Written by Robert Lamm & Bill Gable

Released in September of 1986, Chicago 18 was the first album that the veteran supergroup recorded without Peter Cetera who departed the previous year. Chicago 18 saw David Foster again in the producer’s seat and newcomer Jason Scheff making his debut as tenor lead singer and bassist. Chicago 18  brought the band more solid hit singles with the radio-friendly ballads “Will You Still Love Me” and “If She Would Have Been Faithful.” Reviews of both classic hits can be found in the archives. Chicago 18 also had a string of catchy album tracks including a Robert Lamm mid-tempo titled “Forever.”

The choice for this week’s song is “Forever.”

Lamm was Chicago’s long-time singer, composer and keyboardist. Lamm co-wrote “Forever” with singer/songwriter Bill Gable. “Forever” was quite interesting for its jazz-infused pop atmosphere that was well-delivered by Lamm’s vocals. The keyboard driven arrangement by Foster, Lamm and the album’s engineer, Humberto Gatica, was also of note and pretty close, sonically, to the Hitman’s high-tech stuff of his self-titled solo album released just a few months earlier. “Forever” presented nice key changes, great rhythm guitars by Mike Landau and powerful horn breaks courtesy of Jimmy Pankow.

A little-known fact about “Forever” was the great saxophone performance heard on this track. It wasn’t by the band’s original woodwinds player, Walt Parazaider. It was delivered by session ace David Boruff. Boruff also put his signature stamp on Foster’s instrumental hit, “Love Theme From St. Elmo’s Fire.”

Released in March of 1987 and the third single from Chicago 18, “Forever” eventually became the b-side of “If She Would Have Been Faithful.” 

Listen

• Lead Vocals & Keyboards: Robert Lamm
• Drums & Drum Programming: Danny Seraphine
• Trombone: James Pankow
• Woodwinds: Walter Parazaider
• Trumpet: Lee Loughnane
• Keyboards: David Foster
• Saxophone solo: David Boruff
• Guitars: Michael Landau
• Synthesizer Programming: Michael Boddicker, David Boruff, Rhett Lawrence & Bo Tomlyn

• Arranged by Robert Lamm, David Foster & Humberto Gatica
• Brass Arrangement by James Pankow
• Produced by David Foster

Lyrics

Every day it seems we hear the same old story
Every day there’s lovers giving up on love
People say it’s just a fact of modern living
All around us, people fall in love and marry
Then we hear they’re breaking up, and wonder why?
Did they mean it when they said it was forever?
All I know is what I feel

Forever
Is a long, long time
Longer than we ever realize
Forever
Is a long, long time
I’m gonna love you the rest of my life
Forever

Every day I spend with you, I call it lucky
Every night we touch and speak the words of love
Did I mean it when I said it was forever?
All I know is what I feel

Forever
Is a long, long time
Longer than we ever realize
Forever
Is a long, long time
I’m gonna love you the rest of my life
Forever

I’m gonna love you the rest of my life
Forever

Written by David Foster & James Pankow

Released in the Spring of 1984, Chicago 17 was one of the pivotal projects of David Foster’s entire career. That record’s perfect pop sounds brought the veteran band four huge Top 40 hits including “Hard Habit To Break,” “You’re The Inspiration,” “Stay The Night,” “Along Comes A Woman” plus multimillion sales that total today over six million copies in the US alone. With Chicago 17, Foster basically shaped the pop/adult contemporary genre that dominated the radio waves of the Eighties.

Chicago 17 perfected the match of Foster’s superior talents as a musician, songwriter, arranger and producer with Peter Cetera’s blooming skills as a singer/songwriter. They both were at the peak of their creativity and the results were astounding. Cetera’s voice and personality were in the spotlight on most of the project but there were some album tracks that didn’t feature him but were total ear candy just the same. Previous reviews of “We Can Stop The Hurtin’” and “Please Hold On” are perfect testaments of this statement. Chicago 17 had some fantastic contributions by Bill Champlin. From his duet with Cetera on “Hard Habit To Break” to his soul-drenched vocals throughout the album, you can hear Champlin’s influence. Chicago’s main guys, James Pankow and Robert Lamm, were also in good form. One superb example was “Only You,” the choice for this week’s review.

Co-written by Foster and Pankow, “Only You” was an irresistible mid-tempo. Lamm and Champlin shared the lead vocals and sang most of the vocal harmonies on this light/funk number arranged by Foster. Session great Paul Jackson Jr. added some nasty rhythm guitar licks while the Hitman played keyboards and a grooving moog bass. The legendary Chicago horns shone on “Only You” by delivering their trademark sounds. This jam was a state-of-the-art music affair and eventually became the b-side of “Stay The Night.” This timeless project rightly brought Foster and his engineer, Humberto Gatica, Grammys as “Producer of the Year” and “Best Engineered Recording,” respectively.

Listen

• Lead Vocals: Bill Champlin & Robert Lamm
• Drums: Danny Seraphine
• Keyboards & Bass Synthesizer: David Foster
• Guitars: Paul Jackson, Jr.
• Trombone: James Pankow
• Saxophone: Walter Parazaider
• Trumpet: Lee Loughnane
• Backing Vocals: Bill Champlin, Robert Lamm & Peter Cetera

• Arranged by David Foster
• Horns Arranged by David Foster & James Pankow
• Vocals Arranged by Bill Champlin & Robert Lamm

• Produced by David Foster

Lyrics

Hold me forever
Whisper the words I’ve waited so long to hear
Love’s sweet surrender
Steals an embrace and kisses away the tears

Lookin’ back down the road of love
We can still feel the heartache
Pain and joy of an unrelenting love
Hold us together

Only you
You’ve got control
Only you
You’ve got the key to my heart
Only you
You’ve got control
Need your love, take me forever

Sad empty faces
Faded away when I fell in love with you
True love erases
Fear and the doubt not knowing we’d see things through

So in
In a world of illusion
We fell in love until the end of time
True love, forever

Only you
You’ve got control
Only you
You’ve got the key to my heart
Only you
You’ve got control
Need your love, take me forever

Lookin’ back down the road of love
We can still feel the heartache
Pain and joy of an unrelenting love
Hold us together

Only you
You’ve got control
Only you
You’ve got the key to my heart
Only you
You’ve got control
Need your love, take me forever

Robert Lamm was the gifted composer, singer and keyboard player of the legendary band Chicago. In 1995, he released his second solo cd entitled Life Is Good In My Neighborhood. Produced by the late, great Phil Ramone (January 5, 1934 – March 30, 2013), one of the highlights of their endeavor was “When Will The World Be Like Lovers.” Co-written with David Foster and Tom Keane, “When Will The World Be Like Lovers” was an energetic, up-tempo number that can be found in the archives. What everyone doesn’t know was that Chicago recorded “When Will The World Be Like Lovers” almost ten years earlier on the sessions for their 1986 Chicago 18  album. Mysteriously, that fantastic, David Foster-helmed tune didn’t make the final cut, yet a recording of the song resurfaced on the web and has been floating around for years.

 Although Lamm’s solo version was good, Chicago ‘s take with the Hitman in the control room takes on a different, higher level. “When Will The World Be Like Lovers” was a great pop/rock composition that mixes Lamm’s always inventive songwriting with Foster’s unique pop feel and spectacular craftsmanship. The keyboard-based arrangement was a high tech tour-de-force showing the group’s three singers, Lamm, Jason Scheff and Bill Champlin, at the top of their game. They each delivered amazing lead vocals and ear-candy harmonies. A special mention goes to Champlin’s smooth baritone that oozes class and power while Scheff was also very impressive with his handling of the song’s catchy refrain. Add to the picture Chicago’s trademark horns providing some powerful lines plus Michael Landau’s spectacular work on guitar and you’ve got a piece that was vastly superior, in this reviewer’s opinion, to the majority of the songs included on Chicago 18. An interesting detail for music lovers was the sample of Chicago ‘s trademark hit, “Beginnings,” that can be heard towards the end of this song. Another mystery regarding “When Will The World Be Like Lovers” was not including this song on the various reissues of Chicago 18 through the years. This song was a real treat for Foster’s fans who appreciate the Canadian Genius at the peak of his creative partnership with Chicago .

Another rocking version of “When Will The World Be Like Lovers” is included on the celebrated Fly Away – The Songs Of David Foster  tribute cd. That cover, arranged by the amazing Tomi Malm, is also worth a listen with special guests including Robbie Dupree, Bill Cantos, Frank Adahl and Arnold McCuller sharing the vocals plus session aces John Robinson and Landau playing the instrumental track.

Listen

[audio:https://www.fozfan.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/ChicagoWhenWilltheWorldBeLikeLoversoriginaltapedirecttodigital.mp3|titles=When Will The World Be Like Lovers|artists=Robert Lamm]

Lead Vocals & Keyboards: Robert Lamm
Lead Vocals & Keyboards: Bill Champlin
Lead Vocals & Bass: Jason Scheff
Drums & Drum Programming: Danny Seraphine
Trumpet: Lee Loughnane
Trombone: James Pankow
Woodwinds: Walter Parazaider
Keyboards: David Foster
Guitars: Michael Landau

Vocal Arrangements by Chicago, Bill Champlin & David Foster
Brass Arrangements by James Pankow
Produced & Arranged by David Foster

Lyrics

No Lyrics

written by Robert Lamm, Bill Champlin & Deborah Neal

David Foster’s triumphant collaboration with Chicago in the eighties is mostly remembered for timeless ballads like “Hard To Say I’m Sorry,” “You’re The Inspiration” and “Hard Habit To Break.” Surely, those songs shaped up the adult contemporary sound of that era but those three Chicago albums also included lesser-known, up-tempo tracks that were absolute ear candies.

A couple of those goodies, “Along Comes A Woman” and “We Can Stop The Hurtin’” were included in the fourth single from the seven-times platinum seller, “Chicago 17.” Released in February 1985, the bouncy, rock/dance “Along Comes A Woman,” co-written by Peter Cetera with Mark Goldenberg, was another hit for the band reaching #14 on Billboard’s Hot 100, #10 Mainstream Rock and #25 Adult Contemporary. “Along Comes A Woman” is a catchy number that showcases Cetera’s powerful tenor as well as the band’s legendary horns and vocal harmonies plus Foster’s trademark, multi-layered keyboards. The single b-side, “We Can Stop The Hurtin’” is a true pop/r&b gem. This track, co-written by Robert Lamm and Bill Champlin with Deborah Neal, sports such a fantastic funky groove and the guys did such a great job with the vocal harmonies helped by special guests Donny Osmond and Richard Marx. The keyboard-driven arrangement is terrific and the horns are slamming making it an absolute a joy to listen to. “Chicago 17” may sound a little dated today but it is chock-full of pop masterpieces and it is, without any doubt, one of the absolute pinnacles of both Foster’s and Chicago’s careers.

Listen

[audio:https://www.fozfan.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/we_can_stop_the_-hurtin.mp3|titles=We Can Stop The Hurtin’|artists=Robert Lamm]

Lead Vocals & Keyboards: Robert Lamm
Keyboards: David Foster & Bill Champlin
Bass: Peter Cetera
Guitar: Paul Jackson, Jr.
Drums: Danny Seraphine
Trombone: James Pankow
Woodwinds: Walter Parazaider
Trumpet: Lee Loughnane
Background Vocals: Peter Cetera, Bill Champlin, Robert Lamm, Kenny Cetera, Donny Osmond & Richard Marx

Arranged by David Foster & Robert Lamm
Horns Arranged by James Pankow

Produced by David Foster

Lyrics

We could stop the hurtin’ for awhile
We could stop the hurtin’ for awhile
If we found a way to reconcile
We could stop the hurtin’

If you’re seeking a comprehensive look at Chicago’s long and successful career, “The Box” released in 2003 by Rhino Records is the perfect tool. It includes 5 cds and one dvd that showcase the amazing string of Top 40 and Adult Contemporary hits the band has amassed in 35+ years. There are also three songs that come from the 1993 unreleased album “Stone Of Sisyphus.” Among the fourteen songs representing the David Foster era are evergreens like “Hard To Say I’m Sorry,” “Hard Habit To Break” and “You’re The Inspiration.” A
rarity on this box set is “Good For Nothing,” a song recorded during the Chicago 17 sessions that was co-written by Foster and Robert Lamm with famous singer/sonwriter Richard Marx.
This tune was originally part of the 1985 multi-artist charity album, “We Are The World” and was never included on a Chicago album. “Good For Nothing” is
also the last song that Peter Cetera recorded with the band before going solo. It is a solid pop up-tempo thing with a light funk groove that features Lamm on lead vocal. The trademark Chicago horns have some room to shine together with prominent guitar licks courtesy of session ace Paul Jackson plus the usual Foster show on various keyboards and synthesizers. Like all his works with the band, Foster’s production on this one is elegant and high tech.

Listen

[audio:https://www.fozfan.com/archives/clips/good_for_nothing.mp3|titles=Good for nothing|artists=Robert Lamm]

Lead Vocals: Robert Lamm
Keyboards & Synthesizers: David Foster & Robert Lamm
Bass: Peter Cetera
Drums: Danny Seraphine
Guitars: Paul Jackson, jr.
Trombone: James Pankow
Sax: Walter Parazaider
Trumpet: Lee Loughnane
Backing Vocals: Robert Lamm, Peter Cetera & Bill Champlin
Produced by David Foster

Lyrics

I helped my good friend’s brother
Out of trouble when he was in jail
I was rushed ’cause I got lucky
Paid his lawyer and I paid his bail

Glad to be able just to pay the price
The price it took to set him free
I never heard a single “thank you” at all
You’d think by now I could see

All the good that I did was for nothing, aah
All the good that I did was for nothing
Why don’t I just let it be?

I fought for two young lovers
New York artists they were on the run
Got them out to California
One was gifted and the other was fun

Merchants will always be merchants, of course
But an artist’s is a fragile life
And it’s something I have always believed
The memory cuts like a knife

All the good that I did was for nothing, aah
All the good that I did was for nothing, aah
All the good that I did was for nothing
All the good that I did
(All the good that I did)
Why can’t I just let it be?

All the good that I did was for nothing, aah
All the good that I did
All the good that I did was for nothing
All the good I did
All the good I did
All the good I did was for nothing