5.0 out of 5 stars
Instrumental Joy!, September 14, 2009
This review is from: Very Best of Chicago: Only the Beginning (Audio CD)
This is a personal reaction, rather than an informed or disciplined critique. I love this album and I love this group! Yes, there are some boring demographic reasons I ended up a Chicago fan. I was a teenager in the late seventies when they were always on the radio. And I played a band instrument that wasn't as cool as a guitar or bass. Chicago instrumentals made tooting away in the marching band seem a little less nerdy, somehow. I owe them for that.
I don't care why--I love this stuff! Chicago's music lifts me up like no other music can. Their lyrics are upbeat and make even a sadder song seem like it's all going to work out. And those instrumentals! "New Beginnings" and "Stronger Every Day" lift me out of the dungeon into the afternoon sun. The lyrics and rising chord progressions are part of it. But the instrumental solos are what do it for me. Each musical voice uses its talent and years of quiet discipline to cry out joyously into the air and drive the darkness back into its own place. I'm grateful for these songs whenever I hear them on the radio. And now I'm glad to have them tucked away on my iPhone against future need.
I don't blame anyone who feels differently about Chicago--I hope you have other music that does the same thing for you. If you are a Chicago fan, for whatever reason, I strongly recommend this album as the best single collection of their work. Apple's iTunes lets you purchase this collection, and then build a complete Chicago library by selecting from other albums on a song-by-song basis.
Stand up and feel the joy!
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