The Best Of Chicago 40th Anniversary [Limited Edition]

Chicago | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 2, 2007)
• Original Release Date: 2007
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Limited Edition
• Label: Rhino Records
• ASIN: B000UJBY4W
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (69 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,030 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #38 in Music > Pop > Oldies > General
  • #67 in Music > Pop > Soft Rock
  • #74 in Music > Pop > Adult Contemporary > General AAS

Editorial Reviews

Formed in its namesake city in 1967, Chicago is the first American band ever to chart albums in Billboard®’s Pop Top 40 in five consecutive decades. In 2002, Rhino entered into a long-term partnership with this extraordinary group to restore their extensive, genre-defying catalogue as well as develop new projects (such as 2006’s XXX, their first new studio album in a decade). Now Rhino adds to Chicago’s legacy and salutes their 40th anniversary with a newly compiled 2-CD collection that spans their entire recording history, from the stellar 1969 debut LP Chicago Transit Authority to Chicago XXX. With a career encompassing five consecutive #1 albums, 13 platinum albums, 21 Top 10 singles, and many other laurels, Chicago is among the most successfully charting American groups of all time.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

115 of 124 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Never thought I'd say this, skip this one., February 10, 2008

By 

Jonathan Schult "Musicman" (Mass. Park, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Best Of Chicago 40th Anniversary (Audio CD)

"The Best of Chicago:40th Anniversary Edition" does a grave disservice to all of its fans old and new by including the shorty 45 edits of its hits. That means that '25 or 6 to 4", which runs 4:50 in its full length, only runs 2:53 here. "Beginnings", at 7:51 for its complete version, only runs 2:52 here (even the "Greatest Hits" edit ran 6:26, only editing off the percussion run-off at the end, but leaving the body of the song intact). Doing this is NOT giving good value for the money. Do yourselves a favor - skip this, and pay the extra few dollars for "The Very Best Of Chicago: Only the Beginning". It has more songs, and the early hits are represented by their more complete versions. The current release smacks of what record companies do best: exploit, underestimate, and take advantage of their customers in the name of the almighty dollar.

55 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Chicago - The Radio Hits, October 17, 2007

By 

wr "will thrill" (Richmond, Virginia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Best Of Chicago 40th Anniversary (Audio CD)

People are misinformed about this release. On the front of the CD, it says 30 radio hits, which means these are the songs in the original forms they were released to radio. There is no fooling people unless you don't look at the CD cover (this is on the outside on the plastic packaging, regarding what this oompilation is).

The only exception to this is What Kind of Man which is the LP version, a mistake by the record company.

This edition has comments provided by the band.

So, it is not at all a diservice to the band, but a collection of the songs as they were heard on the radio.

It was only after Chicago was a sucess that radio stations started playing the album versions of the hit singles.

This collection could have been titled: "Chicago: 40 years of radio hits" - so that so many of you would have not have been fooled into thinking it was something the collection is not.

I think it is nice to have all of the original radio releases all in one collection with the insight provided by the band members.

This is what Rhino does, compilations and re-issues, and this is a worthy collection for completists and the casual fan that needs an introduction to Chicago.

30 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Horribly Edited Songs, October 7, 2007

By 

Bill (Maple Glen, PA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Best Of Chicago 40th Anniversary (Audio CD)

Buyer beware. I only got through the 1st 5 songs of the 1st CD before taking it out of my CD player in disgust. The songs are terribly edited (less than 3 minutes for Beginnings, same for Question 67 & 68). I thought that since there were fewer songs per CD, they would include the full album versions. And there is plenty of room on the CD to do so (only 51 minutes on the 1st CD). Why anybody would want these inferior versions is beyond me. All the Chicago greatest hits CDs suffer the same fate (although the edits on this one are worse than previous ones). Shame on you Rhino! Give us a real greatest hits with the real versions.