Customer Reviews

Best of

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4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
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Any one who was around at the time when Bands like Cameo, Parliament/Funkadelic, the Barkays, etc, were laying down the funkiest grooves will know that this is a poor representation of the best of Cameo. There are way too many Cameo Anthems missing, such as 'It's serious', 'Post mortem', 'Funk funk', 'Throw it down', etc, as well as killer ballads like 'love you anyway', 'Feel me', etc. If you want an awesome Cameo album (still not 'The best of' - but their nearly all here) get Anthology [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED].

I wasn't gonna post this but I had to step up to this poor editorial review. The guy has totally lost the plot, because Cameo DID make some good albums - 'Feel me', & 'She's strange' immediately spring to mind. And as for 'a new brand of disco for a post- disco age'... come on Amazon, get some creditables in who KNOW about the music!!!!! Only in their later days did Cameo cross-over into the pop/commercial market with 'She's strange'. Cameo's hallmark was their refreshingly raw FUNK sound, which was anything but DISCO.

If you love funk, you have to own this collection. This CD has the funk classics that made Cameo and Blackmon legendary. I like Word Up, but it was the material they did before that that makes this a great CD. I was alittle disappointed with the version of "She's Strange" that they put on here, but can't argue with the overall song selections. Single Life, Flirt, I Just Want To Be, & Attack Me with Your Love are some of the highlights.

Oooops, I forgot "Shake Your Pants" and "Sparkle".

Did I mention this is a great CD?

Cameo was a Funk band that originally resembled Funkadelic with hard funk and humouristic lyrics, they were not afraid to use horns and other catchy instruments that perfectly suited the 70's music. In the 80's with Hip Hop emerging Cameo switched style a little and istead of using Horns they switched to Synthesizers, Drum Machines and a more pop influenced image, In the mid 80's they also scored some of their biggest hits like "Word Up" "Candy" "Single Life" and "She's Strange" that all were hybrids of the best that market had to offer (pop, funk, rock, hip hop). Thier main singer and leader was Larry Blackmon, but Tomi Jenkins also sang vocals, third key member was Nathan Leftenant. From 1977 when their first album "Cardiac Arrest" was released to the mid 80's they released loads of albums, none of them were bad though, even if many of the Cameo albums came released 6 months inbetween and some are hard to purchase. However, back then in the 70's and 80's many albums just contained the inadequate number of 7-8 songs on a LP. Instead of releasing one with atleast 10-12, it feautures 7-8 and many of those songs were too long. The Album version of "She's Strange" is over 7 minutes for example. That's why it would be better to buy a compilation of Cameo instead of go for a single LP, the problem with "Best Of" albums with Cameo is that they're inadequate and many songs are missing out, there is no remastered version and no bonus tracks either. This particular version is from 1993, (i.e 13 years ago) But it's still better then the other compilations found on Amazon. It seems like each of the compliations feature the top hits but miss out some minor hits each but adds other that weren't feautures on another album.

Missing songs I would have liked to see are: Freaky Dancin', Just Be Yourself, She's Mine, Post Mortem, Keep It Hot, You Make Me Work, Funk Funk, It's Serious, Insane, We're Goin' Out Tonight, Style, I Want It Now.

Overall, Everything is relative, I could live without some of these songs, but this album is not fully complete either and unfortunately there aren't any other that is either. If You're a casual fan or if you just like some of the top hits, go for it but for more devout fans this collection isn't complete.

Of course, everybody knows Cameo for its breakthrough hit "Word Up," but fans of the old school will remember this group for its earlier, more soulful hits like "She's Strange" and "Aligator Woman." The hits of Larry Blackmon and Co. get compiled on this solid single-disc collection, and what amazing ride it is. "Candy," "Back and Forth," and a slew of others sound just as fresh as they were released back in the day. Personally, this disc gets bonus points from me for including "Shake Your Pants," which appeared in the 1997 movie "Love Jones." This disc is required, essential listening from one of the more innovative funk acts of the 1980's.

The record label could have done a better job with song selections. cameo was the type of group that if you bought there music you would,nt be upset because there was only one good song on the lp. I just recently bought cameo Live and its good, but it wasnt put together very well.

Cameo is great, but this album overlooks 'Hangin' Downtown'. Cameo did great funk dance songs but also some great funky ballads too.

A band that deserves more credit for getting people to appreciate the power of Funk, Cameo made some great records. From "Word Up", one of the best radio songs ever, to "Talkin' Out The Side of your Neck" this CD covers most of the bands highlights. Except for an odd version of She's Strange (the 12" Rap Version? Another reviewer nailed this one) this is a great collection for anyone who wants some exposure to Funk with a capital F.

Bottom-Line: "The Best of Cameo," an album that is a great starting place for anyone who wants to dive into the funky musical pool that is Cameo.

As I stated in my review of Word UP!, one cannot discuss the funk-infused `80's without mentioning Cameo, a band formed in 1974 by former Julliard student Larry Blackmon and twelve of his friends. The group released its first album in entitled Chocolate City in 1976, and followed it up with Cardiac Arrest, Ugly Ego, We All Know Who We Are and Secret Omen contained a mixture of dance (disco) and funk pieces, but it wasn't until the 1980 release of Cameosis did I sit up and take notice of the group.

By the mid 1980's the group had downsized considerable to just four members (later to become just three), and in 1986 the trio released their biggest commercial and critical success, Word UP! In addition to the title track, the album also spawned Candy and Back And Forth; the trio of songs would go on to define the Cameo sound for the next two decades. Although this seminal album made Cameo much better known and respected, it was to represent the high water mark of their career, and in 1993 the group released the "Best of Cameo."
The 14 track "Best of Cameo" contains all of the group's most memorable and commercially successful songs, including Word Up (Word Up!), Single Life, Candy (Word up!), Shake Your Pants (Cameosis), Back & Forth (Word Up!), and I Just Want To Be (Nasty). All of the tracks on CD have been re-mastered, but all retain the allure of the original recordings.

This CD compilation is not to be confused with the 1999 release of the same name, which only contained 11 tracks and oddly enough was missing the group's biggest hit single Word Up!. Nor is it to be confused with the 2002 release entitled Anthology, which contained a whopping 30 tracks, not all of them commercial and or critical successes.

It goes without saying the Word Up! is one of my favorites, along with Candy, Single Life, Back and Forth and I Just Want To Be. All of these tracks epitomize the bands unique 1980's funk drenched style sound, while still remaining relevant today. I don't particularly care for the group's slow jams; to me they lack the smooth soulfulness I have come to expect from R&B groups. Most of Cameo's slower numbers seemed forced and unauthentic; the last track on the CD, It's Over is a glaring, and unsatisfying example of the group's lack of emotive vigor. While musically viable, I didn't feel the soul connection so vital for a slow-jam to be successful--at least with me.

Word Up!, along with Single Life, Candy, and Shake Your Pants are the heart and soul of "The Best of Cameo" (honorable mention to I Just Want to Be), an album that is a great starting place for anyone who wants to dive into the funky musical pool that is Cameo.

Just buy it, you know it's good. Cameo was smooth, is smooth. Com' on now, it's Old School.

Everything was wonderful! It arrived in plenty of time and in great condition. It was a gift for my sister and she loved it!