Customer Reviews

Everybody Plays the Fool: Best of Main Ingredient

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

 

 

I bought this CD specifically because I was disappointed with the
sound of the Collectibles Records "Main Ingredient Golden Classics"
collection. I figured that since this was a Sony/BMG Legacy
2005 release that the remastering would be great. Wrong. It's not
awful, but it's not very good either. Some of the tracks have
a muddy "cassette-like" sound to them. Maybe the original masters
sound that way? In any case, I can't fault Cuba and the guys. This
stuff is prime 70's soul, and even with my complaints I think this
is the best collection of their music out there. "Rolling Down A
Mountainside" is CLASSIC. Sing, guys.....SANG!

I am relatively young, for I was born the decade after the Main Ingredient became popular, but as I explore the great soul groups of the 60's and 70's, I continually come upon groups that enthuse me: The Main Ingredient is one of them for sure. Their harmony is flawless and airy, a heavenly ensemble. Before purchasing this comp, I previously bought their Stevie Wonder tribute album, 1973's Aphrodisiac and was taken aback by their sultry grooves and great melodic songs, so I wanted to delve deeper into their discog. The Everybody Plays the Fool: The Best of... for me is a great start because it has the obvious hit: Everybody Plays the Fool (1971-72), one of my favorite soul grooves, a mid tempo,melody driven classic. It also has some fantastic ballads from the early to mid 70's such as 1974's "Let Me Prove My Love to You" (1975), a heavily doo-wop influenced song with high, heavenly harmony, and the even more airy, 1971's "Spinning Around;" check the unbelievable chorus on this one! We get songs here from when Donald McPherson (RIP) and when Cuba Gooding were heading the group. Many of the Stevie Wonder tributes are here, including "Super Woman," and "Girl Blue," which are fantastic 1973 re-makes of Wonder's 1972 songs from Music From My Mind. The Main Ingredient make the songs their own by re-injecting the grooves with their own heavenly styles. We do get some more upbeat jams like "Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing" (1974),and other good re-makes such as their interpretation of Blue Magic's "I Just Don't Want to Be Lonely." I am upset that the cd reissues of most of their albums such as 1972's Bittersweet and 1971's Spinning Around, and L.T.D. (1970) are extremely rare and or non-existent because they would sound so good in my car and in my home right now. But, at least us newbies have this compilation to keep us company. I truly enjoy having been introduced to such a fantastic group even it nearly 30 years late.

THIS CD WAS EXCELLENT. THE LINER NOTES WERE VERY INFORMATIVE. THE QUALITY WAS GREAT. IT WAS WONDERFUL TO EXPERIENCE THE ARTISTIC QUALITY OF THESE SONGS AS DIGITALLY REMASTERED AND RE-EXPERIENCE THE GENIUS OF THESE MUSICIANS. I DOWNLOADED THE ENTIRE ALBUM ONTO MY IPOD AND THE SOUND QUALITY WAS DELICIOUS ESPECIALLY ON "JUST DON'T WANT TO BE LONELY"

I love this cd it takes me back to a good time in my life when nothing mattered, young and crazy. It had some songs on it I didn't know was the Main Ingredients snd that was a plus good buy

The Main Ingredient is one of the finest soul groups of the last four decades. I enjoy hearing just about every song that they've ever recorded. Especially the ballads! I highly recommend this compilation for any fan of soul music.

I missed hearing "I Just Don't Want To Be Lonely" and I found the album on Amazon.
It's actually better than what I remembered, and the other songs were just fabulous!

this is a case where i got a album that only had one good song on it, the title song is what i wanted and thats all i got the rest were awfull,but that was the chance i took,i wanted that one song on a c.d format.