Chicago - Chicago 18

Chicago 17 was a peak for the '80s incarnation of Chicago, the ideal blend of Peter Cetera's adult-pop craft and David Foster's slick yet lush production, an album that spawned four huge singles and went platinum six times, turning it into their biggest hit ever. Cetera decided that the blockbuster success of Chicago 17 would be a perfect launching pad for a solo career, so he bolted prior to the recording of Chicago 18 -- but the band didn't pause, hiring Jason Scheff as his replacement and retaining Foster as producer in the hopes of replicating the success of its predecessor. Certainly, Chicago 18 is within the vein of 17, although Foster's production here relies too heavily on synthesized sounds and echoes. The power ballad "Will You Still Love Me?" works in this context, though, and Scheff performs his role as the stand-in Cetera ably, slipping into the allotted spaces in Foster's production and never standing out from the wall of sound. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

Name Credits Alitzah Wiener Choir, Chorus, Children's Chorus Bettina Bush Children's Chorus, Choir, Chorus Betty Joyce Children's Chorus, Choir, Chorus Bill Champlin Keyboards, Vocals, Vocal Arrangement, Arranger, Group Member Bo Tomlyn Synthesizer Programming, Programming Bobby Caldwell Arranger Brandon Roberts Children's Chorus Britt Bacon Assistant Engineer Chicago Vocal Arrangement Christopher Leach Children's Chorus, Choir, Chorus Claudio Ordenes Assistant Engineer Daniel Seraphine Drums, Drum Programming, Group Member David Foster Brass, Vocal Arrangement, Producer, Bass, Keyboards, Guitar, Arranger David Garfield Assistant Engineer Felicia Parazaider Children's Chorus, Choir, Chorus George Marino Mastering Gerald Vinci Concert Master Guy Webster Photography Howard "Buzz" Feiten Guitar Hugh Brown Photography, Design Humberto Gatica Mixing, Engineer, Arranger James Pankow Brass Arrangement, Trombone, Group Member, Composer, Horn Arrangements, Arranger Jason Pasol Choir, Chorus, Children's Chorus Jason Scheff Arranger, Bass, Vocals, Group Member Jeffrey Kent Ayeroff Art Direction Jeremy Lubbock String Arrangements Jeri McManus Design John Joyce Conductor Jules Chaikin String Contractor Julie Leach Children's Chorus, Choir, Chorus Kali Korn Stylist, Wardrobe, Clothing/Wardrobe Laura Livingston Assistant Engineer, Mixing Assistant Laurie Parazaider Children's Chorus, Choir, Chorus Lee Loughnane Group Member, Trumpet, Percussion, Vocals Maria Sano Cover Art Melody Wright Choir, Chorus, Children's Chorus Michael Boddicker Synthesizer Programming, Programming Michael Landau Guitar Myhanh Tran Children's Chorus, Choir, Chorus Peter Wade Choir, Chorus, Children's Chorus Randy Goodrum Arranger Ray Pyle Assistant Engineer Rebecca Clinger Choir, Chorus, Children's Chorus Rev. Dave Boruff Synthesizer Programming, Programming Rhett Lawrence Synthesizer Programming, Programming Robert Lamm Keyboards, Group Member, Vocals, Arranger Steve Kipner Arranger Steve Lukather Programming, Guitar, Arranger Tom Keane Keyboards, Vocals (Background) Walter Parazaider Group Member, Wind, Woodwind