Stone Of Sisyphus

Chicago

There are those ‘forgotten’ albums, lost tracks or even unreleased releases that make history and sometimes dog a band their entire career. Think the Beach Boys’Smile, various ‘basement tapes’ of Bob Dylan’s, and the ‘lost’ Chicago studio album, Stone of Sisyphus.

Reading the included booklet, knowing the history of this American rock institution, picking apart what they were in the 70s as opposed to what they became in the 80s and early 90s — one comes to understand the turmoil Chicago has been through. Stone of Sisyphus, recorded in 1993, was an attempted return-to-form for a band that had been relying on outside songwriters to keep them afloat. Given a big bolstering go-ahead by their then label Warner Brothers (they heard the demos and loved the stuff), the band went into the studio with producer Peter Wolf (not to be confused with the singer for J Geils) to craft what they all thought was to be a true Chicago album, with songs written by the band and inflated by the horns and harmonies the band built their career on.

Unfortunately there were changes afoot at Warner Brothers, and when the band’s manager delivered the record, it was rejected. The band was so disgusted by the label’s reaction, not to mention exhausted from the hard work that went into an album, that when they left Warner Brothers, they kept this 11-song album under wraps and unreleased. Until now.

The title track starts us off in familiar jaunty Chicago waters, sounding very much like what the band was all about in the late 80s and early 90s. But “Bigger then Elvis,” the second number finds Chicago branching out, featuring a nice slice-of-life lyric and a few guest players including Jerry Scheff on bass (Chicago bassist Jason Scheff’s dad) plus The Jordinaires, who actually played with Elvis Presley. We chunk along nicely here, especially with a killer guitar groove in “Mah-Jong” and solid tempo of “The Pull.”

Where the album cuts loose is near the end, most especially on “Plaid.” This is the Chicago we have been aching for with tight vocal harmonies, slick horn and key interplay, and a feisty rock feel. For the first time, I also felt the drums come alive. “Cry For The Lost,” a light piece reminiscent of the Doobie Brothers, and the closer, “The Show Must Go On” are as close as Chicago comes to expressing their feelings about where they were at in the corporate machine of 1993.

The CD boasts four demos that show off the band’s strengths even more. I know it’s often all about the horns with Chicago, but sometimes it nice to hear the band stripped down as they are without the brass. But the real question remains: Is Stone Of Sisyphus the lost treasure of the Incas? Is it even the best Chicago album you’re ever going to hear? I don’t have the answers, but it’s nice to know that by releasing this record, Chicago will pay off some debts and put to rest the rumors about a ‘lost’ album.

~ Ralph Greco, Jr.

• Discuss this article

More Reissues, Compilations and Live Albums