Coming off my recent venture through the 80's era of Chicago, I was a little hesitant to dive into Peter Cetera. I also didn't own his debut solo album at the time and didn't know if I wanted to buy it. However, not having it only served to make me not want to go through his other two albums of the 80's just yet.
This aspect didn't get much better when I saw the asking price of said 1981 self-titled debut. At $20.00 (average) for a used copy, that wasn't a very intriguing purchase option. As I looked further at the album on Discogs, I soon discovered that the reason for this was because his solo debut didn't actually get a release in the USA until 2004 by Wounded Bird Records.
I'm familiar with the label for its release of Ēbn-Ōzn's Feeling Cavalier. The label specializes in forgotten media from the 60's through 80's, and I definitely recommend checking out their catalog. Lots of niche stuff to be found.
Things start out really solid with Livin' In The Limelight and drew me in right away. The guitar work of Steve Lukather (Toto) is immediately recognizable. While he didn't contribute beyond the opener, I Can Feel It keeps the energy up and even touches on a bit of a Chicago sound, less the horn section.
From there, things got a bit weird as Cetera experimented with his vocals. The vocals of How Many Times seems to want to channel Eric Clapton, and it really doesn't work. Then there's Holy Moly, where I can't even explain the vocal styling, but it does manage to be entertaining.
While side one of the album close out uneventful, side two picks up with the slower rocker, On The Line. It's followed by the equally good, Not Afraid To Cry, a more acoustic and twangier guitar sounding track.
My head kept bobbing, and my foot tapping with Evil Eye, and the peppy Practical Man. Seriously, where has this album been my entire life? I don't know what disappoints me more, that I didn't hear it until now, or that it only peaked at 143 on the Billboard 200. I'll go into more detail on that aspect tomorrow.
The album ends with the slow-paced Ivy Covered Walls. It's one of the weaker on the album, but ends things on a softer note, achieving what every artist should strive to do, leave them wanting more, and more I definitely wanted.
This turned out to be a great purchase, and I'm really happy with that. It was totally worth the expense, and it excites me to dive into his next solo album, 1986's Solitude/Solitaire. This is an absolute hidden gem of the 80's, and one I highly recommend.
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