After the commercial and critical disappointment of "Chicago 13", and the departure of guitarist Donnie Dacus, Chicago decided that a new strategy was in order. Instead of incorporating another guitarist into the band, they instead hired on Chris Pinnick as a session player and live performer. They also tried a new producer, this time Tom Dowd, who had worked with Aretha Franklin, Cream, Eric Clapton, and Toto. With Dowd taking the reins, and with Chicago abandoning the ill-advised dance club atmosphere that permeated the last album, the team recorded a lean, more streamlined record which would, predictably, be called "Chicago XIV". It may have been a response to the under-produced, New Wave efforts on the radio at the time. The album was easily the band's least orchestrated effort to date. Still, it wasn't a perfect marriage, with Dowd having to shepherd a group whose members were not all on the same wavelength or headspace. With Peter Cetera taking an even greater role in the band, his compositions included a mix of ballads, pop and rock songs, giving "Chicago XIV" a somewhat adult contemporary sound. Robert Lamm turned in the rockers "Manipulation" and "I'd Rather Be Rich" (a song from 1975) and James Pankow also delivered the uptempo "The American Dream".
Track listing
01. Manipulation (Robert Lamm) - 3:45
02. Upon Arrival (Robert Lamm, Peter Cetera) - 3:48
03. Song for You (Peter Cetera) - 3:41
04. Where Did the Lovin' Go (Peter Cetera) - 4:06
05. Birthday Boy (Danny Seraphine, David Wolinski) - 4:55
06. Hold On (Peter Cetera) - 4:15
07. Overnight Cafe (Peter Cetera) - 4:19
08. Thunder and Lightning (Robert Lamm, Danny Seraphine, Peter Cetera) - 3:32
09. I'd Rather Be Rich (Robert Lamm) - 3:08
10. The American Dream (James Pankow) - 3:19
Notes
Release date: July 21, 1980
Genre: Soft Rock
Length: 38:58
Producer: Tom Dowd
Label - Columbia Records
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