Rare Earth were an oddity at Motown: a white rock group, led by a singing drummer named Peter Rivera, playing covers of Motown standards (their first big hit was a stinging take on the Temptations' "Get Ready") in a variat... more »ion on a house style that had more to do with Grand Funk Railroad than funk. But they had a string of moderate hits at the beginning of the '70s (and one final gasp in 1978, with the Bee Gees-written disco number "Warm Ride"), the best of them penned and produced by the ingenious Norman Whitfield. Their psychedelic shoogity-boogity brought out the jam-worthy side of the Sound of Young America--in fact, several of the hits included here are edited down from much longer workouts. --Douglas Wolk« less
Rare Earth were an oddity at Motown: a white rock group, led by a singing drummer named Peter Rivera, playing covers of Motown standards (their first big hit was a stinging take on the Temptations' "Get Ready") in a variation on a house style that had more to do with Grand Funk Railroad than funk. But they had a string of moderate hits at the beginning of the '70s (and one final gasp in 1978, with the Bee Gees-written disco number "Warm Ride"), the best of them penned and produced by the ingenious Norman Whitfield. Their psychedelic shoogity-boogity brought out the jam-worthy side of the Sound of Young America--in fact, several of the hits included here are edited down from much longer workouts. --Douglas Wolk
"If there's any chance Motown reads these reviews, perhaps they can be persuaded to release "Rare Earth In Concert" on CD. When I was a teenager in the 70s, I mail-ordered the concert album from a record club, knowing virtually nothing about Rare Earth. It turned out to be a favorite of mine and, indeed, a classic. Today they're making TV commercials using (or abusing) Rare Earth, and lots of people don't even know who's singing.Listening to this album is very frustrating if you've heard the original long versions of the songs. It's like one of those "Classical Music Samplers" where you only get to hear the first three minutes of Beethoven's Fifth. Okay, so Rare Earth is NOT Beethoven, but you get the idea! Until Motown ever releases the concert album, this collection will do. At least it gives you Rare Earth's hits on one (and only) CD. But personally, I could have done without cuts 7 - 14, leaving room for longer versions of the classics."
Motown needs to re-release Rare Earth on CD!!!
Thomas A. Seeman | Lakewood, Ca United States | 07/23/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Its great to see a Rare Earth Greatest Hits CD, but I would really love to see Motown Release Get Ready, Ecology, and Especially One World on CD, I was 10 when that album came out and its all scratchy now from playing it so much! The Studio Version of What I say kicks! and Under God's Light is Awesome! Motown, If your reading this, make us Rare Earth Fans Happy and Release all the Rare Earth Albums on CD, Especially One World!"
Edited Single Versions? .....skip it!
MarcS | Jersey City, nj United States | 02/11/2003
(2 out of 5 stars)
"If your a listener who has not exerienced the long versions of these great songs, your in for a extreme treat! Unfortunately, your not going to experience them here...so skip this and track down the extended versions....they are WELL worth the lookup!"
The Single Versions and then some
R. Smith | Viola, Iowa USA | 03/10/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Why is it so hard to keep a decent best of Rare Earth in print?
If you are looking for the single versions of the hits that you remember hearing Rare Earth then this compliation is for you, or the Greatest Hits and Rarites, which has more songs but sound on that is pretty bland. There's more of a brightness to Get Ready and the mono versions of I Know I'm Losing You and Born To Wander sound very good. Also, you can get minor hits like Hum Along And Dance, Good Time Sally and Big John Is My Name. Some purists would rather go with the long versions of Get Ready and Ma and I Know I'm Losing You, to which the long version is 10 minites of pure funk freakout, courtesy of Norman Whitfield, who like the Temptations, got more out of Rare Earth, than anybody else in the Motown field.
The long versions can be found on the The Millenium Collection. Either way you need a best of Rare Earth in your collection."