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 | Title : The Very Best of Chicago: Only the Beginning
Author : Chicago
Release Date : 20020702
Binding : Audio CD
Regular Price : $24.98
Amazon.com Price : $18.29
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Editorial Reviews :
From the perspective of 15 subsequent platinum albums and 20 top-10 hits, it's hard to imagine that Chicago began their career as a bona fide prog-fusion act, an early FM radio favorite whose jazz-tinged, album-length suites found them a hip cult following even as they confounded label execs. Ironically, when the pioneering horn band (a contemporary of Blood, Sweat & Tears and inspiration for one-hit wonders like Lighthouse, Ides of March, and Ten Wheel Drive) relented and allowed their music to be edited down to single length, their success was explosive. Most of the 'single edits' on disc 1 of this 39-track anthology provide ample evidence of that de facto formula: a catchy riff ('25 or 6 to 4,' 'Saturday in the Park,' 'Color My World') develops into a hook-filled, pop-savvy production rife with the band's trademark horn perfection. One could argue that that sensibility--and a midcareer tilt toward producer David Foster, songwriter Diane Warren, and the MOR ballads that became some of their biggest successes--degenerated into formula. Indeed, there's much on the second disc to support that notion. This set spans it all, showcasing newly refocused edits of some their biggest early hits and lesser-known tracks like their lively '95 cross-cultural collaboration with the Gipsy Kings on a cover of Louis Prima's swing classic 'Sing, Sing, Sing.'
Buyer Reviews :
Looking at the track listing for this set reminds me of why I have a set of albums from 1 to 19 on vinyl. The songs (up through the first half of disc 2) are as solid a set of songs as one can imagine. Yeah, some of the lyrics may not have aged that well, but the hooks, harmonies, instrumentation, arrangements, and musicianship are all still there. Among the pre-1980 selections, there are a few unexpected gems, including 'Happy Man' (where Peter Cetera actually scat sings), 'I'm a Man', and 'Questions 67 and 68', and 'Old Days' (it would have been nice to hear 'Harry Truman')
My only, um, hesitation with the set, cause it's not really a complaint, is that the truncated 'singles' versions of the songs are presented. This only really bothered me because the percussion breakdown of 'I'm a Man' was chopped down, and the intense jam/build-up of 'Dialog' was really shortened (it actually seems rushed). The nice string ending to 'Love Me Tomorrow' now fades out. But you can't argue with this because the discs are 78+ minutes as it is!
Since the songs are almost arranged chronologically, a noticeable trend is the emergence of Peter Cetera as the dominant singer on the hits. This adds a sameness to the songs from albums 7-17 that isn't present with the earlier songs. And after Cetera left, the hit machine really sounds stagnant, especially when presented in a compilation like this. Can anyone really tell the difference between 'Look Away' and 'What Kind of Man Would I Be' and 'You're Not Alone'?
One side note - it doesn't seem like the songs haven't gone through any serious remastering or remixing. They don't need it, though, as the album sounds great.
So to sum it up - a great collection of songs from a great band up till the second half of disc 2. Then the album bogs down in sameness. But still very much recommended. Relive the memories with this outstanding set.
(by Kevin Bortz)
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