Title - ‘The Essential O'Jays’ (Legacy)
Artist - The O'Jays
In truth this new 2-disc compilation comes as close as any 'Essential' release to finally stop scratching the surface of their top quality material and dig deeper for the various riches. Indeed, the O'Jays recorded - under the direction of Gamble and Huff - so of musics greatest songs and so this double album has been a long time coming for sure.
During the 1970s The O'Jays were the most important male R&B vocal group and their recordings from 1972-79 remain both timeless and among the very best that Philadelphia International Records ever released. "Back Stabbers", "Sunshine", "992 Arguments", "Love Train", "Use Ta Be My Girl", "I Love Music" and the obscure single "The Big Gangster" were all '70s R&B anthems and this CD has them all ... of course.
Though there have been other "Greatest Hits" packages offered in the past this new "Essential O'Jays" is head and shoulders above the rest. For one thing the sound quality is vastly superior to anything else I have heard. This collection offers two discs worth of the O'Jays biggest and best recordings from that era; plus some lesser known quality gems too. I mean, everyone remembers the big ones like "Backstabbers", "Love Train" and "Use To Be My Girl" which were mega hits for the group during this period. But does everyone remember the lesser known, beginning of the musical trail tracks? Well, with this fantastic collection they soon will do.
Title - ‘The Essential O'Jays’ (Legacy)