Customer Reviews

Rare Earth - Greatest Hits & Rare Classics

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

 

 

However, with only the single versions of the group's hits, the album falls short.

A better purchase is "The Millennium Collection: The Best of Rare Earth". That one has the full-length renditions, including the 20-minute plus "Get Ready", a funk fan's treasure.

RARE EARTH-GREATEST HITS AND RARE CLASSICS: Rare Earth was something of an oddity at Motown...an all white, self contained rock act that played with unadulterated soul. Starting with a grit-fueled revamping of the Temptations' Smokey Robinson-sired classic GET READY and following up with a similarly reworked Tempts gem (I KNOW) I'M LOSING YOU, they were powered by the volcanic vocal eruptions of sticksman Peter Rivera and the band's tight, jam band work ethic. Other trademark biggies included earthy shout-along anthems I JUST WANT TO CELEBRATE and HEY BIG BROTHER, as well as the left field, Bee Gees assisted, disco charter WARM RIDE. The non-hits deserve a spin too; BIG JOHN IS MY NAME is a funky, chunky slab of fuzz tone/wah wah-injected psychedelia, while HUM ALONG AND DANCE compels the listener to heed the call. Ex-Edgar Winter/White Trash belter Jerry LaCroix turns up on three tracks, having briefly filled in for Rivera at one point in the band's career, hence the term "Rare Classics". At twenty cuts, GREATEST HITS is perhaps too much of a groovy thing for the uninitiated, but better too much Rare Earth than too little, I always say.

RATING: FOUR DRUM ROLLS

This covers Rare Earth very good all the Top Pop 90 Charters are on this. To make the Top Pop 100 this would need 'What'd I Say'. Well worth it if you can get your hands on it. Sound is Excellent. One Other drawback these are the single issues. If you had this and The Best of Rare Earth The Millennium Collection this would be all you would need for Rare Earth.

Berry Gordy, the founder of Motown Records, was harshly chastised for signing Rare Earth as the first white recording artists for Motown. Barry, naturally, had the last laugh.

Track Listing 1. Get Ready 2. Generation (Light Up The Sky) 3. I Know I'm Losing You 4. When Joanie Smiles 5. Born To Wander 6. Here Comes The Night 7. I Just Want To Celebrate 8. Love Shines Down 9. Good Time Sally 10. Hey Big Brother 11. We're Gonna Have A Good Time 12. Big John Is My Name 13. Chained 14. Warm Ride 15. I Can Feel My Love Rising 16. Keepin' Me Out Of The Storm 17. It Makes You Happy (But It Ain't Gonna Last) 18. Midnight Lady 19. Hum Along And Dance 20. Fresh From The Can

Rare Earth was a group you had to look at twice to believe they were white. Motown thought a lot of them - in fact, they named their "Rare Earth" label after them.

This CD contains single versions (i.e. less than 4 minutes long) of all their top 40 hits - and the single versions of "Get Ready" and "(I Know) I'm Losing You" are decent edits of the much longer album tracks (and if you are of my vintage, this is the way you heard them in the car). Besides the six top 40's, there are 14 other tracks representing B-sides, rarities and key album tracks. Unfortunately, there is no information in the package about which are which (thus, 4 stars instead of five).

Sound quality is very good. You'll need to find it used, as it has been discontinued for awhile.

20 tracks, nothing short of a funky good time, coming from Rare Earth. A white band with R&B credentials recognized by Motown Records. This ain't no 98°.

Temptations' cover tunin' "Get Ready" and "(I Know) I'm Losing You" starts kickin' this greatest hits in to gear. But it don't stop there. "I Just Want To Celebrate", "Hey Big Brother", "Chained", "Midnight Lady" and the list goes on more.

To fit 20 songs on this disc you know some songs are shortened to less than 3 minutes, right? Regardless, a taste of anything good ain't bad at all. I found this disc in a store that I can't remember, very cheap and it's not gettin' used as a frisbee.