Chicago II Repackaged Music Cd

Chicago - Chicago II Repackaged

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Chicago II (Repackaged)      Artist : Chicago      List Price : $7.98 USD        Your Price : $6.99 USD      ProductGroup: Music      Release Date : 2002-07-16      Studio : Rhino Records      Label : Rhino Records      Avg. Customer Rating : (70 reviews)

Reviews Customer Reviews for Chicago II Repackaged      A great follow-up album with strong writing/performing      Rating:      I remember this being a strongly anticipated release when it came out on LP. I also remember the disappointment at the quality of the audio on side 2 (the "Ballet"). When I picked up the CD release in the 80s, sadly the quality had not been improved in the transfer. Of course, I had to give the 2002 remaster a try, in the hope that someone had taken the time to do a proper transfer from the original multitracks. It's not bad; in fact, I do believe it's an improvement over the 80s release. But the "Ballet" still sounds as though it was taken from a copy of a copy of the original tape. The rest of the album sounds just fine; in fact, it looks like the mastering team took plenty of care with the tapes and backed off the aggressive noise reduction used in the 80s. I wish it sounded as good as the first album, but if you listen to the music you won't be disappointed with what this group created! Incidentally, I've heard some fulsome praise for the DTS (DVD-Audio) release of this album. Don't be deceived; while the DVDA is a bit cleaner than the CD, someone got the bright idea to compress the living heck out of the dynamic range, resulting in another victim of the "loudness war". The remastered CD at least has more dynamics and (again, except for the "Ballet" which benefits from any increase in clarity) is probably your best choice.     Customer Reviews for Chicago II Repackaged Cd      Early Peak Chicago      Rating:      I agree with others that this "early Chicago" is their best. Great instrumentalists (particularly Terry Kath's guitar and Danny Seraphine's drums) and very musically interesting songs with long-lined atypical (but still singable) melodic lines and song structures -- not your usual pop Verse Chorus Verse Chorus Bridge Chorus Chorus pattern. "25 or 6 to 4" is famous of course, and very catchy, in a more conventional mode (but with a fabulous instrumental section). "In the Country" is equally good, especially with Terry Kath's lead vocals, assisted ably by Peter Cetera. The two long suites (Better End Soon and the Wake Up Sunshine "Ballet") provide a stimulating different path from conventional "songs" at all. In that sense, some of it is almost "classical" in form. The instrumental jams pack a lot of power, and though they have a lot of dissonance, it isn't painful to listen to. The political "down with the system" message sounds earnest, though I wonder what ever happened to that anger as Chicago evolved into the poppy ballad-oriented band later in their career (I forget exactly when, but in Chicago V they were still pretty protest-oriented in songs like Dialogue). Whether you agree with or care about their lyrics, though, it's the musical energy that carries this album to excellence. Editorial Reviews for Chicago II Repackaged Audio Cd      Album Description      Remastered and repackaged edition of their 1970 album. Features hits including 'Make Me Smile', 'Color My World', and more. 2 bonus tracks, single versions of 'Make Me Smile' and '25 Or 6 To 4.' Digipak in a slipcase with a 16 page booklet featuring complete lyrics and detailed liner notes by Rolling Stone contributing editor David Wild. 2002.