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In
his book, The Greatest Music Never Sold, author Dan Leroy writes about the Stone
Of Sisyphus, the great lost Chicago album. Recorded in 1993 and produced by Peter
Wolf, Sisyphus became a cult record immediately after Warner Bros. refused to
release it because it wasn't the Chicago record that was expected. Knowing what
they had created and not willing to compromise, the band left Warner Bros. and
took the album with them.
Now,
15 years later, on June 17, this 11-song album with four bonus tracks will finally
be available from Rhino Records at all physical and digital outlets, including
www.rhino.com, for a suggested list price of $18.98 for CD and $9.99 for download.
Powered
by Chicago's celebrated horn section, the tracks on SISYPHUS have bite, power
and swing, and the "fire in the belly" that one associates usually with
debut albums. The songs touch on a wide range of styles and moods, including the
energetic horn-driven title track, "Stone Of Sisyphus," the cool funk
groove of "Mah-Jong," the anti-corporate rock broadside "Plaid,"
the touching emotional lyrics of "The Pull" and Robert Lamm's rap on
"Sleeping In The Middle Of The Bed." "Bigger Than Elvis" features
contributions from musicians who worked with "The King" himself, including
The Jordinaires and Jerry Scheff (father of Chicago bassist Jason Scheff). "We
wrote songs that were more experimental, songs that were more daring in terms
of musical direction and chord construction, more than anything," remembers
James Pankow, whose innovative horn charts had been an integral part of Chicago's
distinctive sound from the start. "We got into really feeling our oats in
terms of being the voice of Chicago again. It had been a long time since we had
made a record like that." Looking
back, the band members wish they had found a way to release SISYPHUS sooner, but
there is intense pride in having stood up for their creative integrity -- a Chicago
trademark. While Sisyphus became an underground classic, widely bootlegged by
fans, Chicago continued to defy music business conventions by forming their own
record company, and recording hugely successful big band and holiday records before
it was the fashion.
To
date, Chicago's remarkable achievements include a Grammy" Award, record sales
that exceed 100,000,000, including 21 Top 10 singles, five consecutive #1 albums,
five #1 singles, 13 platinum albums and five gold singles. An incredible 25 of
their 30 albums have been certified platinum, and Chicago is the first American
band to chart Top 40 albums in five decades.
CHICAGO:
STONE OF SISYPHUS (XXXII)Track Listing 1.
"Stone Of Sisyphus" 2.
"Bigger Than Elvis" 3.
"All The Years" 4.
"Mah-Jong" 5.
"Sleeping In The Middle Of The Bed" 6.
"Let's Take A Lifetime" 7.
"The Pull" 8.
"Here With Me (A Candle For The Dark)" 9.
"Plaid" 10.
"Cry For The Lost" 11.
"The Show Must Go In"
Bonus
Tracks 12.
Love Is Forever (Demo) 13.
Mah-Jong (Demo) 14.
Let's Take A Lifetime (Demo) 15.
Stone Of Sisyphus (No Rhythm Loop) |