Chicago – What’s It Gonna Be, Santa?

Finally!  The band Chicago releases a Christmas album!  I’ve been waiting a long time for this one.  But, alas, it’s from 1998.  Since I started collecting Christmas music in 1998, I always thought I must be missing something.  Where’s the Chicago Christmas CD?  Since I was focused more on buying affordable Christmas music from the 1950s and 60s, I wasn’t even aware that the group Chicago had just released a Christmas CD.

Many rock groups were releasing Christmas music in the 70’s, but not the band Chicago?  As far as collecting goes, the older, the better, right?  With digital remastering, older recordings can sound brand new.  Plus, there’s the argument between analog and digital.  Analog instruments just sound better than synthesizers.  I always look for the classic original Christmas releases from the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s.  Yes, I prefer digital remastering, which is very common these days.  I don’t find that it takes anything away from the original sound.  So, I had always hoped there was a vintage, early to mid 70’s Chicago Christmas album out there.  But there was not.

With that being said, I’ll take it!  (And I did!  I grabbed it right off the shelf as soon as I saw it).  Who can pass up a Christmas record by the band Chicago?

This is actually a 2003 Rhino Records re-release of the CD issued in 1998.  The original title was Chicago XXV: The Christmas Album.  (Chicago has a long ongoing practice of labeling their albums with Roman Numerals).  The cover artwork has been changed from a Christmas wreath on a dark gray door with the address of 25, to a white background with the Chicago logo in red.

Also, starting with the 2003 Rhino re-issue, the title has been changed to What’s It Gonna Be, Santa?  Actually, while reading the liner notes on the CD, this release on Rhino Records should be looked at as a new release.  With the inclusion of 6 newly written songs, this is really not a re-issue of the 1998 release.  At least not as the band sees it.

The inside booklet is a 6 page, double sided fold out that lists songs, writer credits and publishers in addition to a list of all musicians and their instruments for each song.  This is very similar to the original CD insert.  On the back side of the fold out there is a history of the recording of this, their first Christmas offering.  There is very good artwork and details included.

The original 1998 release had 14 songs.  This 2003 Rhino re-issue has 6 bonus tracks.  That’s also pretty good for a re-release that’s only 5 years older than the original.  Also, starting with the 2003 release, the track order has been changed.

If you’re familiar with the group Chicago, then you know they are a horn based rock band out of Chicago, formed in 1967.  There has consistently been about 8 members in the group throughout their existence.  Some have died, others have moved on and others came in to replace them.  They quickly moved to Los Angeles in 1968 and started the routine of playing live everywhere they could.  Their success came quickly.  Their sound was new, and their early albums sold well.

This CD opens with Winter Wonderland, a rocking song that I actually forgot was a Christmas song while I was listening to it.  Winter Wonderland is one of the 6 bonus tracks recorded in 2003 just for this re-release.

Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! is a Christmas standard with the ‘Chicago’ sound applied.

The band revs it up for Jolly Old St. Nicholas.  Also recorded in 2003, it definitely has a hard rock, 2 / 4 sound.  A fantastic lead guitar comes in to play towards the end of the song and then the song fades out.

The Little Drummer Boy is one of the better tunes here.  With a repetitive snare drum intro, (as is done on many arrangements of this classic), the song progresses, slowly building, all done well with the ‘Chicago’ sound; lots of horns with intricately layered voices, all while a choir directed by Carmen Twillie, provides a gospel feel throughout.

This Christmas is one of the newer Christmas songs that appears on this CD.  Being written within the last 35 years of this recording, it is well suited to a more rock arrangement.

Next follows Feliz Navidad.  An acoustic guitar intro with Latin percussion instruments providing accompaniment throughout makes this song almost unrecognizable.  I have never heard such a unique arrangement put to this song.  I think most people would enjoy this one.

The seventh track, Bethlehem, is one of 3 originally written songs that appear on this album.  It too was recorded in 2003 specifically for this re-release.

O Come All Ye Faithful, the ninth track, is one of 5 Christmas hymns included.  All other songs are Christmas standards.  It is delivered in a soulful and softer arrangement than most of the songs featured here. But still with the Chicago horns making it a signature Chicago song.

Anticipating Chicago perform Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer was a little underwhelming.  I couldn’t imagine what they might do with this children’s favorite.  It begins with a fully layered horn section, then rocks into an arrangement that seems overworked.

The CD continues through upbeat, as well as slower renditions of Christmas standards.  Sleigh Ride is given the full Chicago treatment.

What Child Is This? opens with a soulful a cappella chorus then remains a soulful ballad throughout.

I think God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen is one of the standout songs in this collection.  What is normally a very dour song, has a wonderful swinging rock beat applied to it.  The horns and lead guitar work make this song one of the best on the whole CD.

Tracks 18 and 19 are the other original Chicago Christmas songs.  They both appeared on the original 1998 release.  Both feature a children’s chorus made up of the children of the band members.

Track 18 is a song titled Child’s Prayer.

Track 19, One Little Candle, is a minute and a half of the children singing over an acoustic guitar, the only musical instrument involved.

The last song on this 2003 release is White Christmas.  This Irving Berlin composed standard is given the classic Chicago treatment, once again, making it almost unrecognizable, at least for the first 30 seconds.  I’m not saying this is a bad thing.  Chicago uses a different approach to these songs than most arrangers who stick to the original arrangements, the way they were originally composed.

There are many reasons to own this CD.

The fact that they started with 14 songs in 1998, then added 6 newly recorded bonus tracks, makes this a Christmas CD that is just packed full of music.  A full 75 minutes of Christmas songs!  You don’t get that too often, except maybe for 2-disc compilations.

Chicago has gone out of their way to put new, fresh arrangements of Christmas classics into a rockin’  Christmas CD!  And overall, they do a great job.

If you like your Christmas to rock a little, I can highly recommend this CD.  But make sure to get the 2003 issue.  Also, if you like more contemporary arrangements of Christmas classics, you will want to include this in your Christmas collection.

That being said, I like the band Chicago.  I LOVE Christmas music.  But I don’t LOVE the band Chicago doing Christmas music.  Not as much as you might.  At least not for 75 minutes.  This is a great CD to have.  I’ve anticipated a Chicago Christmas release for so long, and I knew the ‘Chicago’ sound would be there, so I knew what I was getting into.  Oh yes, it’s a must have for me.  But I tend to gravitate to older, more ‘Classic’ Christmas music so I might include this one in a general mix.  If I know that the friends coming over prefer contemporary Christmas music over Bing Crosby and Perry Como, this is going to be the first one I pull off the shelf.

I give this CD :

****