Chicago 17
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| Chicago 17 | |||||
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| Studio album by Chicago | |||||
| Released | May 14, 1984 | ||||
| Recorded | Summer 1983 - Early 1984 | ||||
| Genre | Rock, Adult Contemporary | ||||
| Length | 41:53 | ||||
| Label | Full Moon/Warner Bros. | ||||
| Producer | David Foster | ||||
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| Chicago chronology | |||||
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Chicago 17 is the seventeenth album by American rock band Chicago and was released in 1984. As the follow-up to 1982's comeback Chicago 16, Chicago 17 consolidated on its predecessor's popularity by delivering their most popular album - currently six times platinum in the US alone and a Grammy winner - and one which would spin off four Top 20 US hit singles, including the spare-sounding synth-rocker "Stay the Night" (#16), ballads "Hard Habit to Break" (#3) and "You're the Inspiration" (#3), and the bouncy dance-inflected "Along Comes a Woman" (#14). The album was the first to really embrace the MTV video age, and the four videos enjoyed widespread airplay, including the "Indiana Jones"-influenced "Along Comes a Woman."
Produced again by David Foster, the album expanded on the adult contemporary leanings of its predecessor, swelling Chicago's audience as a result. Chicago 17 was a slow burner, finally reaching #4 in the US in early 1985, even seeing significant - and rare - success in the UK, on the strength of its many hits.
Chicago had long promoted itself as a "faceless" band, to let the famous Coca-Cola styled logo (and the music) do the talking. However, with the advent of the music video age, the camera would ultimately focus on the band member who sang most (if not all) of the songs, despite the presence of two other lead singers.
This album was the last Chicago album with vocalist/bass player Peter Cetera. Cetera quit the band in July of 1985 due to a combination of factors, including his desire to have a solo career alongside his band career, and a reduction in touring.
On the heels of their biggest album ever, Chicago found themselves in the unenviable position of finding another bass playing tenor. Cetera's replacement for Chicago 18 would be Jason Scheff, who is still with Chicago, and whose tenure in the band eclipses that of Cetera. Ironically, Scheff was discovered after submitting material for Cetera's first post-Chicago solo release, Solitude Solitaire.
In 2006, Rhino Records remastered and reissued the album, using the original analog versions of "Please Hold On" and "Prima Donna" and adding a Robert Lamm demo, "Where We Begin" as a bonus track.
[edit] Track listing
- "Stay the Night" (Peter Cetera/David Foster) – 3:49
- "We Can Stop the Hurtin'" (Robert Lamm/Bill Champlin/Deborah Neal) – 4:11
- "Hard Habit to Break" (Steve Kipner/Jon Parker) – 4:44
- "Only You" (James Pankow/David Foster) – 3:53
- "Remember the Feeling" (Peter Cetera/Bill Champlin) – 4:28
- "Along Comes a Woman" (Peter Cetera/Mark Goldenberg) – 4:14
- "You're the Inspiration" (Peter Cetera/David Foster) – 3:49
- "Please Hold On"* (Bill Champlin/David Foster/Lionel Richie) – 3:41
- "Prima Donna"* (Peter Cetera/Mark Goldenberg) – 4:33
- Featured in the 1983 movie Two of a Kind
- "Once in a Lifetime" (James Pankow) – 4:11
- "Where We Begin"** (Robert Lamm) - 3:53
"*" indicates an original analog version on the Rhino re-release
"**" indicates a bonus track on the Rhino re-release
Chicago 17 (Full Moon/Warner Bros. 25060) reached #4 in the US during a chart stay of 72 weeks. It also peaked at #24 in the UK.
[edit] Personnel
- Peter Cetera - bass, vocals
- Bill Champlin - guitars, keyboards, vocals
- Robert Lamm - keyboards, vocals
- Lee Loughnane - trumpet
- James Pankow - trombone
- Walter Parazaider - woodwinds
- Chris Pinnick - guitar
- Danny Seraphine - drums
Additional personnel
- Michael Landau - guitar
- Paul Jackson Jr. - guitar
- Mark Goldenberg - guitar
- Paulinho da Costa- percussion
- David Foster - synthesizer programming
- Jon Van Tongeren - synthesizer programming
- Erich Bulling - synthesizer programming
- Marcus Ryle - synthesizer programming
- Gary Grant - horns
- Greg Adams - horns
- Ken Cetera - background vocals
- Donny Osmond - background vocals on "We Can Stop The Hurtin'"
- Richard Marx - background vocals on "We Can Stop The Hurtin'"
[edit] Chart positions
Album - Billboard (North America)
| Year | Chart | Position |
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| 1984 | The Billboard 200 | 4 |
Singles - Billboard (North America)
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
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| 1984 | "Hard Habit To Break" | Adult Contemporary | 3 |
| 1984 | "Hard Habit To Break" | The Billboard Hot 100 | 3 |
| 1984 | "Stay The Night" | The Billboard Hot 100 | 16 |
| 1984 | "You're The Inspiration" | Adult Contemporary | 1 |
| 1984 | "You're The Inspiration" | The Billboard Hot 100 | 3 |
| 1985 | "Along Comes A Woman" | Adult Contemporary | 25 |
| 1985 | "Along Comes A Woman" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 10 |
| 1985 | "Along Comes A Woman" | The Billboard Hot 100 | 14 |
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