Search - Chicago :: VIII

Rockin' Chicago

B. Samples | Hawthorne, NJ USA | 05/08/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"After Chicago had cooled down a bit with albums VI and VII, they rock once again with VIII. "Anyway You Want", "Ain't It Blue", and "Hideaway" will all have you bopping in your seat. You have the catchy "Harry Truman", "Old Days", and "Long Time No See". "Brand New Love Affair" is beautiful and heartfelt in Part I, and then rocking and energetic in Part II. But to me, the true gems on this album are the Terry Kath tunes. "Oh, Thank You Great Spirit" takes the same route as "Love Affair", starting off mellow, and winding up ROCKING! But Kath's guitar solo to round this one off will knock your socks off. Finally, I saw another review that said "Til We Meet Again" belonged in the "men's room". I couldn't disagree more. The lyrics are romantic, and accompanied by only acoustic guitar, it is everything a ballad should be.All in all, I would probably rank Chicago VIII #3 out of their whole catalog, only following "Transit Authority" and "II". A must-have for true fans, and a good album to start with for new listeners. But remember, the Chicago of the 80's is NOT what you should expect. Instead, get ready to rock a lot more."

Chicagos best album!!

Sean Tomkins | Galway, Ireland | 07/14/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Imagine, a Chicago album without a ballad! This collection shows the entire group at their very best, Kaths best guitar performance since the debut and his vocal on "Brand new love affair" is just perfect. And the brass section really rock. While there is no ballad, the collection is still varied, out and out rock songs to match the best any hard rock group could produce "Hideaway" and the most amazing "Oh Thank you...",the acoustic "Till we meet again" and the 2 great singles "Old Days" and "Harry Truman". Funny, the only thing I dislike is Ceteras vocal on "Never been in love before"..how this got on Chicago IX and not the 2 hits above Ill never know."

An Interesting Album

Sean Tomkins | 07/07/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I found the album a very interesting effort. The album had three good hit releases, "Harry Truman", Old Days" and "Brand New Love Affair". Harry Truman in particular had alot of air play where I lived back in West Texas. I completely disagree with those that claim Chicago stopped playing good music after the 3rd album. This album is a prime example. "Any Way You Want", "Hideaway" and "Oh Thank You Great Spirit" are also stand out tunes on this album."