Chicago X

The chocolate album

Chicago X was recorded at Caribou Ranch and released on 14 June 1976 after the band had returned to the studio in the spring, refreshed by a long break. It went to number 3 on the Billboard 200, was the band's first album certified platinum, and was nominated for Album of the Year, losing to Stevie Wonder's Songs in the Key of Life. The cover, a partly unwrapped chocolate bar bearing the Chicago logo, won John Berg a Grammy for Best Album Package.

If You Leave Me Now was nearly left off. Pankow made his lead vocal debut on You Are on My Mind after Guercio told him to sing it himself, and Loughnane sang his own Together Again. Another Rainy Day in New York City, which features steel drums, reached number 32. In 2010 PopMatters' Zachary Houle called the record an album of pop perfection, while Ultimate Classic Rock's Jeff Giles described it as essentially a pop album that felt light against the double-LP sets of earlier years.