Search - Rare Earth :: Collection

FOR THE BEST RARE EARTH AUDIO, LOOK ELSEWHERE

BOB | LOS ANGELES, CA | 09/17/2008

(2 out of 5 stars)

"
When purchasing a compilation, often there can be a content vs. audio quality consideration. That is definitely the case here, as this CD has a decent tracklist, but the audio quality is not up to par with several other available compilations.



The audio on this 2004 release is identical to that on the new 2008, complete five studio album (Get Ready, Ecology, One World, Willie Remembers & Ma, plus singles and rare tracks) Hip-O set, Fill Your Head: The Studio Albums 1969-1974. However, neither of these choices will get you the best audio versions of Rare Earth material.



For that, look to these three CD's: The Millennium Collection, The Very Best Of & Ma. All of these discs have superior remastered sound to this "Collection" CD, or the "Fill" set. There are tons old bootlegs and older Motown releases available here on Amazon, but I've been through them all, and these three discs have the best sound.



In addition, the "Millennium" disc has the long-jam LP versions of "Get Ready", "Ma", "(I Know) I'm Losing You" & "What'd I Say", the only Rare Earth compilation disc to do so. The "Very Best Of" CD is also recently OOP, so if the tracks on that disc look attractive to you, I would highly advise grabbing one before they escalate in price. "Tobacco Road" sounds better on that disc than any other yet issued.



From these three discs, one can build the best-sounding Rare Earth compilation, audio-wise. It just remains to be determined by the individual fan as to whether the content of the three discs will provide the desired depth of material, so check the tracklists.



Also, if considering the Fill set, I would highly suggest linking to that item and reading my review, before excitedly spending sixty dollars on it. I have listed some strong caveats about the audio, and design quality of the set itself, in the review."