The Best of Rare Earth - 20th Century Masters

Rare Earth | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 6, 2001)
• Original Release Date: 2001
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Motown
• ASIN: B000058TD8
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,121 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #18 in Music > R&B > Soul > Blue-Eyed Soul
  • #19 in Music > R&B > Motown
  • #48 in Music > Classical > Historical Periods > Modern, 20th, & 21st Century

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

60 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Music Should be Less Rare, September 29, 2005

By 

Lonnie E. Holder "The Review's the Thing" (Columbus, Indiana, United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Best of Rare Earth - 20th Century Masters (Audio CD)

Twenty-one minutes and thirty-two seconds of the song "Get Ready;" if you knew this song I could stop this review right here. This song speaks for itself. It is more than a third of an hour of funky rock by the first non-African American group signed by Motown. When you listen to the songs on this CD, which are vaguely reminiscent of Earth, Wind and Fire, and the Temptations, you can understand how well Rare Earth fit with Motown.

"Get Ready" starts quietly. At about two minutes from the beginning the song picks up pace. As the song progresses it turns instrumental and the instruments weave patterns with each other. The music is funky in places, harder in others, and sometimes psychedelic. After an extended drum solo the vocals help finish the last minute of the song. Each time I hear this song I always wish it would last longer than its twenty one minutes. This song was originally performed by the Temptations, and was Rare Earth's biggest hit, charting at #4 in a much shorter version.

After the lengthy opening, this album moves into "I Just Want to Celebrate," an enthusiastic song about partying and loving life that is as much a celebration of funk as anything else. Get down!

The third longest song on this CD is also the third song on this CD. "I Know I'm Losing You" has an opening I sometimes hear on the radio. As the song rolls onward it incorporates a classic "wah-wah" sound that seemed ubiquitous in the funky music of the early 70s. Thus funky tour de force is a tribute to Rare Earth's musical skill, and is just plain fun to listen to. Listen for a marvelous drum and bass portion around the seven minute mark that is outstanding. Soon after the music stays funky with a psychedelic edge that has a touch of Hendrix flavor.

After the exhaustion you get from listening to the previous song you need a break. "Born to Wander" is shorter but it remains heavy enough with bass that whatever respite you get from this music is brief. Anticipate no breaks on this album.

This collection is set up with a series of increasingly longer songs. "Hey Big Brother" gives you nearly five minutes of still socially relevant music. This has a funky undertone with solid rock underpinning. In spite of the political commentary this song is another of Rare Earth's "fun" songs; catchy beat, wonderful to listen to over and over again, and lyrics that you can sing to.

Move on into a nearly seven and a half minute interpretation of the Ray Charles song "What'd I Say?" This song has a bass guitar that is a reminder that in the 70s the bass guitar often took a lead role in rock music. However, the lead guitar gets its licks later, along with some more "wah-wah" sound. This song also has a nice horn portion. I usually make comparisons with Chicago's early music, but the brass in this song is very different from Chicago's music, taking on a much harder edge than Chicago's music ever had. Listen for the interpretation of Ray Charles' "hey-ho" about two-thirds of the way into the song. The last couple of minutes of this song changes tempo and gains a Latino sound that contrasts strongly with the first five minutes. I admit that "What'd I Say" is a bit more repetitive than some of their other songs, but I still enjoy this song from beginning to end.

This album closes with the almost seventeen and a half minute song "Ma," which opens with the dedication that this song is about the lady that raised me. This bluesy song (with yet more "wah-wah") is great music for parties and just being mellow. There is a drum beat at the middle of this song that seems vaguely Native American, overlaid on a powerful blues vocal, with a whole array of instruments in counterpoint. I know this description sounds complicated. You must listen to this music understand the experience. Did I mention that the music becomes psychedelic in a stellar way a bit more than halfway through the track? Then the piano turns jazzy. Awesome! It seems to me that there are no artists today trying to create music that could hold a candle to a track like this.

Rare Earth was an unusual group. They literally did their own thing. They had their own style. Rare Earth is one of those rare groups that I find difficult to compare to other groups because they set a standard rather than following one. You can clearly hear an array of influences in their music, but their music was their own. Their music was unique and fun, and I highly recommend this CD if you liked long rock tracks and funk from the early 70s, or if you like good rock music regardless of the era. I wish this music was more common, then or now. Enjoy!

44 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I just want to celebrate!!! A fabulous collection, July 16, 2001

By 

Eric V. Moye (New York, by way of Dallas) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Best of Rare Earth - 20th Century Masters (Audio CD)

Rare Earth was the first Anglo group ever signed by Motown chief Berry Gordy. This collection shows how strong their groove really was.

Like another reviewer, I think it would be worth the price just because it is the repository (maybe the sole repository) of their classic version of "Get Ready". That is twenty minutes of some of the best music of the day, with each member taking his time to do a great solo on a classic song from back when rock stations were putting out some of their best work.

Unlike another, I was pleased to find the album-length version of "I Know I'm Losin' You". The rather psychedelic edge that the additional four minutes added was just fine by me. Moreover, I can recall how different that sound was from the radio version to which I had become accustomed back in the day. Finding these two treasures together in one place was splendid. Adding "I Just Want to Celebrate" and "Born to Wander" was just gravy.

A fabulous piece of work. Even without "Ma" this contains all the Rare Earth we need.

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow!, February 6, 2002

By 

"bojangle12" (APO, AE United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Best of Rare Earth - 20th Century Masters (Audio CD)

I have owned the CD "Ecology" for years, but missed what I remembered as being some other good Rare Earth songs. This is one of the best CD's in my 700+ collection, and easily is the best purchase I have made in months. What a unique sound! "I Just Want to Celebrate" was worth the investment by itself. I hadn't heard the long version of "Get Ready" in years, and had totally forgotten about "Big Brother". If this CD doesn't get your foot tapping, you need to go back to c(Rap) thats being put out today. The way things are going, since today's artists don't seem to have a brain cell to write their own music (and don't know what an instrument is unless it is between their legs), they will stealing some of these superb tunes soon.