Ultimate Collection

Impressions | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 16, 2001)
• Original Release Date: 1958
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Hip-O Records
• ASIN: B00005QKC1
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #37,528 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #36 in Music > R&B > Soul > Northern

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Almighty Impressions!, January 26, 2006

By 

T. S. Heard (California, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ultimate Collection (Audio CD)

I grew up listening to soul groups like the Impressions, so I decided to get this CD to add to my collection-and I was not disappointed. This collection follows the Impressions through the late 1950's when Jerry Butler was a member, to the 1960's during the Curtis Mayfield period, to the post-Curtis Mayfield period in the 1970's with "Finally Got Myself Together" and "Same Thing It Took." The love songs like, "For Your Precious Love" and "I'm So Proud" are included as well as the social anthems "Keep On Pushing", "People Get Ready", "We're A Winner", "This Is My Country", and "Choice Of Colors."

There seems to be some confusion among other reviewers as to the members of the Impressions. The original incarnation included Jerry Butler, Curtis Mayfield, Sam Gooden, and brothers Arthur and Richard Brooks. When Jerry Butler left, Fred Cash joined the lineup. The most memorable lineup of the group-the 1960's incarnation- and the ones pictured on this CD image are left to right: Fred Cash, Curtis Mayfield, and Sam Gooden. Once Curtis Mayfield left to pursue solo ventures, the group included various members but Sam and Fred were the mainstays. As a fact, they both still perform along with Willie Kitchens as the Impressions. The only member of the Impressions that is deceased is the late, great Curtis Mayfield.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Influential and Important, May 19, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Ultimate Collection (Audio CD)

This is great music, made more important by the passage of time. I urge you to listen and learn. As usual, Hip-O has done a superb job: great sound, rare photos, and an essay that adds detail and dimension to the legacy of the Impressions. Hear for yourself why this music matters more than ever.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars hum a little soul, make life your goal..., April 14, 2002

By 

allah (McLemore Ave) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ultimate Collection (Audio CD)

If you don't know the Impressions, you need to check them out. It's hard to understand how a group that was this good and this successful can be so infrequently heard on oldies stations. Honestly, do we really need to hear "My Girl" or "Respect" 30 times a week when there is so much other worthy music out there??? Curtis Mayfield wrote songs that were catchy, fun, and had substance to them. When he, Fred Cash, and Sam Gooden sang in unison, it was like hearing one voice multi-tracked, until they split into their trademark harmonies.

Some of the album's highlights: "It's All Right" - one of the all-time feel-good songs; "Talking About My Baby" - a very upbeat love song; "People Get Ready" - a gorgeous piece of gospel with some of the loveliest vocals you will ever hear; "This Is My Country" - perhaps the best civil rights song ever written.

This is far and away the best single-disc compilation that has been done on the group (Hip-O finally managed to do something right). The only possible complaint might be the absence of "I've Been Trying", a lovely, soulful song that was emulated by Bob Marley on early Wailers tracks, but even that is not a major omission. If you like Motown or 60's soul, you should own this album.