Search - Chicago :: Chicago Story: Complete G.H.

A very pleasant collection of tunes

David Schilter | Eastwood, NSW Australia | 02/22/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I purchased this double CD as a casual fan of Chicago, having only heard the hits "If you leave me now", "Hard to say I'm sorry" and "You're the inspiration". While it is a testament to the success of the band that such songs are still incessantly played on the radio, the legacy of Chicago is really not limited to these power ballads.



It is no secret that Chicago place great emphasis on musicianship and their brass instruments in particular certainly had a large influence in their signature sound. Arguably, their power ballad hits (with Peter Cetera as lead vocal) had stifled the artistic and progressive directions of the rest of the band - leading to Cetera's leaving of the band to pursue a (highly successful) solo career (c.f. Steve Perry leaving Journey after his over-produced commerical pop and massive influence did not sit well with his bandmates).



I must admit that in addition to the songs mentioned above, the "mainstream" pop songs "love me tomorow" and "baby what a big surprise","Hard habit to break" and "we can last forever" appealed most to me, but that is more taste than anything else. Someone more into instrumental and progressive songs will not be disappointed with "Lowdown", "Colour my world" and the popular "saturday in the park". Indeed, while I am a big fan of the high vocals of Cetera and guitar tone of Terry Kath, there is more to Chicago than these guys (as you would expect from a band with such longevity)



In short, this CD has 39 songs from Chicago spanning over three decades. With their highly diverse musical output, if you are a pop-rock fan and aren't pleased here then there is seriously something wrong with you!"