Chicago VII is the sixth studio album by American rock band Chicago. It was released on March 11, 1974 by Columbia Records. It is notable for being their first double album of new material since 1971's Chicago III and remains their final studio release in that format. It features session percussionist Laudir de Oliveira, who would become a full-fledged band member for the release of Chicago VIII the following year.
Chicago XI is the ninth studio album by the American rock band Chicago. It was released on September 12, 1977 through Columbia Records. It was both the last to feature guitarist and vocalist Terry Kath prior to his death in a gun accident just over four months later, and the last to be produced by longtime associate of the band James William Guercio.
Greatest Hits, Volume II is the second greatest hits album by American rock band Chicago, released on November 23, 1981 by Columbia Records.
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. It made it into the Billboard 200 top ten, and produced their second number one single in the United States, "Hard to Say I'm Sorry." 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. "Hard to Say I'm Sorry" was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.
Chicago 17 is the fourteenth studio album by American rock band Chicago, released on May 14, 1984. It was the group's second release for Full Moon/Warner Bros. Records, their second album to be produced by David Foster and their last with founding bassist/vocalist Peter Cetera. As of 2023, it remains Chicago's best-selling album, with over 6.1 million units being sold in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan. Four singles were released from the album, all of which peaked in the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The success of the music videos for "Stay the Night", "You're the Inspiration", and "Hard Habit to Break" on MTV propelled Chicago 17 to achieve an RIAA certification of six times platinum.
Chicago 18 is the fifteenth studio album by the American rock band Chicago, released on September 29, 1986. This album is the first without cofounding member Peter Cetera, and the first to feature Jason Scheff on bass guitar and vocals.
Chicago 19 is the sixteenth studio album by American rock band Chicago, released on June 20, 1988. After recording Chicago 18 with David Foster, the band worked primarily with producers Ron Nevison and Chas Sandford for this album. Their Full Moon Records imprint moved to Reprise Records. This is the final album to feature the band's original drummer Danny Seraphine, who was dismissed from the group in 1990.
Chicago XXVI: Live in Concert is a live album by the American band Chicago, their twenty-sixth album overall, released in 1999. Their second live album to be released in the US, it was Chicago's first of the sort since 1971's Chicago at Carnegie Hall and 1972's Live in Japan, though the band had released commercial VHS tapes of two concerts in the early 1990s.
The Very Best of Chicago: Only the Beginning is a double greatest hits album by the American band Chicago, their twenty-seventh album overall. Released in 2002, this collection marked the beginning of a long-term partnership with Rhino Entertainment which, between 2002 and 2005, would remaster and re-release Chicago's 1969–1980 Columbia Records catalog.
The Heart of Chicago 1967–1997 is the fifth greatest hits album, and twenty-third album overall, by the American band Chicago, released in 1997. It was compiled to commemorate the group's 30th anniversary of their formation.
The Heart of Chicago 1967–1998 Volume II is the sixth greatest hits album, and twenty-fourth album overall, by American rock band Chicago, released in 1998. As the sequel to 1997's The Heart of Chicago 1967–1997, this edition also features a mixture of songs from Chicago's entire 30-year career to date.
William Bradford Champlin is an American singer, keyboardist, guitarist and songwriter. He formed the band Sons of Champlin in 1965, which still performs today, and was a member of the rock band Chicago from 1981 to 2009. He performed lead vocals on three of Chicago's biggest hits of the 1980s, 1984's "Hard Habit to Break" and 1988's "Look Away" and "I Don't Wanna Live Without Your Love". During live shows, he performed the lower, baritone, vocal parts originated by original guitarist Terry Kath, who had died in 1978. He has won multiple Grammy Awards for songwriting.
"Make Me Smile" is a song written by James Pankow for the rock band Chicago with the band's guitarist, Terry Kath, on lead vocals. Part 1 of Pankow's 7-part "Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon" song cycle/suite, it was recorded for their second album, Chicago, which was released in 1970. The song "Now More Than Ever", a separate track from the same song suite, serves as a reprise of the song and appears edited together with it on many later versions, including a single edit, on several greatest hits collections, and in many live performances.
Take Me Back to Chicago is a compilation album by American rock band Chicago released in January 1985 by Columbia/CBS Special Products with Cat. N. PC 39579 and the first one to bear this title; in 1990, a different compilation was released by CBS/Columbia with the Cat. N. 21581 with the same title but a different track list. This 1985 release was issued by Columbia/CBS at a time when the band was enjoying many hit singles and swift album sales for Warner Brothers, and consists of hit singles and key album tracks that had not appeared on the band's two Greatest Hits albums on the Columbia label, while the 1990 release features many tracks already present on the previous Greatest Hits.
"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.
"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.
Live in Japan is a live album by American rock band Chicago, released in November 1972. It was recorded over the course of three days at the Osaka Festival Hall on the band's tour in support of Chicago V in 1972. The group recorded Japanese-language versions of "Lowdown" and "Questions 67 And 68" to coincide with their Japan performances. They performed both songs in Japanese during their stay, which are documented on this album.
The Best of Chicago: 40th Anniversary is a double greatest hits album, and the thirty-first album overall, by American rock band Chicago, released by Rhino Records on October 2, 2007. It consists of two discs containing 30 of Chicago's top 40 singles. It is the fourth compilation of past hits released by their label since beginning of the decade. Most of the songs on this compilation are presented as their shorter length radio-single edits, as opposed to the album versions. It also features "Love Will Come Back" without Rascal Flatts' vocals.
"Brand New Love Affair" sometimes alternatively listed as "Brand New Love Affair (Parts I and II)", is a song written by James Pankow for the group Chicago and recorded for their album Chicago VIII. The song peaked at #61 on the charts. Guitarist Terry Kath sings the first half while bassist Peter Cetera sings the second half. Keyboardist Robert Lamm played the distinctive Fender Rhodes electric piano on the song—the intro particularly showcases its lush vibrato bell-like sound.
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