Album of the Day

Released 50 years ago this month, CHICAGO III was the septet's third double album and the culmination of their initial progressive phase. Though it includes a couple of Top 40 singles in “Free” and “Lowdown,” the collection is dominated by multi-part compositions: keyboardist Robert Lamm's “Travel Suite,” trombonist James Pankow's “Elegy” and guitarist Terry Kath's “An Hour in the Shower.” The lyrics are often on the serious side (the military references in the package design reflect the divisive war going on in 1971), but it's the ensemble instrumental work that really steals the show – one virtuoso performance after another. A gold-certified hit that just missed topping the Billboard chart, CHICAGO III reveals the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers to be among the most adventurous bands of the era.