Search - Rare Essence :: Greatest Hits, Vol. 1

Still Smokin' to the Go Go Scene

TMACK79 | Berkeley, CA | 05/20/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Lived in D.C. for 12 years....Chicago for 9 years....California for 4 years...so don't tell me I haven't seen and heard it all Nationwide (even hit it Overseas for a minute). When I mention Rare Essence, Trouble Funk, Little Benny & the Masters, Northeast Groovers, etc. etc on the left coast, they reply, "Who?", "What?". Their loss. I always wondered why Go-Go never made more than a local splash, but that be life, I suppose. This CD is pretty good exposure to the D.C. sound, but I have liked others better. This isn't even the best collection of Rare Essence grooves (what happened to Vol. II?). Little Benny & the Masters, "Cat in the Hat" is a classic that I would love to see released in CD form. Go-Go is still not well represented on CD, which is a shame. I think bad timing is the culprit, since its heyday fell between the old skool Rap sound (Kurtis Blow, Grandmaster Flash) and the emergence of Hip Hop. Somebody with some juice in D.C. needs to get serious about compiling a real retrospective of this sound, or it will stay lost in the musical carousel shuffle. Bye."

Historical Timeline Of The InnerCity Groovers

TMACK79 | 10/01/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This CD no doubt captures the raw elements that awarded Rare Essence the title of the inner city groovers. Starting with their first release of Body Moves (a tuned recorded when they were in high school) and ending with strong percussives drives of Holy Ghost, this CD is expanding over 15 years of that pure Washington DC Go-Go flavor."

DC's Best Go-Go

Brian | Atlanta, GA USA | 01/13/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"As a native Washingtonian, I feel this greatest hits cd captures the essence of the Nation's Capital. This is a geniune article and should be purchased only by true go-go lovers. Our musical style can not be duplicated. Enjoy this flash from the not-so- distant past. A must have cd."