Having recorded hit power ballads during the '80s, veteran band Chicago made an album in 1993 that was supposed to be a return to the adventurous rock of its early works. To Chicago's surprise, the finished album, 'Stone of Sisyphus,' was rejected by the band's then-record label Warner Bros.

"That was the first one out of 21[albums] that we had rejected," founding trumpet player Lee Loughnane tells Spinner. "So I guess we were sort of in shock that it was rejected in the first place."

Rather than compromising over a work it felt passionate about, Chicago left Warner Bros., and 'Stone of Sisyphus' was shelved for the next 15 years. (Three of the songs later ended up on the group's 2003 boxed set). Now 'Stone of Sisyphus' (aka 'Chicago XXXII') is finally being released today through Rhino Entertainment, a division of Warner Music Group that also includes Warner Bros.

"The people involved now are completely different than the people who were involved then," Loughnane says. "But it is ironic that it turns out to be the same company."

Loughnane, who co-wrote the album's title song, explains that at the time Chicago didn't have a record label after splitting from Warner Bros., and was on the road, which delayed releasing 'Sisyphus' sooner. Eventually Chicago put out another album, 'Night and Day (Big Band),' on Giant Records in 1995.

But the tracks from 'Stone of Sisyphus' had generated fan interest and became bootlegs. "They asked all the time," Loughnane says of people inquiring about the album's possible release, "and normally we would say, 'Well, it doesn't look like it's gonna happen.'"

On 'Stone of Sisyphus,' the three-piece Chicago horn section that was somewhat absent on the '80s pop hits makes a comeback. "We were trying to make it more of a band album like we had done in the past," Loughnane says. "The thing that got in our way, I think, was not including the executives from Warner Bros. We wouldn't allow them to even come in and listen."

Loughnane says that 'Stone of Sisyphus' is comparable to anything that the band has done in a career spanning 31 albums since 1969. "We've never gone into a project where we accept anything less than the best we could possibly do," he says. "This ranks right up there with anything else we've ever done."

Chicago is currently on a summer tour with the Doobie Brothers. As it approaches the 40th anniversary of its debut album, 'Chicago Transit Authority,' next year, the band is working on a project that includes writing and recording with other artists. Loughnane's wish list of possible collaborators includes Quincy Jones and Billy Joel. "I would love to work with James Taylor," he says. "I think he would be a great fit. We've worked with Earth, Wind and Fire -- I would love to do a song with them."

Knowing the mystique 'Stone of Sisyphus' has attained over the years, Loughnane jokes about how to market the belated release after seeing 'Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.' "I called [Rhino's product manager] Mike Engstrom," he says, "and said, 'I'm sure it's impossible because you have to clear the rights with the [movie] people, but you could do a 15-second ad of Indiana Jones finding the skull, and right next to it the Stone of Sisyphus.'"

Listen to 'Stone of Sisyphus'