The Very Best of Chicago: Only the Beginning

Last updated
The Very Best of Chicago: Only the Beginning
Chicago - The Very Best of Chicago Only the Beginning.jpg
US CD cover art
Greatest hits album by
ReleasedJuly 2, 2002 (2002-07-02)
RecordedJanuary 1969 – January 1995
Genre
Length157:44
Label Rhino
Producer James William Guercio, Phil Ramone, Chicago, David Foster, Chas Sandford, Ron Nevison, Bruce Fairbairn, David McLees
Chicago chronology
Chicago XXVI: Live in Concert
(1999)
The Very Best of Chicago: Only the Beginning
(2002)
The Box
(2003)
Chicago compilation chronology
The Heart of Chicago 1967-1998 Volume II
(1998)
The Very Best of Chicago: Only the Beginning
(2002)
Love Songs
(2005)

Charts

Chart (2002-2003)Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA) [3] 86
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [4] 4
Danish Albums (Hitlisten) [5] 12
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [6] 77
European Albums Chart [7] 20
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista) [8] 32
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [9] 25
Irish Albums (IRMA) [10] 6
Japanese Albums (Oricon) [11] 62
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) [12] 4
Scottish Albums (OCC) [13] 15
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [14] 1
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [15] 29
UK Albums (OCC) [16] 11
US Billboard 200 [17] 38
Chart (2007)Peak
position
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE) [18] 92

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [19] Gold35,000^
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil) [20] Gold50,000*
Germany (BVMI) [21] Gold150,000^
United Kingdom (BPI) [22] Gold100,000^
United States (RIAA) [23] 2× Platinum2,000,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

TitleRegionDateLabelFormatCatalog
The Very Best Of:
Only the Beginning
United StatesJuly 2, 2002 Rhino Entertainment double CD R2 76170
The Chicago Story:
Complete Greatest Hits
United KingdomSeptember 2002Rhino Entertainmentdouble CD8122736302
AustraliaOctober 2002 Warner Music Australasia double CD8122736062

Related Research Articles

<i>Chicago V</i> 1972 studio album by Chicago

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<i>Chicago VII</i> 1974 studio album by Chicago

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<i>Chicago VIII</i> 1975 studio album by Chicago

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<i>Chicago IX: Chicagos Greatest Hits</i> 1975 compilation album by Chicago

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<i>Chicago XI</i> 1977 studio album by Chicago

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<i>Hot Streets</i> 1978 studio album by Chicago

Hot Streets is the tenth studio album by the American rock band Chicago, released on October 2, 1978, by Columbia Records. This was the band's first album with all-new material released since their second that did not have a numbered title. It was also the first album not to feature original guitarist/vocalist Terry Kath, who died from an accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound in January 1978. He was replaced by Donnie Dacus on this album.

<i>Chicago XIV</i> 1980 studio album by Chicago

Chicago XIV is the twelfth studio album by American rock band Chicago, released on July 21, 1980. Recorded at a time of waning interest in the band, Chicago XIV remains one of Chicago's poorest-selling albums, failing to reach Gold certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and was deemed a commercial flop. It is also notable for being their last studio album with Columbia Records, and the last one to feature percussionist Laudir de Oliveira.

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<i>Chicago 16</i> 1982 studio album by Chicago

Chicago 16 is the thirteenth studio album by the American rock band Chicago, released on June 7, 1982. It is considered their "comeback" album because it was their first album to go platinum since 1978's Hot Streets. It made it into the Billboard 200 top ten, and produced their second number one single in the United States, "Hard to Say I'm Sorry". The album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in August, 1982, two months after its release, and platinum in December, 1982. "Hard to Say I'm Sorry" was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.

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Chicago 17 is the fourteenth studio album by American rock band Chicago, released on May 14, 1984. It was the group's second release for Full Moon/Warner Bros. Records, their second album to be produced by David Foster and their last with founding bassist/vocalist Peter Cetera. As of 2023, it remains Chicago's best-selling album, with over 6.1 million copies being sold in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan. Four singles were released from the album, all of which peaked in the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The success of the music videos for "Stay the Night", "You're the Inspiration", and "Hard Habit to Break" on MTV propelled Chicago 17 to achieve an RIAA certification of six times platinum.

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Chicago 18 is the fifteenth studio album by the American rock band Chicago, released on September 29, 1986. This album is the first without original vocalist Peter Cetera, and the first to feature Jason Scheff on bass guitar and vocals.

<i>Chicago 19</i> 1988 studio album by Chicago

Chicago 19 is the sixteenth studio album by American rock band Chicago, released on June 20, 1988. After recording Chicago 18 with David Foster, the band worked primarily with producers Ron Nevison and Chas Sandford for this album. Their Full Moon Records imprint moved to Reprise Records. This is the final album to feature the band's original drummer Danny Seraphine, who was dismissed from the group in 1990.

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The Heart of Chicago 1967–1998 Volume II is the sixth greatest hits album, and twenty-fourth album overall, by American rock band Chicago, released in 1998. As the sequel to 1997's The Heart of Chicago 1967–1997, this edition also features a mixture of songs from Chicago's entire 30-year career to date.

<i>Love Songs</i> (Chicago album) 2005 compilation album by Chicago

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Make Me Smile</span> 1970 single by Chicago

"Make Me Smile" is a song written by James Pankow for the rock band Chicago with the band's guitarist, Terry Kath, on lead vocals. Part 1 of Pankow's 7-part "Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon" song cycle/suite, it was recorded for their second album, Chicago, which was released in 1970. The song "Now More Than Ever", a separate track from the same song suite, serves as a reprise of the song and appears edited together with it on many later versions, including a single edit, on several greatest hits collections, and in many live performances.

<i>Take Me Back to Chicago</i> (album) 1985 compilation album by Chicago

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">25 or 6 to 4</span> 1970 single by Chicago

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Will You Still Love Me? (song)</span> 1986 single by Chicago

"Will You Still Love Me?" is a song recorded by the American rock band Chicago for their studio album Chicago 18 (1986). The song was written by David Foster, Tom Keane and Richard Baskin.

<i>The Best of Chicago: 40th Anniversary Edition</i> 2007 greatest hits album by Chicago

The Best of Chicago: 40th Anniversary is a double greatest hits album, and the thirty-first album overall, by American rock band Chicago, released by Rhino Records on October 2, 2007. It consists of two discs containing 30 of Chicago's top 40 singles. It is the fourth compilation of past hits released by their label since beginning of the decade. Most of the songs on this compilation are presented as their shorter length radio-single edits, as opposed to the album versions. It also features "Love Will Come Back" without Rascal Flatts' vocals.

References

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