Hot Streets (Expanded)

teixeira

Not one of my favorite Chicago covers and feel that they are starting to slip just a bit...missing Terry

New producer, (Phil Ramone), new lead guitarist, (Donnie Dacus), new approach on album cover art, (Chicago logo not prominintely displayed and no Roman numeral), and new recording studio (Criteria Recording Studios in Miami). Too many of the familiar touchstones of Chicago's past disappeared with this release. Without Terry Kath, Chicago lost it's soul both literally and figuratively. That is what this album seems to lack. Peter Cetera became the true driving force within the band starting with this album. Donnie Dacus does make solid contributions to this release. Some of his work echoes that of the great Carlos Santana. Listen to the title track and the end part of "Take A Chance" and you will see what I mean. The single releases, "Alive Again", "No Tell Lover", and "Gone Long Gone" are pleasant enough. With its strange intro and wheezing synthesizers in the coda, "Show Me The Way" has to be one of the most bizarre and strange songs in the Chicago catalog. I just don't understand it. "Love Was New" (Track 8) is definitely one of Robert Lamm's best ballads, very underappreciated. Overall this album got Chicago through its most difficult period. It was not a huge hit but a moderate one. However there were more difficult times ahead as sales on their next two albums would plummet and Donnie Dacus would leave the band in early 1980.

After Kath's death, we all knew it was only a matter of time before something bad happend to Chicago. I lived in Chicago. I was in horn band. We analyzed everything they wrote, we had all the albums, and would listen to them in the car as we drove to gigs, singing the parts. We hoped that they would continue in the jazz-blues-rock area, but this album started the sappy decline of Chicago, following Cetera's lead, and it was only a few years before they were doing duets with Cher and the like. The only redeeming quality was that on this album, there are a few good horn parts, but mostly, the spirit was dead.

Another Chicago album I have four copies of: re-release LP without lyrics; original LP release with lyrics; original CD; remaster CD with one bonus song. Robert Lamm's vocals on Love Was New is much better than that of Donnie Dacus on the bonus version. This is one of the few locations where you can get the full length of No Tell Lover. The greatest hits version edits about 30 seconds off the song right after the instrumental break. The Bee Gees provide the harmony and backup vocals on Little Miss Lovin' as Peter takes the lead. I played the song Hot Streets for a friend who plays flute. She wished she could play like that... I was up to Chicago XI in adding the remastered Chicago CD's to my collection. Hot Streets was next on my list. One day I was showing my girlfriend at the time the remastered albums. A few days later she gave the remastered Hot Streets to me on my birthday. That made it so much more special.

With the exception on Alive Again and Little Miss Lovin, this album has to be one of my least favorites in the Chicago catolouge. Sorry.

I hate to write a review on only one song,but "No Tell Lover" is pretty underrated.Has Peter,Lee and Danny collaborating on a song with several key changes,chord changes and vocal harmonies.Think "call on me","if you leave me now" and "beginnings" rolled into one.Impressive!

After the crippling loss of guitarist Terry Kath, and breakup with long time producer James William Guercio, Chicago was eager to get back on the horse, and show the world that they would survive the fall. And survive they did (for a while). With newly hired guitarist Donnie Dacus and veteran producer Phil Ramone, Chicago found themselves recording a new album, and for the first time, a titled album, not numbered, wherein the logo wasn't the centerpiece of the cover. The effort would become Hot Streets, the twelfth album (and worst cover art in my opinion). The first track and single proves Chicago was in fact, as the song says, "Alive Again". It's strong, upbeat rhythm and melody, coupled with Dacus' strong rock rhythm guitar playing showed that Chicago could still go on. The guitar also shines on Peter Cetera's Little Miss Lovin' (which has terrible lyrics) and Gone Long Gone, and Dacus' Ain't It Time (my favorite track). The album's biggest low points would be The Greatest Love On Earth, penned by drummer Danny Seraphine and David Wolinski, and Lee Loughnane's Take A Chance. Robert Lamm is very quiet, only contributing the title track, which blends crisp pop with a wonderful jazz theme, and Love Was New, which heavily features Laudir de Oliveira's percussion. Overall, Hot Streets is a decent album. Not terrible, but not terrific. It's amazing that they were able to release something of this quality considering the circumstances of its release. If only someone would have taken the advice of the final cut and "Showed Them The Way", for things were about to get ugly for Chicago.

YOU GOT TO HAND IT TO PETER CETRA DOES ANY ONE REMEMBER WIDE WORLD OF SPORTS ALIVE AGAIN WAS LIKE THE ANTHEM. THIS SONG JUST JAZZES ME UP. GONE LONG GONE IS MY FAVORITE AND NO TELL LOVER BUT THE REST JUST KIND OF DRAGS OUT A JAZZY DISCO TASTE ITS NOT THERE BEST ALBUM BUT ITS GOT A FEW GEMS HERE