The Very Best of Chicago: Only the Beginning
07/02/2002
Lyrics from The Very Best of Chicago: Only the Beginning
Videos from The Very Best of Chicago: Only the Beginning
All Music Guide Review
Rhino began its elaborate Chicago reissue series in 2002 with Chicago's Complete Greatest Hits: Only the Beginning, a double-disc set that covers 39 hits from all of Chicago's eras -- from the early jazzy records, through the soft rock hits sung by Peter Cetera, to the post-Cetera adult contemporary records of the '80s, and beyond. It's the first compilation to cover this much ground, actually -- 1991's Group Portrait stopped around Cetera's departure -- and while it may go a little bit farther than some would want (a cover of Louis Prima's "Sing, Sing, Sing" from their 1995 neo-swing album closes the set; it happens to feature the Gipsy Kings on support), it nevertheless is very satisfying, since it rounds up all of the hits, and Chicago was at their very best for hits. For anybody who has been holding on to all three Greatest Hits collections, this will replace them all, since it has almost every song from all three, plus remastered sound. Indeed, this is the definitive word on the group -- perhaps a fan favorite or two is missing, but everything you need is here, in a more concise, user-friendly shape than the Group Portrait box while offering more than any of the hits collections. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
The Very Best of Chicago: Only the Beginning Track Listing
Credits of The Very Best of Chicago: Only the Beginning
- David McLees
- Producer
- Sy Mitchell
- Engineer
- Othello Molineaux
- Drums (Steel)
- Erwin Musper
- Engineer, Mixing
- Brian Ross-Myring
- Engineer
- Ron Nevison
- Producer, Original Recording Producer, Engineer
- J.G. O'Rafferty
- Pedal Steel
- David Paich
- Synthesizer
- James Pankow
- Percussion, Trombone, Vocals
- Walter Parazaider
- Percussion, Woodwind, Vocals
- Ted Perlman
- Engineer
- Gary Peterson
- Discographical Annotation
- Chris Pinnick
- Guitar
- Steve Porcaro
- Keyboard Programming, Synthesizer Programming
- Gerard Prevost
- Producer
- Don Puluse
- Engineer
- Phil Ramone
- Mixing, Original Recording Producer
- Alex Rodriguez
- Engineer
- Marcus Ryle
- Synthesizer Programming
- Chas Sandford
- Guitar, Original Recording Producer, Producer, Mixing, Engineer
- Jason Scheff
- Bass, Vocals
- Bill Schnee
- Mixing
- Daniel Seraphine
- Percussion, Drums, Drum Programming, Vocals
- Armin Steiner
- String Engineer
- Wayne Tarnowski
- Engineer
- Ed Thacker
- Engineer, Mixing, Live Recording Mixer
- Bo Tomlyn
- Synthesizer Programming
- Efrain Toro
- Keyboards, Drum Programming
- Blue Weaver
- Synthesizer Strings
- Greg Walsh
- Mixing
- Mervyn Warren
- Producer
- Lou Waxman
- Engineer
- Leroy Williams
- Drums (Steel)
- Shelly Berg
- Arranger, Orchestration
- Jeff Guercio
- Engineer
- Mike Murphy
- Programming, Cowbell
- Hawk Wolinski
- Synthesizer, Arp
- Michael Carnevale
- Engineer
- Nicolás Reyes
- Vocals
- Norman Seeff
- Photography
- Greg Adams
- Trumpet, Flugelhorn
- David Donnelly
- Remastering
- Maria Villar
- Art Direction, Design
- Steve Woolard
- Project Assistant
- Jeff Magid
- Remastering
- Gary McGachen
- Engineer
- Patchai Reyes
- Vocals
- Carl Wilson
- Vocals (Background)
- Tonino Baliardo
- Guitar
- Peter Mayer
- Programming
- Tom Keane
- Keyboards
- Randy Perry
- Project Assistant
- Amy Utstein
- Project Assistant
- John Von Tongeren
- Synthesizer Programming
- Leigh Hall
- Project Assistant
- Dan Huff
- Guitar
- Mike Engstrom
- Product Manager
- Cory Frye
- Editorial Supervision
- April Milek
- Project Assistant
- Tim Scanlin
- Liner Notes
- Laudir DeOliveira
- Percussion, Vocals, Conga
- Bill DeYoung
- Liner Notes
- Dominic Frontiere
- Orchestration
- Patrick Williams
- Orchestration
- David Foster
- Piano, Arranger, Original Recording Producer, Producer, Keyboards
- Bill Champlin
- Guitar, Vocals, Keyboards
- Robert Lamm
- Percussion, Keyboards, Vocals
- Hank Altman
- Engineer
- Phillip Ashley
- Keyboards
- Dawayne Bailey
- Guitar, Vocals
- Aaron Baron
- Engineer
- Roy Bittan
- Producer
- Michael Boddicker
- Synthesizer Programming
- Reverend Dave Boruff
- Synthesizer Programming
- Jim Boyer
- Engineer, Mixing
- Hugh Brown
- Art Direction
- Robbie Buchanan
- Keyboards
- Erich Bulling
- Synthesizer Programming
- Fred Catero
- Engineer
- Peter Cetera
- Bass, Vocals
- Kenny Cetera
- Vocals (Background)
- Tim Cetera
- Vocals (Background)
- Tamara Champlin
- Vocals (Background)
- Chaka Khan
- Vocals (Background), ?
- Luis Conte
- Percussion
- Paulinho Da Costa
- Percussion
- Donnie Dacus
- Guitar, Vocals
- Larry Dahlstrom
- Engineer
- Lee DeCarlo
- Engineer
- Tom Dowd
- Producer
- Kiki Epsen
- Keyboards, Programming
- Bruce Fairbairn
- Producer, Mixing, Original Recording Producer
- Howard "Buzz" Feiten
- Guitar
- Bruce Gaitsch
- Guitar
- Carlos Garcia
- Engineer
- Guille Garcia
- Percussion, Conga
- Humberto Gatica
- Engineer, Remixing, Mixing
- Don Gehman
- Engineer
- Bud Graham
- Engineer
- Gary Grant
- Trumpet, Flugelhorn
- James William Guercio
- Guitar (Acoustic), Producer, Original Recording Producer, Bass, Guitar
- James Guthrie
- Mixing
- Jimmie Haskell
- Orchestration, Orchestral Arrangements, String Arrangements
- Chris Hinshaw
- Engineer
- Keith Howland
- Guitar
- Tris Imboden
- Harmonica, Drums
- Paul Jackson, Jr.
- Guitar
- Alan Jardine
- Vocals (Background)
- Charles Judge
- Keyboards
- Terry Kath
- Guitar, Percussion, Vocals
- Jeff Katz
- Photography
- Peter Kaye
- Programming
- John Keane
- Drums
- Stephen "Doc" Kupka
- Sax (Baritone)
- Joe Lala
- Conga
- Michael Landau
- Guitar
- Rhett Lawrence
- Synthesizer Programming
- Lee Loughnane
- Percussion, Remastering, Trumpet, Vocals, Flugelhorn
- Steve Lukather
- Guitar
- Gipsy Kings
- Flamenco Guitar
- Chicago
- Producer, Main Performer, Original Recording Producer
- Jeremy Lubbock
- String Arrangements
- Bill Watrous
- Arranger, Orchestration
- John Campbell
- Keyboards




















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