Chicago 17 is the fourteenth studio album by American band Chicago, released on May 14, 1984. It was the group’s second release for Full Moon/Warner Bros. Records, their second album to be produced by David Foster and their last with founding bassist/vocalist Peter Cetera.
Four singles were released from the album, all of which placed in the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The success of the singles propelled Chicago 17 to achieve an RIAA certification of six times platinum. Chicago 17 remains the biggest-selling album in the band’s history.
In 1985 the album received three Grammy Awards. David Foster won for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical (tied in this category with Lionel Richie and James Anthony Carmichael), Humberto Gatica won for Best Engineered Recording – Non-Classical, and David Foster and Jeremy Lubbock won for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocal(s) for “Hard Habit to Break” which was also nominated for Record of the Year, Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals and Best Vocal Arrangement for Two or More Voices. In his review of the album for AllMusic, music critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine says Chicago 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.”
- “Stay the Night” 3:48
- “We Can Stop the Hurtin'” 4:11
- “Hard Habit to Break” 4:43
- “Only You” 3:53
- “Remember the Feeling” 4:28
- “Along Comes a Woman” 4:14
- “You’re the Inspiration” 3:49
- “Please Hold On” 3:37
- “Prima Donna” 4:09
- “Once in a Lifetime” 4:12
- “Along Comes a Woman” 4:41
- “Good For Nothing” 3:30
Peter Cetera – bass guitar on “Stay the Night”; lead and background vocals, arrangements on “Stay the Night”, “Along Comes a Woman”, “You’re the Inspiration”, and “Prima Donna”; vocal arrangements on “Remember the Feeling”
Bill Champlin – guitars, keyboards, lead and background vocals, vocal arrangements on “Only You”
Robert Lamm – keyboards, lead and background vocals, arrangements on “We Can Stop the Hurtin'”, vocal arrangements on “Only You”
Lee Loughnane – trumpet
James Pankow – trombone, horn arrangements, arrangements on “Once In a Lifetime”
Walter Parazaider – woodwinds
Chris Pinnick – guitar
Danny Seraphine – drums
Jeff Porcaro – drums (uncredited) on “Stay the Night”
Carlos Vega – drums (uncredited) on “You’re the Inspiration”
Michael Landau – guitar
Paul Jackson Jr. – guitar
Mark Goldenberg – guitar, additional arrangements on “Along Comes a Woman” and “Prima Donna”
Paulinho da Costa – percussion
David Foster – keyboards, synthesizer programming, synth basses on all tracks (except “Stay the Night”), additional arrangements
John Van Tongeren – synthesizer programming
Erich Bulling – synthesizer programming
Marcus Ryle – synthesizer programming
Gary Grant – trumpet
Greg Adams – trumpet
Kenny Cetera – background vocals on “Stay the Night”, “Prima Donna”, “You’re the Inspiration”, and “Along Comes a Woman”
Donny Osmond – background vocals on “We Can Stop the Hurtin'”
Richard Marx – background vocals on “We Can Stop the Hurtin'”
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