CHICAGO
Chicago II RHINO
Steven Wilson’s 2016 remix gets an extra polish.
Recorded during rare gaps in a relentless touring schedule, Chicago’s second album is the sound of a young band blossoming in real time. The previous year’s Chicago Transit Authority was an unusually precocious debut that heralded the sextet’s versatility, their jazz-rock virtuosity, and their penchant for banging tunes. Chicago II (or Chicago, as it was officially titled) emerged barely nine months later: a second double album, it reached the US Billboard Top 20 and established the band as unashamedly progressive mainstream heavyweights.