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Chicago IX, originally released in time for the Christmas shopping season in 1975, was the band's first greatest hits album. Originally released on the Columbia label in both stereo and quadraphonic formats, the collection brought together 11 songs spanning 1969's Chicago Transit Authority through 1974's Chicago VII. On August 8, Rhino will revisit Chicago IX: Chicago's Greatest Hits in a gold-hued edition to mark its 50th anniversary. It's been expanded from 11 to 21 songs, and its purview has been expanded, too: it now goes all the way through 1980's Chicago XIV, and even stretches back to fill in some missed tracks from the period covered by the original compilation.
Rather than Robert Lamm's Chicago (II) classic "25 or 6 to 4," the new edition opens with another Lamm composition from Chicago Transit Authority: his duet with Peter Cetera on "Questions 67 and 68." The sequence has been altered, too, to adopt a more chronological approach; whereas "Beginnings" closed the original 1975 LP, it now follows "Questions 67 and 68." The changes don't end there; edits of Steven Wilson's 2017 remixes of "Make Me Smile," "25 or 6 to 4," and "Colour My World" replace the versions on the original Chicago IX.
Of the ten new songs added, "Free" (from Chicago III, an album entirely overlooked on the '75 track listing) and "Dialogue (Part I & II)" (from Chicago V) fit within the time frame covered by the original compilation. Chicago VIII, at the time, was felt too fresh to warrant representation; now, James Pankow's nostalgic "Old Days," a No. 5 hit, makes the cut. It's followed by Cetera's "If You Leave Me Now" (No. 1, 1976) and "Baby, What a Big Surprise" (No. 4, 1977), Pankow's "Alive Again" (No. 14, 1978), Cetera, Lee Loughnane, and Danny Seraphine's "No Tell Lover" (No, 14, 1978), Seraphine and David "Hawk" Wolinski's "Street Player" (non-charting, 1979, though still a staple in Chicago setlists today), and Lamm and Seraphine's "Thunder and Lightning" (No. 56, 1980). These songs bring Chicago up to Chicago XIV; they followed that up with a second volume of greatest hits, all of which are now included here other than "Dialogue (Part II)," "Happy Man," "Gone, Long Gone," and "Take Me Back to Chicago." With 1982's Chicago 16, the band's David Foster era began.
Chicago IX: Chicago's Greatest Hits reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and remained on the chart for a whopping 72 weeks, eventually attaining a 5x Platinum certification. If you're in the market for an expanded and reimagined edition, it arrives from Rhino this Friday, August 8, in both CD and LP formats. You'll find the track listing and pre-order links below. As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
Chicago IX: Chicago's Greatest Hits (50th Anniversary Expanded Edition) (originally released as Columbia PC 33900, 1975 - reissued Rhino R2 727498, 2025)
CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
* denotes track not on original release
- Questions 67 and 68 *
- Beginnings
- Make Me Smile (2017 Steven Wilson Remix/Edit)
- 25 or 6 to 4 (2017 Steven Wilson Remix/Edit)
- Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?
- Free *
- Colour My World (2017 Steven Wilson Remix)
- Saturday in the Park
- Dialogue (Part I & II) *
- Feelin' Stronger Every Day
- Just You 'N' Me
- (I've Been) Searchin' So Long
- Call on Me
- Wishing You Were Here
- Old Days *
- If You Leave Me Now *
- Baby, What a Big Surprise *
- Alive Again *
- No Tell Lover *
- Street Player *
- Thunder and Lightning *
Tracks 1-2 and 5 from Chicago Transit Authority - Columbia GP 8, 1969
Original edits of Tracks 3-4 and 7 from Chicago (Steven Wilson Remix) - Rhino R2 558549, 2017. Original mixes released on Columbia KGP 24, 1970
Track 6 from Chicago III - Columbia C2 30110, 1971
Tracks 8-9 from Chicago V - Columbia KC 31102, 1972
Tracks 10-11 from Chicago VI - Columbia KC 32400, 1973
Tracks 12-14 from Chicago VII - Columbia C2 38210, 1974
Track 15 from Chicago VIII - Columbia PC 33100, 1975
Track 16 from Chicago X - Columbia PC 32400, 1976
Track 17 from Chicago XI - Columbia JC 34860, 1977
Tracks 18-19 from Chicago XII - Columbia FC 35512, 1978
Track 20 from Chicago 13 - Columbia FC 36105, 1979
Track 21 from Chicago XIV - Columbia FC 36517, 1980
Release Round-Up: Week of August 8
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Is “Street Player” the long album version or the single version?
Must be the single version otherwise all these tracks don't fit on a single cd.
"Street Player" is 4:25.
I think it's unfortunate that they've opted to use remixes of some of the tracks.
I also think it's unfortunate that the original CD release of this album substituted album versions for songs that on the original had used the single mixes/edits. Songs like "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?" with different single mix/edit versions on the original Chicago IX deserve to be heard that way.
I don't get the whole "ooohhh, let's remix everything" trend. Those new mixes often ruin things that made a hit special. And Steven Wilson's remixes, to my ears, are some of the worst offenders.
Instead of remixes, or compilation after compilation of brickwalled mastering, labels should go back to the original premise and promise of CD, to make the recordings you love sound the best they can with better dynamic range than was possible on vinyl LP. Instead, they make things sound worse with brickwalling, or even foreign with "new" remixes done, "just because we can".
Sounds like a miss. I'll pass.
"Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?" on the LP was the radio edit, while the CD used the single version, not the album version.
No other differences as regards CD vs. LP.
And you’re lucky. On this release the radio edit of “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?” returns. It’s available since a few hours as digital preview track.
Who remastered this collection?
Amazon list most tracks as "2007 remaster" which don't exist, unless I'm very much mistaken. So I assume these are the 2002 remasters, except Thunder and Lightning (2003 remaster) and the Steven Wilson remixes (2016).
From what I have read, the tracks have been level-adjusted, but use previously remastered sources.
9 comes after 14 now? Weird.
Why wasn't this done in a Dolby Atmos version as was the original version? I absolutely adored that (and even the included Quaddio was pretty decent as well) and have been waiting for the non-included material/hits to emerge in Dolby Atmos at some point...here now is a lost opportunity.
Well I took the bait. Enjoying the music but the packaging is super cheap no liner notes no nothing. Rhino is not what they used to be.
I dunno, if the album has tracks that came out after IX, plus new remixes and edits that weren't on the original, should it still be called Chicago IX? Why not rename it Chicago XL (or whatever number they're up to at this point) : Greatest Hits 1969-1980?