Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A good collection for the 2nd generation Chicago, January 8, 2001
Let me explain myself: Chicago 1st generation was from when they started till about 1981. From then on, they became Chicago: 2nd generation. The 1st gen was all about funky rock/jazz sound with great vocals and brass sections. This was their best time, in my opinion. In 1981, they started really heading into the power ballads like "You're The Inspiration", "Hard For Me To Say I'm Sorry", and "Will You Still Love Me?". Not bad, but different. Many people love their 80's work and not the earlier stuff, and vice versa. I like them both seperately, it's almost like two different bands though. Cetera proves that he's one helluva singer on this album, and Jason Scheff does his best to live up to Cetera's name with hits like "We Can Last Forever" (I love this song) and "If She Would've Been Faithful". Scheff succeeds on his own grounds (he cannot cover Cetera's songs worth a flip though, see Chicago 26), and proves himself a worthy addition to the band. There really are no bad tunes about this album, it's pretty solid, and I highly recommend it to fans of the 80's love songs...it's still a lot better than most of their newer stuff.
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15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Hit-Filled but Ballad-Heavy, October 30, 2004
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.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great summary of '80s Chicago, January 3, 2003
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.
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