CHICAGO
The Best of Chicago:
40th Anniversary Edition
Rhino Records 2007
www.chicagotheband.com

Genre
Pop-rock / classic / melodic

The Good
How does one chronicle a 40 year career on just two CDs? Rhino and Chicago have done their very best to showcase one of the Windy City’s most successful bands. If you followed the band from the very early days, then disc one is for you. It chronicles the group’s Chicago Transit Authority days, as well as the more popular classic radio hits; “Does Anybody Really Know What Time it Is?,” “Saturday in the Park,” and “If You Leave Me Now.” I didn’t even know this was Chicago. The sound is so different from their sound of the eighties (when I was introduced to them).

Disc two cover the current and most successful Chicago years. Chicago rode pretty high with the ballads “Hard to Say I’m Sorry,” “Hard Habit to Break,” “You’re the Inspiration,” and “Will You Still Love Me.” It wasn’t just the Peter Cetera years that were good to Chicago. They continued a string of hits after his departure with tracks like “I Don’t Wanna Live Without Your Love,” “Look Away,” and “You’re Not Alone.”

Yes, Chicago & Rhino did release a hits package similar to this five years back. However, this collection adds two tracks from their phenomenal last studio album XXX (“Feel” & “Love Will Come Back). Plus, they add “Hear in My Heart from a previous best of collection. If you haven’t heard the new material, you are really missing out. Another great bonus with this package is track by track liner notes by the group.

The Bad
Not included with this collection that was on the last; “I’m a Man,” “Free,” “Lowdown,” “Dialogues Part 1 & 2,” “Wishing You Were Here,” “Happy Man,” “Take Me Back to Chicago,” “Alive Again,” “Stay the Night,” “Along Comes a Woman,” “We Can Last Forever,” “Chasing the Wind,” and “Sing, Sing, Sing.” If you ask me, those are some key omissions. They managed to fit 39 songs into the last hits package, but only 30 on this one?

The Verdict
A great Chicago collection, but not the best. My advice, pick up The Very Best of Chicago: Only the Beginning and XXX and you’ll have all the greatest Chicago material that you’ll ever need.

Did You Know?
According to statistics, Chicago is second only to the Beach Boys for the most successful American band.

Rating: out of 5

Related Reviews:
Chicago - XXX
Peter Cetera - Solitude/Solitare

--George Dionne