Customer Reviews

Zapp & Roger - All the Greatest Hits

5 star:		(47)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Troutman and Zapp, along with Lakeside, the SOS Band, the Gap Band, Cameo, Rick James and a few others.....represent the last funk bands to really make an impact on the R&B charts. Between 1980 and 1983, these bands were going strong.....until r&b began to change in 1984 (for the worse, in my opinion), and soul music has never really been the same since. But just prior to those terrible trend changes in the mid-80s, Roger Troutman was making some incredibly creative funk music which ruled the r&b radio stations of the early 80s.

I remember back in high school that I was one of the few white kids who even knew who Zapp was, but if you were an avid r&b listener like I was and attended high school in the early 80s, you couldn't miss Zapp's original approach. Troutman's synthesized voice (which, as I found out when I saw Troutman and Zapp live, was created by a tube-like device he sang through.....it was attached to a keyboard) was unlike anything ever heard before.

While it's true that Zapp represents some of the annoying aspects of funk's trend to become "digitized" in the 80s, overall they are an incredibly unique group, and the tunes on this disc represent their best. On several tracks, they prove that they had legitimate talent, and did not just depend on electronic gimmicks for effect. There is some terrific singing and amazing guitar in many of these tunes (check out "Do It Roger" and "Doo Waa Ditty".....too bad we're missing "Playin' Kinda Ruff"). Any collector of funk should at the very least own a copy of this compilation......the sampler is complete enough that it may be all you need. You can always go for the original albums later, but I'd recommended starting with this disc and see if it's enough for you.

And like the other reviewers, I think the re-mixes are unnecessary, but it doesn't take away from the disc overall.

I collect a LOT of Greatest Hits CD's and some of them manage to miss a few of the hits. Not so with this CD they have pretty much every song that got radio play during the years 80's-90's. I remember when Roger and Zapp came out and they paved the way with Roger's unique usage of the voice box it was SLAMMIN then and it is SLAMMIN now :) I am especially happy that the tunes with Shirley Murdach, songstress that sings {{AS WE LAY}} & {{GO ON WITHOUT YOU }}, are included on this CD.

This CD is perfect for cook-outs and family gatherings where you have young as well as old people attending. I understand they have another {Greatest Hits} CD out there as well but for the money you really can't beat this one.

Respectfully Reviewed

From the time the first beat drops and that vocoder bellows "Moooore bounce," it's ON.

There are many different types of funk, and most have a common denominator, but Zapp & Roger created a singularly unique brand of funk. Using a talkbox in place of regular vocals creates a totally different atmosphere: space funk, firmly rooted in the streets.

I will be the first to say that there are a number of songs on here that I'm not crazy about. Some of the cheesier love songs grate on me a little, but not enough to detract from the rest of the quality material.

It's easy to see why a whole generation of West Coast rappers cribbed one sample after another from Roger & Zapp, and who can blame them? Tracks like "More Bounce to the Ounce," "So Ruff So Tuff" and "Computer Love" are instantly addictive.

"Heard It Thru the Grapevine?" Sick. I can't hear that song without thinking of Big Worm bumping down the street in "Friday."

If you're big on the funk, get this album. No disappointment in sight.

First of all....I just want to say that Roger did not kill himself, he was shot to death by his brother Larry in the recording studio. Then Larry turned the gun on himself in his car a few blocks away.

ANYWAY....this album is totally awesome! I also love ALL the songs on this album! I was lucky enough to see Zapp & Roger in concert at the Starck club, in Dallas, Tx. a month before he was killed. I remember the morning I found out he was shot, a friend of mine called me in the very early a.m. to tell me he had just heard. I was so upset. He definitely left behind some great music and it's unfortunate that his brother felt the need to kill Roger and himself! I will always love this music, and this WILL always be my favorite album!

Who can argue, when Zapp & Roger pioneered a style and sound, that any combination of their greatest hits wouldn't be above average? Many have imitated, but only fell short of the originality from these songs with a sense of timelessness. Hence, "Computer Love", long before the internet and or even the computer being more than an oversized calculator, this song was pure ingenious and futuristic. All The Greatest Hits contain 17 tracks, one of which is a medley of songs. Though some may sound similar, contain the same formula and the same swing that made these chart toppers.

even before his untimely death i was wondering what in the 21rst century was Roger gonna do next? he was ahead of his Groove time aside from Parliament and James Brown who else gets as much sample love than Roger&crew? his music is time-less thank about Computer Love back when computers were like what 8-track players are to most people today.who else could vocorder I heard it through the grapevine and make it funky? Roger was a badd Guitar&keyboard player very under rated.check this genius out on this set it's for true lovers of the funk and good solid nusic.RIp to one of the best ever.

This would have been 5Stars easy if it weren't for the fact the public was cheated by putting the Single Versions of their songs on the CD. If nothing else they should of made it a double CD.

This cd is 'da bomb...easily one of the best funk cd's. The electronic beats and grooves Roger Troutman patented on his albums will have you dancing by track 2, and All the Greatest Hits is no exception . "Computer Love" and "Do Wah Diddy" are two of my favorite songs, it's a shame most teens will only hear the group from samples taken by today's rappers. Roger, we will miss you.

I was living in Dayton--in fact, not too far from Troutman Studios--when the breakout album "Zapp" was released. Dayton was in the middle of some kind of funk music renaissance at the time; there were the Ohio Players, Sun, Slave, Lakeside and Heatwave all coming from Dayton--Roger's mentor and fellow bassist Boosty Collins was from Cincinatti as well as the Isleys and the Deele(which was the inaugural group for Babyface and LA Reid). I did get to see the Players and Lakeside perform live, but they were already established acts. When I first saw Roger/Zapp perform, he was fronting a group called Roger and the Human Body and they were great--at least the audience and I thought they were...the next time I caught him was about five years later in a theatre in South Dallas: I had wound up in Mesquite, Texas, sigificantly bored and tired of my existence. Zapp/Roger came with proteges Shirley Murdock and Dale Degroat. That was a fabulous show. It helped me through some rough times-- that's what the Troutman sound is all about. It helps you 'forgetaboutyertroubles' and jam! You obviously can hear the work, the details--the multi-tracking, the vocoder, the synthetiser stylings--on the CD, but there was nothing like a live Zapp/Roger show. When they did the jazz-tinged "Do It Roger", do you think the Troutmman kid sat like a monk in prayer--? Not a chance. That man played his ___ off! RIP Roger, Larry. (However, I'd like to think that they are probably "bouncin'" in heaven.)

Roger is the epitome of funk. He always has tight beats you can lowride to, just chill out to, and dance to! His use of the talk box is a big part of what makes him interesting and fun to listen to. Along with George Clinton Jr. and Funkadelic, Roger and Zapp are the essential godfathers of the G-Funk movement in the 90's hip hop scene. So many rappers adopted the style of beats and the use of the talk box. Rappers like DJ Quik, Dr. Dre, 2Pac, and even Redman in his first album in '92, among many others were influenced by Roger Troutman. In fact, Roger makes appearances in 2Pac's "California Love." Roger's funky mix of funk, soul, pop, and R&B is a fantastic way to get you pumped up. This compilation could've used a few more tracks, but overall, it is a good showcase of, or introduction to, Roger's style. It helped get me more into him, especially with me being primarily a rap fan and not a fan of much else!