Chicago II - CHICAGO*****

Movin' In/The Road/Poem For The People/In The Country/Wake Up Sunshine/Make Me Smile/So Much To Say So Much To Give/Anxiety's Moment/West Virginia Fantasies/Colour My World/To Be Free/Now More Than Ever/Fancy Colours/25 Or 6 To 4/Prelude/AM Mourning/Pm Mourning/Memories Of Love/It Better End Soon/Where Do We Go From Here

Chicago II was the follow up double album from the rock ensemble Chicago. More consistent than their debut, it provides a succession of creative and diverse tracks of a high quality they were unable to recreate on future albums. Includes three US top ten hits Make Me Smile, Colour My World and the inscrutable 25 Or 6 To 4 , the latter peaking at No. 7 in the UK. (US:4 UK:6)

"Many years ago, before the band Chicago was synonymous with casino concerts and oldies radio stations, they were one of the most cutting edge rock groups around, true artists stirring up passion with incredible precision and intensity. This, their second album, is one of the more remarkable accomplishments of the era. The first side consists of four solid songs; Movin’ In, The Road, Poem For The People and In The Country show the remarkable songwriting prowess of James Pankow, Terry Kath and Robert Lamm. But what always distinguishes Chicago from just about any other band is their horn section. The musicianship is nothing short of incredible. Not just their skills on the instruments, but the intelligence in the arrangements and overall togetherness."

"Are there any musical styles that Chicago can't play? This album has it all - classical, jazz, rock, pop, ballad, country, and down outright experimental. If all you know of Chicago is their sentimental love songs, then do yourself a favour and hear what they were like, before they went mainstream MOR."

"Chicago's crowning achievement. It's mind boggling how good this band once was, and equally mind boggling what happened to them just half a decade later. Acid-rock, jazz and classical compositions meet in a whirlwind of creative frenzy. It goes all over the place but somehow manages to stay very focused and unified at the same time. I've listened to this over and over again and I simply never get tired of it."

"If you only buy one Chicago album, this should be it. This work, more than any other album, encompasses everything one should know about Chicago in their early days." "With their second album, Chicago hit their creative stride. This is an excellent collection of well arranged, smart, and very well performed songs."