Chicago III is the third studio album by the American rock band Chicago. It was released on January 11, 1971, through Columbia Records. The album was produced by James William Guercio and was the band's third consecutive double album in less than two years.[2]
Much like the previous year's Chicago (many times referred to as Chicago II), Chicago III is made up of both multi-part suites and more conventional individual songs. The album saw the band integrate a number of different genres including folk and country ("What Else Can I Say", "Flight 602"), free improvisation ("Free Country"), and musique concrète ("Progress?") into their sound, while also continuing in their trademark jazz-rock style.
Chicago III was a critical and commercial success. It peaked at number two in the US, their highest chart placement at that point, and received positive reviews. While neither of its singles ("Free" and "Lowdown") matched the success of the band's previous and following singles, both managed to make the top 40, peaking at numbers 20 and 35, respectively. After the release of the album, Chicago would become the first rock band to play the famous Carnegie Hall; performances from this run would be released on the following album Live at Carnegie Hall.
In the wake of the enormous worldwide success of their second album, Chicago spent almost all of 1970 on the road, an exhausting undertaking. Former drummer Danny Seraphine, described the members of the band as "fatigued and road-weary" when they went into the studio to record the album.[3]: 122
Released in January 1971, initially on Columbia Records, Chicago III — the band's first album to sport a Roman numeral in its title[2] — sold well upon its release and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) a month later.[4] It provided Chicago with its highest charting disc yet in the US, going to No. 2 on the Billboard 200.[5] "Free", written by Robert Lamm, made it into the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and "Lowdown", co-written by Peter Cetera and Danny Seraphine, reached the top 40.[6] Chicago III marked a dwindling in UK fortunes in comparison to the band's first two albums, Chicago Transit Authority and Chicago, reaching No. 9 in a brief chart run.[7]
In 1974, jazz bandleader Stan Kenton added a suite of songs from the album ("Canon", "Mother", "Once Upon a Time" and "Free") to his band's repertoire, releasing it on the album Stan Kenton Plays Chicago.[8]