Chicago 13 is the eleventh album by the American band Chicago, released in 1979. The follow-up to Hot Streets, Chicago 13 is often considered an unpopular release among Chicago's catalog, both critically and with fans. This would be the band's final release that features Terry Kath's replacement Donnie Dacus.
Well aware that musical trends were evolving, with disco at its peak in 1979, Chicago and co-producer Phil Ramone went for a slick sound, placing the band into a late 1970s clubbing context. While at the time they felt they were moving on and exploring new areas, Chicago's move into that territory, especially "Street Player", was reviled by critics and bewildered the group's rapidly dwindling fanbase. While all band members would contribute to the songwriting (one of only two albums where this was the case, the other being Chicago VII), Robert Lamm and James Pankow's once-prolific songwriting had dwindled, while Peter Cetera was still gaining in momentum, singing most of the lead vocals.
After recording sessions in Montreal and Hollywood, Chicago 13 - which saw the band return to numbering their albums with their trademark name logo - was released that August and was preceded by Donnie Dacus' "Must Have Been Crazy" as lead single - a track that couldn't have been further removed from Chicago's well-known sound. As a consequence, Chicago 13 was the first Chicago album to bear no significant hit singles, hurting their reputation greatly, especially since they had just re-signed with Columbia Records for millions. With dismal reviews, Chicago 13 only reached #21 - good enough to go gold, but well under expectations. Not long after its release, realizing that the union was perhaps not as well-fitting as originally thought, Terry Kath's replacement, Donnie Dacus, was let go. Now at the end of the 1970s and facing an uncertain future, Chicago pondered what their next move would be.
In 2003, Chicago 13 was remastered and reissued by Rhino Records with a B-Side, Dacus' "Closer To You" (an outtake from the Hot Streets sessions), and the 12-inch single mix of "Street Player" as bonus tracks. (Trivia: The songs "Street Player" and "Closer To You" had previously been released by other artists -- "Street Player" by Rufus, who originally recorded it before Chicago; and "Closer" by Stephen Stills, though with a Donnie Dacus lead vocal. "Street Player" did eventually reach hit status, being sampled for both the 1995 hit "The Bomb! (These Sounds Fall into My Mind)" by The Bucketheads and the 2009 hit "I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)" by Pitbull.)Chicago 13 is the eleventh album by the American band Chicago, released in 1979. The follow-up to Hot Streets, Chicago 13 is often considered an unpopular release among Chicago's catalog, both critically and with fans. This would be the band's final release that features Terry Kath's replacement Donnie Dacus.
Well aware that musical trends were evolving, with disco at its peak in 1979, Chicago and co-producer Phil Ramone went for a slick sound, placing the band into a late 1970s clubbing context. While at the time they felt they were moving on and exploring new areas, Chicago's move into that territory, especially "Street Player", was reviled by critics and bewildered the group's rapidly dwindling fanbase. While all band members would contribute to the songwriting (one of only two albums where this was the case, the other being Chicago VII), Robert Lamm and James Pankow's once-prolific songwriting had dwindled, while Peter Cetera was still gaining in momentum, singing most of the lead vocals.
After recording sessions in Montreal and Hollywood, Chicago 13 - which saw the band return to numbering their albums with their trademark name logo - was released that August and was preceded by Donnie Dacus' "Must Have Been Crazy" as lead single - a track that couldn't have been further removed from Chicago's well-known sound. As a consequence, Chicago 13 was the first Chicago album to bear no significant hit singles, hurting their reputation greatly, especially since they had just re-signed with Columbia Records for millions. With dismal reviews, Chicago 13 only reached #21 - good enough to go gold, but well under expectations. Not long after its release, realizing that the union was perhaps not as well-fitting as originally thought, Terry Kath's replacement, Donnie Dacus, was let go. Now at the end of the 1970s and facing an uncertain future, Chicago pondered what their next move would be.
In 2003, Chicago 13 was remastered and reissued by Rhino Records with a B-Side, Dacus' "Closer To You" (an outtake from the Hot Streets sessions), and the 12-inch single mix of "Street Player" as bonus tracks. (Trivia: The songs "Street Player" and "Closer To You" had previously been released by other artists -- "Street Player" by Rufus, who originally recorded it before Chicago; and "Closer" by Stephen Stills, though with a Donnie Dacus lead vocal. "Street Player" did eventually reach hit status, being sampled for both the 1995 hit "The Bomb! (These Sounds Fall into My Mind)" by The Bucketheads and the 2009 hit "I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)" by Pitbull.)false2022-09-17 23:38:12Chicago 131019791979-08-131979-08-1347DanceFunkJazzPopPop RockRock11127621101949ca377f6-9137-4d1f-aa17-370de32423b93f5be744-e867-42fb-8913-5fd69e4099b5c01173e4-f64b-3f3b-a6da-8ff95f984092/media/data/media5/Music/Chicago/Chicago 13 (1979)/folder.jpgChicagoAlbumArtistChicagoArtistChicagoChicagoChicago is an American rock band formed in Chicago in 1967. The group began calling themselves the Chicago Transit Authority (after the city's mass transit agency) in 1968, then shortened the name in 1969. Self-described as a "rock and roll band with horns," their songs often also combine elements of classical music, jazz, R&B, and pop music.
Growing out of several bands from the Chicago area in the late 1960s, the original line-up consisted of Peter Cetera on bass, Terry Kath on guitar, Robert Lamm on keyboards,
Lee Loughnane on trumpet, James Pankow on trombone, Walter Parazaider on woodwinds, and Danny Seraphine on drums. Cetera, Kath, and Lamm shared lead vocal duties. Laudir de Oliveira joined the band as a percussionist and second drummer in 1974. Kath died in 1978 and was replaced by several guitarists in succession. Bill Champlin joined in 1981, providing vocals, keyboards, and rhythm guitar. Cetera left the band in 1985 and was replaced by Jason Scheff. Seraphine left in 1990 and was replaced by Tris Imboden. Although the band's lineup has been more fluid since 2009, Lamm, Loughnane, and Pankow have remained constant members. Parazaider "officially retired" in 2017, but is still a band member. In 2021 he revealed he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.
In September 2008, Billboard ranked Chicago at number thirteen in a list of the top 100 artists of all time for Hot 100 singles chart success, and ranked them at number fifteen on that same list in October 2015. Billboard also ranked Chicago ninth on the list of the 100 greatest artists of all time in terms of Billboard 200 album chart success in October 2015. Chicago is one of the longest-running and most successful rock groups, and one of the world's best-selling groups of all time, having sold more than 100 million records. In 1971, Chicago was the first rock act to sell out Carnegie Hall for a week. Chicago is also considered a pioneer in rock music marketing, featuring a recognizable logo on album covers, and sequentially naming their albums using roman numerals.
In terms of chart success, Chicago is one of the most successful American bands in Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and Billboard history (second only to the Beach Boys), and are one of the most successful popular music acts of all time. To date, Chicago has sold over 40 million units in the U.S., with 23 gold, 18 platinum, and eight multi-platinum albums. They had five consecutive number-one albums on the Billboard 200, 20 top-ten singles on the Billboard Hot 100, and in 1974 the group had seven albums, its entire catalog at the time, on the Billboard 200 simultaneously. The group has received ten Grammy Award nominations, winning one for the song "If You Leave Me Now". The group's first album, Chicago Transit Authority, released in 1969, was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2014. The original line-up of Chicago was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016. In 2017, Cetera, Lamm, and Pankow were elected to the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Chicago received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award on October 16, 2020.