Audio Remasterer: David Donnelly.

Liner Note Author: Bill DeYoung.

Authors: James Pankow; Lee Loughnane; Robert Lamm; Walter Parazaider.

Photographer: Jimmy Katz.

Four decades after its 1967 founding, the venerable pop/rock institution known as Chicago issued this well-selected two-disc anthology. Although the collection draws on the Illinois-based ensemble's early era as the Chicago Transit Authority (see the bright "Questions 67 and 68") and reaches into the 21st century (the uplifting anthem "Feel" from CHICAGO XXX), it primarily focuses on the group's '70s heyday by presenting classics such as the horn-laden "Saturday in the Park" and the plaintive ballad "If You Leave Now," both featuring singer Peter Cetera, who departed in the mid-'80s for a solo career. While BEST OF CHICAGO shares many tracks with '02's similarly titled VERY BEST OF CHICAGO, this overview features more breadth (by extending to '06), if not more depth, making it a solid rival to the earlier compilation.

The purpose of 2007's The Best of Chicago: 40th Anniversary Edition -- the group's second double-disc set in just five years -- is plain in its title: it's been assembled with the band's birthday in mind. It's hard to pass up an anniversary like that, and so The Best of Chicago competes with 2002's The Very Best of Chicago: Only the Beginning, a terrific 39-song set that had all of their hits. In comparison, the 2007 set covers a little more ground according to the calendar -- it has songs from their 2006 studio set Chicago XXX, which the 2002 does not -- but it's ten songs shorter, a compromise that might bring it in a smaller minimum suggested retail price, but doesn't really serve anybody looking for a truly comprehensive compilation. For those listeners, it's an easy decision: stick with the 2002 Very Best Of. For those listeners who want a double-disc set that's just slightly cheaper, this 40th Anniversary set will suit them fine, because it does have all the big hits -- so many that it takes a close comparison of the two track listings to realize what's missing on this one. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine