Chicago XXV Christmas, Chicago (Chicago Records)

The "do it yourself" mentality of new wave/punk has had an interesting effect on the music business, spawning hundreds of artist-inspired record labels, direct selling of music on the Internet, not to mention all the DIY artists. So who would have thought 70s corporate rockers Chicago would be in the forefront of all this today? That's what happens when an act still exists but there's no radio format for their new music; they have to take the reins themselves or get into multilevel marketing. Never fear, however, this Christmas album by the group could have been released in their heyday; all the audio cues that betray a Chicago record are combined with a roster of popular holiday tunes, plus one original, "One Little Candle." If you're a 70s lite rocker at heart, this is right up your alley; see also Rhino's Have a Nice Christmas compilation. UPDATE: Rhino now distributes the Chicago catalog, and they spiffed this album up with half a dozen additional cuts for 2003 and renamed it Christmas: What's It Gonna Be, Santa? FURTHER UPDATE: The band went to the well again for 2011 with an all-new collection.