One of my favorite music sites, Wilson & Alroy’s
Record Reviews (“We listen to the lousy records so you don’t have to”) sums
up Chicago’s career very nicely in the first and last sentences of their review
for Chicago III: “Formed in the Windy
City in 1967, this group was halfway between pop and prog, cutting lengthy fusion
jams but also reining themselves in to craft catchy singles… The band famously
ruined its reputation with a string of schlocky AM ballads, but continued to
sell strongly through the end of the 80s.” Their first few albums were compared
to Blood, Sweat & Tears (a band on the same label with a horn section and
similar inclinations toward jazz), but while BS&T (arguably) had better musical
chops, Chicago had much better
songwriting, and an early inclination toward experimentation. So while BS&T
petered out after one huge album with three singles peaking at #2, Chicago had
a chart career that saw them hit the Billboard
Hot 100 47 times between 1969 and 1991. The band started losing its
experimental edge in the 1970s, and after Terry Kath’s accidental death in 1978
from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, moved slowly into adult contemporary
territory, jumping in full force in the 1980s after a record label switch and
more reliance on outside songwriters and musicians.
The band still tours today (they’re in the middle of a major tour as I
write this, and I might be more inclined to see them when they play in my area
if the supporting act wasn’t REO Speedwagon), and their set lists apparently favor
the earlier material (a recent show in Las Vegas included almost all of their
second album, with only three songs recorded after 1978’s Hot Streets). But of the original seven members, only four remain
with the band (and one, saxophonist/flutist Walter Parazadier, doesn’t tour). Kath
was replaced by several guitarists (in fairness, current guitarist Keith
Howland has been with them since 1995), and bassist Peter Cetera and drummer
Danny Seraphine both had pretty bitter departures from the group between 1985
and 1990. Keyboardist Robert Lamm, trombone player James Pankow, and trumpet
player Lee Loughnane are still full members of the band, however. They’ve also
had a shuffle in the last few years, with both Bill Champlin and Jason Scheff,
who handled the bulk of lead vocals, both departing.
As far as I can tell, all of Chicago’s music is now under their ownership – the material they recorded for Columbia Records between 1969 and 1980, as well as the 1980s/early 1990s material released on Warner Brothers and its subsidiary labels (Full Moon, Reprise). They tried making a go of handling their catalog themselves through their own Chicago Records label, but since the late 1990s all of their reissues have been through Rhino Records, with the occasional original release elsewhere (2014’s Chicago XXXVI: Now is on Frontiers Records).
As far as I can tell, all of Chicago’s music is now under their ownership – the material they recorded for Columbia Records between 1969 and 1980, as well as the 1980s/early 1990s material released on Warner Brothers and its subsidiary labels (Full Moon, Reprise). They tried making a go of handling their catalog themselves through their own Chicago Records label, but since the late 1990s all of their reissues have been through Rhino Records, with the occasional original release elsewhere (2014’s Chicago XXXVI: Now is on Frontiers Records).
The band has released plenty of retrospectives throughout the years,
but this is the most obvious one:
This is a lengthy double (it runs over 157 minutes; the maximum that
fits on two CDs is 160) that manages to include all of Chicago’s top forty hits
save two (1974’s “Harry Truman”
and 1989’s “You’re Not Alone,” neither of which appear to be band favorites), as well as a few key minor hits. There are a
few single edits, some out of necessity (many of the band’s early hits were
part of longer suites on the albums), a few to fit the disc (especially the
1980s hits). Mostly in chronological order (“If You Leave Me Now” and “Old
Days” are reversed, probably to fit their discs) as well, which makes it easier
to decide what to skip (hint: most of disc 2). $13.99 for the two-disc set on
Amazon, $18.99/$19.99 for the download on Amazon and iTunes, respectively. I
have this, and it’s very solid.
Here are the rest (the links go to the appropriate Wikipedia pages):
Chicago IX: Chicago’s Greatest Hits (1975) – most record collections in the late 1970s and early 1980s included this one; I have it on vinyl as well. Columbia did a nice job, jamming over 47 minutes of music on one LP (which also probably discouraged people making tapes, since it wouldn’t fit on one side of a 90-minute cassette). A couple of minor edits (well, the edits on “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?” are more than minor) don’t hurt the listening experience. $7.99 for the CD and $19.99 for the vinyl reissue on Amazon, $9.49/$9.99 for the download on Amazon and iTunes. This is a great purchase, but since all of these songs are also on The Very Best of Chicago: Only the Beginning (along with 28 others) I would get that set and make a playlist of just the songs on this album (or a car CD).
Chicago IX: Chicago’s Greatest Hits (1975) – most record collections in the late 1970s and early 1980s included this one; I have it on vinyl as well. Columbia did a nice job, jamming over 47 minutes of music on one LP (which also probably discouraged people making tapes, since it wouldn’t fit on one side of a 90-minute cassette). A couple of minor edits (well, the edits on “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?” are more than minor) don’t hurt the listening experience. $7.99 for the CD and $19.99 for the vinyl reissue on Amazon, $9.49/$9.99 for the download on Amazon and iTunes. This is a great purchase, but since all of these songs are also on The Very Best of Chicago: Only the Beginning (along with 28 others) I would get that set and make a playlist of just the songs on this album (or a car CD).
Greatest Hits, Volume II (1981) –
released by Columbia to fulfill contract obligations after both Chicago 13 and Chicago XIV bombed, so they could pay off the band’s contract and dump
them from the label. That turned out to be a mistake, but so was this misbegotten
attempt to get fans to pick up another greatest hits set beside IX. Taken primarily but not exclusively
from Chicago VIII through Hot Streets (two early minor hits, “Dialogue:
Part I & II” and “Happy Man” are also included), missing some hits from the
latter era (“Another Rainy Day in New York City” really should be here, along
with “Harry Truman”), full of single edits (“Dialogue: Part I & II” loses
part I altogether, which is all of the dialogue), this barely made Billboard’s album charts, hitting #171 (IX made #1 and has sold over five
million copies). Out of print, and good riddance. (A note to Wikipedia,
however: contrary to your assumptions, a cover that included 70 small cover
photos was not cheap to produce in 1981 – that meant 70 color separations in
those days before digital prepress.) I have this on CD, ripped from a library
copy, before I knew better to do such things.
If You Leave
Me Now (1983) – less than 18 months after Greatest Hits, Volume II (and six months after the band’s comeback
hit, “Hard to Say I’m Sorry,” hit #1 in Billboard),
Columbia Records came up with a new rip off. This spans the band’s entire
career, but nine of the eleven songs included here are on one of the other of
the previous two hits sets (the exceptions: “Another Rainy Day in New York City”
and the flop single “Song for You” from 1980’s Chicago XIV), so there’s no real reason for this to exist other
than to raid fans’ wallets again. The band ignores this one (it’s not listed on
their discography page, and isn’t included in the number sequence of albums),
and you should too. This is out of print as well; the few new CDs on Amazon are
from third-party sellers. Unbelievably, I have this on a pirated cassette;
since it was in my wife’s collection before we started dating, I plead ignorance.
Take Me Back to
Chicago (1985/1990) – holy mackerel, there were some greedy execs at
Columbia around this time. This was the title for two compilations, both with nearly
completely different track selections (the only two songs in common were another
Chicago XIV flop single, “Thunder and
Lightning,” and “Take Me Back to Chicago”), issued five years apart. The first
one is a mishmash (at least “Harry Truman” finally got a reissue here), while
the second focuses on Peter Cetera songs, as he had established a pretty good
solo career. As with If You Leave Me Now,
this one is disregarded by the band, and both versions are out of print.
Greatest Hits 1982–1989 (1989) – there’s no chance I would buy
this compilation of all 1980s songs by the band, but somebody did; it’s also
sold over 5 million copies. This only misses two of their hits to make the
upper 2/3 of the Billboard pop chart
during this era: the aforementioned “You’re Not Alone” and a gimmicky synth-driven remake of “25 or 6 to 4” that I
suspect hasn’t been played by any radio station in the world in the last
quarter century. $9.99 for the CD (there are a lot of copies in used record stores, however), and $17.88 for what
I think is a vinyl reissue on Amazon. Strangely, this one’s unavailable for
download.
Group Portrait (1991)
– Columbia’s last release before the material reverted to the band, and this
one isn’t bad. A four-disc box set (back when all legacy acts released them),
and while there are very few rarities (a B-side, “Closer to You,” and “Doin’
Business,” which didn’t make Chicago XIV),
it’s chock full of music from the band’s peak (Chicago Transit Authority through Chicago VII) and includes highlights from after that. This also isn’t
included in the band’s album numbering, but since all of the band members are included
in the commentary, there must have been some level of cooperation. Out of
print, and while I wouldn’t break the bank looking for it, I’d probably grab it
if I found it cheap and in good shape.
Chicago Presents The Innovative
Guitar of Terry Kath (1997) – major
props to the band for issuing this one on their own label. Terry Kath was one
of the founding members, their lead and rhythm guitarist, a key songwriter and
great singer (Peter Cetera was the tenor, Kath was the growling low voice, and
Lamm took the middle). His guitar work was extraordinary; listen to the solos
on “25 or 6 to 4,” “I’m a Man,” and “South California Purples” and see if you
agree. Long out of print on disc (and somewhat of a collector’s item); $10.49
for the download on Amazon and $10.99 on iTunes. You might want to assemble
your own set from the songs you have on hand after buying a few of the early
discs.
The
Heart of Chicago 1967-1997 (1997) and The
Heart of Chicago 1967-1998 Volume II (1998) – the band’s attempt to
merge their two eras together started with the “red” album, a single-disc
release that mixed eight songs from the Columbia years, seven from the Warner
Brothers years, and two new recordings. A good idea but not handled
particularly well; fans complained about what songs were missed (at first
glance: “25 or 6 to 4,” “Wishing You Were Here,” “Will You Still Love Me”). The
result was the “blue” album released a year later, with nine Columbia songs,
five Warner Brothers songs, and two new ones. These appear to be out of print
and unavailable for download as well.
The Box (2003)
– smart move by the band; it’s about time they had an all-encompassing box set.
This incorporates all of the Columbia and Warner Brothers material in one
place, and includes several songs not available elsewhere (two 1980s songs
placed on We Are the World and the Days of Thunder soundtrack, three songs
from the then-unreleased mystery album Stone
of Sisyphus, and the four new songs on the two Heart of Chicago releases from 1997 and 1998). Every album is
represented (even Chicago 13), and a
DVD is included featuring some live material from 1972 (good!) and promo videos
for Chicago 13 (bad!); this made it
impossible to get the entire box without buying it (since in those days copying
a DVD was much, much harder). $60.05 new from Amazon (they may be clearing out
the warehouse at that price), not available for download.
Love Songs
(2004) – I guess this was inevitable, but it doesn’t mean I’m ever going to buy
it. No newly-written and recorded-in-the-studio material, but two live versions
resulting from their occasional tours with Earth, Wind & Fire: “If You
Leave Me Now” with Philip Bailey on lead vocals, and “After the Love Has Gone,”
the EW&F ballad that was cowritten by then-Chicago keyboardist Bill
Champlin before he joined the band. Amazon doesn’t seem to have this for
download, but iTunes does at $9.99 (it might make sense to just download the
two EW&F-related songs, however). Amazon does have the disc for $10.87,
however – beware the vinyl option, which leads to what looks like a grey-market
release of material from the Columbia years. The international version of this
album has a somewhat different track listing, including “Saturday in the Park”
(huh?) and two solo Peter Cetera songs, “Glory of Love” and “The Next Time I
Fall” (how did the band sign off on that one?).
The
Best of Chicago: 40th Anniversary Edition (2007) – totally unnecessary
product, compared to The Very Best of
Chicago. Over 40 minutes shorter with nine less songs. Yes, two songs from Chicago XXX are included along with one
of the Heart of Chicago songs, but so
what? It’s even more expensive than The
Very Best of Chicago on Amazon at $14.99, and it’s unavailable for
download. Avoid this one.
The Studio Albums, 1969-1978,
Vol. 1 (2015), and The Studio Albums,
1979-2008, Vol. 2 (2015) – these are exactly what they sound like – every note
from the studio albums, rereleased. Both are from Rhino (they’re both imports),
and feature the bonus tracks included on the single-disc rereleases. If I didn’t
already have much of what’s on Volume 1 I’d probably consider it (I have all of
the first five studio albums on CD, and the next five on vinyl); Volume 2 doesn’t
interest me. Volume 1 is $41.21 for the discs and $66.49 for the download on Amazon,
Volume 2 is $43.02 and $66.49, respectively. iTunes has both for $69.99 for the
download. I have no idea if these include the original album art in sleeves or
liner notes, but I do know the discs include one album apiece.
Original Album Series (2013) –
Rhino’s low-budget series of boxes does have its virtues. This includes four
early releases (Chicago Transit Authority,
Chicago II, Chicago V, Chicago VI), but since two of those were doubles,
you’re getting six albums’ worth of music on four discs. No bonus tracks, but $19.23
on Amazon for this material is a nice price. Not available for download; none
of these are.
Original Album Series, Vol. 2
(2015) – this does have Chicago IX,
the first greatest hits set, along with Chicago
X and XI, and the latter-day Chicago 16 and Chicago 17. So to me this one’s a lot less tempting, but others may
disagree. $25.04 on Amazon.
Now More Than Ever: The History
of Chicago (2016) – soundtrack to the “documentary” about the band. (The
documentary ran into some controversy when it ran on CNN; the filmmaker is Peter
Pardini, whose uncle Lou is now the band’s keyboard player, and there’s a line
in the credits noting the movie is produced by Chicago. Pardini says he didn’t
consult with the band, and it’s fine if he wants to work that way, but CNN
should have been more up front about this.) Anyway,
none of that affects this collection, which includes 53 songs, 46 of which are
from the Columbia years. $23.99 for the download on Amazon and $24.99 on
iTunes, which isn’t a bad price at all. No physical disc set available.
Other “If You’re Only Going to
Buy One Greatest Hits Set From…” Blog Posts:
