Chicago Ix: Greatest Hits 69-74 (Rpkg)

Chicago | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 4, 2005)
• Original Release Date: 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Rhino
• ASIN: B000AYEI90
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (84 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,671 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Chicago IX: Greatest Hits '69 - '74 was the band's first greatest hits collection. Originally released 30 years ago in November of 1975, it spent five weeks atop the Billboard album chart and has been certified four times platinum! Still to date, it is the biggest selling album of their career. Chicago IX features signature favorites the band still performs on tour today, such as "25 or 6 to 4", "Beginnings," "Saturday in the Park," "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is," and "Call On Me." It was the first Chicago album to feature pictures of the band on the cover, incorporated into their trademark logo. Chicago IX: Greatest Hits '69-74 completes Rhino's reissues of the band's signature early recordings.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The one Chicago CD to buy - but please remaster it, November 3, 1999

By A Customer

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

No question that this is indeed the most concise, exciting single CD best-of covering Chicago's early hit period.

Only two songs get the single editing treatment: Make Me Smile, and Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?

The only really frustrating thing about this CD is that the group regained the catalog from Columbia. Since then, Columbia has been remastering their Greatest Hits line (B,S&T, Byrds, Donovan, etc) adding bonus tracks to boot.

Chicago Records has to date failed to do the same. This means that this terrific Chicago best-of still has mid '80's sound quality.

Suggestion: Chicago records remaster the catalog and add needed bonus tracks where available.

26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Place to Start, July 1, 2001

By 

W. Langan "take403" (the end of the world to your town!) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Chicago IX - Greatest Hits (Audio CD)

This is a good CD to introduce someone to Chicago or to let them know who it was who sang songs like "25 or 6 to 4" or "Saturday in the Park" (perhaps 2 of their most recognisable songs). This collection features exclusively the original (and the best) lineup of Peter Cetera (he may have gone a little pop in the 1980's but he still could jam on bass and sing really well), Robert Lamm (an excellent keyboardist, singer, and songwiter), James Pankow (trombonist; both he and Lamm guested on Bob Coburn's Rock Line last week), Lee Loughnane (trumpet), Danny Seraphine (drummer extraordinaire), Walter Parazaider (woodwinds-sax, flute, and clarinet), and the late great Terry Kath (Hendrix complimented his guitar style when still alive and only Barry White could match his gravelly baritone). As others who reviewed this have said, this isn't a complete Greatest Hits collection. After all, there are no brass instruments on "I'm a Man" a song which showed a different side of Chicago and albums Chicago III and VIII are not even represented. Nevertheless, every song here is a gem. "Saturday in the Park" recollects Lamm's memories in NYC (he's one of the few original members who is not a native of the windy city). Pankow contributes the motivational "Feelin' Stronger" (co-written with Cetera) and the introspective "Searchin' So Long" (featuting some lovely strings joining the brass section). "Just You 'n' Me" features some fine jazz improvization in the middle. "Wishing You Were Here" features some fine vocals from Carl and Dennis Wilson and Al Jardine of the Beach Boys. Kath croons on both the passionate "Make Me Smile" and the sensitive "Colour My World", featuring a lovely flute solo by Parazaider (both songs were part of a long medley on Chicago II) and jams out quite impressively with his guitar on "25 or 6 to 4"! "Call on Me" probably best represents Chicago VII (one of the last jazz-rock albums they did). And I'm really glad the entire versions of "Beginnings" (one of my all-time favorites) and "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?" (Lamm's plea for a world to chill out and not be in such a hurry all the time). When this 1st came out on vinyl, the samba fadeout of "Beginnings" was cut short as was the bold intro to "...What Time It Is" (too bad for vinyl owners, since Lamm's F/G piano riff is an essential part of the song). As I said before, this is the best place to start and if you'd really like to hear more, Chicago's Group Portrait is highly recommended.

25 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Terrific, But Mostly Unnecessary Collection, October 8, 2005

By 

Steve Vrana (Aurora, NE) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Chicago Ix: Greatest Hits 69-74 (Rpkg) (Audio CD)

CHICAGO IX: GREATEST HITS was first released thirty years ago and it was a fitting testament to the classic period in Chicago's continuing legacy. While Rhino justifiably remastered and rereleaseed (often with bonus tracks) their early catalog, was it really necessary to reissue this greatest hits package? After all, Rhino put out a definitive two-disc set, 2002's THE VERY BEST OF CHICAGO: ONLY THE BEGINNING, that covers every song here--and 28 more.

However, it should be noted that there are two distinctive differences. THE VERY BEST OF included a new edit of "Make Me Smile" that was over a minute longer than the original LP version, and they used a truncated version of "Beginnings," editing out the drum and percussion interlude. Both of these songs appear in their original album version on CHICAGO IX. Is that enough difference to warrant the purchase of this reissue? You'll have to decide that for yourself. But, overall, this is a solid (if somewhat skimpy) collection of Chicago's early hits. RECOMMENDED