Customer Reviews

Hits Remixes & Rarities: The Warner Brothers Years

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Soul music's Romeo and Juliet timeless contributions to music cannot be explained anymore than it already has but, this collection is more than essential. Ashford and simpson brings togther their best and hard to find tracks and remixes on this bangin two disc set. It's great to have their best dance tracks readily avialiable again - since these tracks will put a hurtin' on your pockets if you ever try to collect the original 12" singles.

ORIGINALS ;

"Over and Over" and "Stay Free" (you won't find a better song about freelance romanacing than this!) are back on CD after being out of print for a few years. "Tried, Tested, and found true" and "One more try" are tough and smooth slices of proto disco. You can't do no wrong with their flagship disco anthem "Found a Cure". "Bourgie Bourgie" is avliable on other anthologies but, it blends in smooth with the rest of the tracks. "Nobody Knows" is a tight fusion of blues & soul with a discofied production style. The originals is classic material all the way.

REMIXES;

I Thought I wasn't gonna like this disc because much of the time, remixes never matches the quality of the originals. I was dead wrong because Tom Moulton, Joey Negro, M&M, Joe Clausell were dead on point with their remixes. I loved how they maintained all of the key musical elements of the originals while bringing a fresh ear and sound into the mix "without compromising the integrity of the originals" as stated by Valarie Simpson herself in the liner notes. Tom Moulton Mix of "Found a Cure" is bound to go down as one of many line of his classic remixes but, all of the remixes sound great and worth repeated plays.

I like how Nick and Val took time to acknowledge the remixers for seeing their songs from a different light. Props also go to Johnny D Demairo for organizing this whole project and handpicking the right remixers who understood and respected Nick and Val's material. For the casual fan, this may be a bit much since the high emphasis on dance material doesn't give listeners a well rounded scope of Ashford and Simpson's talent. You may want to try their "very best of collection (Rhino)" before you come around to this. If you're a serious fan, pick up both and you got Ashford and Simpson covered.

Just when I thought i had the best Remix/OG CD SET! If you want to know what a remix should be, get this ASAP. I can not stop playing it 'over & over'. I play this more than the new CD's I have. Every song is GREAT. Give them a Grammy for Remixers!! This is better than Verve Remix! Glad they have some 12'inch of some classic stuff as well. My favorites in order are: REMIX... 1. Bourgie Bourgie 2. Over and Over Regular Version...1. It Seems To Hang On (12" Disco Mix) 2. Don't Cost You Nothing (12" Disco Mix)... but the whole project is GREAT.

I have to agree with the previous reviewers -- this collection is simply fantastic. It's a retrospective of the R&B duo's '70s dance-oriented material on Warner Bros. The first CD features original album versions and 12" mixes of classics such "Found a Cure", "It Seems to Hang On" and "Over and Over". Then there is the second disc, which is the deal-closer. It includes outstanding new mixes of a few of the classics heard on disc one.

This CD is everything a compilation should be: crisp remastering, informative and well-written liner notes, and superb packaging. Ashford & Simpson are probably best known for their stellar songwriting, but their own music is just as good. And this collection is proof of that. Highly recommended.

Took me a while to decide to buy this Compact disc. Driven by my curiosity
for the Tom Moulton mix of "Found a Cure" I purchased it. I have been listening to it over and over. "It seems to hang on" and "Send it" are my other favorites. Honestly, the whole collection is excellent. A must have for the Ashford and Simpson fans!!!

I had been trying to get my hands on the 12" remix of "Don't Cost You Nothin'" since I first heard it on WAMO in Pittsburgh over 20 years ago. This CD is spectacular, and the remixes are fantastic.

I put off buying this album for a while. I was so sure I would hate the remixes, I didn't want to spend that much money on it. I shouldn't have waited. These remixes are actually good! Ashford & Simpson's music was NOT destroyed! I still like the originals better, but this a GREAT album!

It's great to finally have "Everybody's Got To Give It Up" and "One More Try" on CD! (I still wish A&S would release "I Wanna Be Selfish" on CD, along with something new.) I love the 12" versions of every song; I can't pick a favorite.

The liner notes were interesting, and I enjoyed reading what A&S had to say about the remixes.

If you're an A&S fan, buy this album. You will not be disappointed!

Whilst the selection of songs may not be complete (where is Solid?), it is a great lesson in how to blend notes, voices and instruments into something exquisite.
The remixes are great in that they maintain the original instruments instead of adding "boom-boxes" like most remixes today. The best remix of this kind is still Fantasy from Earth, Wind and Fire (Shelter DJ mix)...

Enjoy.

This is THE must CD every disco-soul collector should have, the original versions and original promo only 12" versions were great, but the remixes on disc 2 are a wonderful addition made in the spirit of the original sound, no extra drumcomouters er samples, just the right remix of a classic should be (maybe a remix of Chaka Khan's "I'm every moman" should be as an addition on the album, or an album of Chaka's hits in the same production would be nice)

BUY BUY BUY BUY!!!!!!!

As a lover of dance music I must say that the engineers went wrong in the remastering of this one. I bought it together with the 12 Grand Inches 5. What a difference! Why so much compression in the remastering of the drumbeat. Why?? The distortion is evident. You can barely listen to the bass line. Mainly in disc 2, the gold in here, the remixes. It's really a pitty. The same mistake occured with the last remaster of the Cerrone's albums. The volume must be a listener's choice.

Ashford & Simpson had the best music during the early to late seventies. This album capitalizes on some of the best albums ever like "I Wanna Be Selfish", "Send It", "Gimme Something Real".
I'm not a big fan of remixes but these warrant a listen.
Best bet: "Everybody's Got to Give It Up."