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By KEITH TOSOLT Robin Trower has this problem when it comes time to record a new album: he can only come up with about three songs that are good. His latest effor, In City Dreams, is unfor- tunately no exception. Trower hit his peak about three years ago with his second album Bridge of Sighs, which thrust him into both commercial and popular success. His subsequent recordings For Earth Below and Long Misty Days failed to match that brilliance. For the most part they contained only a few tunes worth listening to twice.. Though In City, Dreams has that same fault, it does break from the usual ho-hum wah-wah sound to which Trower feels committed. The This space contributed by the publisher as a public service it Nwill go away. The five most dangerous words in the English language. 0 American Cancer Society We want to cure cancer in your lifetime. By TIM YAGLE Only a few groups have added new dimensions to rock music since its birth in Liverpool, England in 1962. One of these innovative groups is Chicago, who back in their early days, 1968, were known for their four-piece rhythm section with a brass trio initially playing Kenton- esque harmonies and mid-tempo blues interrupted by jazz sequences and long solos. In 1970, on Chicago II, this gave way to a more smooth and refined jazz-rock with insensitive lyrics for which the band became infamous. Today, Chicago still has its smooth jazz-rock melodies and distinctive harmonies, which separates them from some of the faceless rock mold. Like their ten previous successful efforts, Chicago XI (Columbia 34860) contains songs for everyone's taste; from easy listening to medium heavy-metal, and, in some albums, a masterful blend of the two. general tone'of the album is a lot more mellow and funky in compari- son to past recordings. This sound change should be credited to the fact that the album was produced by Don Davies, who has placed his seal of funk on numerous recordings for, Stax; 'and the addition of Rustee Allen on bass. Sweet Wine of Love is the cut where this new mellowness in Trow- er's sound is most evident. He plays a very melodic jazzy chord pattern throughout the song, adding slight variations to prevent total repetition and overdubbing a phase shifted lead. I can't recall Trower ever playing an out and out love song like Sweet Wine. Well, he did do Rock Me Baby, but the love spoken of in that song is purely physical. Sweet Wine of Love, which is about a wedding night, expresses a sentimentality which Trower and Dewar have never incorporated into their heavy metal format because it would have seemed out of place. But it fits in well with the mellower style. Another strong track receiving a lot of airplay is Somebody Calling. It is the funkiest tune on the album, featuring a traditionally good Trow- er-style riff and a strongly punctuat- ed bass line by Allen. All of this is overdubbed with some excellent syn- thesized guitar phrases. Allen, who learned the business by playing the bottom for Sly Stewart, definitely plays a funkier bass than Dewar ever could. But then, I have always considered Dewar as being a better singer than bassist. As for the rest of In City Dreams, it is just the basic Trower fill-in. He reworks a blues standard this time Soli4d hit for Cii aroun whici ed by Was rocki scene blues The from Days rhytli terize nique Tr'ow of so tribut on Tw It woi of Si matte contir hard- every The LP opens with a jazzy disco tune called Mississippi Delta City Blues followed by the only single released from the album so far, Baby, What a Big Surprise. It's a smooth, mellow song that could be placed in the Easy Listening cate- gory. To give you an example of the kinds of audiences Baby appeals to, Detroit's most popular radio stations in their respective categories: WJR (MOR) and WRIF (AOR-album- oriented rock) are giving the song ex- tensive airplay. Policeman is a touching song about a typical day in the life of an officer. The music is bouncy and peppy in some parts showing how a cop is on the go most of the time, then shifts to a low-keyed, mellow arrangement to show his lighter moments. Then he wins a battle/It restores his faith/It's only human kindness he's after. Take Me Back to Chicago takes the singer softly down memory lane to his early days in the Windy City. Whe Whe easy. Poli keyb( sectio deals his pe bettei ise" The guitar It on percu ment: orien prese Chica was s Chi given this k appec XI sl collec STR-4800SD 35 watts per channel minimum RMS at 8 ohms from 20Hz to 20kHz with no more than o.2% total harmonic distortion. 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