- Included among the Record Descriptions of Favorite Albums (Part 1).
- Chicago II is the second double-album in as many years from Chicago, a popular rock band that endured throughout the 1970’s and 1980’s.
Chicago – Chicago II (1970): Also known as Chicago, this is the second double-album in as many years from this popular rock band that endured throughout the 1970’s and 1980’s. The first double-album of the rock era, Bob Dylan’s magnum opus, Blonde on Blonde was released in 1966; but it didn’t take long for other rock artists to start using that format if they felt that they had enough to say. Most rock critics consider Chicago II to be Chicago’s best album, and it features more guitar and less brass, though there is enough musical variety here to satisfy almost anyone’s tastes. The political commentary from their first album, Chicago Transit Authority (1969) carries over into this album as well, along with a cohesive suite of songs that covers Side 2.
One of Chicago’s best-known songs, “25 or 6 to 4” is included on this album; and it had all of us scratching our heads back in the day. Many years later, I was reading about its meaning – a songwriter is struggling to finish a song after working on it all night and glances at his watch, where the time is a little after 3:30 a.m., i.e., 25 or 26 minutes until 4.