Chicago "Chicago 16"

Chicago 16 is the thirteenth studio album by the American 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 top ten of the Billboard 200, and it 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, six months after its release. The song, "Hard to Say I'm Sorry" was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.

Chicago 16 is the first album in a decade-long association with new label Warner Bros. Records; the band's first project to be produced by David Foster, who had been called the "key" to their comeback; their first album to include some songs exclusively by composers outside of the group; and it is also the first album since Chicago VII (1974) not to feature Laudir de Oliveira as a band member.  It is also the first studio album to be released two years after the previous, as every other studio album was released once per year.

The band brought in Sons of Champlin founder Bill Champlin as keyboardist and singer. 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.

Once they agreed to Foster producing the album (the band had considered him for 1980's Chicago XIV), the producer radically redefined Chicago's sound for the 1980s, with all of the latest technologies and techniques; he 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?

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, 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.

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.

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.

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,  going to number one on both the Billboard Hot 100 chart and the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. The album ultimately went platinum and reached number nine on the Billboard 200 chart. The single would also be included in its lengthier form "Hard to Say I'm Sorry/Get Away" on the Summer Lovers movie soundtrack. "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 and number eight on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. A third single, "What You're Missing", was released and peaked at number 81 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

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."

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

Track listing

Side One

1. "What You're Missing" Jay Gruska, Joseph Williams Vocals:Peter Cetera 4:10
2. "Waiting for You to Decide" David Foster, Steve Lukather, David Paich Vocals:Cetera with Bill Champlin 4:06
3. "Bad Advice" Peter Cetera, Foster, James Pankow Vocals:Champlin with Cetera 2:58
4. "Chains" Ian Thomas Vocals:Cetera 3:22
5. "Hard to Say I'm Sorry" / "Get Away" "Hard to Say I'm Sorry" (Cetera, Foster); "Get Away" (Cetera, Foster, Robert Lamm)  Vocals:Cetera  5:08

Side Two

1. "Follow Me" Foster, Pankow Vocals:Champlin 4:53
2. "Sonny Think Twice" Bill Champlin, Danny Seraphine Vocals:Champlin with Cetera 4:01
3. "What Can I Say" Foster, Pankow Vocals:Cetera 3:49
4. "Rescue You" Cetera, Foster Vocals:Cetera 3:57
5. "Love Me Tomorrow" Cetera, Foster Vocals:Cetera 5:06

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