Chicago 16

Last updated
Chicago 16
Chicago16cover.jpg
Studio album by
Chicago
ReleasedJune 7, 1982 (1982-06-07)
RecordedJanuary–April 1982
StudioBill Schnee Studios (Los Angeles, CA)
The Record Plant (Los Angeles, CA)
Davlen Sound Studios (Hollywood, CA)
Skyline Recording (Topanga, CA)
Genre Rock
Length41:51
Label Full Moon/Warner Bros.
Producer David Foster
Chicago chronology
Greatest Hits, Volume II
(1981)		Chicago 16
(1982)		 If You Leave Me Now
(1983)
Singles from Chicago 16
  1. "Hard to Say I'm Sorry"
    Released: May 17, 1982
  2. "Love Me Tomorrow"
    Released: September 13, 1982
  3. "What You're Missing"
    Released: January 1983
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [1]

Chicago 16 is the thirteenth studio album by the American rock band Chicago, released on June 7, 1982. It is considered their "comeback" album because it was their first album to go platinum since 1978's Hot Streets. [2] It made it into the Billboard 200 top ten, [3] and produced their second number one single in the United States, "Hard to Say I'm Sorry". [4] : 202  The album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in August, 1982, two months after its release, and platinum in December, 1982. [5] "Hard to Say I'm Sorry" was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. [6]

Contents

Chicago 16 was the first album in a decade-long association with their new label Warner Bros. Records; [7] the band's first project to be produced by David Foster, who has been called the "key" to their comeback; [7] their first album to include some songs exclusively by composers outside of the group; [8] and is also the first album since Chicago VII (1974) not to feature Laudir de Oliveira as a band member. [4] : 132, 200  It is also the first studio album to be released two years after the previous, as previous studio albums were released annually.

Background

The band brought in Sons of Champlin founder Bill Champlin as keyboardist and singer. [8] The group also retained Chris Pinnick from the Chicago XIV sessions. Through the band's manager, Jeff Wald, and on suggestion of Danny Seraphine, producer David Foster would make contact with the band. [9] Jeff Wald was dismissed as manager and the band enlisted Irving Azoff and Howard Kaufman as their new managers shortly thereafter.

Once they agreed to Foster producing the album (the band had considered him for 1980's Chicago XIV [10] ), Foster radically redefined Chicago's sound for the 1980s, with all of the latest technologies and techniques, and also brought in outside songwriters and studio players to the sessions. Three members of Toto lent their expertise to the sessions. In 2015 former Chicago drummer Danny Seraphine defended this choice to change their sound:

David Foster really tried to maintain the integrity of the band. He wasn't looking to diminish the musicality and the integrity of the band at all. Some people might say that he did. But he was going with what the times dictated. I'm telling you, there was word through our manager from radio stations saying they didn't want anything with horns on it. How do you deal with that? [11]

The soft rock leanings of Peter Cetera and Foster permeate much of Chicago 16. The band was moving to a new label after an entire career at Columbia. Robert Lamm was also unavailable for the majority of the album's production because of personal issues, [8] and the once-prolific writer only shared a sole partial writing credit on the release, with no lead vocal contributions. Lamm said of this change:

I wasn't happy with the way things were going. The loss of Terry Kath was still massive. Suddenly, we have a new label who wants us to use outside musicians and songwriters, plus cut down the horns. We were a faceless band who now had a face. It wasn't what I signed up for. Also, my personal life was in turmoil at the time. I was very unhappy and came very close to leaving the band.[ citation needed ]

In an interview in 2019, Cetera described the initial songwriting efforts from band members that were presented to Foster as "pure shit," blaming alcohol and drug abuse in the band for the decline in the quality of songwriting. Eventually, Foster and Cetera collaborated to write the album's two hit singles. [12]

Percussionist Laudir de Oliveira was dismissed from the band after the Chicago XIV tour, as his Latin-American style would not fit with the "more pop-oriented sound" of the band. [4] : 200 

Upon its June 1982 release, Chicago 16 was a hit album, especially as "Hard to Say I'm Sorry" became the band's second number one US single, [4] : 202  going to number one on both the Billboard Hot 100 chart [13] and the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. [14] The album ultimately went platinum [5] and reached number nine on the Billboard 200 chart. [15] The single would also be included in its lengthier form "Hard to Say I'm Sorry/Get Away" on the Summer Lovers movie soundtrack. [16] [17] "Love Me Tomorrow", the second single lifted off the album, features a lengthy orchestration at the end. It went to number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart [18] and number eight on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. [19] A third single, "What You're Missing", was released and peaked at number 81 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. [20]

The Rhino remaster does not include the full-length versions of "What You're Missing" and "Love Me Tomorrow." The former was replaced with its single edit, and the latter had two bars of the sequence (prominently featuring strings) that begins the instrumental bridge removed. However, this remastered version does include a Bill Champlin demo, called "Daddy's Favorite Fool", as a bonus track. A subsequent international release in 2010 (included in the Studio Albums 1979-2008 box set from 2015) has the original album restored, with additional bonus tracks of the single versions of "Hard To Say I'm Sorry", "What You're Missing", and Love Me Tomorrow" as well as "Daddy's Favorite Fool." [21]

The original UK LP release contains "Rescue You" before "What Can I Say," unlike subsequent releases of this album.

Track listing

Side One
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
1."What You're Missing" Jay Gruska, Joseph Williams Peter Cetera 4:10
2."Waiting for You to Decide" David Foster, Steve Lukather, David Paich Cetera with Bill Champlin 4:06
3."Bad Advice"Peter Cetera, Foster, James Pankow Champlin with Cetera2:58
4."Chains" Ian Thomas Cetera3:22
5."Hard to Say I'm Sorry" / "Get Away""Hard to Say I'm Sorry" (Cetera, Foster); "Get Away" (Cetera, Foster, Robert Lamm)Cetera5:08
Side Two
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
6."Follow Me"Foster, PankowChamplin4:53
7."Sonny Think Twice"Bill Champlin, Danny Seraphine Champlin4:01
8."What Can I Say"Foster, PankowCetera3:49
9."Rescue You"Cetera, FosterCetera3:57
10."Love Me Tomorrow"Cetera, FosterCetera5:06
Bonus track of Rhino re-release
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead VocalsLength
11."Daddy's Favorite Fool"ChamplinChamplin3:52

Outtakes

"Remember There's Someone Who Loves You" (Champlin, Lamm) [22] and "Come On Back" (Bill Gable, Lamm) [23] were recorded during the sessions and remain unreleased.[ citation needed ]

Personnel

Chicago

Additional personnel

Production

Reissue

Charts

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [35] Gold20,000^
Canada (Music Canada) [36] Gold50,000^
Germany (BVMI) [37] Gold250,000^
Hong Kong (IFPI Hong Kong) [35] Gold10,000*
Italy (FIMI) [35] Gold100,000 [38]
United States (RIAA) [39] Platinum1,000,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hard to Say I'm Sorry</span> 1982 single by Chicago

"Hard to Say I'm Sorry" is a 1982 power ballad by the group Chicago. It was written by bassist Peter Cetera, who also sang the lead vocals on the track, and producer David Foster. It was released on May 17, 1982, as the lead single from the album Chicago 16. On September 11 it reached No. 1 for two weeks on the Billboard Hot 100. It was the group's second No. 1 single. It was their first top 50 hit since "No Tell Lover" in 1978 and it spent twelve weeks in the top 5 of the Billboard Hot 100. The single was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in September of the same year. Songwriter Cetera, a member of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), won an ASCAP Pop Music Award for the song in the category, Most Performed Songs.

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"Baby, What a Big Surprise" is a ballad written by Chicago's then bassist/singer Peter Cetera, which appeared on their album Chicago XI (1977), with Cetera singing lead vocals. The first single released from the album reached number 4 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No Tell Lover</span> 1978 single by Chicago

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hard Habit to Break</span> 1984 single by Chicago

"Hard Habit to Break" is a song written by Steve Kipner and John Lewis Parker, produced and arranged by David Foster and recorded by the group Chicago for their 1984 album Chicago 17, with Bill Champlin and Peter Cetera sharing lead vocals. Released as the second single from the album, it reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was prevented from charting higher by "Caribbean Queen" by Billy Ocean and "I Just Called to Say I Love You" by Stevie Wonder. "Hard Habit to Break" also peaked at No. 3 on the Adult Contemporary chart. The lyrics of the song appear to describe a man having a hard time getting over a significant other getting away after he took her for granted and she left him for someone else. Overseas it peaked at No. 8 on the UK Singles Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Love Me Tomorrow</span> 1982 single by Chicago

"Love Me Tomorrow" is a song written by Peter Cetera and David Foster for the group Chicago and recorded for their album Chicago 16 (1982), with Cetera singing lead vocals. The second single released from the album, it reached No. 22 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart and No. 8 on the adult contemporary chart. Songwriter Cetera, a member of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), won an ASCAP Pop Music Award for the song in the category, Most Performed Songs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">You're the Inspiration</span> 1984 single by Chicago

"You're the Inspiration" is a song written by Peter Cetera and David Foster for the group Chicago and recorded for their fourteenth studio album Chicago 17 (1984), with Cetera singing lead vocals. The third single released from that album, it reached No. 3 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in January 1985 and also climbed to the top position on the Adult Contemporary chart at the same time. The song won honors for Foster and Cetera from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), in 1986 in the most-performed songs category.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Will You Still Love Me? (song)</span> 1986 single by Chicago

"Will You Still Love Me?" is a song recorded by the American rock band Chicago for their studio album Chicago 18 (1986). The song was written by David Foster, Tom Keane and Richard Baskin.

References

  1. ↑ Chicago 16 at AllMusic. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
  2. ↑ Grein, Paul (January 15, 1983). "'Firsts' Spark Platinum Albums". Billboard. Vol. 95, no. 2. USA: Billboard Publications, Inc. p. 4. Retrieved July 28, 2017– via Google Books.
  3. ↑ Grein, Paul (January 5, 1985). "Chart Beat". Billboard. Vol. 97, no. 1. USA: Billboard Publications, Inc. p. 6. Retrieved July 28, 2017– via Google Books.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Seraphine, Danny (2011). Street Player: My Chicago Story. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. ISBN   978-0-470-41683-9.
  5. 1 2 "Gold & Platinum - RIAA:Chicago:Chicago 16". RIAA. Retrieved July 26, 2017.
  6. ↑ "Chicago". GRAMMY.com. 2017-05-14. Retrieved 2017-07-23.
  7. 1 2 Grein, Paul (January 26, 1985). "Record of the Year: Chicago Sustaining Comeback Momentum". Billboard. Vol. 97, no. 4. New York, NY: Billboard Publications, Inc. pp. 6, 79. Retrieved July 23, 2017– via Google Books.
  8. 1 2 3 Van Matre, Lynn (June 13, 1982). "Revitalized Chicago Back On Road Again". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved July 26, 2017.
  9. ↑ Foster, David (2008). Hit Man. Pocket Books. p. 95.
  10. ↑ Ruhlmann, William James (1991). Chicago Group Portrait (Box Set) (Media notes). New York City, NY: Columbia Records. p. 8. Archived from the original (CD booklet archived online) on March 28, 2019. Retrieved July 26, 2017.
  11. ↑ Deriso, Nick (May 14, 2015). "Danny Seraphine and Bill Champlin defend 'Chicago 17'". Something Else!. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  12. ↑ Cetera, Peter (November 22, 2019). "Finding Your Summit - With Mark Pattison, 126: Peter Cetera". www.markpattisonnfl.com (Internet audio podcast). Interviewed by Mark Pattison. Ketchum, Idaho: Mark Pattison. At about the 36-minute mark. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
  13. ↑ "Billboard Hot 100 Chart for September 11, 1982". Billboard. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  14. ↑ "Adult Contemporary for August 21, 1982". www.billboard.com. 2 January 2013. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  15. ↑ "Top 200 Albums for September 18, 1982". Billboard. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
  16. ↑ "Summer Lovers: Detail view of Movies Page". www.afi.com. American Film Institute. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
  17. ↑ DeKNOCK, JAN (1986-08-01). "Cetera At No. 1 With 'Glory Of Love'". tribunedigital-sunsentinel. Archived from the original on 2017-02-16. Retrieved 2017-02-16.
  18. ↑ "Billboard Hot 100 Chart for December 4, 1982". Billboard. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
  19. ↑ "Adult Contemporary for November 12, 1982". www.billboard.com. 2 January 2013. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  20. ↑ "Billboard Hot 100 Chart for January 29, 1983". Billboard. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  21. ↑ "The Studio Albums 1979-2008 (Vol. 2) by Chicago on Amazon Music - Amazon.com".
  22. ↑ https://www.ascap.com/repertory#ace/search/title/remember%20there%27s%20someone%20who%20loves%20you [ bare URL ]
  23. ↑ https://www.ascap.com/repertory#ace/writer/69746331/LAMM%20ROBERT%20WILLIAM [ bare URL ]
  24. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 62. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  25. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Chicago – 16" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  26. ↑ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 6515". RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  27. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Chicago – 16" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  28. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Chicago – 16" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  29. ↑ "Classifiche". Musica e Dischi (in Italian). Retrieved June 20, 2024. Set "Tipo" on "Album". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Chicago".
  30. ↑ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN   4-87131-077-9.
  31. ↑ "Charts.nz – Chicago – 16". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  32. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  33. ↑ "Chicago Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  34. ↑ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. 1982. Archived from the original on October 19, 2021. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  35. 1 2 3 "WEA International - Australia, Hong Kong, Italy" (PDF). Billboard . May 28, 1983. p. 12, 13. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
  36. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Chicago – Chicago 16". Music Canada . Retrieved September 15, 2024.
  37. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Chicago; '16')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie . Retrieved September 15, 2024.
  38. ↑ "Gold & Platinum Awards 1987" (PDF). Music & Media . 26 December 1987. p. 44. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
  39. ↑ "American album certifications – Chicago – Chicago 16". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved September 15, 2024.
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