{"id":39657,"date":"2006-02-22T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2006-02-22T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/reviews\/chicago-13\/"},"modified":"2006-02-22T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2006-02-22T00:00:00","slug":"chicago-13","status":"publish","type":"review","link":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/reviews\/chicago-13\/","title":{"rendered":"Chicago 13"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

About a year ago, my
\nreview<\/a> for Chicago XIV<\/i> went up. Needless to say, it
\nwasn’t pretty, because it was a terrible album, not just by
\nChicago’s standards but in general. Unfortunately, its predecessor,
\n13<\/i> is not much better — these two albums are generally
\nconsidered Chicago’s worst, and I’d be hard pressed to argue.<\/p>\n

First off, I shall commit the cardinal sin of Chicago
\nfandom and defend “Street Player.” I’ve always thought Chicago
\nwould have been well suited for disco, particularly because of the
\nhorns. To me, “Street Player” reaffirms that belief. Sure, the song
\ndrags on too long, but there are some good bits to be found in
\nbetween, such as the Maynard Ferguson appearance.<\/p>\n

With 13<\/i>, it’s just easier to mention the very
\nfew good tracks. Essentially, you’ve got “Reruns” and “Life Is What
\nIt Is.” These two songs are decent efforts that aren’t amazing by
\nany stretch of the imagination, but when compared to the rest of
\nthe material, they stand above. “Reruns,” in particular, seems to
\nhave caught Chicago in a good day in the studio; the band sounds
\nlike it’s involved. The horns are flowing, Robert Lamm delivers his
\nusual professional vocal and it’s got a catchy refrain. “Life Is
\nWhat It Is” is a bit more gentle, almost jazzy at times. The
\nacoustic underpinnings add a nice touch, and Peter Cetera sounds
\nlike Peter Cetera, as opposed to P.C. Moblee (more on that in a
\nsec).<\/p>\n

The rest of 13<\/i> is sloppy, uninspired,
\nhalf-assed drivel. You’ve got Cetera singing in a completely
\ndifferent style, one that just plain grates on the nerves. Legend
\nhas it that it was an attempt to create a new character called P.C
\nMoblee, but thankfully, as the legend goes, Moblee died in a plane
\ncrash, never to be heard from again.<\/p>\n

Also, the contribution from Donnie Dacus, the man
\nhired to replace Terry Kath, is just insipid. I get the feeling the
\nband was trying to get “heavy,” but it didn’t work out that way at
\nall. “Run Away” ranks up there with the band’s worst closing
\nnumbers, failing to provide any momentum or drive at all. “Reruns”
\nshould have taken its place.<\/p>\n

“Mama Take” used to be a favorite of mine off the
\nalbum, but after giving it another listen, it’s lost its appeal.
\nThe music is pretty solid, but it just lacks something to grab a
\nhold of. “Aloha Mama” starts off interestingly enough, with the
\nhorn section throwing out a little honky tonk, but lo and behold
\nwho is that on the mic? Why, it’s P.C. Moblee! Track ruined!<\/p>\n

XIV<\/i> got a D, but 13<\/i> will avoid that
\nhonor, just barely. The three decent moments I mentioned keep it
\nfrom being their worst piece of music. Chicago at this point was in
\nthe throes of their worst period creatively and personally, and the
\nmusic reflected it. Sometimes artists can take personal strife and
\ncreate something truly special with it. Chicago 13<\/i> isn’t one
\nof those cases.<\/p>\n

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