Twenty 1

Last updated
Twenty 1
Twenty1.jpg
Studio album by
Chicago
ReleasedJanuary 29, 1991 (1991-01-29)
Recorded1990
Genre Rock
Length52:01
Label Full Moon, Reprise
Producer Ron Nevison, Humberto Gatica
Chicago chronology
Group Portrait
(1991)		Twenty 1
(1991)		 Night & Day: Big Band
(1995)
Singles from Twenty 1
  1. "Chasin' the Wind"
    Released: January 1991
  2. "Explain It to My Heart"
    Released: April 1991
  3. "You Come to My Senses"
    Released: August 1991

Twenty 1 is the seventeenth studio album (and twenty-first overall) by the American band Chicago. Released on January 29, 1991, it was their first album of the 1990s. Twenty 1 spent eleven weeks on the American Billboard 200, peaking at position No. 66, [1] and did not chart in the UK.

Contents

Production

The production of Twenty 1 saw a significant personnel reconfiguration. The recent departure of founding drummer Danny Seraphine had made way for the band's "great new drummer" [2] Tris Imboden. Session player John Keane played the majority of this album's drum tracks. Their touring guitarist since 1986, Dawayne Bailey, performed as an extra guitarist for Twenty 1's sessions.

Now the record company wants us to do Diane Warren songs. Two of them have been released as singles off of Twenty 1 and have stiffed [flopped], with one more soon to follow. If that one stiffs as well, then we need to think about what we're doing. I would rather fail doing our own thing than somebody else's thing.

The horns are back on Chicago Twenty 1, and the two things that I wrote on there were done especially to bring them back into the group sound. In spite of all of the success that Chicago has had since 17, for me, [the material has] not really been [authentic to] the band.

— Robert Lamm [2]

The band retained producer Ron Nevison, who'd already done Chicago 19 . According to Nevison, work on the album was somewhat fragmented, with the band members rarely being in the studio together, and with work continuing with session musicians while the band was on tour. The fragmentation was furthered when Humberto Gatica was assigned to mix the final version of the album without Nevison's input. [3]

They weren't there every night to get a mix, like most bands, and take them home, and listen to them, and digest them. They were on tour … they came in when they needed to do stuff, and you do lose some continuity with that approach, but I don't fault them for that.

— Twenty 1 producer, Ron Nevison [3]

Although the music for Twenty 1 was considered commercially viable, the shifting of popular musical trends toward the impending grunge movement is said to have lost Chicago some valuable radio support.[ citation needed ] Nevison maintains that if his original mixes had been used, he'd have been much happier and the album could have theoretically been more successful: "It all would have worked if they’d left it alone. I promise you." [3] The single "Chasin' the Wind" peaked at No. 39 and Twenty 1 peaked at #66 during its eleven-week period on the charts, [1] making it their second least successful non-greatest hits album, only behind Chicago XIV .

For what was intended to be the band's twenty-second album, Stone of Sisyphus , Chicago hired producer Peter Wolf to develop what could be considered a more ambitious and experimental effort. That 1994 release was indefinitely postponed, and then finally released more than fourteen years later on June 17, 2008 as Chicago XXXII: Stone of Sisyphus. A demo "Love Is Forever" from the Twenty 1 sessions was included on the Sisyphus release.

Three singles were released: "Chasin' the Wind" (B-side "Only Time Can Heal the Wounded") in January 1991, "Explain It to My Heart" (B-side "God Save The Queen") in April 1991, and "You Come to My Senses" (B-side "Who Do You Love") in August 1991. [4] [5] Twenty 1 would be Chicago's last full-length album release of original songs until Chicago XXX in 2006.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [6]

Twenty 1 spent eleven weeks on the American Billboard 200, peaking at position No. 66, [1] and did not chart in the UK.

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)VocalsLength
1."Explain It to My Heart" Diane Warren Jason Scheff, with Bill Champlin 4:44
2."If It Were You"J. Scheff, Darin Scheff, Tony SmithJ. Scheff4:43
3."You Come to My Senses" Billy Steinberg, Tom Kelly J. Scheff3:49
4."Somebody, Somewhere"Bill Champlin, Dennis Matkosky, Kevin Dukes Champlin4:21
5."What Does It Take"J. Scheff, Gerard McMahon J. Scheff4:38
6."One from the Heart" Robert Lamm, McMahonRobert Lamm4:43
7."Chasin' the Wind"WarrenChamplin4:18
8."God Save the Queen" James Pankow, J. ScheffChamplin4:19
9."Man to Woman"J. Scheff, Adam Mitchell J. Scheff3:56
10."Only Time Can Heal the Wounded"Lamm, McMahonLamm4:43
11."Who Do You Love"Champlin, MatkoskyChamplin3:20
12."Holdin' On"Champlin, Tom SavianoChamplin, with J. Scheff4:15

Unreleased:

Personnel

Chicago

Additional personnel

Production

[7]

Charts

Chart (1991)Peak
position
Canada Top Albums/CDs ( RPM ) [8] 75
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [9] 52
Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts) [10] 6
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [11] 66
Japanese Albums (Oricon) [12] 10
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) [13] 11
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [14] 18
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [15] 27
US Billboard 200 [16] 66

Related Research Articles

<i>Lights Out</i> (UFO album) 1977 studio album by UFO

Lights Out is the sixth studio album by English rock band UFO, released in 1977. All songs are band originals except for "Alone Again Or" which is a cover of a song by the band Love. Reaching number 23 on the Billboard 200, it remains the band's highest-charting album in the United States. In the UK it hit number 54 and stayed on the chart for two weeks.

<i>Peachtree Road</i> (album) 2004 studio album by Elton John

Peachtree Road is the twenty-seventh studio album by English musician Elton John, released on 9 November 2004. The album was named after Peachtree Road, the northern part of Peachtree Street in Atlanta, where one of John's four homes is located. This is the only album during his long career on which John has sole credit as producer, although on some previous projects he was listed as a co-producer, with Clive Franks, or Greg Penny. It was recorded in January 2004.

<i>Chicago VIII</i> 1975 studio album by Chicago

Chicago VIII is the seventh studio album by American rock band Chicago, released on March 24, 1975 by Columbia Records. Following the experimental jazz/pop stylings of Chicago VII, the band returned to a more streamlined rock-based sound on this follow-up.

<i>Chicago XI</i> 1977 studio album by Chicago

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.

<i>Hot Streets</i> 1978 studio album by Chicago

Hot Streets is the tenth studio album by the American rock band Chicago, released on October 2, 1978, by Columbia Records. This was the band's first album with all-new material released since their second that did not have a numbered title. It was also the first album not to feature original guitarist/vocalist Terry Kath, who died from an accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound in January 1978. He was replaced by Donnie Dacus on this album.

<i>Chicago 13</i> 1979 studio album by Chicago

Chicago 13 is the eleventh studio album by American rock band Chicago, released on August 13, 1979, by Columbia Records. Chicago 13 was the band's final release featuring lead guitarist Donnie Dacus, who had followed the late founding member, guitarist Terry Kath. All band members contributed to the songwriting.

<i>Chicago 18</i> 1986 studio album by Chicago

Chicago 18 is the fifteenth studio album by the American rock band Chicago, released on September 29, 1986. This album is the first without original vocalist Peter Cetera, and the first to feature Jason Scheff on bass guitar and vocals.

<i>Chicago 19</i> 1988 studio album by Chicago

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.

<i>No Protection</i> (Starship album) 1987 studio album by Starship

No Protection is the second studio album by American rock band Starship. It was released on July 6, 1987, by Grunt Records and RCA Records. The album featured the number-one single "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now", and the top-10 single "It's Not Over ", the former of which appears in the fantasy comedy film Mannequin and the latter of which was a tune originally performed the previous year by one-time Manfred Mann's Earth Band frontman Chris Thompson for the soundtrack to the film Playing for Keeps. Third single "Beat Patrol" was #46 on Billboard's Hot 100.

<i>Nuclear Furniture</i> 1984 studio album by Jefferson Starship

Nuclear Furniture is the eighth album by American rock band Jefferson Starship, released in June 1984 through Grunt Records. It was the final album by the band before the departure of leader Paul Kantner and the eventual transition of the remaining members of the group to become Starship.

<i>Out of This World</i> (Europe album) 1988 studio album by Europe

Out of This World is the fourth studio album by the Swedish rock band Europe. Released on 9 August 1988 through Epic Records, the album was a commercial success selling over 3 million units worldwide, peaking at number 19 on the US Billboard 200 chart and reaching high positions in charts worldwide. It was recorded at Olympic Studios and Townhouse Studios, London, England. Out of This World is the first Europe album to feature former Easy Action and Noice guitarist Kee Marcello.

<i>Love Songs</i> (Chicago album) 2005 compilation album by Chicago

Love Songs is a compilation album of romantic songs by the American band Chicago, their twenty-ninth album overall, released in 2005 through Rhino Records.

<i>MSG</i> (Michael Schenker Group album) 1981 studio album by Michael Schenker Group

MSG is the second album by the hard rock band Michael Schenker Group, released in 1981. Producer Ron Nevison's high production values resulted in the recording of this album going over budget, a crippling debt that dogged the band for the rest of their short career. MSG saw Schenker reunited with his former UFO bandmate Paul Raymond, and was the last album to feature Gary Barden until 1983's Built to Destroy.

<i>Backlash</i> (Bad English album) 1991 studio album by Bad English

Backlash is the second and final studio album by British/American rock band Bad English, released in 1991.

<i>Winner in You</i> 1986 studio album by Patti LaBelle

Winner in You is the eighth studio album by American R&B singer Patti LaBelle. It was released by MCA Records on April 28, 1986, in the United States. Recording sessions took place during 1985–1986. Production was handled by several record producers, including Burt Bacharach, Carole Bayer Sager, and Nickolas Ashford, among others.

<i>When Seconds Count</i> 1986 studio album by Survivor

When Seconds Count is the sixth studio album by the American rock band Survivor, released in October 1986. The album included the hit single, "Is This Love", which peaked at #9 in the US on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in early 1987. The album reached #49 on the Billboard 200 album chart. The album cover was designed by Rick Valicenti and Craig Davidson in Chicago during the summer of 1986.

<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.

<i>The Best of Chicago: 40th Anniversary Edition</i> 2007 greatest hits album by Chicago

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.

<i>Chicago XXXII: Stone of Sisyphus</i> 2008 studio album by Chicago

Chicago XXXII: Stone of Sisyphus is the twenty-first studio album, and thirty-second overall, by Chicago. Often referred to as their "lost" album, it was recorded in 1993 and originally intended to be released as Stone of Sisyphus on March 22, 1994, as their eighteenth studio album and twenty-second total album. However, the album was unexpectedly and controversially rejected by the record company, which reportedly contributed to Chicago's later decision to leave their services entirely. Even after the band acquired the rights to their catalog, the album remained unreleased until June 17, 2008, after a delay of fourteen years and ten more albums.

<i>Chicago XXXVI: Now</i> 2014 studio album by Chicago

Chicago XXXVI: Now, sometimes stylized as "NOW" Chicago XXXVI or Now: Chicago XXXVI, is the twenty-fourth studio album, and thirty-sixth overall by Chicago, an American rock band. It was written and recorded in 2013 and 2014, and released on July 4, 2014. Now is the band's first full album of new compositions since 2006's Chicago XXX, not including Chicago XXXII: Stone of Sisyphus, which was released in 2008 but recorded in 1993; and notwithstanding the occasional new tracks released in the band's many compilation and cover albums.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Billboard 200: 1991: Chicago" . Retrieved July 25, 2014.
  2. 1 2 Polkow, Dennis (June 20, 1991). "It's Been No Saturday in the Park For Chicago". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved November 14, 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 Nevison, Ron (May 28, 2010). "Anatomy of an Album: Producer Ron Nevison Discusses "Chicago Twenty 1″" (Interview). Interviewed by Jeff Giles. Popdose. Retrieved April 30, 2013.
  4. ↑ "Chicago – Awards: AllMusic". Allmusic . Rovi Corporation . Retrieved January 9, 2013.
  5. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary 1961–2001. Record Research. ISBN   978-0-89820-149-9.
  6. ↑ Twenty 1 at AllMusic. Retrieved June 8, 2013.
  7. ↑ Twenty 1 personnel credits at AllMusic . Retrieved April 30, 2013.
  8. ↑ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 1479". RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  9. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Chicago – Twenty 1" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  10. ↑ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 166. ISBN   978-951-1-21053-5.
  11. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Chicago – Twenty 1" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  12. ↑ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN   4-87131-077-9.
  13. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Chicago – Twenty 1". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  14. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Chicago – Twenty 1". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  15. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Chicago – Twenty 1". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  16. ↑ "Chicago Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.