Customer Reviews

Chi-Lites - Greatest Hits

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

....Original Chi Lites jams from Brunswick/Warner Tamerlane.

Digitally reprocessed, they are awesome. One of the engineers used in the original recordings was the great Bruce Swedien--yeah, the man responsible for the Quincy Jones/Michael Jackson 'Acousonic Engineering' technique. Now imagine that technique compounded by digital remastering. It blows ya away!

Eugene's great supple tenor/soaring falsettoes abetted by those rich backgounds---the bass singer, Cradel "Red" Jones, you can hear clearly and succinctly--fabulous orchestrations, and a phunkay rhythm section like you never heard it! I've said this before--why be dissatisfied with a 35 minute CD of a hot new artist which only has one or two tracks you really dig when you can get great CDs of great artists literally jam packed with excellent, excellent good sounding music?

If I had one complaint, it would be that this omits the excellent tune "A Lonely Man": but that's okay, the Original Brunswick album of "A Lonely Man" has been issued on CD...plus, I think the tune is on the equally impressive CD "Inner City Blues".

Also, I agree with the reviewer below--"The Coldest Days of My Life" has got to be one of most stirring songs on a break-up ever. Never play that and Sade's "King of Sorrow" back-to- back. Just kidding.

My new fave cuts have gotta be "There Will Never Be Any Peace (Until God is Seated at the Conference Table)" and "Give it Away", but again, track to track this CD will have you humming, singing, dancing--and not just because it's considered "Ol' Skool"

If you're like I was, you probably know "Oh Girl" and "Have You Seen Her" and have acknowledged that they're great songs, but you secretly suspect the Chi-Lites of being something of a one-hit wonder (okay, a two-hit wonder). Then you will be pleasantly surprised to discover that nothing could be further from the truth. This compilation is full of great songs, and not just in the "Oh Girl-Have You Seen Her" variety. There's also a good bit of early funk to go with the soul. Most importantly, it's all worthwhile. The Chi-Lites concentrated on the three most important things (as far as I'm concerned) in pop music: Melody, harmony and lyrics. They nail them all. "We Are Neighbors", "Let Me Be the Man My Daddy Was", "Stoned out of My Mind", "Homely Girl", "Give More Power to the People" are splendid examples, but I could include every song on this compilation. And, as other reviewers have noted, the sound quality is superb, crystal-clear. I frequently spin around to see if Eugene Record is standing behind me. No, it's just the CD. If you have any affection for the sweet sound of 60s and 70s soul, buy this record, and you'll be well rewarded.

If you're having a bad and rough day, or if you are taking a nice peaceful drive on a sunny afternoon, I would suggest this, the Delfonics Greatest Hits, or any Five Stairstpes compilation. This particular collection contains songs that are so pleasant that you'll just melt when hearing them. Even songs with melancholy lyrics like "Toby," "Write a Letter to Myself," and "Have You Seen Her" sound so sweet to the Philly Sound arrangements and the Chi-Lites' harmonies cannot help but make you happy. So write a letter to yourself to pick this up.

I borrowed this CD from my very best friend, (our keeper of records) it was so good I never returned it. I told him I lost it. I remember the Chi-Lites from the early 70s when they were first known as the Hi-Lites. Few people know that they put the "C" for Chicago in front of their name and became the Chi-Lites. It's true! They are a great Chicago group that have entertained us for over 30 years. They remain one of the most popular smooth soul groups of all time. Their all time best are "Oh Girl" & "Have You Seen Her." They epitomize the sweet soul of the early 70s. "Oh Girl," my favorite, is a classic which paints the picture of a man whose ego is on the brink of collapse, all from his love for a woman. Their oooooooooo baby marvelous harmony will ring in my ears forever, but not my best friend's.

Give more power to the people! If you know the Chi-lites, you know that song. Talk about classic soul! The fantastic Chi-lites didn't get as much recognition as other early smooth, 70's crooners..but they could hold a note with the best of them. From their fab-u-lous harmony on "Oh Girl," to their smash vocal performance on the hit "Have You Seen Her."

But if you dig deeper, you'll find other gems like the fantastic cut "Write A Letter to Myself," and one of my favs: "I Want to Pay You Back for Loving Me." The intro lyrics and high vocals are unforgettable: "I'm gonna give you you a 5lb box of love, with a million dollar bill on top, diamonds on every corner and a big black pearl for a lock, use my heart for a key." Can you say classic! Other stellar, stand out, poignant, touching heartfelt cuts are: "Coldest Days of My Life" and "Toby!" The former always bought me to tears when I was younger. I thought it a most beautiful and deeply touching song and still do.

These guys had ultra harmony and rhythmic skills. You definitely need to add them to your old school but still sounds good collection, along with the Delfonics, the Main Ingredient, the Stylistics, the Temprees, the Dramatics and the Originals.

THE CHI-LITES-GREATEST HITS: THE CHI-LITES enjoyed a long run of smoothly rendered ballads and funk-filled hits in the the 70s, helmed by sweet cream falsetto frontman/songwriter EUGENE RECORD. Although they regularly peppered the RNB charts, they're best remembered by the general public for the yearning, across the board pop smashes OH GIRL and HAVE YOU SEEN HER, which became hits all over again when tackled by PAUL YOUNG and MC HAMMER respectively. On the dance-floor side, ARE YOU MY WOMAN (TELL ME SO)'s piercing horn-driven refrain was the backbone of BEYONCE'S chart-humpin' hit CRAZY IN LOVE, and the protest platter (FOR GOD'S SAKE) GIVE MORE POWER TO THE PEOPLE) could have been a TEMPTATIONS hit during their post-DAVID RUFFIN rebirth. One of the Windy City's smoothest soul exports, THE CHI-LITES were proof positive that Detroit and Memphis weren't the only locations that could dish out solid gold soul salvation in the 70s.

RATING: FOUR PART HARMONIES

my very first slow dance was to the music of the chilites. This cd took me back to that very first dance and first kiss! I love this CD

If you love the `old school' groove and you don't have this cd you are missing out; Eugene Record can really sing. First of all on one cd you have eighteen songs including gems such as: Oh Girl, Have You Seen Her, (For God's Sake) Give More Power to the People, The Coldest Days of My Life, I Want To Pay You Back, Stoned Out of My Mind, A letter to Myself, There Will Never be Any Peace, I Found Sunshine, Toby, Homely Girl, -- that's eleven and there are still more songs. Great Stuff - you need to get this. If this also had Go Away Dream it would be really complete but I'm truly nit picking.

This is by far the best R&B group of all times. This CD is by far the greatest. Just tell me who can ever forget about the Chi-Lites? A super CD. I am enjoying it so very well.

ALL TIME CLASSIC BEST OF CD , EVERY TRACK I LIKE ALOT , THEY WERE ANOTHER SUPER SOUL GROUP FOR THE 70'S SEEK THIS OUT ......TIMELESS