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UPDATE 4/11: The link just before the jump takes you directly to the order page for this set.

Original post: Billboard has certified them as the second-most successful American rock band in music history, only following The Beach Boys. The RIAA places them handily in the Top Ten of all-time album sales from an American group. So it’s fair to say that Chicago is still perhaps the most successful American rock band to have been wholly ignored by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The band has endured a variety of personnel and stylistic changes over the years; even this many years later, it’s hard to believe that the same band recorded both “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?” and “Hard to Say I’m Sorry.” But Chicago’s music endures to this very day, and the band – still containing original members Robert Lamm, Walt Parazaider, Lee Loughnane and James Pankow – remains a viable live act worldwide. Rhino Handmade will soon offer a special treat for fans of Chicago’s classic line-up with the release of Live in ’75, a lavish 2-CD set housed in a hardbound slipcase due on May 24. Recorded at Largo, Maryland’s Capital Centre on June 24-26, 1975, Live includes cuts from all of the group’s albums through its then-current Chicago VIII.

While there is no mention in the press release, those dates were part of the “Beachago” tour featuring Chicago and The Beach Boys. Based on the set lists from those dates, it’s possible that “Wishin’ You Were Here” will feature The Beach Boys on background vocals and “Feelin’ Stronger Every Day” will present Mike Love sharing the lead with Peter Cetera. (Other songs performed by Chicago with The Beach Boys during the Capital Centre Beachago stand and not included on Rhino’s release are “Saturday in the Park,” “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” “God Only Knows,” “Darlin”,” “California Girls” and “Fun Fun Fun.”)

Live in ’75 is available Monday, April 11 for pre-order exclusively at Rhino for $39.98 and ships on May 24.  Hit the jump for the full press release and track listing for this exciting new release!

LOS ANGELES – After releasing its eighth consecutive gold album in just six years, Chicago embarked upon a massive stadium tour in 1975 that’s considered to be one of its finest. The shows found the group at the pinnacle of its prowess, combining the jaw-dropping musicality and contagious onstage energy that made Chicago one of the most successful acts in American pop history.

Rhino Handmade provides a snapshot from this extraordinary tour for the ages with a two-disc set that contains two hours of previously unreleased performances recorded June 24-26 at the Capital Centre in Largo, Maryland. The collection is presented in a hardbound slipcase accompanied by a foldout poster that features rare photos from the tour, Live in ’75 is available April 11 for pre-order exclusively at www.rhino.com for $39.98 and will be shipping on May 24.

Live in ’75 includes selections from all of the group’s albums through its then-current Chicago VIII. The set flows like a greatest hits collection that spans nearly every smash – from Robert Lamm’s smooth baritone on “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?” to the Lee Loughnane-penned hit “Call On Me” – but leaves room for beloved album tracks like the latin-flavored “Mongonucleosis.” The set also includes a complete performance of the crowd-pleasing “Ballet For A Girl In Buchannon” suite that James Pankow composed for the Chicago II album.

The band came out rocking, opening with “Introduction” from the ensemble’s stunning 1969 debut Chicago Transit Authority before shifting to “Anyway You Want” from its most recent LP. The combination neatly distilled Chicago’s past and present into a powerful one-two punch that established an intensity that did not let up through the entire show.

Live in ’75 includes Chicago’s distinctive take on a pair of cover tunes. The first, “I’m A Man,” finds the band making The Spencer Davis Group classic their own, led by a rousing guitar performance from Terry Kath. The second, the Beatles’ “Got To Get You Into My Life,” was significant because it was the song that originally seeded Walter Parazaider’s imagination with the notion of a new kind of rock ‘n’ roll band with horns!

Chicago, Live in ’75 (Rhino Handmade, 2011)

Disc 1

1.    Introduction
2.    Anyway You Want
3.    Beginnings
4.    Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?
5.    Call on Me
6.    Make Me Smile
7.    So Much to Say, So Much to Give
8.    Anxiety’s Moment
9.    West Virginia Fantasies
10.   Colour My World
11.   To Be Free
12.   Now More Than Ever
13.   Ain’t It Blue?
14.   Just You ‘N’ Me
15.   (I’ve Been) Searchin’ So Long
16.   Mongonucleosis
17.   Old Days
18.   25 or 6 to 4

Disc 2

1.    Got to Get You Into My Life
2.    Free
3.    I’m a Man
4.    Dialogue
5.    Wishing You Were Here
6.    Feelin’ Stronger Every Day