Chicago Transit Authority
by Chicago Transit Authority
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Chicago Transit Authority bestography
The best album by Chicago is Chicago Transit Authority which is ranked number 1041 in the list of all-time albums with a total rank score of 1,678.
(N.B. Bestographies include all albums by an artist (and their variations), but do not include albums ranked outside the top 100,000).
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Chicago Transit Authority track list
The tracks on this album have an average rating of 79 out of 100 (all tracks have been rated).
Top-rated track as rated by BestEverAlbums.com members.
Chicago Transit Authority rankings
Calculated from aggregate positions across 60,000 charts (2 million album rankings). Click to see how the rankings are calculated (Last updated: 5 hours ago)
| Year | Source | Chart | Rank | Rank Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 |  Tamthebam | Top 100 Music Albums of 1969 | 51/100 | 3 |
| 2026 |  sszwalbenest | Top 100 Music Albums of the 1960s | 97/100 | 1 |
| 2026 |  RockyRaccoon | Top 100 Music Albums of 1969 | 6/100 | 5 |
| 2026 | Jakor | Top 100 Music Albums of 1969 | 40/100 | 3 |
| 2026 |  AAL2014 | Top 100 Music Albums of 1969 | 12/100 | 4 |
| 2026 | PapaShiz86 | Top 50 Music Albums of 1969 | 41/50 | 1 |
| 2026 |  Liedzeit | Top 56 Music Albums of 1969 | 38/56 | 2 |
| 2026 | Johnnyo | Top 100 Music Albums of 1969 | 16/100 | 4 |
| 2026 |  Mauce | Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | 19/100 | 78 |
| 2026 | SethGunde | Top 4 Music Albums of 1969 | 2/4 | 4 |
| Total Charts: The total number of charts that this album has appeared in. | 275 | |||
| Total Rank Score: The total rank score. | 1,678 | |||
Chicago Transit Authority collection
Showing latest 20 members who have this album in their collection | Show all 158 members
Chicago Transit Authority ratings
Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AVwhere:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.
Showing latest 3 ratings for this album. | Show all 277 ratings for this album.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Album ratings | Avg. album rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 3 days ago | Jantje | 735 | 74/100 |
| ! | 5 days ago |  UofTBlues | 3,649 | 71/100 |
| ! | 10/16/2026 00:51 | artt | 30 | 39/100 |
Rating metrics:
Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)
This album is rated in the top 1% of all albums on BestEverAlbums.com. This album has a Bayesian average rating of 80.1/100, a mean average of 79.1/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 80.4/100. The standard deviation for this album is 15.6.
Chicago Transit Authority favourites
Showing latest 10 members who have added this album as a favourite | Show all 42 members
Chicago Transit Authority forum mentions
BestEverAlbums 08/20/2026 08:00 in Chart of the day (#5410): By DeckillerView latest topic →
Fischman 07/03/2025 22:16 in The Romanelli Music Diary: Waiting For The SunView all forum mentions
Chicago Transit Authority comments
Top Comments First | Newest First | Positive Sentiment First | Longest Comments First
(Showing comments with any number of votes. Manage Profile)
Yes it's Chicago. Fortunately not quite that Chicago. This is an absolutely underrated record, a stunning album, a psychedelic soul rock masterpiece. Originally a double album it really captures that late sixties atmosphere, with stunning songs such as, beginnings, listen, and, I'm a man. This album deserves a lot more attention and praise. (Edited)
This could have been Chicago's definitive LP if concentrated onto one record. The musicianship is top notch, the hits are mostly all there, and the CTA's signature sonic complexities are unrivaled.
Alas, they overextend...Time and again, Chicago overindulge, hindering the long-play experience for all but the most hearty listeners.
If you're a bear for punishment and like cherry-picking tracks across two records; or, you revel in the madness that accompanies the magic, this might be your jam! (Edited)
planetneutral 01/07/2018 06:29 | #204776 | TOP COMMENT
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Started off on a fast track to Masterpieceville, but took some significant detours. But there's an excellent single album within this double. (Edited)
The most exciting music Chicago ever put on one record (in this case, a double album). Nice catchy tunes mixed with gutsy rock jams. Its biggest fault is its long length and lack of consistency in quality. (Edited)
Amazing musicianship coupled with truly great vocals. Jazz meets rock meets big band and it works. I particularly like the way brass instruments take the lead solos in parts, in the case of the trumpet on the second track and the track 'Beginnings'. And then, side 3 (vinyl) opens with a guitar workout which sounds like freefrom Hendrix mixed with Eddie Van Halen and Joe Satrianni! Totally unexpected. I have only just bought this and can hear this cheering up many dark cold winter Sunday mornings. (Edited)
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