The Very Best of Chicago: Only the Beginning


The Very Best of Chicago: Only the Beginning is a double greatest hits album by the American band Chicago, their twenty-seventh album overall. Released in 2002, this collection marked the beginning of a long-term partnership with Rhino Entertainment which, between 2002 and 2005, would remaster and re-release Chicago's 1969–1980 Columbia Records catalog.
In Europe, a greatest hits compilation was released as The Chicago Story: Complete Greatest Hits with a different track listing.
The Very Best of Chicago: Only the Beginning combines almost all of Chicago's greatest successes from their entire recording career up to that point, excerpting material from all of their regular studio albums with the exception of 1979's Chicago 13 and 1980's Chicago XIV. Several songs appear in an edited form, including "I'm a Man", which is missing the Danny Seraphine drum solo, and "Dialogue ", which is presented in its shortened single version.

Track listing

Disc one

  1. "Make Me Smile" – 4:26
  2. * New edit
  3. "25 or 6 to 4" – 4:50
  4. * Tracks 1–2 originally issued on 1970's Chicago II
  5. "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?" – 3:20
  6. * Single version
  7. "Beginnings" – 6:26
  8. * Edited version from 1975's
  9. "Questions 67 and 68" – 4:52
  10. * New edit
  11. "I'm a Man" – 5:44
  12. * New edit
  13. * Tracks 3–6 originally issued on 1969's The Chicago Transit Authority
  14. "Colour My World" – 3:00
  15. * Originally issued on Chicago II
  16. "Free" – 2:17
  17. "Lowdown" – 3:34
  18. * Tracks 8–9 originally issued on 1971's Chicago III
  19. "Saturday in the Park" – 3:56
  20. "Dialogue " – 5:00
  21. * Single version
  22. * Tracks 10–11 originally issued on 1972's Chicago V
  23. "Just You 'n' Me" – 3:42
  24. "Feelin' Stronger Every Day" – 4:14
  25. * Tracks 12–13 originally issued on 1973's Chicago VI
  26. " Searchin' So Long" – 4:29
  27. "Wishing You Were Here" – 4:36
  28. "Call on Me" – 4:02
  29. "Happy Man" – 3:15
  30. * Edited version from 1981's Greatest Hits, Volume II
  31. * Tracks 14–17 originally issued on 1974's Chicago VII
  32. "Another Rainy Day in New York City" – 3:00
  33. "If You Leave Me Now" – 3:57
  34. * Tracks 18–19 originally issued on 1976's Chicago X
Disc one length: 75:20

Disc two

  1. "Old Days" – 3:31
  2. * Originally issued on 1975's Chicago VIII
  3. "Baby, What a Big Surprise" – 3:06
  4. "Take Me Back to Chicago" – 2:57
  5. * Single version
  6. * Tracks 2–3 originally issued on 1977's Chicago XI
  7. "Alive Again" – 4:04
  8. "No Tell Lover" – 4:13
  9. * Tracks 4–5 originally issued on 1978's Hot Streets
  10. "Love Me Tomorrow" – 3:58
  11. * Single version
  12. "Hard to Say I'm Sorry/Get Away" – 5:05
  13. * Tracks 6–7 originally issued on 1982's Chicago 16
  14. "Stay the Night" – 3:50
  15. "Hard Habit to Break" – 4:45
  16. "You're the Inspiration" – 3:49
  17. "Along Comes a Woman" – 3:47
  18. * Single version
  19. * Tracks 8–11 originally issued on 1984's Chicago 17
  20. "Will You Still Love Me?" – 4:12
  21. * Single version
  22. "If She Would Have Been Faithful..." – 3:51
  23. * Tracks 12–13 originally issued on 1986's Chicago 18
  24. "Look Away" – 4:00
  25. * Single version
  26. "What Kind of Man Would I Be?" – 4:14
  27. * Single version
  28. "I Don't Wanna Live Without Your Love" – 3:57
  29. "We Can Last Forever" – 3:44
  30. * Single version
  31. "You're Not Alone" – 4:00
  32. * Single version
  33. * Tracks 14–18 originally issued on 1988's Chicago 19
  34. "Chasin' the Wind" – 4:18
  35. * Originally issued on 1991's Twenty 1
  36. "Sing, Sing, Sing" – with the Gipsy Kings – 3:20
  37. * Originally issued on 1995's Night and Day: Big Band
Disc 2 total length: 75:21

Track listing (Europe and Australia)

Disc one

  1. "If You Leave Me Now" – 3:57
  2. "Hard to Say I'm Sorry" – 3:51
  3. * Single version
  4. "You're the Inspiration" – 3:49
  5. "Hard Habit to Break" – 4:45
  6. "Will You Still Love Me?" – 4:12
  7. * Single version
  8. "Baby, What a Big Surprise" – 3:06
  9. "Look Away" – 4:00
  10. * Single version
  11. "What Kind of Man Would I Be?" – 4:14
  12. * Single version
  13. "I Don't Wanna Live Without Your Love" – 3:57
  14. "Love Me Tomorrow" – 3:58
  15. * Single version
  16. "Just You 'n' Me" – 3:42
  17. "Happy Man" – 3:15
  18. * Same edit as American issue
  19. "You're Not Alone" – 4:00
  20. * Single version
  21. "Chasin' the Wind" – 4:18
  22. "Wishing You Were Here" – 4:36
  23. "No Tell Lover" – 4:13
  24. " Searchin' So Long" – 4:29
  25. "Colour My World" – 3:00
  26. "You Come to My Senses" – 3:48
  27. * Originally issued on Twenty 1
  28. "We Can Last Forever" – 3:44
  29. * Single version

    Disc two

  30. "25 or 6 to 4" – 4:50
  31. "Saturday in the Park" – 3:56
  32. "Questions 67 and 68" – 4:52
  33. * Same edit as American issue
  34. "I'm a Man" – 5:44
  35. * Same edit as American issue
  36. "Stay the Night" – 3:50
  37. "Only You" – 3:54
  38. * Originally issued on Chicago 17
  39. "Dialogue " – 5:00
  40. * Single version
  41. "Old Days" – 3:31
  42. "Beginnings" – 6:26
  43. * Same edit as American issue
  44. "Lowdown" – 3:34
  45. "Another Rainy Day in New York City" – 3:00
  46. "Call on Me" – 4:02
  47. "Feelin' Stronger Every Day" – 4:14
  48. "Take Me Back to Chicago" – 2:57
  49. * Single version
  50. "Sing, Sing, Sing" – with the Gipsy Kings – 3:20
  51. "Along Comes a Woman" – 3:47
  52. * Single version
  53. "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?" – 3:20
  54. * Single version
  55. "Make Me Smile" – 4:26
  56. * Same edit as American issue
  57. "Street Player" – 4:22
  58. * Single version
  59. * Originally issued on 1979's Chicago 13

    Personnel

Musicians

Chart Peak
position
Australian Albums Chart86
Austrian Albums Chart4
Dutch Albums Chart77
European Albums Chart20
German Albums Chart25
Irish Albums Chart6
Norwegian Albums Chart4
Swedish Albums Chart1
Swiss Albums Chart29
UK Albums Chart11
US Billboard 20038

Certifications

Release history