Customer Reviews

Capitol Gold: Best of

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

There are those music groups whose "best of" is neatly collected
on one or two cds, and those whose best of isn't (either by the sheer multitude of gems or because the collector's taste differs too much from your own). Groups of the first kind e.g. include
ABBA, CCR, Foreigner, Journey; groups of the second kind include
Beatles, Moody Blues, Rare Earth, and Ashford+Simpson. In the latter case there is just no alternative to buying some original albums! In case of Ashford+Simpson that would be some of their
70's albums. For instance,
only one song from "Is it still good to ya" is included in the present compilation, but I can name 10 tracks from
"Is it still.." and "Send it" that are as good as the 5 best songs on the present compilation. These 5 are: It seems to hang on, Experience, Count your blessings, Love it away, I'll take the whole world on. They are slow going R&B with complex, vocal harmonies at its best. Compared with them, the rest is trivial kind of Disco music (with a few highlights now and then). There are other great R&B bands from the early 70's whose
original albums are sorely missed (or astronomically prized),
e.g. Tavares, Mother's Finest, Jerry Butler (with and without Thelma Houston).

During the 70's and 80's in the R&B duo groups were names like Rene & Angela, Peaches & Herb, etc. Then there was Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson a married couple who had been in the music writing business since the early 60's penning songs for Motown's Diana Ross and other various artists. Val Simpson had done a few solo projects in the 60's that went shamefully unnoticed by the music industry. Not until the 70's did they write material that would catch the world's attention like Chaka Khan's/Whitney Houston's I'm Every Woman...

It was in the late 70's and 80's the duo started performing their own written tunes. Beautiful tracks like It Seems to Hang On is the stuff sweet soul music is made of;just filled with catchy lyrics and a silky almost jazz-like rhythm.Even their other Warner Bros. disco tune I Found A Cure demonstrated they could keep up with what was popular yet never sell out to trends;they kept their musical innovativeness and originality intact without compromising their outstanding quality to satisfy a flashy trend. The pop-soul driven feel of Solid (while overplayed and killed on the airwaves in '85) is one of their most popular among "non" r&b music listeners.One of my all time favorites from their out of print album Street Opera is Street Corner with it's piano, bass and early synth work still makes it timeless and enjoyable. It's also dancefloor accessible !

It would be remarkable if Ashford and Simpson would release their early solo material from the 60's or to hear them sing the songs that made other artists famous...

....the best R and Bee vocal duo ever.

If I had a criticism of this fabuloso product it would be that it has mostly all their Capitol Records hits...Hey, they put "It Seems to Hang On" from the great "Is it Still Good To Ya" album, on this but I always half expect to hear the single "Is It..." afterwards. Fear not, fans and lovers. This has "Solid" and the great jam "Count Your Blessings" (which always gets a heart tug from me when they go "I almost lost the one I love, searching out for something new") and (Ya Momma Shouldna Told Ya) "Babies" and "I'll Take the Whole World On"....

A Primo Product from A Primo Act...

This is an awesome duo these two wrote and produced music back in the 60's, 70's , and 80's. These two wrote songs for legends like Marvin Gaye, Luther Vandross, Aretha Franklin and many others these two even made good songs for themselves and this is a great album it is just missing"Is it still good to ya" but other than that it is out of sight I would recommend anyone who likes Ashford and Simpson or old skool rhythm and blues to buy this album because this is a great album and I really do like it I really enjoy it. My favorites are: High rise, Solid , Babies, Any Street Corner, Found A Cure, and it seems to hang on , and many great other songs I love this album!!!

this husband&wife team have been around for so long and have written some of the most impotant pieces in the history of music.and how do they find the time to write great songs for themselves you ask? but oh they do in so many ways it's great songs and production like on any street corner and solid among many.it's a must have.they are a bit underrated when one considers there prolific careers and the fact it hardly gets the love of hardly lesser talented folks. but i enjoyed it much.

Released in 1993, this compilation is a better-than average retrospective of Ashford & Simpson's 1982-1990 Capitol recordings. While it's true that their 1970s releases for Warner Bros. Records are better-known and played more frequently on R&B Oldies stations than their 1980s hits, many of the songs on this compilation prove that neither the passage of time nor the many changes R&B music was going through during the decade compromised A&S' ability to write and produce great songs. When considering that 1984's "Solid" is the only Ashford & Simpson Capitol CD currently in print, this compilation is well worth getting.

She says it's perfect with most of her favorite songs included. The cake didn't last nearly as long as the cd and was cheaper. I was impressed with the speedy delivery too.

Ok so maybe I'm not the most impartial person to review this product since I'm convinced that I was Valerie in another life! I think my parents were the last disco king and queen so I grew up on Ashford and Simpson.

The opening track really does Hang On. Its catchy and uplifting but also gets you thinking about that potential true love that you let slip away. So you can dance up a storm and sing along to hide your regrets. Its what I call a happy sad song.

Ashford and Simpson prove that they as formidable as performing artists as they are songwriters for the likes of Marvin Gaye, Chaka Kahn, Diana Ross.

Some of the tracks like Highrise sound dated but timeless hits like Street Corner and Solid make this album a must-have for your soul collection.
If you have Street Opera you'll notice that the version of Street Corner on that album differs from this one. Can you spot the difference?

Nickolas Ashford & Valerie Simpson have, without debate, written, produced, performed & recorded some of the most timeless songs EVER. Whether for themselves or others. Their track record is full of huge successes. Diana Ross alone owes not one, but two albums worth of kudos to this incredibly talented duo. So why in blazes aren't they still in demand on the radio or television or studio? They are what R&B is AND should be.

Right alongside Holland/Dozier/Holland, or even Stevie Wonder, they are responsible for classics such as "Let's Go Get Stoned," Ain't No Mountain High Enough," You're All I Need to Get By," "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing," "Reach Out and Touch Somebody's Hand" and "The Boss" to name a simply stunning five classics that will never be lost to time. Add to that the still remarkable "Solid" and "Found a Cure" from this collection and the question begs: why are they not still on, or at least very near, the top.

Pint-sized Valerie possesses more melodic soul than any wanna-be "idol" franchise may attempt to crank out. Why Motown didn't get behind her early 70s solo albums is a crime against true talent and potential. And the incredibly talented Nickolas, who's talent measures taller than his height, his own voice compares, if not beats anyone of the last 40 years. While, at face value, this collection is excellent it is pitifully short of what could be representative of this marvelous couple.

This is not a review but a question for all Ashford and Simpson Lovers. On the Capitol Gold Greatest hits their is a song called Babies. I believe that the song is done by Valerie Simpson but not Nicholas Ashford.
The male lead sounds a lot like Boz Skaggs. Does anyone else come to this conclusion if anyone has an answer, please contact me at shockd@excite.com .Who is the male singer on the song Babies #11.