| Chicago 17 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 14, 1984 (1984-5-14)[1] | |||
| Recorded | Mid 1983 – early 1984 | |||
| Studio | The Lighthouse (North Hollywood, California) Sunset Sound (Hollywood) The Record Plant (Los Angeles) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 41:53 | |||
| Label | Full Moon/Warner Bros.[2] | |||
| Producer | David Foster[2] | |||
| Chicago chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Chicago 17 | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [6] |
Chicago 17 is the fourteenthstudio album, seventeenth overall by Americanrock bandChicago, released on May 14, 1984. It was the group's second release forFull Moon/Warner Bros. Records, their second album to be produced byDavid Foster[7] and their last with founding bassist/vocalistPeter Cetera. As of 2023, it remains Chicago's best-selling album, with over 6.1 million copies being sold in theUnited States, theUnited Kingdom, andJapan.[8] Foursingles were released from the album, all of which peaked in the top 20 on theBillboard Hot 100 chart.[9] The success of themusic videos for "Stay the Night", "You're the Inspiration", and "Hard Habit to Break" onMTV propelledChicago 17 to achieve anRIAA certification of six times platinum.[10]
In1985, the album received threeGrammy Awards. David Foster won forProducer of the Year, Non-Classical (tied in this category withLionel Richie andJames Anthony Carmichael),[11][12]Humberto Gatica won forBest Engineered Recording – Non-Classical,[13] and David Foster and Jeremy Lubbock won forBest Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocal(s)[13] for "Hard Habit to Break" which was also nominated forRecord of the Year,Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals andBest Vocal Arrangement for Two or More Voices.[14] In his review of the album forAllMusic, music criticStephen Thomas Erlewine saysChicago 17 is "the pinnacle of [producer David Foster's] craft and one of the best adult contemporary records of the '80s," and one of the most influential albums "within its style."[15] Writing forBillboard, Bobby Olivier said the album "is one of the greatest purepower ballad albums of all time — or at least from 1984 — and "[Hard] Habit [to Break]" is one of the finest entries."[16]
In 2006,Rhino Entertainment remastered and reissued the album, using the original analog versions of "Please Hold On" (which was co-written with Lionel Richie who was enjoying success from his albumCan't Slow Down) and "Prima Donna" and adding aRobert Lamm demo, "Here Is Where We Begin" as a bonus track.
In keeping with the majority of their albums up to that time (1984), the traditional "Chicago" logo, designed byJohn Berg and Nick Fasciano,[17][18] is the main feature of thealbum cover. It does not feature any photos of the group. In a 2020 article forMuse by Clio, it was listed among "Nine Great Album Covers, Chosen by Gregory Sylvester." Sylvester describes the cover as, " ... an illusion of a package within a package ... brown kraft paper, twine and a faux red stamp."[19] The album cover looks like a package wrapped in brown paper tied with twine and (on the back) secured with tape. On the front, the "Chicago" logo appears to be inbas-relief (it is not), covered by the wrapping paper. The number "17," inArabic numerals rather than theRoman numerals used by the group formerly, appears to be stamped on the wrapping paper below the logo. In the upper left-hand quadrant of the cover back, a pink "receipt form" is depicted (designated as a "TOPS FORM 3014" in small print at the bottom of the "receipt"), tucked underneath the "twine," with the "Chicago" logo stamped on it near the top in purple ink and, below the logo, a "DESCRIPTION OF PACKAGE" lists the tracks on side one and side two. The bottom of the "receipt form" shows production and engineering credits and theWarner Bros. logo "stamped" on the slip. On the inner dust sleeve, a large group photo of the band appears on one side: (back row, left to right) Lee Loughnane, Bill Champlin, James Pankow, Walt Parazaider, Robert Lamm, (front row, left to right) Danny Seraphine, Peter Cetera. The reverse side of the dust sleeve gives track listings, song lyrics, and song and album credits, including credits for artwork and packaging: Art Direction/Design, Simon Levy; Album Cover Art, Larry Vigon; Photography, Harry Langdon, James Goble.[2]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Stay the Night" | Peter Cetera,David Foster | Peter Cetera | 3:48 |
| 2. | "We Can Stop the Hurtin'" | Bill Champlin,Robert Lamm, Deborah Neal | Robert Lamm | 4:11 |
| 3. | "Hard Habit to Break" | Steve Kipner, John Lewis Parker | Cetera with Bill Champlin | 4:43 |
| 4. | "Only You" | Foster,James Pankow | Lamm with Champlin | 3:53 |
| 5. | "Remember the Feeling" | Cetera, Champlin | Cetera | 4:28 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6. | "Along Comes a Woman" | Cetera,Mark Goldenberg | Cetera | 4:14 |
| 7. | "You're the Inspiration" | Cetera, Foster | Cetera | 3:49 |
| 8. | "Please Hold On" | Champlin, Foster,Lionel Richie | Champlin | 3:37 |
| 9. | "Prima Donna" | Cetera, Goldenberg | Cetera | 4:09 |
| 10. | "Once in a Lifetime" | Pankow | Champlin with Cetera | 4:12 |
| Total length: | 41:53 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Here Is Where We Begin" (featuringDavid Pack) | Lamm | Lamm with David Pack | 3:53 |
Some songs were recorded during theChicago 17 sessions but not released. "Good for Nothing" was later released on theWe Are the World superstar charity album in 1985.[21][22] This is the last released Chicago song to featurePeter Cetera on vocals.
A song called "Sweet Marie" recorded during sessions for theChicago 17 album has been performed by the Norwegian band TOBB. Bill Champlin offered this song to the band. It was released on May 14, 2014 by TOBB, the 30th anniversary of theChicago 17 album's release.[23] It was performed by Chicago on rare occasions in 1984,[23] and has surfaced online fromVHS recordings of some of their performances.
A subsequent international release in 2010 (included in theStudio Albums 1979 - 2008 boxed set from 2015) has the original album restored, with additional bonus tracks of alternate versions of "Only You", "You're the Inspiration", and "Prima Donna" as well as "Here Is Where We Begin". A demo version of "Hard Habit to Break" exists with Robert Lamm on vocals, as briefly heard during the documentary “Now More Than Ever: The History of Chicago.”
All information in this section from except as noted.[24]
Chicago
Additional personnel
Production
Production for 2006 reissue
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[44] | Gold | 25,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[45] | Gold | 100,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[46] | 6× Platinum | 6,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
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