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Retro Spins: Peter Cetera - One More Story

After leaving Chicago in 1985, Peter Cetera went on to bigger and better things. For a young boy watching the film, The Karate Kid Part II, in 1986, you wouldn't be able to convince me that the singer was once part of a band. Instead, as far as my mind was convinced, he was an all-new singer, fresh on the scene, and delivering an amazing lead track to a film I equally loved.

Hindsight and age can certainly open one's eyes.

After having his first solo album buried by Warner Bros., for fear it would interfere with their plans for Chicago, Cetera would stay with the band through their 1985 opus, Chicago 17. However, wanting to get back to a solo career, he'd propose to the band to take breaks, allowing him to do so. His request would be declined, and Peter would say, "So long."

This would turn out to be a good move, as along with the momentum of their previous album, he was able to deliver the massive solo record, Solitude/Solitaire. It not only featured the aforementioned Glory Of Love, which would go on to be his first number one hit on the Billboard Hot 100, but the surprise Amy Grant duet, Next Time I Fall In Love. It too would become a number one hit.

He'd follow this with 1988's One More Story. Though it wouldn't fair as well, it would still be successful, peaking at fifty-eight on the Billboard 200, falling short of its predecessor, which peaked at twenty-three. For me, the album is most notable for having my favorite song from his solo work, One Good Woman. This would peak at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 and be followed by the mildly successful Best Of Times (peaking at fifty-nine). Though it wouldn't be a hit, his song, Save Me, would go on to become the opening theme to Baywatch for the show's first season in 1989.

One More Story would also allot the opportunity for Cetera to work with other artists, such as Pink Floyd's David Gilmore, Oakridge Boys' Richard Sterban, and Bonnie Raitt. Perhaps the most unexpected was his collaboration with Lulu Smith, who provides backing vocals on the track, Scheherazade. You may recognize her from her real name, Madonna.

While it's a decent album, it's definitely less pop rock, and more adult contemporary. This equates to a lot of the tracks being slower, and candidly less appealing than previous albums.

My biggest problem with the first half (or side if on vinyl) of the album, is that the first three songs, Best Of Times, Piece Of Mind, and One Good Woman are solid, while the remaining two tank hard. Things don't pick up again until Body Language (There In The Dark), and Never Listen To Me. However, when I say pick up, I mean decent songs, not necessarily tempo.

There in lies my biggest problem with One More Story. It just falls apart under the ballad heavy weight it carries. It's as if he hit number one with Glory Of Love, and Next Time I Fall, and made the decision that he could never sing another rock song. Overall, it's a relatively flat note to end the decade on.

You'd need to really be in tune with Madonna, or know that her vocals were contributed to Scheherazade to even know it was her. She contributes only to some random chanting, and singing the word, "Scheherazade". It's not a bad song, but it's kind of a waste of Madonna's time and talent.

With the 90's Cetera stayed focused on a more adult contemporary sound, finding success on those charts with his 1992 released, World Falling Down album. Though some tracks would also cross over to the Billboard Hot 100, most notably, Feels Like Heaven, a duet with Chaka Khan.

This would not only be his last album for Warner Bros., but his last to chart. Hist last two albums of the decade, 1995's One Clear Voice, and 1997's You're the Inspiration: A Collection, would be on River North Records. The latter collects some of his more popular duets, as well as features re-recorded Chicago hits.

His final two studio albums would see him label hopping with 2001's Another Perfect World on DDE, and 2004's You Just Gotta Love Christmas on Viastar. However, by this point, Peter Cetera had pretty much fallen off the map, save for diehard fans.

Since then, many lucrative offers have come in for him to rejoin Chicago for a reunion tour. Though he continued to say, "never say never", in his own words, he equated leaving the band to a divorce and thus far has had no interest. Instead, he opted to retire in 2019, stating he'd rather bow out before his voice faded.

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Retro Spins: Peter Cetera - Solitude/Solitaire

Yesterday's Retro Spin through Peter Cetera's 1981 was a massive surprise. A hidden gem through and through, and an album I'm glad I took the chance on.

Cetera was in the middle of recording his solo debut for Columbia when the label dropped Chicago from their roster. This resulted in him needing to buy the rights before it could be released. When Chicago signed with Warner Bros. they would also agree to release his solo album. However, this would come with unforeseen strings.

While Warner Bros. released the album to appease Cetera, they ultimately didn't want him to have a solo career for fear it would ruin their investment in Chicago. An overall lack of support and promotion from the label ended up burying the album.

Chicago would become his main focus over the next few years, but upon releasing their opus, Chicago 17 in 1984, the artist would once again want to visit his solo career. He'd propose to the band to take a hiatus after tours to allow him to work on solo projects, but this would be declined. Ultimately, this led to him departing in 1985.

1986 would see the release of his sophomore solo album, Solitude/Solitaire, and with it would come major hits. The album as a whole would peak at number twenty-three on the Billboard 200, producing two number one hits on the Billboard Hot 100. More on that below.

Big Mistake is a smasher of an opening track and only gets bigger and better with its explosive guitar solo towards the end. It definitely sets a high bar for the album and leaves me riding the waves I was still on from his previous.

They Don't Make 'Em Like They Used To delivers the sound that I equated with Cetera from the 80's. Synth pop smooth rock. In hindsight, I think this is where he got lost for me as an artist. He had good music but got trapped in the middle of spectrums. On one side, for me, there was the new wave and pop sounds of Duran Duran, Prince And The Revolution, Cyndi Lauper, etc., and on the other side was Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, Guns 'N Roses, and the other harder stuff. Peter Cetera was the 80's music my dad liked.

This was all the more prevalent with track three, his Karate Kid II soundtrack contribution, Glory Of Love. Now don't get me wrong, I would happily listen to that soundtrack as a kid specifically for this tune. Though I'd never admit to anyone I liked it (at the time). These days, that shame is gone. It's the song I bought the album for, mainly because Karate Kid II never got a CD release. Glory Of Love would become Cetera's first number one solo hit, spending twenty-one weeks on the charts.

The tempo stays slowed down at this point, but songs don't necessarily get bad. Quite the contrary, I'm just tired of talking about how enjoyable each one was. Dare I say I'm a Peter Cetera fan?

Despite the success that Glory Of Love was, the biggest hit to come from the album was the accidental duet with Christian contemporary artist, Amy Grant, Next Time I Fall In Love. Though he didn't write the song, when Cetera heard the demo, he immediately knew two things; 1) he wanted to sing it, and 2) it should be a duet. However, he wanted the female vocals to be an unexpected surprise to listeners. He found that in Grant, who was looking for an opportunity to cross genres into pop rock music. Though it turned out to be a successful career move for her, the Christian community did not take the transition well, calling her a sellout, and accusing her of turning her back on the ministry. Regardless, the song would become his second solo number one hit, and her first, also spending twenty-one weeks on the charts.

As a whole, the album's solid, and a real surprise to me as a result. I really didn't expect to be enjoying Peter Cetera as much as I am. I'm still riding that high, and ready to dive into his third and final 80's album, 1988's One More Story. It actually features my all-time favorite track from him.

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