More Chicago: List your five favorite Chicago album COVERS

There is perhaps no better band when it comes to appreciating album cover art as a "continuing variation within a theme". Almost every one of their covers featured their logo inside a different object or design.

Which five most resonate to your eyes? Studio albums or compilations are all allowed.

Here are my five, in order:


#1 Chicago X (1976) Chocolate Bar
Designed by CBS/Columbia Art Director John Berg.
Accolades: Grammy for Best Album Package, Added to the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.



#2 Chicago VIII (1975) Cardinal and Logo Design
Designed by: John Berg and Nick Fasciano



#3 Chicago VII (1974) Gold Embossing
Designed by: John Berg and Nick Fasciano



#4 If You Leave Me Now (1982) High Heel on "Chicago Steps"
This compilation is official in the sense that it was released by Columbia following their departure with Chicago at the start of the 1980's. Yet you usually don't find it in most discographies of the band. Either way, I always loved this cover with the "abandoned high heel" in front of the Chicago steps. Where did she go? Who did she go with?



#5 Chicago XIV (1980) Chicago Thumbprint
Designed by: John Berg
Accolades: Grammy Nomination for Best Album Cover Package. Included at The Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

 

1.) Chicago III
2.) CTA
3.) Chicago VII
4.) Chicago VIII
5.) Chicago VI

What's so great about those covers, they always seem to fit the content of their respective LPs, like III where you have a damaged US flag saying "this album is going into a completely different and controversial direction"

Amazing that XIV's cover art is exhibited at the MOMA, I didn't know that for sure!

 

Another cool thread idea concerning these guys. Believe it or not, I actually have to go with four out of the first five albums.
CTA-very simple, almost primitive...the kind of album cover that indicates, "serious stuff" on the inside.
II-Almost the complete opposite, visually...more sophisticated and very nice, smooth blue dominance..this cover seems to say, "we have now truly arrived"
IV-Understated but very attractive cover for a live album of a sophisticated band. I love the near 3D effect of the lettering.
V-I just think the "wood' is a great, creative look..no particular reason.
VI-The rectangular photo on the very top, is a great touch..and i also very much like the textured feel of the cover...besides the so-so pressing, the lack of the textured cover is one of my main disappointments of the Friday Music re-issue of this album.

 

Yes, I believe X and XIV are the only two that made it into the Museum of Modern Art.

XIV in general always seems to be totally overlooked. Not without some merit, as it isn't a completely consistent or hit-loaded album. Yet I've grown to like that one more over time. It's the reason I really like the "If You Leave Me Now" compilation. The addition of "Song For You" is always a welcome and unexpected treat.

 

I still have to dig into post-X Chicago. Only know the singles and one or the other album cut... will start with XIV as it sounds quite promising

 

Yes, they all have their "hit and miss" moments but then again I even find that true with 70's Chicago as well. I'm also a big David Foster fan so I might just gravitate more easily to him and Cetera's "melodic but heavily produced" style starting with "Chicago 16". But it's all good. I know that many really draw a line following Kath's tragic death, but I appreciate something about every era of Chicago. Great material is scattered all throughout, no matter if it's "Chicago II" or "Chicago 17". Both eras are very different in style, but a great song is still a great song.

 

"Gold Embossing"? Gee, I always thought of it as a giant, Nestle-style, shortbread cookie.

 

Absolutely. Very looking forward to many hours of Chicago listening pleasure

 

Well, you could be right for all I know!

 

Another great one! XIII was the one I had bubbling under. That and the debut. And the "Love Songs" chocolates and roses cover.

 

Let's both bite into our copies at the same time, and find out-! One...two...

 

We may be biting into leather. From the band's site, it appears to go by the title of "Embossed Leather"...

Chicago VII

The embossed part is what I thought, but I wasn't certain what the material was supposed to be. "Gold Embossing" just sounded like a safe and vague guess.

 

Well...at least I got a nice, commemorative copy of my dental work...

 

Here's that great "Love Songs" cover...probably my favorite "Modern Day Chicago cover art"...



And the gold-embossed chocolate box that, curiously, ties back into associations with the Chicago VII cover just being discussed.

And, of course, the back of the CD set...complete with the clever use of song titles on candy hearts...



The more I get into this stuff, the more I realize an entire reference book could be written just about the band's covers!

 

Sorry I can’t post pics

X - Chocolate
V- Wood
II - Silver
18- Snakes?
XIV - Fingerprint

 

The band's website apparently cites 18 as mosiac tiles. But I do see the snakeskin likeness in it.

 

Imagine the hallways in that place...

 

I always wonder if the girl who lost her high heel on the "If You Leave Me Now" cover is in that hotel.

Or is it just a building?

 

She'll never get out of there! lol

 

I thought they were mosaics but when I looked closer it looked like snake heads!

Either way I like it!

 

I also really like the collage of square "Chicago signs" found on XV (Greatest Hits II). Another album that was somewhat put out without much thought or promotion.

I notice that quite a few of my favorites actually fall on albums that were either not too successful or were contractual releases. Which is kinda funny. Yet I can find at least a little something alluring about virtually every cover.

 

While I'm in the midst of "Chicago Fever", I thought I'd share this 50 track retrospective I put together.

I wanted to try and capture the bulk of the band's hits (though not every one is here) with some favorite underrated album tracks, and sequence them all in chronological album order. About the only type of Chicago compilation I haven't seen is one that truly goes album by album, telling the story of the band as it happened (I suppose the two box sets come closest to this, but my attempt is at something in between exhaustive and too sparse).

At any rate, this fantasy set covers their most prolific years (1969-1986) and is, hopefully, vast enough without simply including every track the band recorded. As always, someone else's "Chicago 50" would surely differ.

Chicago: Fancy Colours (1969-1986)

SIDE ONE
Does Anybody Know What Time It Is? 4:34 Chicago Transit Authority
Questions 67 & 68 5:01 Chicago Transit Authority
Beginnings 7:55 Chicago Transit Authority
Where Do We Go From Here 2:49 Chicago II

SIDE TWO
Prelude 1:09 Chicago II
Fancy Colours 5:09 Chicago II
Wake Up Sunshine 2:39 Chicago II
A.M. Mourning 2:06 Chicago II
The Road 3:09 Chicago II
Poem For The People 5:34 Chicago II

SIDE THREE
25 or 6 to 4 4:57 Chicago II
Ballet For Another Girl In Hampton:
Anxiety's Moment 1:00 Chicago II
Colour My World 3:00 Chicago II
So Much To Say, So Much To Give 1:11 Chicago II
Memories Of Love 3:59 Chicago II
To Be Free 1:14 Chicago II
Free Country 5:46 Chicago III

SIDE FOUR
Saturday In The Park 4:02 Chicago V
A Hit By Varese 4:55 Chicago V
Goodbye 5:57 Chicago V
Feelin' Stronger Everyday 4:14 Chicago VI

SIDE FIVE
Mongonucleosis 3:29 Chicago VII
Happy Man 3:18 Chicago VII
Devil's Sweet 10:07 Chicago VII
Call On Me 4:04 Chicago VII

SIDE SIX
Old Days 3:29 Chicago VIII
Sixth Sense 5:04 Chicago VIII Unreleased Track
Bright Eyes 3:37 Chicago VIII Unreleased Track
Satin Doll 2:47 Chicago VIII Bonus Track
Brand New Love Affair (Pts. 1 & 2) 4:27 Chicago VIII

SIDE SEVEN
If You Leave Me Now 3:57 Chicago X
Your Love's An Attitude 5:59 Chicago X
Baby What A Big Surprise 3:03 Chicago XI
No Tell Lover 4:13 Hot Streets (Chicago XII)
Love Was New 3:29 Hot Streets (Chicago XII)

SIDE EIGHT
Run Away 4:18 Chicago XIII
Song For You 3:41 Chicago XIV
Upon Arrival 3:48 Chicago XIV
Hard To Say I'm Sorry 3:42 Chicago 16
Love Me Tomorrow 5:06 Chicago 16

SIDE NINE
You're The Inspiration 3:49 Chicago 17
Hard Habit To Break 4:45 Chicago 17
Here Is Where We Begin 3:58 Chicago 17
Will You Still Love Me? 5:43 Chicago 18

SIDE TEN (ODDS & ENDS)
Questions 67 & 68 (Shortened End Note Version) 4:52
Beginnings (Abbreviated "Only The Beginning" Version) 6:26
Happy Man (Edit from "Greatest Hits II" that omits the original false start) 3:15
No Tell Lover (Single Edit) 3:48
Take Me Back To Chicago (Single Edit) 2:57

Bonus 45 Single:
A Side: Dialogue (Parts I & II) 5:02
B Side: Never Been In Love Before 4:10

 

In the set above, I wanted to include at least one track from every studio album between Chicago Transit Authority and Chicago 18. Which I was able to do. In a case of a couple albums, the scarcity of entries doesn't necessarily mean I felt the album was "lacking" material. In the case of an album like Chicago III, I only included one track (Free Country), but it was mostly a case of just not being comfortable taking more songs out of the context of the album. The album itself is very interesting and, I think, underrated, but it just wasn't as easy to decide on which songs to remove and include in this box. Yet Chicago II is like that as well, yet it seemed easier to play around a bit with the tracks on that one. In fact, that album, by way of the tiny suite pieces, ended up being the most represented album in this subjective set of mine.

All in all, if my boldness may be forgiven, I'm quite proud of the way I organized most of the sides (especially the first half of the set). For instance, I tried to put similar themed titles/songs beside one another to create little suites that hopefully the band would have appreciated with a small grin. For example, I have "Wake Up Sunshine" leading into "A.M. Mourning", which then leads to "The Road". I was trying to sketch out the theme of morning going to daytime activities or travel. And "To Be Free" giving way to "Free Country" was also not by accident as the end of my "Ballet For Another Girl In Hampton" rearrangement. Please forgive my poor attempt at slight humor there.

 

You may be interested in this post/thread:

Is the band Chicago half-forgotten?

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