Twenty 1

''Twenty 1'' is the seventeenth studio album (and twenty-first overall) by the American band Chicago. Released on January 29, 1991, it was their first album of the 1990s. ''Twenty 1'' spent eleven weeks on the American ''Billboard'' 200, peaking at position No. 66, and did not chart in the UK.

Production

The production of ''Twenty 1'' saw a significant personnel reconfiguration. The recent departure of founding drummer Danny Seraphine had made way for the band's "great new drummer" Tris Imboden. Session player John Keane played the majority of this album's drum tracks. Their touring guitarist since 1986, Dawayne Bailey, performed as an extra guitarist for ''Twenty 1''s sessions.

The band retained producer Ron Nevison, who'd already done ''Chicago 19''. According to Nevison, work on the album was somewhat fragmented, with the band members rarely being in the studio together, and with work continuing with session musicians while the band was on tour. The fragmentation was furthered when Humberto Gatica was assigned to mix the final version of the album without Nevison's input.

Although the music for ''Twenty 1'' was considered commercially viable, the shifting of popular musical trends toward the impending grunge movement is said to have lost Chicago some valuable radio support. Nevison maintains that if his original mixes had been used, he'd have been much happier and the album could have theoretically been more successful: "It all would have worked if they’d left it alone. I promise you." The single "Chasin' the Wind" peaked at No. 39 and ''Twenty 1'' peaked at #66 during its eleven-week period on the charts, making it their second least successful non-greatest hits album, only behind '' Chicago XIV''.

For what was intended to be the band's twenty-second album, '' Stone of Sisyphus'', Chicago hired producer Peter Wolf to develop what could be considered a more ambitious and experimental effort. That 1994 release was indefinitely postponed, and then finally released more than fourteen years later on June 17, 2008 as ''Chicago XXXII: Stone of Sisyphus''. A demo "Love Is Forever" from the ''Twenty 1'' sessions was included on the ''Sisyphus'' release.

Three singles were released: "Chasin' the Wind" (B-side "Only Time Can Heal the Wounded") in January 1991, "Explain It to My Heart" (B-side "God Save The Queen") in April 1991, and "You Come to My Senses" (B-side "Who Do You Love") in August 1991. ''Twenty 1'' would be Chicago's last full-length album release of original songs until ''Chicago XXX'' in 2006.

Reception

''Twenty 1'' spent eleven weeks on the American ''Billboard'' 200, peaking at position No. 66, and did not chart in the UK.

Track listing

Unreleased:
*"Love Is Forever" was recorded during the ''Twenty 1'' sessions and later released as a bonus track on '' Chicago XXXII: Stone of Sisyphus''.
*"Secrets of the Heart" remained unreleased, circulating unofficially online. This song was replaced by "Explain It to My Heart" on the final track list.
*"Holdin' On" has been found online in demo form. This was recorded in 1988 with Bill Champlin's wife, Tamara, on lead vocals and Dawayne Bailey on guitars. "Holdin' On" was originally intended for ''Chicago 19''.

Personnel

Chicago

* Dawayne Bailey – guitars, backing vocals
* Bill Champlin – keyboards, lead and backing vocals, brass arrangements (11)
* Tris Imboden – drums, percussion
* Robert Lamm – keyboards, lead and backing vocals, brass arrangements (6)
* Lee Loughnane – trumpet, flugelhorn, backing vocals, brass arrangements (1–9, 11, 12)
* James Pankow – trombone, backing vocals, brass arrangements (1–9, 12)
* Walter Parazaider – woodwinds, backing vocals
* Jason Scheff – bass, lead and backing vocals

Additional personnel

* Robbie Buchanan – keyboards
* Tom Keane – keyboards
* Efrain Toro – keyboards
* Steve Porcaro – keyboard programming
* David Foster – acoustic piano
* Michael Landau – guitars
* John Keane – drums
* Stephen "Doc" Kupka – baritone saxophone
* Jerry Hey – brass arrangements (10)
* Dennis Matkosky – co-brass arrangements (11)

Production

* Humberto Gatica – producer and engineer track No. 1, mixing
* Ron Nevison – producer and engineer tracks Nos. 2–12
* Jim Mitchell – assistant engineer
* Jeff Poe – assistant engineer
* Alex Rodriguez – additional engineer
* Recorded at Record Plant (Hollywood, CA); Can-Am Recorders (Tarzana, CA); Ground Control Studios (Santa Monica, CA).
* Deandra Miller – production assistant
* Chris Cuffaro – photography
* Kosh Brooks Design – art direction, design

Charts

References

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Chicago (band) albums
1991 albums
Albums produced by Humberto Gatica
Albums produced by Ron Nevison
Full Moon Records albums
Reprise Records albums