Tim Jessup hat sich zum neuen Album , welches bei BMG erscheint geäußert. Da sind sehr interessante Details dabei:
„Indeed. Really puts things in perspective. Not likely we’ll be doing any recording on the road for a few years. These days it’s getting spread all over the map. Neil Records in Toronto, Robert in LA, Keith at home in Nashville, the rhythm section on the road, on stage, where ever they happen to be, horns, vocals and piano here in Sedona.
We built the new studio to record the entire band live together in one place, but the world is changing rapidly. I think the guys also feel it’s too much work to record while they are touring. They like to have some down time. It would be a very special project to require that we record on tour again.
It looks like that is the goal. As far as I know, I am complete with my contributions to the project. It’s up to Joe Thomas and his engineer Frank to bring it in on time.
Rhino often does this just prior to a new release, but we have no experience with BMG marketing strategies. We’ll all have to wait and see.
I agree with you. That’s exactly why we built a brand new studio. However, the powers-that-be had other plans for this album. More like the David Foster days,
Joe Thomas secured the budget for this album through BMG, and he’s pretty much calling the shots. So it is being made the way he chooses to do it. Lee and I have very little to do with it.
In fact, they recorded 75% of the album while Lee and I were busy mixing Carnegie Hall, so we came in near the end of the project. Despite the piece meal way it’s being put together, it really is a good album, with some of the best song writing since the Peter Cetera days.
I think people will really enjoy this collection. Meanwhile, Carnegie Hall is submitted to the Grammy Awards in January.
Make A Man Outta Me that Jimmy referenced above is a Pankow/Howland collaboration“
Jimmy Fuccello
Nelson Duffle I heard Pankow has three songs on there 1 with Keith. Robert and Peterik have a bunch and Lee has one. That’s what they said at convention. I’m not sure if Neil or Lou have any but I’m sure they do
Tim Jessup
„My New York Time and Man Outta Me are good songs, but there are others that outshine them by far. There are a lot of co-writes on the album, some that Joe Thomas is involved in. Lee has written and produced three songs for the album, including a classic ballad he sings lead vox on, but I doubt that all three songs will be included.
They had something like 40 songs to consider and whittle down to the “best of the bunch”. Neil sings several gorgeous ballads that are very “radio friendly” and would easily be mega-hits in 1986, but who knows in today’s F’d up world.
One of my personal favorites is a bad ass funk song that Jimmy wrote called Firecracker. It reminds me of my old school days working in R&B with artists like The Gap Band, DeBarge, Lakeside, etc.
Great horn chart on this too, right out of the Muscle Shoals playbook. The album has great diversity, is highly musical, and has Zero Filler. If anything can put new Chicago material back on the radio and on the charts, this album hits all the right criteria.
It’s only possible downside is that most new music I hear these days is not musical at all, and follows a limited repeatable formula for the dumbed down masses.
Chicago’s new album may actually be too musical and complex for younger radio audiences. When was the last time you heard two or three key changes during a single song? This album will serve as a reminder of what the craft of songwriting and musical integrity used to demand, just to pass muster with A&R and get signed to a label. Chicago has not forgotten its core musical principles and they are on full display throughout the album“
