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It's hard to believe that only in 2017 will collectors have the first proper collection of solo works by Peter Cetera--but on May 19, Varese Sarabande is doing just that.
For more than two decades, Cetera was a solid fixture of popular American music. As bassist and one of several vocalists in progressive rock-jazz combo Chicago, his soaring voice powered a fair amount of the group's horn-filled Top 10 hits, including "25 or 6 to 4," "Feelin' Stronger Every Day," "Just You N' Me" and the international chart-topper "If You Leave Me Now." After a prolonged cool streak in the late '70s as disco moved to the forefront, Cetera was front and center as the group retooled into a soft-rock hits machine alongside producer David Foster, with Cetera leading on the No. 1 hit "Hard to Say I'm Sorry" plus "Hard Habit to Break," "You're the Inspiration" and more.
While Cetera had only fleetingly chased a solo career during this time (a 1981 self-titled solo album released not long after Chicago signed with Warner Bros. Records), the Foster era made him take a second look--much to the chagrin of his bandmates, who turned down an offer for Cetera to record on his own like Phil Collins did when not with Genesis. He departed Chicago in the summer of 1985, and a year later released his first solo hit, "Glory of Love," the heartfelt ballad from the film The Karate Kid Part II. It topped the Billboard Hot 100, as did the next song from his solo project Solitude/Solitaire. "The Next Time I Fall" was a Bobby Caldwell-co-penned duet with Christian singer Amy Grant (in her first foray into pop music). Two more singles reached the Top 10 of the pop charts: another pop song for a film ("After All," a duet with Cher from the film Chances Are) and "One Good Woman," from the 1988 album One More Story. (Three singles from 1992's World Falling Down, his final effort for Warner Bros., did hit the Top 10 of the Adult Contemporary charts, with "Restless Heart" reaching the top of that survey.)
While indie label River North Records issued You're The Inspiration: A Collection in 1997, featuring Cetera's hit duets and re-recordings of Chicago material, Varese's The Very Best of Peter Cetera is the first collection to include all the hits from his Warner Bros. albums, many of which are presented in their original single edit and mix versions (including Japan-only single "Stay with Me," from the country's fairy-tale film Princess From the Moon)--making this a must-own for those who want to remember Cetera's smooth sound as it was heard on radio through the '80s and '90s. Pre-order your copy at the links below!
The Very Best of Peter Cetera (Varese Sarabande, 2017)
Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada / Amazon U.K.
* indicates single edit/remix
- On the Line *
- Glory of Love (Theme from The Karate Kid Part II)
- Daddy's Girl
- Stay with Me *
- The Next Time I Fall (Duet with Amy Grant) *
- Big Mistake *
- Only Love Knows Why *
- One Good Woman *
- Best of Times
- After All (Love Theme from Chances Are) * - Cher & Peter Cetera
- Save Me (Theme from Baywatch)
- Even a Fool Can See
- Feels Like Heaven (Duet with Chaka Khan) *
- Restless Heart
Track 1 from Peter Cetera (Full Moon/Warner Bros. Records FMH 3624, 1981)
Tracks 2-3 and 5-7 from Solitude/Solitaire (Warner Bros. Records 25474, 1986)
Track 4 from Princess of the Moon: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Warner Bros. Records P-13555 (JP), 1987)
Tracks 8-9 and 11 from One More Story (Warner Bros. Records 25704, 1988)
Track 10 from Heart of Stone (Geffen Records 24239, 1989)
Tracks 12-14 from World Falling Down (Warner Bros. Records 26894, 1992)
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Even though I think that this collection was a missed opportunity for including more tracks, including some missing Hot 100 entries (perhaps due to licensing), I'll still be picking it up.
I agree. The collection should be more comprehensive. Leaving out Livin In The Limelight is shameful. But that said, I too will be getting this.
Ha hasn't done anything since 1992?
He had some AC hits in the late 90s and early 2000s.
Had albums in 1995 and 2001 with a compilation that included new recordings of Chicago hits and a Christmas album in 2004. Been 13 years so I'm guessing no more material from him.
I'm really proud of the work we did pulling this collection together. Although due to licensing limitations and the artist's personal preferences regarding song selection, it's not the comprehensive 18-track anthology we had originally envisioned, but it's still damn fine.
Bill...Interested in what the 18 track version entailed. Can you speak to that?
"Livin' In The Limelight," "Holding Out," "Man in Me" and "I Wasn't The One" didn't make the cut, due to various complications.
Thanks Bill. I had the pleasure of seeing Mr. Cetera perform for the first time last year. Like any vocalist that hasn't had the grueling schedule of a non stop touring act, his voice is in fine shape and he had a top notch band with him. Highly enjoyable night blending both solo ventures, hits with his former band and features for his backing vocalists. Looking forward to the compilation.
Thank you, Bill, for shedding light on the fact that it was licensing complications that prevented it from becoming an 18-track compilation. Looking forward to buying a copy, regardless.
Trust me, no one could be more disappointed than I am. It's often a problem being a third-party vendor — more hoops to jump through because we're licensing the material. But everything is freshly remastered from tape and sounds amazing,
Bill, thank you for the response. Excellent job on the compilation for what you were able to license. The sound is excellent, and the packaging is very nicely done. It's a solid compilation despite the missing tracks! I was glad to be able to add it to my collection.
The Agnetha Fältskog duet should have been included and some 12" versions, to make this interesting. Imagine to get the vinyl only mixes of "I Wasn't The One (Who Said Goodbye)" on CD for the first time. Pass.
Agnetha was a victim of licensing. We tried and couldn't clear it. We even had the U.S. single mix ready to roll from the original Atlantic promo CD single, but to no avail.
No "Forever Tonight"? I always loved that duet with Crystal Benard... I actually thought the whole "One Clear Voice" was pretty good.
Does anyone know if Mr. Cetera has any plans to record new material? I actually miss all Adult Contemporary... Is anyone still recording music in this genre??