A changing of the guard, fresh new blood, and a band that was really hungry and out to prove that they weren’t dead nor irrelevant yet all contributed to what makes 1982’s Chicago 16 arguably the best album Chicago recorded after the passing of original guitarist Terry Kath.
One of the less obvious and more subtle improvements to Chicago 16 vs. its most recent predecessors was the track listing. Just-hired producer David Foster understood how to arrange the songs in the best possible order. He knew that to be successful – in the age of LPs and cassettes – each side had to jump out of the gate.
But there was a problem: Chicago coasted for a little while after Terry’s passing, then they finally ran out of steam. The full impact of Terry’s passing had caught up with them. The songs they presented to Foster for inclusion on Chicago 16 really weren’t that good. So, Foster and the band started listening to demos by outside musicians.
One of the demos, “What You’re Missing,” was co-written and recorded by a then-21 year old Joseph Williams. (He is the son of the great John Williams, then riding high on the scores from movies like Jaws, Superman, Star Wars, and Close Encounters of the Third Kind.) The demo, which was released on a compilation in the late ’90s, would not have been out of place on Joseph’s 1981 solo debut. It’s catchy and fun and sounds very much like a product of its era. Williams later went on to find success as Toto’s lead vocalist from 1986-89 before rejoining them in 2010, but at this point he possessed a voice that had not yet fully matured. The potential was certainly there, but it needed a nudge.
Adding a keyboard fanfare intro to the song, David Foster elevated “What You’re Missing” from a middling demo to an exceptional opener. The Chicago arrangement jumps out and grabs the listener immediately: It was exactly the right song to open Chicago 16, and perhaps their best or at least most in-your-face opening track since “Once or Twice” from 1976’s Chicago X.
After the keyboard intro, Chris Pinnick’s guitar and Danny Seraphine’s drums come in to lay a foundation for Peter Cetera’s vocals. Where Joe’s vocals were still young and maturing, Peter boasts a self-assured maturity. “What You’re Missing” also benefits from the addition of the Chicago horns. Where 1980’s Chicago XIV was still slowed by remnants of the ’70s, “What You’re Missing” planted a stake in the ground: This was a new Chicago – a Chicago for the 1980s.
It could be argued that “What You’re Missing” was not only the shot across the bow for Chicago’s renaissance, but also laid the foundation for Joseph Williams’ own successful career. Just a few short years later, Chicago was once again listening to demos (this time for 1986’s Chicago 18) when Jason Scheff received a call from Jeff Porcaro offering him a job as Toto’s replacement for the recently fired Fergie Frederiksen. Scheff, who just succeeded Peter Cetera the week before, ended up suggesting Joseph Williams instead – based on the strength of demos Williams submitted while on contract with Warner Bros. as a songwriter.
As a tremendous fan of both Chicago and Toto, the significance of “What You’re Missing” to both bands is not lost on me. Chicago 16 was recorded before 1982’s multi Grammy-winning Toto IV and Toto’s underrated contributions to Michael Jackson’s Thriller album. After the members of Toto contributed extensively to Chicago 16, James Pankow lent his trombone talents to Toto IV on “Rosanna.”
“What You’re Missing” was a serendipitous union in the upward trajectories of two truly exceptional bands.
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