Customer Reviews

Show & Tell: The Best of

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
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Having purchased the two budget CDs of Al Wilson "Spice Of Life" and "Show and Tell", I had high expectations for this compilation since it was a Varese/Sarabande release. At last finally all of Al Wilson's hits in one release. After checking out the song selections, I am duly disappointed.
What should have been a career spanning retrospective from the sixties through the late seventies turns into a resume of just his middle period -particularly his 'Show and Tell' Rocky Road era recordings.
While that was the height of his career and Al Wison at peak form, their are some glaring omissions from his early and late periods. 'The Snake' from 1968 (released by Johnny Rivers Soul City Label) was his first recording to reach hit Top 40 status and 'I've Got the Feeling'(on Playboy) was his last. As it stands neither one of these have been released on compact disc as of this date. One of the budget CDs does contain 'the Snake', but it's a rerecording and 'Show and Tell' on both of those early compilations was inexplicably in mono.
So once again we have a missed opportunity for a full retrospective of Al Wilsons career while the hit 'Show and Tell' has been compiled on numerous various artists compilations.

A former member of forgettable bands such as The Jewels, The Rollers and The Souls, Al Wilson started to click on the Rocky Road label and the hits began. "Show and Tell, La La Peace Song" and "I Won't Last a Day Without You/Let me be the One" were instant classics. The latter "slashed "song was a common practice in the 70's, taking two individual songs and combining them into one. Other examples are "The Way we Were/Try to Remember" by Gladys Knight and "Runaway/Happy Together" by Tony Orlando and Dawn. Most of the reviews that I have done so far are on the lesser known artists because just like their commercial successful counterparts, they deserve
to be heard and remembered as well. And , it was Al Wilson that sang these songs, not Al Green.

Al Wilson should have been a bigger star. This is a great "old school" CD and a must for those who want to know what real soul sounds like.

Is Touch and Go and Listen to Me in mono??? Why??? Isn't there a stereo version???

I had looked all over for the song,"Show And Tell"and found it on this CD.That is the best song on the cd.

Nice CD but of course Al Wilson's best hit "Show and Tell" is the only high light of the CD.