Wow, I wrote a lot for that Bob Dylan post. I’ll try and make this one more concise.
Released in June 1976, Chicago X was the band Chicago’s eighth studio album. I believe that is what history nerds call “Octobering,” although the actual reason the band did that is because they counted a live album and a greatest hits album.
Speaking of which, the band had a streak of five consecutive #1 albums on the Billboard 200, starting with 1972’s Chicago V and ending with the aforementioned greatest hits album in November 1975. While Chicago X only peaked at #3, the second single, “If You Leave Me Now,” would make up for that. The song became the band’s first #1 hit on the Hot 100. However, because it was released later in the year, it only placed at #48 on the Hot 100 year-end. But when the band won their first three Grammy Awards in 1977, two of those were for “If You Leave Me Now.” The third was for Best Album Package, although the band lost both of their General Field nominations. They lost Album Of The Year to Stevie Wonder’s Songs In The Key Of Life and Record Of The Year to George Benson’s “This Masquerade.”
Regardless, Chicago X was such a hit that it was certified Gold by the RIAA just one week after release. Furthermore, on September 14 of the same year – three months after release – Chicago X became the band’s first album to achieve Platinum certification. So let’s talk about it.
I’ll start with the album’s lead single, “Another Rainy Day In New York City.” It debuted on the Hot 100 in June, around two weeks after the album’s release. The song peaked at #32 on the chart week of August 7 and only ran for a total of nine weeks. I think I get why it flopped. It sounds to me like they were trying to be the Beach Boys and conjure up a tropical paradise so the listener can pretend to be there, but in execution, it’s trying a bit too hard. “If You Leave Me Now” debuted on the Hot 100 when “Another Rainy Day In New York City” was on its eighth week. “If You Leave Me Now” then reached the top 10 after a month and hit #1 in late October (appropriately). The album’s third single, a samba number called “You Are On My Mind,” also flopped, peaking at #49 in April 1977.
Ultimately, Chicago X had only one real hit while, by comparison, 1974’s Chicago VII had three. I think they did a poor job of picking the singles from Chicago X. Sure, “If You Leave Me Now” fit right in with the Easy Listening trends of the time, but it wasn’t like the rest of the album lacked for hit potential. The album opener, “Once Or Twice,” is a fun rocker. “You Are On My Mind” has a great groove. I enjoyed “Skin Tight” for being jazzy with a cool guitar solo. “Scrapbook” is an awesome funky track that for some reason name drops the Beach Boys. “Gently I’ll Wake You” is pretty good. “You Get It Up” is great party music, and the album closer, “Hope For Love,” is excellent.
That said, not every song is great. Previous albums were more consistent, so I would recommend checking out Chicago V before Chicago X, if only to determine how much you can stomach Peter Cetera.
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