Peter Cetera "You're the Inspiration: A Collection (USA, River North Records, 51416 1250 2)"

You're the Inspiration: A Collection is the sixth solo album by Peter Cetera released in 1997. It was the second album released by Cetera for River North Records. The album is a collection of previously recorded duets, a few new songs and a few re-recordings of old Chicago hits.

Following the release of One Clear Voice in 1995, Peter Cetera and his label began the task of creating a "greatest hits" type package to release. This proved to be challenging as many of Cetera's charting singles were from the four albums he had released under former label, Warner Brothers. Compounding the problem further, he had charting duet singles on albums by Agnetha Fältskog and Cher, which were the property of their record labels. In addition, many of his hits from his career as a member of the band Chicago were the property of either Warner Brothers or his old band mates. When River North approached Chicago and their self-run record label, Chicago Records, about licensing the master recordings, the band refused outright. In 1997 and 1998, Chicago Records used the songs on two The Heart of Chicago greatest hits packages put out in a partnership between Chicago Records and Warner Brothers.

While the label sorted out the licensing his duet hits with Warner, Geffen and WEA, Cetera stepped into the studio to record five songs for the compilation. The first two were original songs, "Do You Love Me That Much?" and "She Doesn't Need Me Anymore". The latter was a song about Cetera's daughter Claire, who turned 14 shortly after the album was released. The other three were new recordings of Cetera's Chicago hits, "If You Leave Me Now", "Baby, What a Big Surprise" and "You're the Inspiration". The song keys were lowered a whole step down to suit Cetera's loss of range. "You're the Inspiration" sounded country flavored while "Baby, What a Big Surprise" had a harder edge electric guitar than the original due to the lower keys and was missing the final verse.

In the end, the album featured all of Cetera's hit duets, along with two new songs and three re-recorded songs.

Unlike One Clear Voice, You're the Inspiration: A Collection made the Billboard Top 200 album charts, peaking at #134, higher than his last two studio albums and higher than his first solo album from 1981. The first single, "Do You Love Me That Much?" made the Billboard Adult Contemporary Chart, hitting #6. This was followed by "She Doesn't Need Me Anymore", which hit #27 AC.

For the third single, the label remixed the new version of "You're the Inspiration" with backing vocals from R&B vocal group Az Yet. The group had scored a hit single remaking Cetera's "Hard to Say I'm Sorry" a year earlier, featuring Cetera's vocals at the end. An ocean side video was filmed featuring Cetera and the group, as well as Cetera's newborn daughter Senna in some scenes. The single peaked at #77 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #29 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.

Cetera did not go on tour in support of the album. When he finally returned to live concerts in 2002, he performed the original Chicago arrangements of the songs.

The album sold approximately 250,000 copies as of 1999 - a commercial disappointment by some standards, but was one of the top selling albums released on the small record label.

Track listing

1. "If You Leave Me Now" (Peter Cetera) (original key: B) (re-recording: A) – 4:21
2. "The Next Time I Fall" (with Amy Grant) (Bobby Caldwell, Paul Gordon) – 3:40
3. "Do You Love Me That Much" (Liz Hengber, Will Robinson) – 3:38
4. "Feels Like Heaven" (with Chaka Khan) (Mark Goldenberg, Kit Hain) – 4:47
5. "You're the Inspiration" (Cetera, David Foster) (original key: G#) (re-recording: G) – 4:06
6. "I Wasn't the One (Who Said Goodbye)" (with Agnetha Fältskog) (Mark Mueller, Aaron Zigman) – 4:04
7. "She Doesn't Need Me Anymore" (Cetera, Walt Aldridge) – 4:30
8. "Baby, What a Big Surprise" (Cetera) (original key: C) (re-recording: Bb) – 3:30
9. "(I Wanna Take) Forever Tonight" (with Crystal Bernard) (Eric Carmen, Andy Goldmark) – 4:34
10. "After All" (with Cher) (Tom Snow, Dean Pitchford) – 4:04
11. "S.O.S." (with Ronna Reeves) (Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, Stig Anderson) – 4:05

Peter Cetera "Solitude - Solitaire (2010 Reissue, Remastered, Forever Young Series, Japan, Warner-Pioneer/Fullmoon, WPCR-75548)"

Solitude/Solitaire is the second solo album by former Chicago bassist and vocalist Peter Cetera, and his first album after leaving the band in 1985. It was released in June 1986. The album includes the hits "Glory of Love" and "The Next Time I Fall" (with Amy Grant); both reached the No. 1 position on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Solitude/Solitaire was produced by Michael Omartian, who later co-produced Cetera's 2001 album, Another Perfect World.

Cetera co-wrote eight of the nine songs on the album, "The Next Time I Fall" being the exception. Because Cetera had been a prominent songwriter for Chicago, many of the songs on Solitude/Solitaire were rumored to originally have been slated for Chicago 18, especially "Big Mistake" and "Daddy's Girl".

While "Big Mistake" was due to be the first single from the album, "Glory of Love", co-written by Cetera, David Foster, and Diane Nini, was released instead. That song, from the film The Karate Kid Part II, topped the Billboard Hot 100 and Adult Contemporary charts, and helped Solitude/Solitaire to eventually go platinum. The follow-up single, "The Next Time I Fall", was also a major success and topped the charts. Later singles released from the album included "Big Mistake" and "Only Love Knows Why", which was co-written by the producer Michael Omartian and George Bitzer and reached No. 24 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. The song, "Daddy's Girl," is part of the soundtrack for the 1987 American comedy film, Three Men and a Baby.

The album was Cetera's greatest solo success, peaking at No. 23 on the Billboard 200 chart. It was certified platinum by the RIAA, selling over one million copies in the U.S.

Solitude/Solitaire marked a high point in Cetera's career, where he achieved success for the first time on his own. It sold more copies than Chicago 18, Chicago's first album without Cetera, which peaked at No. 35.

Track listing

1. "Big Mistake" (Peter Cetera, Amos Galpin) – 5:39
2. "They Don't Make 'Em Like They Used To" (Cetera, Erich Bulling) – 4:04
3. "Glory of Love" (Cetera, David Foster, Diane Nini) – 4:19
4. "Queen of the Masquerade Ball" (Cetera, Michael Omartian) – 3:50
5. "Daddy's Girl" (Cetera, Mark Goldenberg) – 3:46
6. "The Next Time I Fall" (with Amy Grant) (Bobby Caldwell, Paul Gordon) – 3:43
7. "Wake Up to Love" (Cetera, David Wolinski, Omartian) – 4:29
8. "Solitude/Solitaire" (Cetera, Omartian) – 4:58
9. "Only Love Knows Why" (Cetera, George Bitzer, Omartian) – 4:29

Recording information:

Michael Omartian – producer

Terry Christian – engineer, mixing

John Guess – engineer, mixing

Britt Bacon – second engineer

Khaliq Glover – second engineer

Laura Livingston – second engineer

Ray Pyle – second engineer

Lion Share Recording Studios, Los Angeles, California – recording and mixing location

Lighthouse Studios, Studio City, California – recording location

Skyline Studios, New York, New York – recording location

Steve Hall – mastering at Future Disc, Hollywood, California

Herb Ritts – photography

Jeri McManus – art direction and design

Mr. Mister "The Best Of Mr. Mister (Japan, RCA, BVCM-37341)"

The Best of Mr. Mister is a compilation album of American pop rock band Mr. Mister's hits and some of their other well-known songs. It contains the hits "Broken Wings", "Kyrie", "Hunters of the Night", "Is It Love", "Black/White" and "Something Real (Inside Me/Inside You)". It ends with the previously unreleased song entitled "Waiting in My Dreams" (which was originally intended for Pull, an album that would go unreleased until 2010).

All the tracks are single edits and are remastered from the original recordings.

Track listing

All songs by Richard Page, Steve George and John Lang except where noted.

1. "Broken Wings"
2. "Don't Slow Down"
3. "Kyrie"
4. "Something Real (Inside Me/Inside You)"
5. "Waiting in My Dreams"
6. "Partners in Crime"
7. "Watching the World"
8. "Hunters of the Night"
9. "Black/White"
10. "Power Over Me"
11. "Is It Love"
12. "Talk the Talk"
13. "Run to Her"
14. "Healing Waters"
15. "Welcome to the Real World"
16. "Control"
17. "The Border"

Mr. Mister "Kyrie (Single & Video)"

"Kyrie" is a song by American pop rock band Mr. Mister, from their album Welcome to the Real World. Released around Christmas in 1985, it hit the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 in March 1986, where it was number 1 for two weeks. It also hit the top spot on the Billboard Top Rock Tracks chart for one week. In the UK, the song peaked at number 11 in March 1986.

The lyrics to "Kyrie" were written by Arizona-born John Lang, who co-wrote the songs on all of Mr. Mister's albums. The music was composed by Richard Page and Steve George while on tour with Adam Ant.

In Greek, Kýrie, eléison means "Lord, have mercy" and is a part of many liturgical rites in both Eastern and Western Christianity. Kýrie, eléison; Christé, eléison; Kýrie, eléison is a prayer that asks "Lord, have mercy; Christ, have mercy; Lord, have mercy." According to Page's statements, he was initially skeptical about singing the Christian text Lang had written because he didn't want to make a "religious statement".

There is a myth that singer Richard Page wrote "Kyrie" while lying in a hospital bed after being assaulted. It was John Lang who had been assaulted three years before the composition; Lang has stated that the incident has nothing to do with the song.

The video was directed by Nick Morris, and shows the band in performance mixed with footage taken at the tail end of their Autumn 1985 tour with Tina Turner.

"Kyrie" was used in the hit U.S. TV series Miami Vice during season two, episode fourteen "One-Way Ticket". It was also used in the Netflix series' GLOW as well as the ABC sitcom The Goldbergs. The U.S. 7" single can be found pressed on transparent purple vinyl or polystyrene, depending on where it was manufactured.

Cash Box said it's a "booming track which ... features top musicianship and a soaring chorus hook."

Track listings

Non-UK 7-inch single

A. "Kyrie" – 4:10

B. "Run to Her" – 3:36

UK 7-inch single

A. "Kyrie" (edited version) – 3:38

B. "Kyrie" – 4:10

UK 12-inch single

A1. "Kyrie" – 4:10

B1. "Kyrie" (edited version) – 3:38

B2. "Hunters of the Night" – 4:07

European and Japanese 12-inch single

A1. "Kyrie" – 4:24

B1. "Run to Her" – 3:36

B2. "Hunters of the Night" – 5:07

The single edit (which was also used for the video version) ends with the a cappella phrase "Kýrie, eléison, down the road that I must travel", while the album version simply fades out.

Mr. Mister "Broken Wings (Single & Video)"

"Broken Wings" is a 1985 song recorded by American pop rock band Mr. Mister. It was released in June 1985 as the lead single from their second album Welcome to the Real World. The song peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in December 1985, where it remained for two weeks. "Broken Wings" became the first of two consecutive number ones of the band on the American charts, the other chart-topper being "Kyrie".

Outside of the United States, "Broken Wings" topped the charts in Canada, peaked within the top ten of the charts in Australia, Belgium (Flanders), the Netherlands, Norway, the Republic of Ireland, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and West Germany, and the top twenty of the charts in Austria, New Zealand, Spain and Sweden.

The ballad was co-written with lyricist John Lang, who was inspired by Kahlil Gibran's novel Broken Wings. The song is a mix of synth, digitally delayed guitar, bass which is provided by synthsesizer and drums. The song's hissing intro was an effect created by the sound of a crash cymbal played in reverse.

Although the 1968 Beatles song "Blackbird" contains an identical lyric, "Take these broken wings and learn to fly", Richard Page has described this as "a mindless unintentional reference" attributable to both compositions being influenced by the Gibran novel.

The music video for "Broken Wings" was directed by Oley Sassone and filmed in black and white. It features lead vocalist/bassist Richard Page driving through the desert in a classic Ford Thunderbird, the first allusion to birds. There is a scene where Page is sitting in a church when a Harris's Hawk flies in through the window and lands next to him on the pew and they exchange a gaze. The full band is also featured in performance scenes. Also appearing in the video are an unknown man and woman dancing tango. They are only shown from the waist down. At the end of the video Page is seen next to the Thunderbird with the vehicle's hood open.

Stereogum wrote about the song:

Lyrically, "Broken Wings" is an attempt to keep a relationship together through the magic of flowery language: "Take these broken wings/ And learn to fly again, learn to live so free/ When we hear the voices sing/ The book of love will open up and let us in." Those words are grandiloquent enough to be self-parody, but Page delivers them all perfectly straight-faced. He means every bit of it. In Page's mouth, the word "take" becomes a desperate animal yelp. I love it. I also love how overproduced "Broken Wings" is. The song is all ominous churn, and it never really kicks in. Instead, it captures a state of sustained anticipation.

Track listing

7" single

1. "Broken Wings" (single edit) – 4:29
2. "Uniform of Youth" – 4:25

12" maxi single

1. "Broken Wings" (album version) – 5:45
2. "Uniform of Youth" – 4:25
3. "Welcome to the Real World" – 4:18

Mr. Mister "Welcome To The Real World (2015 Reissue, Collector's Edition Remastered & Reloaded, UK, Rock Candy Records, CANDY270)"

Mr. Mister was an American rock band from Phoenix, Arizona, active from 1982 until 1990. The band consisted of Richard Page on lead vocals and bass guitar, Steve George on keyboards/backing vocals, Pat Mastelotto on acoustic and electronic drums/percussion and Steve Farris on guitars/backing vocals. Mr. Mister was the successor to the band Pages, fronted by Page and George from 1978 to 1981. The band is best known for their three US Top hits "Broken Wings", "Kyrie" and "Is It Love", all included on their second studio album Welcome to the Real World (1985).

Welcome to the Real World is the second studio album by American pop rock band Mr. Mister, released on June 20, 1985, by RCA Records. Two singles from the album, "Broken Wings" and "Kyrie", topped the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, while "Is It Love" peaked at number eight. Welcome to the Real World topped the Billboard 200 in March 1986. A remastered 25th-anniversary edition of the album was released as a digipak on April 20, 2010.

In 2024, Paul Elliott of Classic Rock called it "a classic melodic rock album featuring two of the defining songs of that era" and "a brilliant synthesis of AOR and new wave, comparable to the Cars' classic Heartbeat City."

Track listing

All tracks written by Richard Page, Steve George and John Lang, with additional writers noted.

1. "Black/White"    Steve Farris/Pat Mastelotto   4:19
2. "Uniform of Youth"  Farris/Mastelotto   4:27
3. "Don't Slow Down" Farris 4:29
4. "Run to Her"  Farris/Mastelotto  3:39
5. "Into My Own Hands" Farris 5:10
6. "Is It Love" Mastelotto 3:38
7. "Kyrie" 4:26
8. "Broken Wings" 5:44
9. "Tangent Tears" 3:24
10. "Welcome to the Real World" Farris 4:20

Total length: 43:35

2015 remastered reissue bonus tracks

1. "Kyrie" (extended version) 4:15
2. "Broken Wings" (live) 6:18
3. "Uniform of Youth" (live) FarrisMastelotto   4:48
4. "Is It Love" (dance mix) Mastelotto 6:29
5. "Is It Love" (dub mix) Mastelotto 4:17
6. "Broken Wings" (extended version) 5:45

Total length: 75:27

Re-mastered in 2015 and sound shaped from 24 bit digital tools via POW-r technology.

Originally released in 1985 on RCA PL89647.

Comes in a standard jewel case with 16-page booklet.

Track 16 is the same as the album version, as it ever was. 16 is mastered differently than the rest of the album.

The 4:34 edit is missing to make it complete.

Recording information:

Mr. Mister – production

Paul DeVilliers – production, engineering

Lois Oki – engineering

Mick Guzauski – mixing

Mike Shipley – mixing

Bill Freesh – additional engineering

Tony Peluso – additional engineering

Tchad Blake, Judy Clapp, Carolyn Collins, Eddie Delena, Dave Egerton, Stuart Furusho, Heidi Hanscher, Coke Johnson, Stan Katayama, Daren Klein, Steve MacMillan, Richard Mekernan, Sebastian Thorer – engineering assistance

Marge Meoli – production coordination