When I was initially planning this site, I did not intend to post my own opinions or thoughts on the songs.  After adapting the lyrics I found from other sources, I discovered things about the music I had not previously known.  Part of this was due to the poor quality of my original cassette preventing my being able to really hear the music.  Part was also because I had made no earlier attempt to know the lyrics or pay attention to what was being said.  Now my perspective on this CD is quite different.  These are my own interpretations (based on the first playlist order I became familiar with), and could be quite different from yours.  With that being said, I'll dive right in.

1. All The Years
Seems to be a double-edged song.  The parallels of what the song seems to be saying about society could also be applied to the way the group wasted many years catering to ballad/pop interests at the cost of their own artistic expressiveness.  There's not a lot of lyric going on here, so much of this cut is musicianship.  I find it noteworthy that Chicago sampled a section of audio also used on Chicago Transit Authority, the crowd chanting "The whole world is watching" which I think is from the 1968 Democratic National Convention.  Musically, it is catchy and easy to play loud, lots of horns and a great tempo.  It makes a good "first impression song", being the first cut.

2. Stone Of Sisyphus
Stone at first appears to be a direct reference to Chicago's own struggles in the late 80's and early 90's (and which continue to this day) to break out of the creativity-restricting pickle they got themselves into.  It takes a great, forward-sounding rocking tune and applies drama and force to the vocal expression.  Lee and Dawayne both sound quite emotional in their vocals.  Interestingly enough, according to Dawayne, this song was not necessarily intended to be performed by Chicago, let alone be a title track.  It was originally written about a relationship Dawayne was having with Walt Parazaider's daughter, Felicia.  If you had the stereo pumped for All The Years, you'll keep it up there for Stone Of Sisyphus.

3. Bigger Than Elvis
An emotional song written by Jason to his father Jerry, who played bass for Elvis Presley.  This song could have been pigeonholed as syrupy sweet, but instead it comes off genuinely pure, as it well should.  Any son who has a great relationship with their father will easily identify with what Jason is saying about his dad.  The piano, deep trombone and deep background vocals are very impressive, filling any emptiness in whichever room you happen to be listening to this song.  This song also seems to plead to anyone who listens to make sure that you actually tell your parents how you feel while you still have time.  A mellow yet masculine ballad, you'll find yourself singing with Jason about a man most of us never met, and perhaps thinking of your own dad.

4. Sleeping In The Middle Of The Bed Again
Hang on to your seats.  The words "rap", "Chicago" and "Lamm" have never before appeared in the same sentence.  If you have been listening to Chicago for years prior to hearing this track (and such is the case for 99% of us), you will need some time to adjust to this tune.  Robert seems to be talking about the indecision of people to make a moral stand one way or another and just kind of hoping for the best in their lives, or perhaps he's talking about people who do take a stand but don't live up to it.  This of course isn't street corner, "inner city" rap, I don't think Chicago could squeeze that out no matter how hard they tried, but this is as close as they'll ever get.  There is some fantastic musicianship going on in here, but admittedly it is hard to focus on it because of the shock to your system when you hear it the first 50 times.  Once you adjust, chances are very good you'll start to like it a lot.  It grows on you.

5. Mah Jongg
This seems to be kind of a cookie cutter song to me.  Not to knock it, I like it enough, but there doesn't seem to be anything about Mah Jongg that makes it stand out from anything else done by Jason or Chicago other than generally having more fire in it than Chicago Twenty 1 on steroids.  Jason is singing about trying to score with a girl, though what exactly I mean when I say "score" is not clear.  Peppy horns and thumping rhythm make this a good player, but there's nothing earth shattering in the message we're hearing.

6. Let's Take A Lifetime
The niche that Bigger Than Elvis avoided managed to catch this song in its trap.  It is a very sweet ballad with enough horns to make it Chicago-worthy, perfect to sing at a wedding.  Personally I like it and sing it to my wife (hopefully without train-wrecking it too much).  It is the softest song on the album, and could have easily been slipped in among the ballads from Chicago Twenty 1.  Like Mah Jongg, this songs lacks any distinguishing character to make it stand on its own two feet.

7. The Pull
A mysterious song that fits into the set list well.  Excellent guitar and horns create a surreal but not uncomfortable setting.  As far as I can tell this is about what people felt when filled with the urge to leave it all behind and head West in the 1800's, or more accurately what they felt upon arriving (or I could be waaaaay off in my interpretation, which seems very likely).  After turning the stereo down so no one around you would wonder why you turned soft and are listening to Lifetime, you can feel free to crank it up and confuse everyone about what they're actually listening to and what it's about.  I pretend I know, but I really don't.

8. Here With Me (Candle For The Dark)
A powerful song written by James Pankow on his separation from his wife of many years.  It acknowledges that after many happy years of being together, no amount of pain or change will ever be able to erase the happiness that once was had.  A heart will always long for the comfort and love it had for such a long time.  The lyrics and music combine to make a poignant statement straight to the heart about the loss felt.  This is a very emotional work, and it will leave a lasting impression upon you to do everything possible to make sure you aren't singing a similar tune someday.  Yes, it's a ballad, but it's also a tragedy, and the subject and purpose is so vastly different from the typical lovey-dovey fluff that it cannot be categorized in the same way.

9. Plaid
Finally the in-your-face big guns come out.  This song is talking more about what people seem to think Stone of Sisyphus is trying to say.  The music of this track is so unconventional from the rubber stamp Chicago that I found myself not really listening to it much.  I just could not identify with it at all.  Then I read the lyrics, and whoah boy!  It is ironic and hilarious at the same time, and packs plenty of attitude.  Finally the Chicago boys have a chance to say what they really think about where the industry has channeled their talents over the years.  One wonders if this track alone ticked off the record companies enough to tank the album.  Unfortunately, Chicago lacked the resolve of this song to actually go ahead and eventually release the album.  The music is loaded with fast paced horns and bouncing bass.  Once you know what's going on, you'll turn this one up, too.

10. Cry For The Lost
Every Chicago album seems to have at least one song of moral redemption.  On Chicago 17 it was We Can Stop The Hurtin', on Chicago 18 it was One More Day.  On Chicago Twenty 1 it was God Save The Queen.  And so forth.  This time around, however, you get the feeling that they might actually mean the things they are saying.  Whether or not they actually followed through on what is being said is unknown, but then again there isn't a lot of value in publicly announcing the good works you are doing or helping out with, so who knows?  Maybe just the message of the song is their contribution.  Cry seems to be talking about bridging gaps between others, and learning to get along, share our world, etc.  It is ballady yet not slow, with lots of group efforts on vocals.  It remains good enough to not fall into the rut of being plain, but you won't crank it up much, either.

11. Get On This
Probably the edgiest song on the album, there is more sheer rocking going on here than in Stone.  Aerosmith or Def Leppard could cover this track and no one would bat an eye.  There is another moral stand going on here, but it is not presented as a public service announcement as much as it is indignation at what is going on in our world.  It implores that things have gotten so bad and out of control that it will take a while for anyone to follow suit.  The twist is that it also acknowledges that most of us don't like what we're seeing, yet are unwilling to put up much of a fuss about it and will probably get on the same bus with everyone else, perpetuating the mess instead of trying to fix it.  Lots of raw unfettered horns and guitar are ripping the place up in this tune, turn it back up.

12. The Show Must Go On
Like Cry For The Lost as a moral redemptive, Chicago also tends to put songs on the end of their recent albums that pass along the message that there will always be another Chicago album.  Chicago 18's One More Day filled that dual purpose, Twenty 1's contribution was Holdin' On.  True to the style of this album, the closing track for the Stone of Sisyphus album is unique and stands on its own in this regard.  This closer does not pretend to be optimistic about the future, but takes in a much more genuine light.  It is at once hopeful yet discouraged, reassuring and realistic, talking candidly about the rigors of having put so much into making music for so long.  It seems to promise that while the going is not easy and no one will pretend otherwise, an effort will be made to keep up the work.  A bouncy, horn-filled rhythm lends a positive feel to what easily could have been a very depressing track.  This song can become as mysterious as The Pull if you listen to it often enough.

In closing, Stone of Sisyphus is the most innovative Chicago work to hit the shelves since Chicago V.  Unfortunately it did not actually ever actually hit those shelves.  The tracks mark a forceful return of the trademark Chicago horns, and an unabashed string of performances that seem to flaunt any and all pretences of worrying what anyone else thinks.  It is astonishingly different and at the same time refreshingly Chicago.  It is incredibly tragic, in my opinion, that such a crystal clear labor of love and expression could be put on a shelf in favor of canned music from other writers being pumped through the musicians that make up Chicago.  I would sooner deliver pizzas with a 2003 Cadillac Escalade or buy a $1.5 million yacht to decorate someone's front lawn in New Mexico than waste Chicago's talents on meat-grinder music-writer offerings.  Harold Sulman (Chicago's publicity guy) once said "We own the rights to SOS, not Warner Brothers.  And, you never know what we might do with this record. Keep the faith."  After "All The Years" since then, this only becomes even more insulting than reassuring, but I guess the door is not yet fully closed.  Personally, I say your chances are better with a lottery ticket than waiting for this CD to show up in your local record store.

All opinions are strictly mine, but I'm interested in hearing other interpretations and feedback.  Please drop me an email with your thoughts.

- Frank