This compilation should really be called the history of the European rave scene.

Its far less a history of house music development in Chicago. A lot of the tracks are less then stellar. Many were obvious attempts by mainstream outlets to cash in on the hot club sound of the time. Though sadly many of the tracks did not really capture the sound of Chicago.

If nothing else his is certainly an exibition of how disco influenced house music and boogie and then later garage and Chicago house. Follow that development by how Chicago house and Chicago Acid house then Detroit Techno influenced dance music in Europe. We see Italo House contributions to the selection as well as early rave tracks and British attempts at acid.

It certainly a historical collection but maybe not in the way it was marketed.

Though a classic compilation with many important titles from the "Golden Era" of Chicago House Music, most of the versions/mixes on this compilation are NOT the same ones that were played by Chicago radio DJs (on radio stations WBMX and WGCI for example), that originally made many of these songs into the classics that they are. There are some good versions/mixes here, but unfortunately it has more filler/budget versions and Disco tunes than the versions known and loved by those who grew up on House in Chicago in the 80's.

A useful compilation if you can get it for a reasonable price, but by no means an accurate representation of the true history of Chicago House. For Chicago House of this era it was the Chicago DJs and their talent, high standards, and hard work that were a primary ingredient of the Chicago House sound, a style that was much more than the sum of its parts. Chicago DJs were very selective and would often only play a key minute or two of a track if that's all they thought was good, then flawlessly mix into something else, rarely letting a mix get monotonous or uninspiring. There was a certain level of consistency and quality control in Chicago radio in the mid-80's, that filtered out the weaker versions, set a standard for what stylistic excesses were allowed, made up for a lot of mastering issues common at the time, and played a key role in defining House Music during the mid-80's. Unfortunately that doesn't get carried through to many compilations and releases in general and it can be difficult to track down the best versions of many of these classic tracks.

This huge 15 CD album is a one of a kind, being released in 1989 when acid house was getting bigger & Raindance held the worlds first legal all night rave, ment that this album was released when some of the tunes were new & fresh.

Each cd is dedicated to a certain label or genre from Trax Records to DJ International Records to Anglo American House to Deep House & it does it well. You can tell that they have really thought about the tunes that they put onto this album & their all complete & full 12" versions, which also makes this album ideal for all of you CDJ's out there :o)

Yes, indeed, this must be THE definitive collection if you want to know about the roots of house music and how it evolved through the early years. Full 12" versions here, no dodgy "Radio Edits", choc-a-bloc with some hard-to-find rarities... A true reference point.