Peter Cetera "You're the Inspiration: A Collection (USA, River North Records, 51416 1250 2)"

You're the Inspiration: A Collection is the sixth solo album by Peter Cetera released in 1997. It was the second album released by Cetera for River North Records. The album is a collection of previously recorded duets, a few new songs and a few re-recordings of old Chicago hits.

Following the release of One Clear Voice in 1995, Peter Cetera and his label began the task of creating a "greatest hits" type package to release. This proved to be challenging as many of Cetera's charting singles were from the four albums he had released under former label, Warner Brothers. Compounding the problem further, he had charting duet singles on albums by Agnetha Fältskog and Cher, which were the property of their record labels. In addition, many of his hits from his career as a member of the band Chicago were the property of either Warner Brothers or his old band mates. When River North approached Chicago and their self-run record label, Chicago Records, about licensing the master recordings, the band refused outright. In 1997 and 1998, Chicago Records used the songs on two The Heart of Chicago greatest hits packages put out in a partnership between Chicago Records and Warner Brothers.

While the label sorted out the licensing his duet hits with Warner, Geffen and WEA, Cetera stepped into the studio to record five songs for the compilation. The first two were original songs, "Do You Love Me That Much?" and "She Doesn't Need Me Anymore". The latter was a song about Cetera's daughter Claire, who turned 14 shortly after the album was released. The other three were new recordings of Cetera's Chicago hits, "If You Leave Me Now", "Baby, What a Big Surprise" and "You're the Inspiration". The song keys were lowered a whole step down to suit Cetera's loss of range. "You're the Inspiration" sounded country flavored while "Baby, What a Big Surprise" had a harder edge electric guitar than the original due to the lower keys and was missing the final verse.

In the end, the album featured all of Cetera's hit duets, along with two new songs and three re-recorded songs.

Unlike One Clear Voice, You're the Inspiration: A Collection made the Billboard Top 200 album charts, peaking at #134, higher than his last two studio albums and higher than his first solo album from 1981. The first single, "Do You Love Me That Much?" made the Billboard Adult Contemporary Chart, hitting #6. This was followed by "She Doesn't Need Me Anymore", which hit #27 AC.

For the third single, the label remixed the new version of "You're the Inspiration" with backing vocals from R&B vocal group Az Yet. The group had scored a hit single remaking Cetera's "Hard to Say I'm Sorry" a year earlier, featuring Cetera's vocals at the end. An ocean side video was filmed featuring Cetera and the group, as well as Cetera's newborn daughter Senna in some scenes. The single peaked at #77 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #29 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.

Cetera did not go on tour in support of the album. When he finally returned to live concerts in 2002, he performed the original Chicago arrangements of the songs.

The album sold approximately 250,000 copies as of 1999 - a commercial disappointment by some standards, but was one of the top selling albums released on the small record label.

Track listing

1. "If You Leave Me Now" (Peter Cetera) (original key: B) (re-recording: A) – 4:21
2. "The Next Time I Fall" (with Amy Grant) (Bobby Caldwell, Paul Gordon) – 3:40
3. "Do You Love Me That Much" (Liz Hengber, Will Robinson) – 3:38
4. "Feels Like Heaven" (with Chaka Khan) (Mark Goldenberg, Kit Hain) – 4:47
5. "You're the Inspiration" (Cetera, David Foster) (original key: G#) (re-recording: G) – 4:06
6. "I Wasn't the One (Who Said Goodbye)" (with Agnetha Fältskog) (Mark Mueller, Aaron Zigman) – 4:04
7. "She Doesn't Need Me Anymore" (Cetera, Walt Aldridge) – 4:30
8. "Baby, What a Big Surprise" (Cetera) (original key: C) (re-recording: Bb) – 3:30
9. "(I Wanna Take) Forever Tonight" (with Crystal Bernard) (Eric Carmen, Andy Goldmark) – 4:34
10. "After All" (with Cher) (Tom Snow, Dean Pitchford) – 4:04
11. "S.O.S." (with Ronna Reeves) (Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, Stig Anderson) – 4:05

Peter Cetera "Solitude - Solitaire (2010 Reissue, Remastered, Forever Young Series, Japan, Warner-Pioneer/Fullmoon, WPCR-75548)"

Solitude/Solitaire is the second solo album by former Chicago bassist and vocalist Peter Cetera, and his first album after leaving the band in 1985. It was released in June 1986. The album includes the hits "Glory of Love" and "The Next Time I Fall" (with Amy Grant); both reached the No. 1 position on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Solitude/Solitaire was produced by Michael Omartian, who later co-produced Cetera's 2001 album, Another Perfect World.

Cetera co-wrote eight of the nine songs on the album, "The Next Time I Fall" being the exception. Because Cetera had been a prominent songwriter for Chicago, many of the songs on Solitude/Solitaire were rumored to originally have been slated for Chicago 18, especially "Big Mistake" and "Daddy's Girl".

While "Big Mistake" was due to be the first single from the album, "Glory of Love", co-written by Cetera, David Foster, and Diane Nini, was released instead. That song, from the film The Karate Kid Part II, topped the Billboard Hot 100 and Adult Contemporary charts, and helped Solitude/Solitaire to eventually go platinum. The follow-up single, "The Next Time I Fall", was also a major success and topped the charts. Later singles released from the album included "Big Mistake" and "Only Love Knows Why", which was co-written by the producer Michael Omartian and George Bitzer and reached No. 24 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. The song, "Daddy's Girl," is part of the soundtrack for the 1987 American comedy film, Three Men and a Baby.

The album was Cetera's greatest solo success, peaking at No. 23 on the Billboard 200 chart. It was certified platinum by the RIAA, selling over one million copies in the U.S.

Solitude/Solitaire marked a high point in Cetera's career, where he achieved success for the first time on his own. It sold more copies than Chicago 18, Chicago's first album without Cetera, which peaked at No. 35.

Track listing

1. "Big Mistake" (Peter Cetera, Amos Galpin) – 5:39
2. "They Don't Make 'Em Like They Used To" (Cetera, Erich Bulling) – 4:04
3. "Glory of Love" (Cetera, David Foster, Diane Nini) – 4:19
4. "Queen of the Masquerade Ball" (Cetera, Michael Omartian) – 3:50
5. "Daddy's Girl" (Cetera, Mark Goldenberg) – 3:46
6. "The Next Time I Fall" (with Amy Grant) (Bobby Caldwell, Paul Gordon) – 3:43
7. "Wake Up to Love" (Cetera, David Wolinski, Omartian) – 4:29
8. "Solitude/Solitaire" (Cetera, Omartian) – 4:58
9. "Only Love Knows Why" (Cetera, George Bitzer, Omartian) – 4:29

Recording information:

Michael Omartian – producer

Terry Christian – engineer, mixing

John Guess – engineer, mixing

Britt Bacon – second engineer

Khaliq Glover – second engineer

Laura Livingston – second engineer

Ray Pyle – second engineer

Lion Share Recording Studios, Los Angeles, California – recording and mixing location

Lighthouse Studios, Studio City, California – recording location

Skyline Studios, New York, New York – recording location

Steve Hall – mastering at Future Disc, Hollywood, California

Herb Ritts – photography

Jeri McManus – art direction and design

Paul McCartney "Give My Regards To Broad Street (1993 Reissue, Remastered, The Paul McCartney Collection, UK, Parlophone, 777 7 89268 2 5)"

Give My Regards to Broad Street is the fifth solo studio album by Paul McCartney and the soundtrack to the film of the same name. It features covers of Beatles' songs, Wings and solo tracks by McCartney, as well as a few new songs. The album reached number 1 on the UK chart. The lead single, "No More Lonely Nights", was BAFTA and Golden Globe Award nominated. It was also to be his final album to be released under Columbia Records, which had been his US label for over five years.

The majority of the album is a retrospective – sequenced in the order of the songs' appearance in the film – which features re-interpretations of many of Paul McCartney's past classics of the Beatles and Wings: "Good Day Sunshine", "Yesterday", "Here, There and Everywhere", "Silly Love Songs" , "For No One", "Eleanor Rigby" and "The Long and Winding Road". There were also interpretations of songs from McCartney's more recent albums; "Ballroom Dancing" and "Wanderlust" from Tug of War and "So Bad" from Pipes of Peace. Besides "No More Lonely Nights" (also heard in a dance version), the only previously-unheard tracks were "Not Such a Bad Boy", "No Values" and a symphonic extension of "Eleanor Rigby" entitled "Eleanor's Dream". The album running time was so long that its vinyl release had edited versions of the songs. The cassette and the later CD edition preserved the tracks' full lengths, while the CD went one further by including a bonus 1940s-styled piece called "Goodnight Princess". The Beatles cover versions are dedicated to McCartney's fellow Beatle John Lennon, who had been killed four years earlier.

Preceded by "No More Lonely Nights (Ballad)", a worldwide Top 10 hit featuring guitar work by David Gilmour, Give My Regards to Broad Street entered the UK charts at number 1 and was certified platinum, while also going gold with a number 21 peak in the United States (where it sold and charted under expectations). It would also mark the end of McCartney's association with Columbia Records in the US, which began in 1979 with the final Wings album Back to the Egg. McCartney would re-sign with EMI Records worldwide (where he remained until 2007) with his Columbia output reverting to his new – and original – label in the US, Capitol Records.

Simultaneously with the film's premiere in November, McCartney's Rupert Bear recording, "We All Stand Together", started back in 1980 and credited to "Paul McCartney and the Frog Chorus", was released and became a hit single in the UK, reaching number 3. The accompanying animated film was shown in cinemas immediately preceding the main feature that was Give My Regards to Broad Street.

The soundtrack's original release was on Columbia Records in 1984 in North America. It was remastered in 1993 and reissued on CD as part of The Paul McCartney Collection series with two extended dance mixes of "No More Lonely Nights (playout version)" as bonus tracks.

Tracklist:

1. "No More Lonely Nights" (ballad) 5:13
2. "Good Day Sunshine" / "Corridor Music" 2:33
3. "Yesterday" 1:43
4. "Here, There and Everywhere" 1:43
5. "Wanderlust" 4:07
6. "Ballroom Dancing" 4:51
7. "Silly Love Songs" / "Silly Love Songs" (reprise) 5:27
8. "Not Such a Bad Boy" 3:29
9. "So Bad" 3:25
10. "No Values" 4:12
11. "No More Lonely Nights" (ballad reprise) / "For No One" 2:12
12. "Eleanor Rigby" / "Eleanor's Dream" 9:10
13. "The Long and Winding Road" 3:57
14. "No More Lonely Nights" (playout version) 5:03
15. "Goodnight Princess" 3:58

1993 bonus tracks (The Paul McCartney Collection)

1. "No More Lonely Nights" (extended version) 8:11
2. "No More Lonely Nights" (special dance mix) 4:21

Recording information:

George Martin – producer

Geoff Emerick – engineer

Jon Kelly – engineer

Stuart Breed – engineer

Jon Jacobs – assistant engineer

Roger Huggett – sleeve artwork

Annie Carlton – sleeve design

Sandra Leamon – sleeve design

John Pasche – sleeve design

Geoff Halpin – cover lettering

Terry O'Neill – cover photography, inner sleeve photography

David Dagley – additional sleeve photography

Nik Kershaw "The Works (Japan, MCA Records, 22P2-2393)"

The Works is the fourth studio album by the English singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Nik Kershaw. It was released in 1989 and was the last album he created for MCA Records. Kershaw chose the album's title as he felt the album represented "the collected works of Nik Kershaw". He did not release any new solo material until 15 Minutes, 10 years later.

The album was not commercially successful, though the lead single "One Step Ahead" reached No. #55 in the UK. "Elisabeth's Eyes", the second and final single, failed to chart altogether.

Although the album was produced by Peter Wolf and co-produced by Brian Malouf, both singles were written shortly after Kershaw became unhappy with Wolf's production and his direction for the album. They were produced by Kershaw and Julian Mendelsohn, with the two also re-working the production of the entire album, earning them an additional production credit.

After its original release, the album remained out of print on any format for years. However, in November 2006, the album became available via online MP3 download on major sites such as Amazon and iTunes.

In an interview of the time, Kershaw spoke of the album's creation and production:

"In April 1987 I finished touring, after that I wrote songs for the new album. In August of that year I went to Los Angeles to record The Works album in four months with producer Peter Wolf. Back home in England I listened to the album and discovered that I hated it. I could never have promoted that album. How could I tell the people: it's a great product, buy it!, if I wouldn't have bought it myself. So I quickly wrote two more songs, among which was "One Step Ahead", and I did a lot all over again with Julian Mendelsohn in London. Eventually the record was only finished last year in October. But I must say that I'm a whole lot happier about it now."

Speaking of working with Wolf, Kershaw said:

"American producers are used to having total control over their production. But I wanted to have a say about my own songs myself. Americans want predictable songs and sounds whereas I chose the opposite. We have been fighting like cats and dogs in that studio, we were constantly clashing. In the end we decided to make a compromise, but with the result that neither of us was happy with the final result. It was all very annoying, but I also learned from it."

The track "One World" was later included on Kershaw's 1991 compilation album The Collection, while the German vinyl and Japanese CD editions of the compilation featured a re-recorded version of the track instead. In recent years, Kershaw stated via his Q&A sessions "Drum Talk" that the re-recorded version was to be a single after the release of "Elisabeth's Eyes", however this never materialised as he and the record label MCA parted company. In 1991, English pop singer Chesney Hawkes covered the song for his debut studio album Buddy's Song and it also appeared as the B-side to his third single "Secrets of the Heart". In the same year, Hawkes had scored a number one hit in the UK with the Nik Kershaw-penned song "The One and Only".

Track listing

All songs are written by Nik Kershaw, except where noted.

1. "One Step Ahead" – 3:53
2. "Elisabeth's Eyes" – 4:40
3. "Take My Place" – 4:04
4. "Wounded Knee" – 3:53
5. "Cowboys & Indians" – 3:52
6. "One World" (Nik Kershaw, Peter Wolf) – 4:39
7. "Don't Ask Me" – 4:02
8. "Burning at Both Ends" – 4:05
9. "Lady on the Phone" (Kershaw, Wolf) – 4:09
10. "Walkabout" – 4:56

Made by Warner-Pioneer Corporation, Japan.

Recording information:

Recorded at: Can-Am Recorders (Tarzana, California)

Sarm West Studios (London)

Sarm East Studios (London)

Rumbo Recorders (Canoga Park, California)

Ground Control (Santa Monica, California)

Secret Sound (Woodland Hills, California)