Chicago - Greatest Hits: 1982-1989

Chicago | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 3, 1989)
• Original Release Date: November 21, 1989
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Warner Bros / Wea
• ASIN: B000002LJZ
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (53 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #16,718 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Hard to Say I'm Sorry/Get Away

2. Look Away

3. Stay the Night

4. Will You Still Love Me?

5. Love Me Tomorrow

6. What Kind of Man Would I Be? [Remix]

7. You're the Inspiration

8. I Don't Wanna Live Without Your Love

9. Hard Habit to Break

10. Along Comes a Woman

11. If She Would Have Been Faithful...

12. We Can Last Forever

Editorial Reviews

This CD manufactured in USA Reprise records, Warner communcation company. Printed 1989

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great summary of '80s Chicago, January 3, 2003

By 

Brad (CT) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chicago - Greatest Hits: 1982-1989 (Audio CD)

I will keep out of the "old Chicago vs. new Chicago" debates. I grew up in the 1980s and fell in love with all this stuff. I am also a huge fan of the early stuff. I'll leave it at that.

With one exception, this collection includes all of Chicago's big hits of the '80s. Yes, they are mostly ballads, and for most bands that would be a complaint from me. But these songs are so exceptionally well done, with such melody, polish, and emotion, that I can't complain. After all, I loved each and every one of these songs when they came on the radio.

Full-length versions of the songs are included--such as the ending of all-time favorite "Hard To Say I'm Sorry" (called "Get Away"). Also, the full-length version of the beautiful power ballad "Will You Still Love Me?" is included--not the radio edit version. In addition, a remix of "What Kind Of Man Would I Be?", which was released as a single off of this album (instead of the original version off of Chicago 19), is included. It ended up being the band's last big hit.

Ballads like "Look Away", "You're The Inspiration", and "Hard Habit To Break" also still sound fantastic. The only songs I would call "rockers" on this collection are both from Chicago 17--"Stay The Night" and "Along Comes A Woman". Both still sound fantastic and fit in nicely on this collection.

Now to that one missing "big hit" track: where is "You're Not Alone"? Instead of that top ten track, the beautiful but obscure hit "We Can Last Forever" was put on this collection. What I wish is that the radio version of "You're Not Alone" was also included here--with the extra melodies and guitar parts. To this day, that version is only on record single.

Other than that, this collection is just about perfect for 1980's Chicago. Having that along with the two earlier greatest hits albums means to me that there is no point in buying the collections of Chicago hits that have been released since then--including the two-disc collection that was released last year. Get the original albums and/or the oldest greatest hits collections; that is all you need. For sure, this one is still a beautifully enjoyable listen 13 years after I bought it. Highly recommended for '80s pop/rock music lovers.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Hit-Filled but Ballad-Heavy, October 30, 2004

By 

Westley (Stuck in my head) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Chicago - Greatest Hits: 1982-1989 (Audio CD)

Chicago has been a remarkably successful group; in fact, they're #18 on the list of Top 500 Artists of the rock era (see Joel Whitburn's "Top Pop Singles"). This ranking makes them the fifth biggest group, behind only The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Beach Boys, and The Temptations! The group, of course, was tremendously successful during most of the 70s. However, during the late 70s and early 80s, it looked as though their biggest successes were behind them as 6 of 9 releases failed to make the Top 40, and they only scored one Top 10 hit.

However, in 1982 they returned to #1 for the first time in six years with the wildly popular "Hard to Say I'm Sorry," which was featured in the flop movie "Summer Lovers." The song really kick-started their career again, and they scored a huge number of hits during the rest of the decade (#7 group of the 80s), as reflected by this collection.

Hard to Say I'm Sorry/Get Away (#1 for 2 weeks in 1982)
Look Away (#1 for 2 weeks in 1988)
Stay the Night (#16 in 1984)
Will You Still Love Me? (#3 in 1987)
Love Me Tomorrow (#22 in 1982)
What Kind of Man Would I Be? (#5 in 1990)
You're the Inspiration (#3 in 1985)
I Don't Wanna Live Without Your Love (#3 in 1988)
Hard Habit to Break (#3 in 1984)
Along Comes a Woman (#14 in 1985)
If She Would Have Been Faithful (#17 in 1989)
We Can Last Forever (#55 in 1989)

Despite their success during this period, this music isn't as rich and varied as their earlier oeuvre. Specifically, the majority of songs here are Peter Cetera-lead ballads. I actually do enjoy many of these songs, particularly "Hard to Say I'm Sorry," "Love Me Tomorrow," "Will You Still Love Me," and "What Kind of Man Would I Be?" In addition, the craftsmanship of the entire set is admirable. However, too many of the songs are sallow ballads - I especially dislike "You're the Inspiration" and "Look Away." If you like the 80s-era Chicago, then this set if for you, and it will likely bring back many fond memories.

Fortunately, Chicago subsequently released the 2-disk, "The Very Best of Chicago: Only the Beginning," a full-retrospective of their career, including their superior 70s music. If you like their 80s music and are willing to spend a little more, then I'd highly recommend the 2-disk set, which is a definite 5-star release.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Where in the heck do I start?, October 22, 2001

By 

"khandumerc" (Savannah, GA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chicago - Greatest Hits: 1982-1989 (Audio CD)

Unfortunately, I wasn't around for much of Chicago's time.
I'm ninteeen years old now, and a friend of mine introduced me
to Chicago through this CD. I fell in love instantly. Since,
I have purchased a good bit of their music from CTA to their
Christmas CD. I enjoy all of their music spanning their existence, but I keep coming back to this one. I'm fond of the earlier rock style, but the ballads are incredible. I don't understand why people can't bear their ballads...let's face it, they're sappy and lovey, but their also the very best of their kind. Chicago has proven that they can dominate every medium of musical style. These may be ballads, but they're the best ballads you'll ever hear. "Hard to say I'm sorry" is an exceptional Peter Cetera vocal effort, "Look Away" is my original favorite Chicago song, "You're the Inspiration" speaks for itself as quite possibly one of the best love songs they ever played, "If She Would've Been Faithful" is one of the best musically, and for crying out loud, "We Can Last Forever" is the most powerful love song I've heard in my life...to say nothing of the other great numbers contained in this CD. Every single song here is worthy of consideration. If you're looking for a good selection of Chicago's ballads, this is the CD you're searching for. If you're not, you need it anyway simply because love is what makes the world go 'round, and nobody expresses it like Chicago.