Customer Reviews

The Best of the S.O.S. Band

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Along with the Gap Band, Zapp, and Atlantic Starr, the S.O.S. Band put down some of the tightest R&B music of the 80's. It's a shame, however, that these groups' music is starting to get scarce especially on the original albums. Greatest hits are usually bad because not only do they give partial songs, but they tend to leave out songs that were never released as singles. If this is the only S.O.S. band you can find I suggest you jump on it. However, don't stop looking for the original albums. I hope sooner or later they'll release them on CD.

Just a note to all those out there looking for this on CD. I live in Texas and have owned this CD for the past few years!!! Attempt to special order this from a local record store. The S.O.S. Band is the greatest!

This is an excellent album. From what I can see,this is only offered in the cassette form. This is a travisty! This needs to be offered on CD.

Please consider this request. I would like to purchase this as soon as it's made available.

Although this collection is NOT as varied as their "Greatest Hits" CD, this CD does boast the full-length versions of the following:

1. take your time (do it right) 7:39
2. Just be good to me 9:03
3. Weekend girl 5:39

I paid $14/US for the disc. Great songs! Great value, as I paid $14/US for a new disc. Five stars!!

Though it's missing a few of their OTHER "Finest" songs, such as "Just The Way You Like It". They MORE than make up for it by providing you the Club/ALBUM versions of the songs. Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis are the genuis behind the songs in reference to writing and production. Prince making them choose between being in the slamming group, The Time or going out on their own, wouldn't of made the 1980s R&B Reign Possible. They wrote and produced too many R&B hits of too many artists back in the 80s.

I've had the pleasure to personally Hip(introduce) my Non Minority friends to these songs/Groups; most never heard (of) them until they were TRAPPED riding in my car or in my room (only my music is played).

It has some of the best Club songs on this CD, FAST and SLOW. I put them in order of preference and which track (listed on the CD) after the songs themselves.

Alexander O'Neal, Cherrele, SOS Band, Janet Jackson... the Songs "Can You Treat Me Like She Does" and "Keep Your Eye On Me" (the horns in that cut is slamming).

The only reason I gave this 4.5 instead of 5Stars is the last song, "What's Wrong With Our Love Affair"; it's not a BAD song, just sounds out of place. Inspite of Mary Davis voice.

Boy did she get too High when she left SOS Band.

1. Take Your Time (Do It Right), 7.
2. The Finest, 5.
3. Even When You Sleep, 2.
4. Weekend Girl, 4.
5. Tell Me If You Still Care, 3.
6. Just Be Good To Me, 1.
7. Sands Of Time, 6.
8. No One's Gonna Love You, 8.
9. High Hopes, 9.

A lot of them tie (especially the slow cuts) but I had to give numbers. Oh, if you're NEW to this here SOS and 80s in general, don't forget to check out Loose Ends, MTUME, Roger/Zapp, Kool & the Gang, Atlantic Star, The Time, Cameo & Con Funk Shun (Owwwwwww!!!!), Midnight Star, Sade, Anita,... and many others.

It's unfortunate that The S.O.S. Band's albums are mostly out of print, particularly the albums that heralded production team Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis' incredible run ("On the Rise," "Just the Way You Like It" and "Sands of Time"). While this gives a fairly good sample of what the group was about, it could have been more comprehensive.

The S.O.S. Band did have albums and some hits before and after hooking up with Jam & Lewis, but outside of the 1980 smash hit "Take Your Time (Do It Right)" the group mostly is known as the first successful vehicle for Jam & Lewis. For that matter, the group made albums after lead singer Mary Davis moved on (her and Jam & Lewis' last studio album was "Sands of Time"), but that would be even more unreasonable to add those songs on a one-disc set.

The Roland 808 drum programming synonymous with the Flyte Tyme sound was used first and most extensively with The S.O.S. Band, so it makes sense a greatest hits catalog would mostly showcase that era. "Just Be Good to Me," "The Finest" and "Tell Me You Still Care" are the best examples of that technique. "Even When You Sleep," "Sands of Time," "No One's Gonna Love You" and "Weekend Girl" are also no-brainers associated with the S.O.S./Flyte Tyme marriage.

But still, I felt this set could have been better. For starters, it's a little more than 62 minutes long -- meaning nearly 18 minutes on an 80-minute CD were left off the table. Second, I thought "What's Wrong With Our Love Affair?" was an odd choice, even if the logic was adding another song before the Jam & Lewis era. I likely would have considered "S.O.S. (Dit Dit Dit Dash Dash Dash Dit Dit Dit)" -- the follow-up to "Take Your Time (Do It Right)" that reached No. 20 on the Billboard R&B Singles charts -- if I was going in that vein.

And while I know "High Hopes" was technically the first Jam & Lewis-produced song, it had too much of a Leon Sylvers sound and wasn't a big enough of a hit (peaked at No. 25 Billboard R&B Singles chart, 1982) that it would have been missed. Finally, "Just the Way You Like It" (peaked at No. 6, 1984) definitely should have been included.

Personally, my S.O.S. Band one-disc set would have been this (full album tracks, unless noted):

1.) Just Be Good to Me
2.) Take Your Time (Do It Right)
3.) S.O.S. (Dit Dit Dit Dash Dash Dash Dit Dit Dit)
4.) No Lies
5.) Just the Way You Like It (I've heard a slightly shorter version at six minutes)
6.) Even When You Sleep
7.) I Don't Want Nobody Else
8.) Sands of Time
9.) Weekend Girl
10.)Tell Me If You Still Care
11.) The Finest
12.) Nothing But the Best
13.) No One's Gonna Love You

I intentionally left off "Borrowed Love," which should be called "Just Be Good to Me, Part III." With the original song plus the soundalike "Just the Way You Like It," I feel a set with essentially the same song done three different times would mar the compilation.

To me, that's a stronger set that captures the best ideas of the band by itself and its association with the Jam & Lewis era.

This is one of the funkiest bands of all time in my opinion. I really do love the SOS Band. They made some very nice tunes back in the day, especially when they hooked up with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. That's the best thing they could've ever did. Songs like "Do you still care, Weekend Girl and Just be good to me" still stands out to me to this day. Those are timeless classics and i still jam them ocassionally. I wish the record labels would go on and release all of this group's individual albums on cd. I would still like to have the title cd "Just the way you like it". I just recently got a hold of their cd title "On the Rise". It cost me a nice penny, but it was worth it.

This cd is a must have for all the generation Xer's who remember basement parties, grinding on the wall, shell-toe Adidas, Devils jeans and Vasco outfits. The SOS Band is still one of the best bands to ever hit the airwaves. Destiny's Child, Xscape, Backstreet Boys, etc are all WANNABEs. They wannabe like SOS Band... or at least they should.

When it came to outstanding R&B, funk, dance music, the collaboration between SOS Band and producers Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis (Flyte Tyme) put them ahead of their time ! To this day it is obvious why their music has been sampled by newer artists. SOS Band's experimental use of synthesizers and drums always seemed to have a subtle futuristic flavor or groove without losing the warm heart and soul of the R&B sound! Mary Davis' vocals were very distinct and could not be compared with other R&B divas of that time period. To own this collection is GOLD--to own the originals is PRICELESS !!!

I am only 20 years old but when I first listened to this album, I fell in love...This band has many intricate beats and a melody that everyone can dance to...no wonder many artists are sampling from their great work...I love all the tracks especially, "No Ones Gonna Love You" and "Tell Me If You Still Care"...Jimmy "Jam" Harris and Terry Lewis made a name for themselves when they produced this band...they have developed a distinct style of their own, with their creative ideas, the S.O.S became a great band...if you want to get an excellent CD to reminisce and dance to..."Take Your Time, and Do it Right" by buying this album....