CHICAGO 1980

Jun. '80 - Thunder And Lightning / I'd Rather Be Rich - Aug. '80 Chart Position 56

In many ways, the circumstances surrounding Chicago XIV were quite similar to those that dogged 13.

Popular music was a jumble of genres. Disco was finally dying out, while punk and new wave artists were gradually becoming The Next Big Thing. This stripped-down environment posed a major challenge to a large, horn-driven band like CHICAGO. "We wanted to move on and write some badass tunes, but this was still at a point when the country was searching for what it wanted in music," says trumpet player Lee Loughnane. "We'd gone from being on the hip list to being hip-less."

There was also the continuing vocalist / guitarist problem. After original member Terry Kath's death in January 1978, the group attempted to soldier on, replacing him on Hot Streets and 13 with ex-Stephen Stills singer / guitar player Donnie Dacus. Dacus, however, was gone before the XIV sessions. After some lengthy auditions, they hired guitarist Chris Pinnick, whose style was heavily influenced by such artists as Chet Atkins and B.B. King.

But even if the times felt a bit shaky, CHICAGO's future seemed relatively assured. Their management team had negotiated a major multimillion-dollar deal to stay with COLUMBIA RECORDS based on their continued success — 13's disappointing performance notwithstanding.

Famed producer Phil Ramone had helmed the groups two previous records, so to shake things up on XIV, CHICAGO brought in someone new:Tom Dowd, who had worked as an engineer for performers like Aretha Franklin. The band wanted him because "he was steeped in R&B," says original member and horn player James Pankow. "We felt that his experience and knowledge of brass stuff was perfect for us at that time."

But Dowd had his work cut out for him. Lamm felt that "Tom was a lovely guy, but I'm not sure how many bands there are where the entire group is the artist, not just one or two people. And he had to deal with us all circling him like wild Indians. I'm not sure how much focus we had. There are some good songs on that record, but we weren't all heading in the same direction at that point." Pankow concurs: "I remember being at The RECORD PLANT in Los Angeles late one night and realizing that everyone was frustrated and nobody was on the same wavelength."

Despite these obstacles, the music that emerged from these sessions seemed to click. "Musically, I like to think of that album as something to be proud of," Pankow says. Adds Parazaider: "A lot of the music on XIV was pretty darn good and, we felt, could have sold a lot of records."

One of the standout tracks is the upbeat album opener, "Manipulation", written by Lamm."I had fun doing a song that rocked, but with some serious time changes going on," he says. "Lately I've actually been playing around with it again, to see if we can resurrect it." According to Pankow, "it is just one of those tracks. It's a whirling dervish of a tune."

Bassist / singer Peter Cetera wrote or co-wrote half of the album's ten selections, including "Song For You" and "Where Did The Lovin' Go". His preference for swooning ballads gave much of Chicago XIV a let's-get-cozy-by-the-fire feeling that stood in stark contrast to the upbeat energy of "Manipulation". "Peter was really writing some beautiful stuff," says Lamm. "With songs like "Song For You", you could really hear where he was going to go eventually."

One of XIV's jazzier numbers is the STEELY DAN-flavored "Thunder And Lightning", an image inspired by a pair of incidents, one literal, the other metaphorical. First, there was the time after a Saturday Night Live appearance when CHICAGO's plane was struck twice by lightning during one trip. Second, there was the eruption of a thunderous dispute with COLUMBIA RECORDS, despite the recently signed deal. The band was beginning to feel abandoned, that their label just wasn't doing enough. Drummer Danny Seraphine's lyrics ("! thought that you thought that we thought we were bound to each other / But it's not that way, we don't care about one another") made the group's perspective on the relationship pretty clear. "I'd Rather Be Rich" is a humorous take on "the idea that the more money you have, the better justice you can buy," says Lamm, who wrote it. "It was a tongue-in-cheek tune."

The album closes with Pankow's "The American Dream", a lively, rocking song "about political unrest in this country, about deception by our government," he says. "There was a lot of Cold War stuff going on, and my question was, 'Who can we trust ?"

Not COLUMBIA RECORDS, apparently — or so it seemed, anyway. Disagreements between CHICAGO's management team and the label appeared to trap the band in the middle, and when XIV was released in July 1980, the septet paid the price. Despite its quality, the album went nowhere fast. "It never really got the distribution it deserved," Pankow recalls. "The artwork, with the fingerprint cover, was bad. The liner notes were nondescript. It's too bad, because there was some good music on there."

"The band had very high expectations for the success and of the album," Lamm says. "What we got was exactly the opposite."

"I remember people saying to me that the record must be selling ecause they looked for it in stores and couldn't find it," Parazaider adds. "Finally I realized the reason they couldn't find it wasn't because it was sold out. It's because it just wasn't out there. We've done a lot of records, but this one was treated like an old shoe."

Chicago XIV would be CHICAGO's last studio record for COLUMBIA. After XV, a greatest-hits package, both sides negotiated a deal that allowed the group out of its hefty contract. A new album appeared on FULL MOON / WARNER BROS. Records in 1982, featuring one of the band's biggest hits. Which, in retrospect, makes this disc one of the most critical turning points in a long and distinguished career.

"Going through this we were disappointed, but we also figured we'd pick ourselves up and move on," Parazaider explains. "It was the strangest time for us, and who knows ? Maybe it was meant to go that way. It could have our greatest period, because we made it through. There are two ways to go when a band hits that wall. A lot of them break up, but we discovered that when we had a problem, we hang together."

Despite the hard times this was the disc that "helped put us back in focus," Pankow says. "It was official end to our misconception that we had the Midas touch. When it created such little reaction we said. 'Geez, we should give this more thought. Maybe we better look inside and see what's really going on with the band.' Sometimes the best lessons you learn are from the most unpleasant experiences."

- Craig Tomashoff

1. Manipulation

You thought you had me in your pocket,
But I never could be bought;
I avoided traps you set out;
Too many have been caught.

Be it love or be it money,
It's the bait you must resist;
Be it milk or be it honey,
This is one boy, you have missed.

You knew if you could win me over,
I would always see your side;
Any argument against you,
I'd never let it ride.

I defended with devotion;
I believed what you had said,
But you dealt without emotion;
Something happened in your head.

2. Upon Arrival

A chauffeur dressed in gray, holds a sign, in leather gloves,
With instructions to meet the VIP upon arrival.
Father, mother, and sister trading smiles and playful shoves;
And their son is coming back home, coming to stay, ooh, woh, woh;

A lovely teenage queen stands there, waits for the boy she loves;
And she dreams of the summertime with him, upon arrival.
Now announcing the touchdown of the flight, it's right on time;
And a wave of excitement sweeps the room, ooh, woh, woh; ooh, woh, woh.

Bridge:
Each second of every minute seems eternal, time standing still;
Hearts beating quicker, minds racing fast.
Then suddenly shouts of laughter, tears of joy, flashes of light;
Handshake, introductions, lover's kiss.

Now, as the people go separate ways, I stand amazed;
Everyone has a story you could tell, upon arrival.
Still a girl in dark glasses waits until everyone's gone.
And she weeps, she's all alone, her love is lost, ooh, woh, woh; ooh, woh,

woh.

3. Song For You

Wanted to show I'm a man;
Say the word and I'll tell you again;
Wanted to show I'm a man you can rely upon,
That's all I am.

I am a man that you can count on;
Call out my name and I'll be there.
I'm a man you can be sure of, baby,
It's your love that takes me there, takes me there.

I am a man that you can lean on;
Call out my name and I'll be there.
I'm a man you can be sure of, baby,
It's your love that takes me there, takes me there.

Wanted to show I'm a man;
Say the words to me, say it again;
Want you to know I'm a man you can depend upon,
That's all I am.

I'm a man that you can count on;
Call out my name, and I'll be there.
I'm a man you can be sure of, baby,
It's your love that takes me there, takes me there.

4. Where Did The Lovin' Go

I recall the look in your eyes, and the way that I felt
When I heard you say,
"Where did the loving go ?"
Funny how it all slipped away.

I remember all that we had, 'cause our love was so right,
And so very strong.
I would give anything,
Knowing where we might have gone wrong.

Something's coming over me now,
Something that I don't understand,
But I would give all the world if I could have you back again.

I want to make it perfectly clear,
I'm never gonna make it from here.
I can only say that I love you, woh.

I recall the moment you said,
"It doesn't work anymore,
And it's come to the end."
I would do anything just to see you again.

I remember all that we had,
And it's so very sad
When there's nothing to say.
(Background:) Gonna say,
Where did the lovin' go ?
Funny how it all slipped away.

5. Birthday Boy

Birthday boy, blow out the candles;
Good friends around you, you should feel O.K.
Don't look so sad and blue;
Don't act forsaken, this day's for you.
Good days are coming, my friend;
Life can be easy 'til the end.

Birthday boy, don't fear tomorrow;
Changes before you; years drift away.
You see life as pictures, frame to frame;
Many years wasted, what a shame.
Good days are coming, my friend;
Life can be easy 'til the end, 'til the end.

That empty feeling won't go away;
Caught up in hurting, day after day;
When will you see the joy in your life?
It's there for you, it's there for you.

Don't look so sad and blue;
Don't act forsaken, this day's for you.
Good days are coming, once you stop running;
Life could be easy, easy for you.

6. Hold On

Why, why, why won't you sympathize
And tell me where you're coming from?
My, my, my, don't you realize
We're not lovin' when there's something wrong?
Come here mama, let me make it right,
I know that we can work it out;
But no sense talkin' 'bout a love gone bad,

(Chorus:)

You got to hold on, hold on baby;
Hold on, hold on babe;
You got to hold on, hold on babe;
You got to hold on.

Why, why is it always something new ?
Baby, I'm just dyin' to please.
Cry, cry, cry when you're singin' the blues;
I'm just bringin' my sympathies.
Hey, little mama won't you change your mind?
Don't go running away.
Please come home where you know you belong,

(Bridges:)

You know when the feeling gets you,
It's gonna get you;
And I know where it's gonna get you;
Right there in the back of your mind;

And I know when the feeling gets you,
I won't forget you;
Yes, you know that I won't forget you;
Got too much on my mind.

And I know when the feeling hits you,
It's gonna hit you;
Yes I know where it's gonna hit you;
Right there in the back of your mind.

And I Know when the feeling hits you,
I'll never quit you;
Yes, you know that I'll never quit you;
Got too much on the line,
La la la la la la la.

You got to hold on, hold on, baby;
Hold on, hold on, baby;
Got to hold on, hold on baby . . . . .

7. Overnight Cafe

All alone on the road near the other side of town;
In the dark of the night and the rain was fallin' down;
Up ahead, said a sign, was the Overnight Cafe;
Maybe one for the road just to pass the night away.

Then she came in the room and she moved across the floor
With the look of a woman who's been through it all before;
Then she smiled as she spoke, and it made me realize
That the time was right, and the love was in her eyes;
That the time was right, and the love was in her eyes.

Then she asked and I told her that I was due in town.
Hey mama, can you tell me what's on your mind?

Then she told me that she'd like to see me hang around.
And maybe I could take her home,
Never know what could happen when we're both alone.

Now I'm back on the road and I'm running overtime;
Turn around if I could, and you know it crossed my mind;
But I know I'll be back 'cause she made me realize
That the time was right, and the love was in her eyes;
That the time was right, and the love was in her eyes.

8. Thunder And Lightning

I thought that you thought that we thought we were bound to each other,
But it's not that way, we don't care about one another.
Thunder and lightning showed me all the threats you weren't saying.
Thunder and lightning; gonna throw it all away

Thunder and lightning, and you touched my life without warning.
Oh, how I loved you; you loved me; now, what are we thinking?
Thunder and lightning will burn you just as sure as I'm singing.
Thunder and lightning; didn't know our love would end this way.

You got your way, we're to blame, but that's O.K.;
Another time, another place, it's one more game.
After all is said and done, we'll overcome
The psychological setback of a time on the run.

It hurt to see you play games that were so one-sided.
I dealt the cards but the aces were in your back pocket.
Thunder and lightning won't let you alone 'til I'm paying.
Thunder and lightning; didn't know our love could end this way.

9. I'd Rather Be Rich

I'd rather be rich, it sounds a little funny;
If diggin' a ditch would earn me lots of money,
I'd dig like a fool in the land of milk and honey;
Where everything's cool, provided you have money, yeah, yeah, yeah.

I'd rather be rich, just short of being greedy;
I'm eager to switch, to hell with being needy.
I'd rather be rich, the truth of cash is tragic,
The system's a bitch, but money works like magic, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Money makes the world go round;
Buy and sell it by the pound;
Bitter truth that I have found:
Food to eat, shoes on your feet,
Maybe some heat, you live with defeat.

Bridge:

Money gets you justice, money sets you free,
Money makes it possible to be or not to be.
Money is the power, money is the key,
Sad and so unfortunate, but real as it can be, yeah, yeah, yeah.

I'd rather be rich, than what the other choice is;
My thumb out to hitch, or riding in Rolls Royces;
'Cause I ain't no fool in the land of milk and honey;
Where everything's cool until you lose your money.

10. The American Dream

How many times have you told us:
"Rome wasn't built in a day;
We can believe in the White House;
Everything's cool, go away" ?
Capitol Hill, is gonna crumble,
Falling apart at the seams.
We're mighty tired of seeing you stumble;
You're crushing the American dream.

How many cries will convince you
People are going insane ?
Though you keep preaching of freedom,
All of your talk is in vain.
Who in the world can we turn to ?
Who can we truly believe ?
Who really cares what we've gone through ?
Who understands? Who gives a damn what we need ?

Maybe there's hope for the future;
Hope for the red, white and blue;
Long as we trust in each other,
There's so much more we can do.
Who in the world can we turn to ?
Who can we truly believe"
Who understands what we've gone through ?
(Who really cares what we need ?)
Who really cares what we need ?
(Who gives a damn what we need ?)
Who gives a damn what we need ?
How can you say what you want to say ?
How can you be what you want to be ?

1. Manipulation

2. Upon Arrival

3. Song For You

4. Where Did The Lovin' Go

5. Birthday Boy

6. Hold On

7. Overnight Cafe

8. Thunder And Lightning

9. I'd Rather Be Rich

10. The American Dream

CHICAGO

XIV

(1980)
RHINO • Special Edition 2003

Bonus Tracks

CHICAGO

XIV

(1980) RHINO • Special Edition 2003

Bonus Tracks

1. Manipulation

2. Upon Arrival

3. Song For You

4. Where Did The Lovin' Go

5. Birthday Boy

6. Hold On

7. Overnight Cafe

8. Thunder And Lightning

9. I'd Rather Be Rich

10. The American Dream

(1980)
RHINO • Special Edition 2003