Customer Reviews

Collection

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

With very little of the Rare Earth catolog in print, Rare Earth "The Collection", is without question the single best compilation available from the first caucasion rock group to be signed to Motown records by Berry Gordy. Rare Earth if only for a short time, delivered the goods that sent them to the top of the charts. Their take on "Get Ready", became a monster hit, originally tracking in at 21 minutes, like many a AOR cut of the late 60's and early 70's, it was trimmed down to the usual 4 minutes for 45 single release. Although you get the edited version on this cd, "Get Ready" remains one of the greatest rock covers of a soul hit to date. In case you forgot, these guys also had a touch of soul as well, as seen in their 1972 hit "I Just Want To Celebrate", which blended rock, soul and psychedelia to perfection. They cover Dave Mason's "Feelin Alright", like every other band of the day, but again, awesome guitar work on this version makes it one of the best takes of this classic ever waxed. If Joe Cocker had not had a hit record with his cover of the song, I would be willing to bet that this Rare Earth cover would have received tons of airplay, making it a hit. "Tobacco Road", is another standout along with "Magic Key" and "I'm Losing You". Lead vocalist and drummer Pete Rivera had a macho texture to his voice that is instantly recognized by anyone who listened to AOR in the early seventies. This compilation offers a generous 18 tracks for an attractive price, making it one of the best buys of classic rock and soul.

When purchasing a compilation, often there can be a content vs. audio quality consideration. That is definitely the case here, as this CD has a decent tracklist, but the audio quality is not up to par with several other available compilations.

The audio on this 2004 release is identical to that on the new 2008, complete five studio album (Get Ready, Ecology, One World, Willie Remembers & Ma, plus singles and rare tracks) Hip-O set, Fill Your Head: The Studio Albums 1969-1974. However, neither of these choices will get you the best audio versions of Rare Earth material.

For that, look to these three CD's: The Millennium Collection, The Very Best Of & Ma. All of these discs have superior remastered sound to this "Collection" CD, or the "Fill" set. There are tons old bootlegs and older Motown releases available here on Amazon, but I've been through them all, and these three discs have the best sound.

In addition, the "Millennium" disc has the long-jam LP versions of "Get Ready", "Ma", "(I Know) I'm Losing You" & "What'd I Say", the only Rare Earth compilation disc to do so. The "Very Best Of" CD is also recently OOP, so if the tracks on that disc look attractive to you, I would highly advise grabbing one before they escalate in price. "Tobacco Road" sounds better on that disc than any other yet issued.

From these three discs, one can build the best-sounding Rare Earth compilation, audio-wise. It just remains to be determined by the individual fan as to whether the content of the three discs will provide the desired depth of material, so check the tracklists.

Also, if considering the Fill set, I would highly suggest linking to that item and reading my review, before excitedly spending sixty dollars on it. I have listed some strong caveats about the audio, and design quality of the set itself, in the review.

I purchased this for a couple songs and I was suprised about how many I have forgotten about. This is a great selection of songs and collection. Get it if you like any of the Rare Earth songs...

Greatest Hits collections come and go; they are conceived, issued, sold and replaced when a newer title is issued. So what exactly does this one bring to the table? A fine selection of 18 songs that were either singles or album cuts with a couple of rare B sides. The songs are programmed in a logical order for a varied and intriguing listening experience. Another thing this particular CD brings to the table is fine remastering of the original mixes. This disc presents you with the songs you know the way you know them, just in more detailed sound. It's a worth while hits collection for the core fan and a good place to start for the casual listener.

I enjoy this one also. I seem to have 2 Rare Earth cd's. Again I bought them after they took Rare Earth off of YOUTUBE

Thank you Amazon for having the great selection of C.D.s to replace our old eight tracks and cassettes. When you've been a fan of Rare Earth as long as I have, and travel alot, you just have to have these classics to turn up and cruise! Also thanks for stocking all the albums so I can get the one with all my favorites on it. "I just wanna celebrate".

Rare Earth being one of my all time favorites and long time friend. The Collection is just that, a collection of all thier best and I would recomend this cd to all music listeners. Those of you who don't know Rare Earth give it a try I bet you'll like it!

This is a good selection of the Band Rare Earth, one of the lesser known groups on the Motown Label.
I wish there were more titles of their Original Longer Numbers like Get Ready, Ma, Wine Woman and Song were availible on CD. I had them on Vinyl but cannot find them on CDs.

I bought this CD from Amazon and it doesn't disapoint! Only the Single versions of Get Ready and I Know(Im loosing You) are available but finally having What I'd Say and Under God's Light is well worth it!
If you want to see the other first Rare Earth Albums on CD, E-Mail Universal records and let them know us die hard Rare Earth Fans would like to see More Rare Earth CD's, Especially Get Ready, Ecology and One World!

since i have nothing to compare this with i think this is a pretty good cd. i wanted a "rare earth" cd and this one is satifactory. has pretty much everything i wanted to hear. easy to order, easy to pay and fast delivery (tho i do live in the same state as "amazon" )