Search - Chicago :: Box

Great nearly perfect overview of the band

Joshua Banker | Clovis, CA | 01/01/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have been a fan of Chicago since 3 but at 3 I didn't know who Chicago was I just knew that I loved songs like "Saturday In The Park" and "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?". When I was in the 6th grade I really began to discover who Chicago was when "You're The Inspiration" hit the radio waves. After hearing that song I bought the sister albums 16 & 17 and then from browsing my parent's record collection I found the record that I enjoyed as a much younger child, Chicago's first Greatest Hits album. I enjoyed putting that on just as much as I did listening to 16 & 17. Same band but a very different sound from the early 70s to the 80s but I liked both. Though I grew up with their greatest hits I was 3 years old when Chicago lost the heart of the band Terry Kath and fired their producer who helped create their sound. I liked both bands and I didn't really care about the internal politics of the band. I wanted to hear good music and Chicago was still making it. As the years went on I bought just about all their albums on tape and played my favorites constantly.



One thing I noticed when having their old albums is there were songs I really loved and there were some album tracks that I just didn't care for so I had to do a lot of fast forwarding. Then when I switched to CD I had to do a lot of programing out of songs. That is where the box set comes in nicely. It removes most of the dead weight in Chicago's catalog and takes the hits, almost hits and popular album tracks throughout the band's rich history. This set did such a great job I was able to get rid of many of my old Chicago CDs because my favorites off of each album are pretty much covered here. The remastering is great and with the 5 disks I can just pick one that suits my mood. The DVD is "interesting" but not something I will probably ever watch again.



So for Chicago fans out there of all eras this may be all the Chicago you need. For the fans of the 70s Chicago keep in mind there are total of 5 disks of music here, 3 of which cover the 70s, 1 2/3 covers the 80s.



As a side note I do have some minor complaints. 3 of my favorite Chicago songs are not featured which takes away some of my enjoyment of this set. "Happy Cause I'm Going Home" from Chicago III, "Now That You're Gone" from Chicago V, and "If I Should Ever Lose You" from 26. There are some songs to me that drag this set down at times. For example I could have done without all the songs from Chicago 14, "It Better End Soon" starts out about being about the war and ends up being about the song itself as it gets way too repetitive and preachy, I would have liked to hear a song like "If It Were You" from 21 instead of "You Come To My Senses". Those are minor complaints and like any box set or Best of collection there is always going to be a fan favorite or two missing."

Has Its Moments

Saxman | SW Suburbs Chgo IL USA | 03/06/2010

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This boxed set is billed as the only box covering the band Chicago's entire career. That fact is its blessing and its curse. As most know, Chicago started out as an innovative "rock and roll with horns" band led by keyboardist/vocalist Robert Lamm and guitarist/vocalist genius Terry Kath. Trombonist James Pankow contributed the horn charts and some key compositions. Add the excellent bassist/vocalist Peter Cetera (who later became the "voice of Chicago" from about 1973-1985 for hit singles), drummer supreme Danny Seraphine (later joined from 1974-80 by the amazing Latin percussionist Laudir De Oliveira), woodwind player Walt Parazaider and trumpeter Lee Loughnane and you have (except for Tower of Power) an unbeatable lineup in the jazz/rock/funk genre. That's the band found on most of discs 1-3.



From the "Hot Streets" tracks at the end of disc 3 (except for the Robert Lamm title cut from that album)through the end of disc 5, the band compromises its sound, chasing pop hits written by outsiders. There are a few exceptions (particularly two of the cuts from the SOS album, the title cut and Lamm's "All The Years"), but they are few and far between. Bill Champlin was brought in (1981-2009) to add some Kath-like gruffness to the vocals, but he was a poor substitute and never seemed to fit with the band, oversinging everything in sight. Jason Scheff replaced Peter Cetera and to this day tries to sound like him, singing way out of his comfort zone and either screaming or squeaking/falsettoing high notes.



The DVD is also a mixed bag: the concert footage from their 1972 at Chicago's Arie Crown Theatre concert with the band ablaze and smoking on all cylinders is priceless, while the promo film for the lame "Chcago XIII" with a coked-out band is absolutely worthless.



If you want a complete history of the band (except for 2006's "XXX," likely their final studio album, which is best skipped) which includes a little more than the various greatest hits packages, this is just the ticket for you. Fans of the brilliant, original band are better served by "CTA" - "XI" and "Live In Japan" or the "Group Portrait" box, which stops at "Chicago XIV.""