Customer Reviews

Peter Cetera

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

"Peter Cetera" is Cetera's very first solo album, released in 1981, when he was still a member of Chicago. While he is known for writing and singing many ballads, both with Chicago and as a solo artist, this album shows that Cetera can flat out rock when he wants to, especially with the first cut on the CD, "Livin' in the Limelight," which is the best rocker on the album. It features a heavy bass sound from Cetera, with Toto's Steve Lukather providing great lead guitar work.
There are several other good cuts on the CD, including "Holy Moly," "Mona, Mona," "On the Line" and "Ivy Colored Walls."
Cetera has often noted that the Beatles were a big influence for him artistically, and you can hear that in this CD as well.
All in all, a very good first effort, and one that was overlooked when it was first released more than 20 years ago.

I spoke with Peter last night during his "Christmas Tour 2004" tour stop at Borders Books and he said he's thinking of resurrecting "Living in the Limelight". I couldn't think of a better song to dust off.

I bought "Peter Cetera" when I was in college in 1981, right when it was released, and it has been my favorite ever since (of all albums, not just PC's). It's pure Peter, raw and rocking. The songs are terrific, the voice rich and powerful, and the power chords on Living in the Limelight and Evil Eye will knock your socks off. The "ballads" are every bit as good as from his Chicago days, but not sugary.

This is PC's best kept secret, and I'm not sure why it was never "put out there" and had been out of print in the US for so long. Perhaps the record company didn't advertise this album very well when it came out, or they just didn't produce many copies.

I guarantee you'll listen to this one over and over.

Peter Cetera released this album around 1980 when Chicago was not doing well. It has some good rock songs with a country rock feel. Obviously, Cetera wrote these songs from his heart. It is far better than most of the ballad tripe he put out later on. The album also uses some brass and nice piano lines. This album is much better than anything Cetera has done since. Cetera should write what he wants to write and record and not listen to the studio execs who keep wanting all the repetitive sounding ballads!

Cetera's first solo album came out when Chicago was between record labels and before that band found a new audience with a synth-heavy power-ballad sound (which kept Chicago viable for another decade but sorely commercialized its sound). Though Cetera's LP didn't find much commercial success -- it barely cracked the Top 200 albums on Billboard -- "Livin' in the Limelight," a better rocker than Cetera or Chicago has recorded since, got some FM airplay, and the album as a whole is something of a surprise to those more accustomed to Cetera's '80s work with his former band. "Mona Mona," "Holy Moly," "Evil Eye" and "Practical Man" are as fine examples of pop-rock songcraft as any work of the period, and better in most cases. The one true ballad, "Ivy Covered Walls," is thoughtful without being sappy, and is a nice counterpoint to "Limelight," which to this day is a worthy roll-down-the-windows, turn-up-the-stereo driving song. It's unfortunate to think Cetera peaked creatively with his very first solo effort, but his work since doesn't exactly undermine that theory.

For years Peter Cetera had been the lead singer for Chicago. This is his first solo project and he hit a homne run with it. This is a very introspective project. It gives you a glimpse into the mind and heart of this singer. Very well recorded and very well re-mastered. If you're looking for the seeds from which Peter Cetera grew as a solo artist, you should check this out.
Mike - Ramsey, NJ

This is the undiscovered zenith of Peter Cetera's career. Seriously. Not to say that what he went on to do wasn't just as good. It's just a typical shining example of big money record companies not promoting a record, plain and simple. The problem is that if the public doesn't hear the song IT DOESNT SELL. I was so overjoyed when I found it was available I couldn't believe it. I bought the original cassette when it first came out and lost it to an ex girlfriend and having been searching for over 20 years to find it here domestically in the US. Tough job...but I finally got it in May of this year as a present to myself. Bottom Line here: IF YOU WANT TO HEAR WHAT CETERA WANTED TO DO ORIGINALLY IN HIS CAREER BUY THIS ALBUM...I can't get the song out of my head...especially EVIL EYE.

By far the best album Peter Cetera made. Had a good solid rock edge and melded with his vocals perfectly. I originally bought this on vinyl and wore it out. I'd been looking for it on cd ever since. This is what he should still be doing!!!!!!!!!!!!!

After finding this on vinyl at a used record shop in the early 90s, I was thrilled to find it was available on CD as a Japanese import back in 1997. The $29.99 + shipping price tag was prohibitive, but in the end it was well worth every cent.

This is, imho, Cetera's finest work. It has a much more raw sound and feel of his later more polished A/C super-saccharine ballads. This is Cetera when he still liked to cut loose and rock. The album is just plain fun from start to finish with not a bad track to be found.

Stand out tracks include the opening rocker Livin' In the Limelight (with Toto's Steve Lukather on guitar), On the Line (which was the side 2 opener on the LP-- the piano on this track is pure fun and a joy to listen to), Practical Man, and the album's closer Ivy Covered Walls.

Now that this gem, is (long overdue) available in the US at a much more affordable price it's an even greater buy!

Only two of the original Chicago members have made solo albums, and each made their first while still with the group. The solo debuts by these two, Robert Lamm and Peter Cetera, are examples of two opposite approaches that band members could take when doing side projects.

Lamm's SKINNY BOY (1974) made it clear that he was giving his best stuff to Chicago and using the leftovers for his solo album. That album had one really good song (the opener), but the rest was just filler of varying quality.

In contrast, Cetera's debut gives the impression that he was saving his best stuff for his own project. Seriously; I mean, just compare this album's songs (especially the Chicago-song-that-never-was, "Mona Mona") with the dreck Cetera contributed to the previous year's CHICAGO XIV. If Cetera had taken Lamm's approach, we'd be hearing "Hold On" or "Song For You" on his own album instead of the band's.

PETER CETERA may not be a masterpiece, but it's still a fun album to listen to. The lyrics sometimes end up on the wrong side of the fine line between "memorable" and "simplistic," but they're still better than what he wrote for CHICAGO XIV. Most of the songs are quite catchy, but some are surprisingly complex from a song-structure standpoint, especially in the second half. Listen, for example, to the odd rhythmic structure that's been snuck into "Not Afraid To Cry." The all-over-the-map percussion in "How Many Times" is a nice touch, too.

"Holy Moly," in spite of some lyrics I could do without, is a rockin' good tune, with a great harmonica solo and with basic backing harmonies cleverly used for maximum effect. (BTW, the fact that two consecutive songs on the album are called "Holy Moly" and "Mona Mona" may look like a sign of trouble, but it isn't.)

My only real complaint is that Cetera sometimes gets a little silly with his vocal style (lots of "huh!"s and the like). But overall, if you like Cetera's Chicago stuff that's NOT the overplayed radio ballads ("If You Leave Me Now" and its ilk), then check this out!

While many people think 1986's "Solitude/Solitaire" was the first album for Chicago alum Peter Cetera, it was not. 1981's "Peter Cetera" was the first, but you can't blame people for thinking the other album was the artist's first step as a solo performer. This album, released the year before Chicago started a decade long hit making career resurgence, sank without a stone. It didn't make a dent on the charts, although one song, "Living In The Limelight", made the top 10 on the rock charts. Why did the album go south?. Why did it not hit?. I really don't know the details. All I know is that it's a shame, because this is Peter Cetera's best release in his solo career. An argument can be made for most of his albums(especially 1992's "World Falling Down"), but this may be the one. Why?. Let's get started :

While the CD showcases moments of heading back into Chicago territory, it also showcases that Cetera's taste in music is somewhat different to what he had done before with the band. That is never more apparent than with the opener, "Living In The Limelight", the lone top 10 hit on the rock charts. It's a slammin' guitar rock song that no one had heard Cetera do before. No, this was not Chicago. Today, it may sound exactly like what you think a softer pop/rocker type would do if he tried to be more "rock" in the 80's, but it was out of the ordinary for Cetera then and it still surprise today if you are hearing it for the first time. One of the best tracks Cetera has done. Other highlights include the second track, "I Can Feel It", which was co-written(and features guitar by)Carl Wilson. It's an insanely catchy, up-tempo pop ditty that sounds like it should of been a pop hit, but sadly wasn't. The next two songs, "How Many Times", and "Holy Moly", are standouts on their own. Cetera sings in a different tone here than I've ever heard him before. Ceter'a voice is instantly recognizable, but if you didn't know who was singing, you wouldn't of guessed him. "Holy Moly" is the better, catchiest of the two, but they must be heard. He head back into familiar territory with "Mona Mona". It has a late 70's/early 80's Chicago sound and vibe to it. A nice song. The next track, "On The Line", is another standout. Like a few songs on this disc, this song belongs in the "Cetera's mostly unknown gem" category. It's more in line the pop/AC sound of Cetera that most are familiar, and it's a really nice songs. One that should of also been on the radio. "Not Afraid To Cry" is a pleasant little pop ditty, and "Evil Eye" is short and catchy. "Practical Man" is Chicago sounding. Nice but nothing special. The CD ends on "Ivy Colored Walls", a pretty mid-tempo ballad. All in all, it was a most welcome treat discovering this "lost" Cetera CD.

"Peter Cetera" has a sound that showcases the singer trying to be his own artist, while still dabbing the musical well that had served him well the previous decade with Chicago. For Cetera fans who haven't heard it, it is sure to be a wonderful surprise. My favorites here are "Living In The Limelight", "I Can Feel It", "Holy Moly", and "On The Line".

The end verdict?. A fun, lost album from an artist with one of the best voices in pop music. A CD filled with some classic Cetera, and songs showing an artist letting out some more of his own taste in music. I guarantee this for all fans who have yet to track down this elusive release.