On the eve of the release of Chicago's At Carnegie Hall: Complete, Rhino Japan has another treat for fans of the horn-rock band.  The 2CD/DVD set Chicago: Japanese Singles Collection - Greatest Hits boasts 41 audio tracks representing the band's A-sides released in Japan between 1969 and 1998 plus 17 music videos.  It's available now from CD Japan and Amazon Japan, as well as local Amazon stores as an import.  Especially in the absence of a long overdue, complete U.S. singles anthology, this is a fascinating and worthwhile addition to any Chicago library.

The first disc of Japanese Singles begins with 1969's Robert Lamm-penned "Questions 67 and 68" single from the Chicago Transit Authority LP - also Chicago's U.S. single debut - and concludes with 1978's "Little One" by the team of drummer Danny Seraphine and David "Hawk" Wolinski.  The Chicago XI track is an appropriate closer as it features Terry Kath's final lead vocal on a Chicago record before his tragic death some four months after the album's release.  Disc Two starts with James Pankow's "Alive Again" from 1978's Phil Ramone-produced Hot Streets and ends with Desmond Child and Marc Beeson's "All Roads Lead to You," a newly-recorded track from the 1998 compilation The Heart of Chicago 1982-1998 Volume Two.  (In the U.S., the song was released on The Heart of Chicago 1967-1998 Volume Two.  This discrepancy resulted from Japan covering the band's then-30-year history in four volumes instead of two as in the U.S.; the first two Japan issues covered 1967-1981.)

The two discs of Japanese Singles Collection, attractively housed in an old-school double jewel case, boast a total of 20 unique single mixes, edits, and versions.  Some of these were made specifically for the country, including "Lowdown" and "Questions 67 and 68" sung in Japanese by Peter Cetera (joined on "Questions" by Lamm), and others replicate the original U.S. single versions.  [Note that the Japanese-language "Questions" did get a promotional U.S. issue.]  The collection includes a number of deep cuts that wouldn't typically appear on an American Chicago hits compilation ("Someday (August 29, 1968)," "State of the Union," "Little One," "Take a Chance," "Must Have Been Crazy").  In addition, a few familiar U.S. favorites weren't released on 45 RPM in Japan and as such aren't included, notably "Colour My World," "Wishing You Were Here" and "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is."

The DVD of music videos naturally draws upon the band's David Foster era and beyond, beginning with 1982's "Hard to Say I'm Sorry" and continuing with such other '80s classics as "Hard Habit to Break," "You're the Inspiration," "I Don't Wanna Live Without Your Love," and "Look Away."  The DVD, in region-free NTSC format and playable in all DVD players, is rounded out by four 2019 U.S. tour performances of "Saturday in the Park," "Feelin' Stronger Every Day," "25 or 6 to 4," and the otherwise-absent "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is."

Two booklets are included in the jewel case: one with beautiful, full-color reproductions of every Japanese picture sleeve and a second with an essay in Japanese and lyrics in both Japanese and English.  In a nice touch, every member of the band is acknowledged from the initial line-up to the current one still featuring Robert Lamm, Lee Loughnane, and James Pankow.  Japanese Singles has been remastered by Ryuichi Tanaka at Warner Music Mastering in Japan.

You'll find the complete track listing and order links for Chicago's Japanese Singles Collection below.  The band's Chicago at Carnegie Hall: Complete is due out tomorrow from the U.S. Rhino label.

Chicago, Chicago: Japanese Singles Collection - Greatest Hits (Rhino/Warner Music Japan WPZR-30913/5, 2021) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

CD 1

1. Questions 67 and 68 (U.S. Edit/Mono Mix)
2. Make Me Smile (U.S. Edit)
3. 25 or 6 to 4 (Japanese Edit)
4. Someday (August 29, 1968) (Japanese Edit)
5. Free
6. Lowdown (Japanese Lyrics)
7. Beginnings (U.S. Edit)
8. Questions 67 and 68 (U.S. Edit/Japanese Lyrics)
9. Saturday in the Park
10. Dialogue (Part I & II) (U.S. Edit)
11. State of the Union (Japanese Edit)
12. Feelin' Stronger Every Day
13. Just You 'N' Me
14. (I've Been) Searchin' So Long (U.S. Edit)
15. Call on Me
16. Harry Truman
17. Old Days
18. Another Rainy Day in New York City
19. If You Leave Me Now
20. You Are on My Mind (U.S. Edit)
21. Baby What a Big Surprise
22. Little One (U.S. Edit)

CD 2

1. Alive Again (U.S. Edit)
2. Take a Chance
3. Must Have Been Crazy
4. Hard to Say I'm Sorry (U.S. Edit)
5. Love Me Tomorrow (U.S. Edit/Remix)
6. Stay the Night
7. Hard Habit to Break
8. You're the Inspiration
9. Along Comes a Woman (U.S. Edit/Alternative Mix)
10. 25 or 6 to 4 (Remake) (U.S. Edit)
11. Will You Still Love Me? (U.S. Edit)
12. If She Would Have Been Faithful...
13. I Don't Wanna Live Without Your Love
14. Look Away (CHR Mix)
15. You're Not Alone (Remix)
16. Chasin' the Wind
17. Explain It to My Heart
18. The Only One
19. All Roads Lead to You

DVD

1. Hard to Say I'm Sorry
2. Love Me Tomorrow
3. Stay the Night
4. Hard Habit to Break
5. You're the Inspiration
6. Along Comes a Woman
7. 25 or 6 to 4
8. Will You Still Love Me?
9. I Don't Wanna Live Without Your Love
10. Look Away
11. You're Not Alone
12. Chasin' the Wind
13. Explain It to My Heart
14. Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is? (Live)
15. Saturday in the Park (Live)
16. Feelin' Stronger Every Day (Live)
17. 25 or 6 to 4 (Live)