Very Best of

Kool & The Gang | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 23, 1999)
• Original Release Date: 1999
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Island / Mercury
• ASIN: B00000IJVE
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,920 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #16 in Music > Dance & DJ > Disco
  • #21 in Music > R&B > Funk > General
  • #21 in Music > Pop > By Decade > 1970s

Editorial Reviews

Spanning the band's early-'70s genesis as an unhinged funk congregation and their later resurgence with urbane R&B balladry and synth-inflected disco, The Very Best of Kool & the Gang may not be a unified collection, but it is the first to offer every hit that's expected -- as well as a few that aren't -- from the band's long career. The emphasis is definitely on their peak as a pop group, from 1979 to 1986, with pride of place going to the hits "Celebration," "Get Down on It," "Ladies Night," "Too Hot," "Misled," and "Joanna." Fans of the funk get only three tracks ("Funky Stuff," "Hollywood Swinging," and "Jungle Boogie," all from 1973's Wild and Peaceful), which won't cause anyone to sell their copies of The Best of Kool & the Gang 1969-1976, but does give pop fans a glimpse of their mid-'70s greatness. All in all, this lengthy collection doesn't transition well from hit to hit, but then again, chronological order would've forced legions of pop fans to forward through the funk material to get to their favorites.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

45 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars good collection, July 16, 2000

By 

Kyle Jones (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Very Best of (Audio CD)

With the exception of "Stone Love" the hits seem to be covered in this collection. The remixed version of "Celebration" is awful; the inclusion of it instead of "Stone Love" is a travesty.

As is often the case on these collections, you get the butchered "single" version of some songs instead of the album version. Unfortunately, on this disk "Too Hot" and "Ladies Night" are definitely the butchered versions. There may be others; those two I'm sure about.

The liner notes include a six paragraph bio of the band and the song listings give the highest billboard chart position for each song, and the album from which the song was taken.

A good collection from one of the few successful disco groups that wasn't driven to Europe when disco died in the U.S. Four stars instead of five because of the "Celebration" travesty.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Kool and Funky Wins The Race On This Greatest Hits CD, May 22, 2000

By 

Anthony G Pizza "trivialtony" (FL) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Very Best of (Audio CD)

THE greatest hits CD to own from one of the 80s top hitmakers. Never as groundbreaking as Michael Jackson or Prince, or as flamboyant as George Clinton or Earth, Wind, & Fire, Kool & The Gang earned a steady stream of Top 10 hits throughout the decade that, heard together, indicates how quietly prevalent their sound was.

Never as popular as the comparable Ohio Players at their mid-70s peak, Kool & The Gang with producer Eumir Deodato crafted a funk/R&B/pop formula that clicked literally as the clock struck midnight to begin the 80s. They hit equally with funkier tunes and lush ballads, many with one-word titles: "Fresh," "Misled," "Cherish," "Joanna," "Tonight," and the cliched #1 hit "Celebration" (refreshed little by a house remix).

You also hear the group's bass-heavy, influential and heavily rap-sampled early hits like "Funky Stuff," "Hollywood Swinging," and the "Pulp Fiction"-featured "Jungle Boogie." Together, these songs form nearly 15 years of hitmaking that, despite personnel changes that ultimately sunk the group, stands with the best in modern classic R&B. Recommended.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Almost "The Very Best of..., November 11, 2002

By 

SoulXen1 (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Very Best of (Audio CD)

Overall, this is a very good compilation that should satisfy most listeners. However, if they really want to hear just how diverse and talented this band was, they should have included the classic, "Summer Madness" It was (and still is) a mind trip of massive Jazz/Funk/and R&B proportions. Any true Funk Aficionado should hunt for this song and give it a listen.
Also, Where is the disco era's "Open Sesame" ? The horns on this cut are ree-diculous, The nasty bass line propels this song like a freight train, and the soaring vocal harmonies are not to be missed.