Chicago - Only The Beginning: The Very Best Of Chicago (2002)

The definitive compilation from the self-described "rock and roll band with horns." It covers the band's many stages: jazzy prog-rock to '70s soft pop to the David Foster years to the post-Cetera adult contemporary/power ballad phase. The songs are sequenced in an approximate chronological order, so you get to hear the band progress through these phases. Very comprehensive and a convenient alternative to buying individual albums. I'm a fan, not a completist.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #38

Tracks: If you're a middle-aged American, you probably know these songs. On these 2 CDs, there's 39 tracks, covering the years 1969-1995, clocking in at almost 2 hours, 40 minutes. That's a lot of Chicago. The band had 34 Top 40 hits, so there's not much filler here. I could list all the hits I like, but the list would be so long you wouldn't bother reading it. I pretty much gave up on the band after their disappointing 1986 release, 18, so I usually skip the last half of disc 2. I will confess to liking one track from Chicago 19: What Kind Of Man Would I Be?

Disc 1	Year	Hot 100	AC*
Make Me Smile	1970	9	-
25 Or 6 To 4	1970	4	-
Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?	1970	7	5
Beginnings	1971	7	1
Questions 67 And 68	1971	24	34
I'm A Man	1971	49	-
Colour My World	1971	7	-
Free	1971	20	-
Lowdown	1971	35	-
Saturday In The Park	1972	3	8
Dialogue (Part I & II)	1972	24	-
Just You 'N' Me	1973	4	7
Feelin' Stronger Every Day	1973	10	-
(I've Been) Searchin' So Long	1974	9	8
Wishing You Were Here	1974	11	1
Call On Me	1974	6	1
Happy Man	1974	-	-
Another Rainy Day In New York City	1976	32	2
If You Leave Me Now	1976	1	1

Disc 2	Year	Hot 100	AC*
Old Days	1975	5	3
Baby, What A Big Surprise	1977	4	8
Take Me Back To Chicago	1977	63	39
Alive Again	1978	14	39
No Tell Lover	1978	14	5
Love Me Tomorrow	1982	22	8
Hard To Say I'm Sorry/Get Away	1972	1	1
Stay The Night	1984	16	-
Hard Habit To Break	1984	3	3
You're The Inspiration	1984	3	1
Along Comes A Woman	1984	14	25
Will You Still Love Me?	1986	3	2
If She Would Have Been Faithful...	1986	17	9
Look Away	1988	1	1
What Kind Of Man Would I Be?	1989	5	2
I Don't Wanna Live Without Your Love	1988	3	5
We Can Last Forever	1988	55	12
You're Not Alone	1989	10	9
Chasin' The Wind	1991	39	13
Sing, Sing, Sing	1995	-	-

*Before 4/7/79, the Adult Contemporary chart was known as the Easy Listening chart.

Missing Top 40 hit: Harry Truman (#13 in 1975)

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I remember listening to this compilation on a trip from Bay City to Mo-Ranch in the summer of 2004 or 2005. James P. and I traveled together for some reason, and this CD brought about many childhood memories that we shared with each other.

The song Hard Habit To Break reminds me of a girlfriend named Susan. Alas, a long distance relationship just wasn't in the cards for us in 1984.

I saw the band on their 1985 tour where they were promoting their album, 17. I traveled from Commerce to Ft. Worth with several friends from the dorm I lived in, plus a few members of the university's women's basketball team (long story). I think there were ten of us in all. It was the only concert I ever attended that had a comedian for an opening act (Alan Kaye, maybe?). During the encore, the band sang their current hit, Stay The Night, and I can still hear 10,000 teenage girls yelling, "STAAAAAAY THE NIGHT!" along with Peter Cetera while the band played. I've never been able to enjoy that song since.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Chicago 16 (1982)