Zapp & Roger - All the Greatest Hits [IMPORT]

Roger & Zapp

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 26, 1993)
• Original Release Date: October 26, 1993
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Warner Bros UK
• ASIN: B000002MHJ
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (48 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #4,652 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Funk's last gasp....., May 24, 2002

By	"ikaris" (Bluffton, SC United States) - See all my reviews

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.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding collection of their Hits!, November 18, 2005

By	Psboston7 "~ And so it Goes ~" (Upland, CA United States) - See all my reviews

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

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The funk, the whole funk... and nothing BUT the funk, February 2, 2006

By	Patrick G. Varine "Dubwiser Extraordinaire" (Georgetown, Delaware) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.