Customer Reviews

The Best Of Chicago 40th Anniversary

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

"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.

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.

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.

In many albums that have been remastered, especially groups that have been around as long as Chicago, it is always a tough choice to decide to buy remastered releases. Chicago, as much as any band has had more variations of their music in different release formats with the possible exception of the Beatles and Elvis. I have been listening to Chicago since the first album was released on vinyl. That will give you some idea of how old I am. I have been through their progressive and experimental rock sounds in the 60's, Terry Kath's accidental death, and the departure of Peter Cetera in the 80's. With each change the band shifted gears and tried to recover. Terry provided the hard edge as one of the finest guitarist in rock history and Peter, much like Paul McCartney with the Beatles, wanted to move the band more toward traditional ballads and "love songs". This was not a bad idea because it resulted in a string of songs that extend the life of the band. Listening to If you Leave Me Now and A Hard Habit to Break on the remasterd album and the early Beginnings track emphasized the pronounced rift in the founding members including drummer Danny Seraphine. The sound and tightness of the band changed with each major loss or change in members. The attempt to bring in young talent to infuse the music seemed contrived or forced in the attempt by remaining band members to maintain the core of the group sound and uniqueness. I have seen Chicago seven times over the past 35 years and the last two have been disappointing in that I thought they were going through the motions much like I do from time to time at work.The live event Chicago preformed on the HD Rave satellite channel was the closet to a revival.

Most long time fans that have followed the band like me will dissect and enjoy the individual songs that contributed to the historical body of work. The newer releases will expose the gaps and loss of creative new work. Using a sports analogy, it is like a musical free agency problem. This is truly one of the finest bands that have ever played and, when you heard them the first time in the 1960's. Chicago had a unique and new sound and I can still appreciate and remember the experience in the same way I remembered the Beatles when I heard them the first time. I wish the current band members would bury the hatchet with Peter Cetera, get back in the studio, and go on the road again. Not to play all of the old songs, but to see what they can come up with now. Although The Best of Chicago, 40th Anniversary Edition, is a fine remastered album it is hard to improve on perfection.

D. Templeton

Although this set does include a few of Chicago's hits in the 2000s, it is seriously lacking compared to 2002's The Very Best of Chicago: Only the Beginning. That excellent compilation has 39 tracks; this one has 30. You do the math.

This year has marked some majoe milestones for some of the best rock groups of all time. The Police, who've celebrated their 30th Anniversary with a reunion tour and a new hits album, proved that they can show that even with all the time away, Sting & The Boys rocked on. Genesis, who've celebrated their 40th Anniversary, have still proven after all this time, they sound even better than ever, and reissued their catalog in a much better sound than before. That could possibly be said for Chicago, who've also celebrated their 40th Anniversary as a unique blend of horns, Rock N' Soul. Yet, they were overlooked in the radar, and their music hasn't had the recognition it once showed on radio, and that also could be said for their anniversary record.

The Best Of Chicago 40th Anniversary, the bands 2007 album, showcases 30 tracks from the groups five decades of making history. The songs have been remastered well, but the feeling for the record just doesn't measure as a double album, unlike their 2002 hits package Only the Beginning. The album is more like a reintroduction to new fans of a younger generation, rather than something die hard longtime fans could rock out to. The album though includes a lot of great tracks that've still proven to be standards like Does Anybody Know What Time It Is?, Saturday In the Park, the somber Colour My World, all the way to their recent tracks from the overlooked 2006 album Chicago XXX on lesser-driven songs like Feel and Love Will Come Back. Unfortunately, the album does overshadow a lot of great hit songs like the driven Street Player, Along Comes A Woman, and Stay the Night from Chicago 17, as well as their overlooked 90's tracks like Chasin' The Wind and Show Me A Sign.

All in all, The Best Of Chicago 40th Anniversary isn't a bad album, but just doesn't completely do the job, unlike previous hits collections like 2003's The Box, or Only The Beginning did well for from 2002 which delivered more for music lovers. Still, if you don't as of yet own a Chicago album or haven't heard their music, than this would be a good sampler for beginners, but just doesn't feel like it is hard to say you're sorry.

Album Cover: B+

Songs: B-

Price: C+

Remastered: B 1/2-

Overall: C+

The song lineup on this cd set and the price for this release makes you feel like you're getting a bargain and you are, if single edits are your thing. All the songs in this collection are the single edit versions unfortunately but the mastering kind of makes up for the slices. Each disc clocks in just under one hour and with 15 songs per disc and room to spare I would have preferred the full length versions but they are available on the "The Heart Of Chicago" cd's and some full-length cuts on "Only The Beginning." Overall this set is a great introduction to Chicago and to listeners with ADD.

Since my parents were Chicago fans I have enjoyed their music for most all my life. I became a big fan in 1985 after getting to know the Chicago 17 album on tape when I was in the 6th grade. At that time I began collecting most all their albums. Today I am not as big of a fan as I once was. Some of their albums haven't held up well over time and I had lost interest. One thing that I never lost interest was Chicago's radio hits. That was the Chicago I first knew before I bought any of their albums. So that brings me to their new greatest hits album that came out today (Oct 2nd, 2007) celebrating 40 years of service.

Chicago has become famous for releasing more hits collections than albums over the past decade upsetting a lot of fans who feel the compulsion to buy anything that features the Chicago logo. I can't blame them, especially when they release two new songs on each collection to get the fans to buy yet another copy of "If You Leave Me Now". This collection, though it features the same songs featured on most of the other recent compilations, deviates from the formula a bit. The goal here was to present all the hits in the form they were released to the radio back in the day in the order they were released. The single edits. That means songs that were extended suites on the album were cut back to become more acceptable for radio play in the decade they were released. For example the song "Beginnings" in unedited form runs 7:51, on this collection it is 2:49. At first this was frustrating to me that they could use butchered versions of these songs. But after thinking about it as a fan I already own the 7:51 minute version and so it is interesting that I now have a digital representation of what new fans purchased on 45s back in the early 70s. This is a goldmine for collectors and completists.

The Liner notes. This collection features special one or two sentence commentary by the original band members who are still in the band. This in some cases is very informative and in other tracks the band members share their frustrations with different periods/songs in the bands history. Surprisingly honest on some of the 80s tracks.

Some nice surprises. The last track "Love Will Come Back" from their 2006 album "XXX" is actually better than the album version. The album version features Rascal Flatts on vocals and it isn't a bad song but was far from my favorite. Presented here for the first time on CD is the version without the Flatts. This version has much more punch to it and I am finding myself actually enjoying it. Another plus is the song "Feel" presented here not as the single version but as the album version with the prominent horn section (the original single version did not feature the horn section). This was the version that was released to radio stations so it made sense. This song was my favorite off of their 2006 album and features heart felt vocals by Robert Lamm who hasn't been featured on a hit Chicago single since the 70s. It is very touching to read his opinions of this song in the liner notes.

The mastering. The mastering of this album sounds much warmer than the 2002 Very Best of Collection. That was my biggest complaint with the 2002 collection that made it hard to listen to. Not that they did a bad job but when I was used to the warm sound of the vinyl and older CDs it didn't feel the same to me.

If you are a casual fan and don't have any Chicago collections this could be the one to get. Rhino managed to keep the tracks down to 30 and have released it at a very reasonable price that is just as inexpensive as many single disk collections. If you are a completists for the radio edits alone this will be an interesting collection. Also this album is the perfect length that doesn't overstay it's welcome; perfect for playing in the background. If you already have a Chicago best of collection that you enjoy I would recommend you pass on this. You may be disappointed in what is missing.

For me this collection is perfect background music for a road trip or just a lazy weekend day. I found the Very Best of from 2002 just way too long and I could never get through both CDs without getting tired of listening. This collection is short and concise. If I am in the mood for the extended versions of these songs all I have to do is pull out the albums from my collection.

I only got three tracks into this two disc compilation when I angrily popped the CD out of my player and took it back to the store. Half the tracks on the first CD are the radio edits of the songs. "25 or 6 to 4," "Does Anyone Really Know What Time it Is" and several others are eviscerated ("25" has the entire second verse AND the famous guitar solo cut out!!!!).

Of all the songs they could have cut to fit on the collection, why did they pick Chicago's classic, timeless stuff? Why couldn't they have cut some of the corporate swill from the second half of CD 2? On top of that, this is not a "Greatest Hits" compilation, which one could rationalize that the songs became hits due to their radio versions. This is a "Best of" album, which means the song should be included in their entirety.

Skip this bargain basement collection unless you are an extremely casual fan.

The Good
How does one chronicle a 40 year career on just two CDs? Rhino and Chicago have done their very best to showcase one of the Windy City's most successful bands. If you followed the band from the very early days, then disc one is for you. It chronicles the group's Chicago Transit Authority days, as well as the more popular classic radio hits; "Does Anybody Really Know What Time it Is?," "Saturday in the Park," and "If You Leave Me Now." I didn't even know this was Chicago. The sound is so different from their sound of the eighties (when I was introduced to them).

Disc two cover the current and most successful Chicago years. Chicago rode pretty high with the ballads "Hard to Say I'm Sorry," "Hard Habit to Break," "You're the Inspiration," and "Will You Still Love Me." It wasn't just the Peter Cetera years that were good to Chicago. They continued a string of hits after his departure with tracks like "I Don't Wanna Live Without Your Love," "Look Away," and "You're Not Alone."

Yes, Chicago & Rhino did release a hits package similar to this five years back. However, this collection adds two tracks from their phenomenal last studio album XXX ("Feel" & "Love Will Come Back). Plus, they add "Hear in My Heart from a previous best of collection. If you haven't heard the new material, you are really missing out. Another great bonus with this package is track by track liner notes by the group.

The Bad
Not included with this collection that was on the last; "I'm a Man," "Free," "Lowdown," "Dialogues Part 1 & 2," "Wishing You Were Here," "Happy Man," "Take Me Back to Chicago," "Alive Again," "Stay the Night," "Along Comes a Woman," "We Can Last Forever," "Chasing the Wind," and "Sing, Sing, Sing." If you ask me, those are some key omissions. They managed to fit 39 songs into the last hits package, but only 30 on this one?

The Verdict
A great Chicago collection, but not the best. My advice, pick up The Very Best of Chicago: Only the Beginning and XXX and you'll have all the greatest Chicago material that you'll ever need.