PETER CETERA – Love, Glory, Honor & Heart ; The Complete Full Moon and Warner Bros Recordings 1981-1992 [remastered + unreleased 6CD Box Set] (2021)
”Love, Glory, Honor & Heart: The Complete Full Moon & Warner Bros. Recordings 1981-1992′‘ is a 6CD box set released by Cherry Red Records including every recording PETER CETERA committed to tape during his time with the Full Moon and Warner Bros. labels from 1981 through 1992 All has been carefully remastered including previously unreleased material as bonus, such as a video version of Theme From ”The Karate Kid Part II”. Additionally, many tracks appear for the first time on CD.
From 1981 through 1992, PETER CETERA released four solo albums, ‘Peter Cetera’ (1981), ‘Solitude/Solitaire’ (1986), ‘One More Story’ (1988), ‘World Falling Down’ (1992). These albums were released during and after his time as a member of the groundbreaking group CHICAGO.
This box set contains deluxe editions (bonus tracks) of each of the four above-mentioned albums, plus 2 extra discs with rarities impossible to find.
A must for ’80s music fans…
Peter released a total of 16 singles in the 12 year period from 1981 through 1992.
These include ‘Glory Of Love (Theme From The Karate Kid, Part II)’ (US #1, UK #3), a duet with Contemporary Christian Crossover singer AMY GRANT with ‘The Next Time I Fall’ (US #1, UK #78), ‘One Good Woman’ (US #4, UK #82), ‘Best Of Times’ (US #22 Adult Contemporary), ‘Restless Heart’ (US #35 Hot 100, US #1 Adult Contemporary), his duet with CHAKA KHAN ‘Feels Like Heaven’ (US #71 Hot 100, US #5 Adult Contemporary), and ‘Even A Fool Can See’ (US #68 Hot 100, US #3 Adult Contemporary).
This 6CD box set also features other collaborations – ‘I Wasn’t The One (Who Said Goodbye)’ (US #93 Hot 100, US #19 Adult Contemporary) – duet with ABBA member AGNETHA FÄLTSKOG. Musicians DAVID GILMOUR (PINK FLOYD), MADONNA and BONNIE RAITT make guest appearances, as well.
Among some of the previously unreleased material are remixes of ‘Body Language (There In The Dark)’ by the legendary SHEP PETTIBONE. They are available for the first time ever on this box set in four versions – 7” Mix, 7” Remix, 12” Remix and Bonus Beats. The track was originally scheduled to be the second single from Peter’s third solo album One More Story, but never released.
This box set represents Cetera’s distinctive voice & style all over the ’80s. I have to say the way he evolved became a guilty pleasure, not the type of thing you brag about to friends, almost like Michael McDonald solo & the Doobie Brothers mid-to-late-70s & early 80s period & Yacht Rock… thing is, he started out as an artful rocker/bass player/singer with Chicago & their whole catalogue is amazing
But… in 1976, he wrote & sang lead on ballad “If You Leave Me Now”, which unfortunately typecast him as a balladeer on radio with that distinctive high tenor voice…a blessing & a curse… Peter still did rockers but what radio & the label did was not good… choosing ballads OR rockers, not both, which unfortunately, not enough people heard or were reminded by his other sides.
Turns out, after Chicago genius guitarist/singer Terry Kath died in 1978, much of the focus was weighed on Peter, which affected his music from then on. After the really good 3 Chicago albums at the end of the 70s / beginning of the 80s didn’t sell well, Peter made his first solo album in 1981, the self-titled “Peter Cetera”, a hard-edged rock & roll album, not one of ballads, and I think this focus as a rock album was his way of reasserting himself with his rock roots, not as JUST a balladeer.
It didn’t totally worked although there was a rock radio hit in the great crunchy “Living In The Limelight” with ace guitar work by Toto’s Steve Lukather.
Then Chicago regrouped with David Foster & did 16 & 17, another blessing & curse… it was a mixture of ballads & rockers & great production, but with the focus on Peter’s voice, which boosted his ego & thinking he could leave the band & go solo in 1985. This was not amicable by the way… yes 17 had 2 huge ballads in “Hard Habit To Break” & “You’re The Inspiration” which got killed on radio and also MTV, yet the 2 rockers which were just as successful artistically in showcasing Peter’s style, the stark edgy “Stay The Night” & the amazing Peter co-write power-pop gem “Along Comes A Woman” were better songs!!
Anyhoo, Peter then went solo in 1985, right after Chicago’s contribution to the USA For Africa album “We Are The World”, the pretty good 17 outtake “Good For Nothing”… and never returned to Chicago.
Disc 2 of this box, 1986’s “Solitude/Solitaire”, is expanded to double CD of bonus. The album had two #1 single ballads, “Glory Of Love” from “The Karate Kid Part 2” & the Amy Grant duet “Next Time I Fall”, BUT the album as a whole is a lot more diverse, with just as many (or more) upbeat rocking tunes like the album’s following singles “Big Mistake” & “Only Love Knows Why”, then soundtrack song “Stay With Me”.
Discs 4 & 5 are solo album #3, the Patrick Leonard-produced “One More Story” from 1988, which I personally think is Pete’s best-realized solo record, with a perfect fusion of artful ambition and pop accessibility, not far off of Leonard’s 1990 critically-received genius band Toy Matinee
“One More Story” features appearances by Madonna (Pat produced her “Like A Prayer” at around the same time & has a similar feel & ambition), Bonnie Raitt, David Gilmour & more…”One Good Woman” was the big hit here & it’s a great song with a great arrangement, love the drums on it.
The extra disc 5 is plenty of rare singles & unreleased.
Then finally Disc 6 is Pete’s final Warner album, 1992’s “World Falling Down”, a polished, lush produced record. There was a Top 40 hit in “Restless Heart” & there is a very good Chaka Khan duet in “Feels Like Heaven”, but in 1992 the age of alt-rock & grunge was not friendly towards Peter Cetera’s AC pop sound. It wasn’t a massive seller, but it did pretty well due his huge fan base.
”Love, Glory, Honor & Heart: The Complete Full Moon & Warner Bros. Recordings 1981-1992” is a must have for Cetera & Chicago fans, but also all ’80s enthusiasts out there
The audio in this collection has been remastered from the original master tapes stored in the Warner Bros. archives, and is top notch.
HIGHLY Recommended
DISC ONE: PETER CETERA +1
01 – Livin’ In The Limelight
02 – I Can Feel It
03 – How Many Times
04 – Holy Moly
05 – Mona Mona
06 – On The Line
07 – Not Afraid To Cry
08 – Evil Eye
09 – Practical Man
10 – Ivy Covered Walls
11 – On The Line (Single Version) (Bonus Track)
DISC TWO: SOLITUDE/SOLITAIRE
01 – Big Mistake
02 – They Don’t Make ‘Em Like They Used To
03 – Glory Of Love (Theme From ”The Karate Kid Part II)
04 – Queen Of The Masquerade Ball
05 – Daddy’s Girl
06 – The Next Time I Fall ft Amy Grant
07 – Wake Up To Love
08 – Solitude/Solitaire
09 – Only Love Knows Why
DISC THREE: BONUS TRACKS / SINGLES
01 – Glory Of Love (Theme From ”The Karate Kid Part II”) (Edit) +
02 – The Next Time I Fall ft Amy Grant (Remix)
03 – Big Mistake (Remix, Edit) *
04 – Only Love Knows Why (Single Version)
05 – Stay With Me (Single Version)
06 – I Wasn’t The One (Who Said Goodbye) ft Agnetha Faltskog *
07 – Glory Of Love (Theme From ”The Karate Kid Part II”) (Extended Vers.)
08 – The Next Time I Fall ft Amy Grant (Extended Version)
09 – Stay With Me (Soundtrack Version)
10 – I Wasn’t The One ft Agnetha Faltskog (Extended Version)
11 – Yo No Fui (Quien Dijo Adios) ft Agnetha Faltskog (Spanish Version)
DISC FOUR: ONE MORE STORY
01 – Best Of Times
02 – One Good Woman
03 – Peace Of Mind
04 – Heaven Help This Lonely Man
05 – Save Me
06 – Holding Out
07 – Body Language (There In The Dark)
08 – You Never Listen To Me
09 – Scheherazade
10 – One More Story
DISC FIVE: BONUS TRACKS / SINGLES
01 – One Good Woman (Single Edit)
02 – Holding Out (Edit)
03 – Body Language (There In The Dark) (7” Mix) +
04 – Body Language (There In The Dark) (7” Remix) +
05 – Body Language (There In The Dark) (12” Remix) +
06 – Body Language (There In The Dark) (Bonus Beats) +
DISC SIX: WORLD FALLING DOWN
01 – Restless Heart
02 – Even A Fool Can See
03 – Feels Like Heaven ft Chaka Khan
04 – Wild Ways
05 – World Falling Down
06 – Man In Me
07 – Where There’s No Tomorrow
08 – The Last Place God Made
09 – Dip Your Wings
10 – Have You Ever Been In Love
11 – Feels Like Heaven ft Chaka Khan (Fade)
12 – Man In Me (Edit)
* PREVIOUSLY UNAVAILABLE ON CD
+ PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
PETER CETERA – Love, Glory, Honor & Heart ; The Complete Full Moon and Warner Bros Recordings 1981-1992 [remastered + unreleased 6CD Box Set] (2021)