lasted from F ...
,
Walter Parazaider Walter Parazaider (born March 14, 1945) is an American woodwind musician best known for being a founding member of the rock band Chicago. He plays a wide variety of wind instruments, including saxophone, flute, and clarinet. He also occasionally ...
, and
Laudir de Oliveira Laudir Soares de Oliveira (6 January 1940 – 17 September 2017) was a Brazilian musician and producer mostly renowned for his time as percussionist with the band Chicago. Oliveira grew up in Rio de Janeiro, and started working professionally in ...
with "vocals". In 2002, ''Chicago X'' was remastered and reissued by
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with an early rendition of ''
Chicago XIV ''Chicago XIV'' is the twelfth studio album by the American band Chicago, released in 1980. Recorded at a time of waning interest in the band, ''Chicago XIV'' remains one of Chicago's poorest-selling albums, failing to reach Gold certification by ...
s "I'd Rather Be Rich" by Lamm, as well as Kath's "Your Love's An Attitude" — both cut in 1975 — as bonus tracks. This album was mixed and released in both stereo and quadraphonic.


Packaging

Designed by Art Director of Columbia/CBS Records, John Berg, the album art depicts a partially unwrapped chocolate bar with the Chicago logo on it, resembling a Hershey's chocolate bar as it was packaged at the time, and winning for Berg a Grammy Award for Best Album Package. The cover design is labeled "chocolate bar" on the band's official web site. The cover art was included in a 2012-2013 exhibit of Berg's album covers at Guild Hall of East Hampton, and is now in the permanent collection of
The Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of the ...
in New York City.


Track listing


Personnel

Chicago *
Peter Cetera Peter Paul Cetera ( ; born September 13, 1944) is an American retired musician best known for being a lead vocalist and the bassist of the rock band Chicago from 1967 until his departure in 1985, before launching a successful solo career. His c ...
– bass, lead and backing vocals *
Terry Kath Terry Alan Kath (January 31, 1946 – January 23, 1978) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter, best known as a founding member of the rock band Chicago. He played guitar and sang lead vocals on many of the band's early hit singl ...
– acoustic guitar, guitars (except on "If You Leave Me Now"), lead and backing vocals *
Robert Lamm Robert William Lamm (born October 13, 1944) is an American keyboardist, guitarist, singer and songwriter best known as a founding member of the rock band Chicago. He wrote many of the band's biggest hits, including " Questions 67 & 68", " Does ...
– keyboards, lead and backing vocals *
Lee Loughnane Lee David Loughnane (pronounced LOCK-nain; born October 21, 1946) is an American trumpeter, flugelhorn player, vocalist, and songwriter, best known for being a founding member of the rock band Chicago. Early life and education Lee David Loughna ...
– trumpet, backing vocals, lead vocals on "Together Again" *
James Pankow James Carter Pankow is an American trombone player, songwriter and brass instrument player, best known as a founding member of the rock band Chicago. Early life, family and education Born in St. Louis, Missouri of German and Irish descent, Pa ...
– trombone, lead vocals on "You Are On My Mind," backing vocals on "You Get It Up" *
Walter Parazaider Walter Parazaider (born March 14, 1945) is an American woodwind musician best known for being a founding member of the rock band Chicago. He plays a wide variety of wind instruments, including saxophone, flute, and clarinet. He also occasionally ...
– woodwinds, backing vocals *
Danny Seraphine Daniel Peter Seraphine (born August 28, 1948) is an American drummer, record producer, theatrical producer and film producer. He is best known as the original drummer and a founding member of the rock band Chicago, a tenure which lasted from F ...
– drums, backing vocals on "You Get It Up" *
Laudir de Oliveira Laudir Soares de Oliveira (6 January 1940 – 17 September 2017) was a Brazilian musician and producer mostly renowned for his time as percussionist with the band Chicago. Oliveira grew up in Rio de Janeiro, and started working professionally in ...
– percussion, backing vocals on "You Get It Up" Additional personnel * David J. Wolinski – keyboards on "Hope For Love" *
James William Guercio James William Guercio (born July 18, 1945) is an American music producer, musician, songwriter, and director. He is well known for his work as the producer of Chicago's early albums as well as early recordings of The Buckinghams and Blood, Sweat ...
– lead and rhythm acoustic guitars on "If You Leave Me Now", guitar on "Hope For Love" * George Hyde, Gene Sherry – french horns on "If You Leave Me Now" * Othello Molineaux –
steel drums The steelpan (also known as a pan, steel drum, and sometimes, collectively with other musicians, as a steelband or steel orchestra) is a musical instrument originating in Trinidad and Tobago. Steelpan musicians are called pannists. Descriptio ...
on "Another Rainy Day in New York City" * Leroy Williams – steel drums on "Another Rainy Day in New York City" *
Jimmie Haskell Jimmie Haskell (born Sheridan Pearlman, November 7, 1926 – February 4, 2016) was an American composer and arranger for motion pictures and a wide variety of popular artists, including Elvis Presley, Neil Diamond, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Steely Da ...
– string and brass orchestration on "If You Leave Me Now" and "Mama Mama", conductor on "Gently I'll Wake You"


Production

* Produced by James William Guercio * Engineered by Wayne Tarnowski * Assistant Engineer – Tom Likes * Strings recorded by Armin Steiner at Sound Labs (Hollywood, CA). * Mastered by
Doug Sax Doug Lionel Sax (April 26, 1936 – April 2, 2015) was an American mastering engineer from Los Angeles, California. He mastered three of The Doors' albums, including their 1967 debut; six of Pink Floyd's albums, including ''The Wall''; Ray Charles ...
at The Mastering Lab (Los Angeles, CA). * Album Cover Concept – John Berg * Logo Design – Nick Fasciano * Candy Bar Photo – Columbia Records Photo Studio * Inside Photography –
Reid Miles Reid Miles (July 4, 1927 – February 2, 1993) was an American graphic designer and photographer best known for his work for Blue Note Records in the 1950s and 1960s. Biography Reid Miles was born in Chicago, Illinois, on July 4, 1927 but, fo ...


Charts


Weekly Charts


Year-end charts


Certifications


Notes


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chicago 10 Chicago (band) albums 1976 albums Albums produced by James William Guercio Columbia Records albums Albums arranged by Jimmie Haskell Albums with cover art by Reid Miles