GREATEST HITS, VOL. 2

Taking the sequential number Chicago 15, this second "Greatest hits" package gathers in tracks mainly from where the first "Greatest hits" album left of at "Chicago VIII", through to "Hot Streets". The period covered would actually go slightly beyond that if there were any further hits to be included. There are also a couple of tracks from before "Chicago VIII" which did not appear on the first set.

This collection was released at a time when the record company (Columbia/CBS) had decided that Chicago were a spent force, and decided to drop them altogether. The irony is that the band were dropped not for the artistic reasons we would cite here (i.e. selling out), but because of the rapid decline sales of recent albums. This can therefore be seen as a contractual obligation album, the record company excusing the band from delivering any more new material in exchange for the release of this compilation. History shows that with hindsight this was one of the great misjudgements of the music industry, the following albums released by the band containing some of their biggest ever hits and selling in multi- platinum quantities.

Back to this set though, and what it highlights most is the band's unwavering migration from a credible progressive jazz rock band to chart focused AOR makers and balladeers. Their massive hit "If you leave me now" was a classic of its type, but it effectively sounded the death knell for any residual ambitions the band may have had in terms of innovation and progression.

We do get a couple of songs from the good old days, the undoubted highlight of the album being the wonderful "Questions 67 and 68" albeit in single edit form here. Several other tracks also become single edits, the album not being as generously filled as it could have been. Misleadingly, "Dialogue" is listed as playing both parts 1and 2, but only part 2 is actually present.

The half hearted nature of the record company's interest in the band is more than apparent in the woeful packaging of the album.

In all, an album of historical significance in the band's discography, but musically it is quite superfluous.

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