Right on Time
Artist: The Brothers Johnson

Potentially viewed as something of a warm-up for Quincy Jones before producing Michael Jackson's wildly successful Off the Wall and Thriller albums, the Brothers Johnson's first two releases spawned hits like "I'll Be Good to You" and brought George and Louis Johnson to a mass audience of their own. (Louis, in fact, would go on to play bass on... Read More

The Best of the Early Years, Vol. 1
Artist: Funkadelic

Better than the previous Westbound compilation, The Best of the Early Years, Vol. 1 collects one track from each of the first two Funkadelic albums, two from Maggot Brain and America Eats Its Young, three from Cosmic Slop and one selection from Let's Take It to the Stage. By properly focusing on the best tracks from the best albums, Westbound... Read More

Chronicle
Artist: The Emotions

A fine collection of The Emotions' greatest hits, Chronicle also includes several songs that weren't as popular but were nearly as good. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide Read More

Songs in the Key of Life
Artist: Stevie Wonder
Community Score: 9.24

Songs in the Key of Life was Stevie Wonder's longest, most ambitious collection of songs, a two-LP (plus accompanying EP) set that -- just as the title promised -- touched on nearly every issue under the sun, and did it all with ambitious (even for him), wide-ranging arrangements and some of the best performances of Wonder's career. The opening... Read More

Fire
Artist: The Ohio Players
Community Score: 8.75

After greatly increasing their visibility with Skin Tight, the Ohio Players became even more visible with Fire -- an unpredictable masterpiece that boasted such explosive horn-driven funk jewels as "Smoke" and the wildly addictive title song. The Players were always best known for their hard-edged funk, but in fact, there was much more to their... Read More

Uncle Jam Wants You
Artist: Funkadelic
Community Score: 5.50

Almost as if Clinton and company wanted to atone for parts of One Nation Under a Groove, Uncle Jam Wants You takes not merely a more daring musical approach but a more forthright political stance. The cover art alone is brilliant, front and back showing Clinton in Huey P. Newton's famous Black Panther pose. The main goal is the cover subtitle's... Read More

Let's Take It to the Stage
Artist: Funkadelic
Community Score: 8.00

One of Funkadelic's goofiest releases, Let's Take It to the Stage also contains more P-Funk all-time greats as well, making for a grand balance of the serious and silly. Perhaps the silliest is at the end -- there's not much else one can call the extended oompah/icing rink start of "Atmosphere." The title track is as much a call to arms as "Free... Read More

Sparkle
Artist: Aretha Franklin
Community Score: 7.33

Aretha Franklin's career was in a down period in the mid-'70s when she collaborated with Curtis Mayfield to sing his compositions for the film Sparkle. The film proved a non-event, but for Franklin it marked a return to glory. Once again she was the Queen of Soul, doing the chilling, spectacular leaps, cries, whoops, and shouts that defined... Read More

The Best of the Dramatics - STAX
Artist: The Dramatics
Community Score: 9.25

In the 1960s, Stax Records was best known for raw southern soul that rejected the type of sleekness and pop sensibilities favored by the northern soulsters at Motown. But by the early '70s, Memphis soul was losing its popularity, and Stax's A&R department started to emphasize northern and so-called "uptown" soul in order to stay competitive. One... Read More

Best of the Chambers Brothers
Artist: The Chambers Brothers
The Best of Gladys Knight - BUDDAH
Artist: Gladys Knight & the Pips

This 10-song compilation is oddly structured and was even more strangely timed when it showed up in the winter of 1976. The group had just come off of their fourth Buddah LP, 2nd Anniversary, a Gold Record-winning album with a pair of hits, and a best-of seemed premature. Additionally, five of the album's songs came off of the 10-song... Read More