In 1993, Chicago had recorded an album which at the time was to become Chicago 22. The album was a collection of unique songs not typical of Chicago's previous recordings. Robert Lamm initially suggested straying from the usual album numbering since the album was so different. He had the idea to call the album "Resolve". They eventually gave the unreleased album the name, "Stone of Sisyphus", which is the title of the second track on the album. Hoping for a 1994 release of the album, the band's effort was defeated by Reprise Records which denied the band the release of the album due to it's lack of "commercial appeal". As a result, Chicago relinquished their contract with Reprise Records and Stone of Sisyphus still remains unreleased.

During the recording of SOS in 1993, Chicago recorded a CD-ROM for Ensoniq - a keyboard manufacturer. Ensoniq keyboards were used extensively on the recording of SOS by producer Peter Wolf and the band. All Chicago band members recorded their instruments and vocals to be used as samples that could be played through an Ensoniq keyboard. It was produced by SOS producer, Peter Wolf in the same studio, at the same time as the SOS sessions. It should be considered a sister CD to SOS. It also features a song called "Evangeline" which is sung by Jason Scheff along with samples of Chicago horns, Tris Imboden's drums, Dawayne Bailey's guitar, etc...played through an Ensoniq keyboard with this CD. The CD is available commercially and exclusively through the Ensoniq company - which makes it a rare addition to the SOS recording history.

Follow this LINK to see artwork, some booklet notes and audio of "Evangeline"

Dawayne Bailey - guitar, lead & backing vocals, horn arranging
Bill Champlin - keyboards, lead & backing vocals
Tris Imboden - drums, harmonica
Robert Lamm - keyboards, lead & backing vocals
Lee Loughnane - trumpet
James Pankow - trombone, horn arranging
Walt Parazaider - woodwinds
Jason Scheff - bass, lead & backing vocals

Jerry Scheff - bass on "Bigger Than Elvis"
The Jordanaires - backing vocals on "Bigger Than Elvis"
Joseph Williams - backing vocals on "Let's Take A Lifetime"
Peter Wolf - producer, arranger, keyboard bass, keyboards, arranging, synth "soprano sax" solo on "Let's Take A Lifetime"
Sheldon Reynolds - guitar
Bruce Gaitsch - guitar

Produced by Peter Wolf
Engineered by Peter Wolf & Paul Ericksen
Recorded at Embassy Studios in Simi Valley, CA 1993
The Jordanaires recorded in Nashville, TN in 1993

Mixed by Tom Lord Alge at Encore Studios
Burbank, CA in 1993 and 1994

All the years we wasted
All the years we tried
All the restless hours
All the times we cried

You ask me what I want
I got no answer
I know I'm only dancing faster
So now we're stuck with us
With you and all your stories
But who's the fool and who's the liar
I spent my life believing
it would not end this way

All the years we wasted
All the years we tried
All the restless hours
All the times we cried
All the years we gambled
All the years you lied
All the hopeless dreamers
All the dreams that died

repeat chorus

Stone Of Sisyphus
Dawayne Bailey/Lee Loughnane

Tomorrow is teasing me
Time seems to run away from the future
But this could be that lucky day

A dream is make believe until
Blood, sweat, and tears turn faith to will
It's gonna take some miracle, man
To show there's a way

I'm gonna take the stone of Sisyphus
I'm gonna roll it back to you
Building a wall of stone

Sometimes you know what's right
Sometimes wrong is better than nothing
They cast a stone so heavy to turn

I believe in a love so true
I believe you get what's coming to you
We get so tired of living a dream
For some other day

I'm gonna take the stone of Sisyphus
I'm gonna roll it back to you
Wall of stone around the two of us
That only angels can break through

Looks like it's another of those lonely nights
Will we always be alone
That's never kept me from you
That's never stopped me from the fight

I'm gonna take the stone of Sisyphus
I'm gonna roll it back to you
I'll take the stone of Sisyphus
Wall of stone around the two of us
I'm gonna roll it back to you

Bigger Than Elvis
Jason Scheff/Peter Wolf/Ina Wolf

Come let's talk just you and me
For once just let me be
The little boy you used to know
Relive that summer's bliss
'Cause they came no more like this
Those were the days
The days when love was still in style

All I ever dreamed I'd be
Is what you are to me
Bigger than Elvis
And for all the missing years
A memory reappears
Bigger than Elvis

I saw you on TV
The king, you were to me
Could you feel me watching you?
At times my heart got loud
Only heroes are allowed
To run free, and make a comeback silently

All I ever dreamed to be
Is what you are to me
Bigger than Elvis
And for all the missing years
A memory reappears
Bigger than Elvis

We know the saddest of goodbyes
Must be the one that's bringing tears to your child's eyes

Oh, from now on I'll walk with you
Making music like you do
Would you believe I always knew?

You were never hard to take
In some mysterious way
Bigger than Elvis
And for all the missing years
Your memory reappears
Bigger than Elvis

Now I've found the missing years
Forgotten all my tears
I've found the missing years

Sleeping In The Middle Of The Bed Again
Robert Lamm/John McCurry

Caught in a love storm
Howlin' like a newborn
Trying hard to stay warm
My cover-up is torn up and tattered

Addiction to apocalypse
Looking for the big hit
Tending to take trips
The ship of love is beat up and battered

Time after time
I blow me away
Sign on the streets now
Brother let me pray now
Winter's here I believe it's here to stay

I read somewhere that religion is for people
Who want to stay out of hell
I was praying for a sign or a vision or a message
Till you been there you won't get well
I was sitting in a room I'd never recognize it
With a picture before my eyes
I've been sleeping in the middle of the bed again
I'm not sure this qualifies

Lost in a crosswalk
Battle only half fought
Crawling 'cause I can't talk
Childhood finally caught up with me

Flashing like a neon
Noisy as an A-bomb
Looking to the beyond
Staring into the half-life of eternity

Time after time
I blow me away
Sign on the street now
Brother let me pray now
Winter's here I believe it's here to stay

I read somewhere that religion is for people
Who want to stay out of hell
I was praying for a sign or a vision or a message
Till you been there you won't get well
I was sitting in a room
I'd never recognize it
With a picture before my eyes
I've been sleeping in the middle of the bed again
I'm not sure this qualifies

I read somewhere that religion is for people
Who swear they need to be saved
I've been sleeping in the middle of the bed again
you can trust me I will be brave

Mah Jongg
Jason Scheff/Brock Walsh/Aaron Zigman

Third floor walk-up
One block east of Chinatown
She walked by my window
While the rain is pouring down
Looking in she sees the easy money lying everywhere
And it's clear she don't approve
(And it's clear she don't approve)
Through a cloud of smoke I shoot a little smile over there
And I know what she's thinking

She know Mah Jongg, Mah Jongg she don't play
She know Mah Jongg, waste your life away
She know Mah Jongg, Mah Jongg she don't play
But she loves the player

With the dark eyes burning
I am opening the wall
Can there be no other chance?
I feel my fortune's turning
And I wish for nothing else at all
(Than to run to her)
Looking up I see her signal with her fingers through her hair
Telling me the hands are clean
Understanding, well, I turn a dragon tail into a pair
And the game is over

She know Mah Jongg, Mah Jongg she don't play
She know Mah Jongg, waste your life away
She know Mah Jongg, Mah Jongg she don't play
Though I don't obey her
Still she loves the player
(repeat chorus)

Three floors up from where the lanterns light the parlors on the street
There awaits another world
And though there are not many things upon which she and I agree
We enjoy the difference

She know Mah Jongg, Mah Jongg she don't play
(repeat out)

Let's Take A Lifetime
Jason Scheff/Brock Walsh/Aaron Zigman

Say no more
If you want to kiss goodnight
That's alright by me
Close your door
Make sure the latch is tight
Fall gently to sleep

We don't have to rush ahead
Putting questions in your head
And an ache in your heart

Let's take a lifetime
All that we desire
Build it day by day into forever
Let's take a lifetime
All that you require
Here and now and ever

In these times
Love is not some harmless game
It's played strictly for keeps
No, and it's no crime
Wanting me to feel the same
With water so deep
Come tomorrow once again
We'll be together and till then
We've dreaming to do

Let's take a lifetime
All that you desire
Build it day by day into forever
Let's take a lifetime
All that you require
Here and now and lasting ever more

So hard to leave you standing there in the night
You look so lovely
If we must wait
No use tempting fate

repeat chorus out

The Pull
Robert Lamm/Jason Scheff/Peter Wolf

Summertime came too soon
Summers in Kansas often do
And the air was still
I felt the pull
I recall the heat rising from the ground in a way
And I knew I was the first to pass this way

I believe I stepped across some line
Or I stumble through the doorway to space and time
Like a drunk who blacks out from the wine
Never remembers his name

I always feel so alone
Wherever I am I feel the pull
And the life I've left behind the pull
And in case I have no future I've got the past
There's no telling just how long this play will last

I believe I step across some line
Or I stumble through the doorway to space and time
Like a drunk who blacks out from the wine
Never remembers his name
Never remembers

I'm down, walking through a storm
I hear a voice inside crying
It calls my name like a judge accusing
Black robe hanging down
Oh, don't forget be brave about your love

Well I walk across the monkey moon
Anger flashes in my eyes
I don't know what I'm doing
Like a drunk who blacks out from the wine
Never remembers his name
Like a drunk who blacks out from the wine
Never remembers his name
Never remembers his name
I never remember my name

Here With Me (Candle For The Dark)
James Pankow/Robert Lamm/Greg O'Connor

We rode the train
From Paris to the cold Atlantic shore
The winter rain
Kept us in each others arms until the dawn
Do you remember?

Faster than the sun
Flying higher than everyone
Like a dream too good to last
I won't regret the past

Here with me
Deep down in my soul now and forever
A candle for the dark, I need you
Here with Me
A story with an unexpected end

The morning plane
Through empty doors a mountain in the sky
Golden chain the autumn treetops cast a northern light
Do you remember?
We have no common ground
Treasure lost will now be found
We can blame our wildest heart
From now and from the start

Here with me
Deep down in my soul now and forever
A candle for the dark I need you
Here with me
A story with an unexpected end

Remember feelings I have shown
Chasing dreams I've never known
We're losing let us walk away
Hold me in your arms before you go

repeat chorus

Everywhere I go you're here with me

Plaid
Bill Champlin/Robert Lamm/Greg Mathieson

Some will say it's too late
So don't change the story
There's too much at stake to grow
Yesterday was so great
Just bask in the glory
Don't let your feelings show

And I say, "Oh Yeah"
Like a man with a condition, I wait for my heart to stop
They say, "Stay down,
Gotta plan hold that position.
You can't afford a flop."

Pack my suitcase
With my game face
Stay the same pace
Put away the dreams I had
Let my hair grow
Find some old clothes
Let the world know
That my politics are plaid

I'm not asking for permission
Are you ready for me to be me?
Just pass the ammunition
This prisoner's about to bust free from your chains

For so long you told me to keep it familiar
Just play what they all would buy
I can wear this blindfold, stick to your story
But I gotta ask myself why
And I play those songs!
For so many seasons
Till I'm sure I'm losing my mind
And I say, "Oh no,
Gotta have a much better reason
To leave all my dreams behind."

I must change it
Rearrange it
Stay the same thing
And become your favorite fad
With the scene through
I gotta be true
I can't be you
Polyester comes in plaid

I'm not asking for permission
Are you ready for me to be me?
Lord, pass some ammunition
This prisoner's about to bust free from your chains
I'm more than just excited
Like a hundred pounds of monkey off my back
(I got to find myself)
Now everyone's invited
To ride this train till we run clean out of track

Cry For The Lost
Bill Champlin/Dennis Matkowsky

Something I forgot that I used to know
Keeps on coming back around
Somewhere in the dark right before the dawn
Like a light from down the hall
Suddenly some old familiar music
Songs I know I've never heard before
I gotta play along I can't refuse it
I hear the call

We've all been so proud of our blindness
No kindness to share
I used to cry for the lost
Until I had to turn away
Then I looked inside, past the fool
And found some deeper words to say
To bring us together
We can make it better
We can make it right

We hide behind the veil of our own success
While we're following the rules
Our eyes refuse to see past our little hands
To the never changing truth
Freedom needs to speak a little louder
Justice needs to try her other arm
Some of us could push a little harder
To sound the alarm
And I see children marching
And I hear the drums again

I used to cry for the lost
Until I had to turn away
Then I looked inside, past the fool
And found some deeper words to say
If we hope and pray
It will come, give it half a chance
Everyone, understand
In our hearts and our minds
You know there's nothing left to hide
We're already there

I used to cry
(Cry for the lost I was walking away)
(I used to try to find a reason)
Then I looked inside
(I used my mind everytime I was walking away)
(I gotta find what I'm feeling)
To bring us together

repeat chorus

Get On This
Dawayne Bailey/James Pankow/Felicia Parazaider

In the middle, of a dream
Thought I saw, the sacred Love Supreme
So beautiful, yet so obscene
But I'm not sure I'm sleeping

And in a golden sun
I saw Hitler, Elvis, and angels
A little baby with a big gun
I saw Jesus kissing the Devil

Gonna take some time for me to
Get on this, Get on this
Gonna take an angel's kiss to
Get on this, Get on this
When I go to sleep tonight
I must remember to close my eyes

Saw a mother
Take a needle
Burn in water
Drown in flame
A soft spot for a hard habit
She had a baby that had no name

They say a day will come
When a bright light shines all around you
The perfect Disney millennium
Where only happiness will surround you

Gonna take some time for me to
Get on this, get on this
Gonna take an angel's kiss to
Get on this, get on this
When I go to sleep tonight
I must remember to close my eyes

The sins of hypocrisy
Turn the world upside down
Lies in the hearts of children
Destroy their world without a sound

And in a full moon sun
I saw a king turn angels to ashes
Beside a bonfire in Babylon
Stands an empty house full of cages

repeat chorus

The Show Must Go On
Bill Champlin/Greg Mathieson

I've been trapped in the madness
From the shadows of sadness
I laugh it away
I've been blind to the passion
While the whole world is flashing
I stash it away
While I'm singing of freedom
I'm trying to sell
What I never had
Hoping I'll be released from my own kind of hell
'Cause I lost the key to my past

The show must go on
It seems like there's something I'm leaving behind
The show must go on
'Cause the dreams that I'm having
I'm having all the time
The show must go on

There will be no confessions
'Cause I'd only be guessing just where to begin
There's only one thing I'm knowing
This feeling ain't blowing
Away with the wind
And I'm tired of turning my back on myself
Throwing truth away
Let the fire burn down the front door to myself
And give me a season of play

The show must go on
I just keep pretending to live for the game
The show must go on
I just keep on bending the rules to fit the pain
It's time for collecting
What I've been neglecting
It's gonna be a little strange
'Cause one day I'll be gone
And I'll be back in town
Nothing's gonna, nothing's gonna be the same

The show must go on
And I just keep pretending to live for your game
The show must go on
I just keep on bending the rules to fit the pain
Put on the face
Win every race
I'm just so strong can't you see
And I keep up the pace
I won't leave a trace
Of yearning for some room to breathe
Still going on, still going on

The show must go on
The show must go on
(fade out)