Chicago Hot Streets CD

Remastered reissue of 1978 album features a rare, never-before-available alternate vocal version of 'Love Was New' as a bonus track. Rhino. 2003.

Chicago: Donnie Dacus, Robert Lamm (vocals, guitar); Peter Cetera (vocals, bass); Walter Parazaider (flute, woodwinds); James Pankow (trombone); Danny Seraphine (drums); Laudir De Oliveria (percussion).
Additional personnel: David "Hawk" Wolinski (Fender Rhodes piano); Blue Weaver (synthesizer).
Recorded at Criteria Studios, Miami, Florida. Inlcudes liner notes by A. Scott Galloway.
Personnel: Donnie Dacus (vocals, guitar, background vocals); Lee Loughnane (vocals, trumpet, background vocals); Robert Lamm (vocals, keyboards, synthesizer, background vocals); Peter Cetera (vocals, background vocals); Walter Parazaider (flute, woodwinds); James Pankow (trombone); David Wolinski "Hawk" (Fender Rhodes piano); Blue Weaver (string synthesizer); Daniel Seraphine (drums); Maurice Gibb, Robin Gibb, Barry Gibb (background vocals).
Audio Remasterer: David Donnelly.
Audio Remixers: Jim Boyer; Phil Ramone.
Liner Note Author: A. Scott Galloway.
Recording information: Criteria Studios, Miami, FL; The Record Plant, Los Angeles, CA.
Photographer: Norman Seeff.
Although Chicago tragically marked its decade anniversary with the bitter loss of lead guitarist Terry Kath, Hot Streets (1978) was not only the first release without him, it was also the band's initial offering away from James William Guercio -- with whom the group had worked on every one of its previous dozen long-players. Donnie Dacus (guitar/vocals) was brought in to fill Kath's formidable shoes. His maiden voyage would likewise mark the beginning of a downward spiral in terms of the string of hits that was usually associated with Chicago albums. Both the upbeat and pumping opener "Alive Again" and the typical adult contemporary balladry of "No Tell Lover" became their last Top 40 hits for nearly four years. Phil Ramone's production gives the material an added and noticeable bite. The Peter Cetera (bass/vocals) rocker "Little Miss Lover" recalls the band's earliest sides by blending an aggressive backbeat with a funky and soulful rhythm. "Gone, Gone, Gone," the disc's other Cetera contribution, also stands out for Dacus' spot-on slide guitar intonation, which mimics a similar style used most notably by George Harrison. Although it failed to chart when extracted as a single, Robert Lamm's (keyboards/vocals) "Love Was New" is one of the more jazz-influenced tunes on Hot Streets. The laid-back groove effortlessly carries the melody behind a fusion of light rock and contemporary jazz. The 2003 CD reissue includes an additional "bonus selection," a second version of "Love Was New" with an alternate lead vocal from newcomer Dacus. The rapidly changing pop music landscape, whose horizons would embrace disco and new wave, would all but abandon Chicago for the group's next few albums. Although the band attempted to adapt to the trends, it would be four LPs and four years before Chicago would re-emerge in full form on its comeback, Chicago 16 (1982). ~ Lindsay Planer
Rhino charges ahead with their thorough renovation of the "classic" Chicago catalog on this 2003 reissue of Hot Streets, which finds the band reeling from the tragic and sudden loss of lead guitarist Terry Kath. Not only would this be their first release without him, it was also marked by the departure of longtime collaborator James William Guercio, who had worked with Chicago even before the beginning and was partially responsible for getting the group a recording contract. Enter Donnie Dacus (guitar/vocals), who was the initial guitarist brought in to fill Kath's formidable shoes. On an equally somber note, "Alive Again," the album's upbeat opener, as well as the adult contemporary ballad "No Tell Lover," would become Chicago's final trip into the Top 40 for nearly four years. While their new producer, Phil Ramone, would give the material an added and not