Chicago XI - CHICAGO***

Mississippi Delta City Blues/Baby What A Big Surprise/Till The End Of Time/Policeman/Take Me Back To Chicago/Vote For Me/Takin' It On Uptown/This Time/The Inner Struggles Of A Man/Prelude (Little One)/Little One

Chicago XI is considered to be the end of an era as it was the last album to feature Terry Kath. In truth their music had changed over the years from the early jazz influence to a more pop orientated sound. Includes the US No. 4 hit Baby What A Big Surprise. (US:6)

“Chicago by this time had become a pop-rock group, refined, well travelled, solid studio hit makers, whose time with the youngsters were over. Punk rock and disco were here now, and these guys weren't going down these routes.”

“If this had to be the last Kath-era album, this was a fine way to go out. There is no filler on Chicago XI and the songwriting and musicianship are top notch throughout. It goes without saying that this was a massive improvement over Chicago X. This marked the end of Chicago the hit machine. Baby What a Big Surprise would be Chicago's last top ten hit for almost five years.”

“It's too bad that Chicago with Terry Kath and James William Guercio had to go out in such mediocrity as this album. That isn't because it is all bland, just very uneven. Overall, there are some pretty awful pieces here, but the best ones really shine through. Chicago XI is where the end of the era hit.”

“A fitting end to an era. Most people already know that this was the last album to feature the great Terry Kath. The hit is probably the weakest track here, and it's not bad.”

“This album represents the last Chicago album to feature Terry Kath's musicianship as well as James Guercio's production techniques. Chicago's music since this album, while not necessarily less worthy, is clearly different in terms of the group's production style as well as their changing membership. All of the songs are gems.”

“For hard core early Chicago fans, this is their last great album. They would never be the same after the death of lead singer and guitarist Terry Kath. The album is a hodgepodge but features some spectacular tracks such as Mississippi Delta City Blues.”