Gap Band - BEST OF |

Recorded between 1979 and 1983.
All tracks have been digitally remastered.
Personnel: Ronnie Wilson (vocals, trumpet, flugelhorn, keyboards, percussion, background vocals); Charlie Wilson (vocals, keyboards, drums, percussion, background vocals); Robert Wilson (vocals, percussion, background vocals); Garry Glenn, Howard Huntsberry, Marva King, Maxine Willard Waters, Val Young (vocals, background vocals); Perry Ford, Jonah Ellis, Julia Waters, Rudy Taylor (vocals); Emzie Parker, Jr., Glenn Nightingale, Fred Jenkins, Jimmy Macon, Eugene Henderson, Marlo Henderson (guitar); Dorothy Ashby (harp); Oliver Scott (horns, keyboards, background vocals); Wilmer Raglin (horns, background vocals); Fernando Harkless, George Bohannon, Don Myrick, Eugene E. Young, Earl Roberson, Fred Jackson, Jr. , Fred Jackson , Barbara Korn, George Bohanon, Bernard Baisden, Robert Bryant, Sidney Muldrow, Leslie Drayton, Malvin "Dino" Vice, Michael Harris, Nolan Andrew Smith, Snooky Young, Al Aarons, Maurice Spears, Louis Satterfield (horns); John Black, Robert Whitfield (keyboards, background vocals); Calvin Yarbrough, Hubert Heard, Karen Childs, Louis Cabaza, Billy Mitchell (keyboards); Raymond Calhoun (drums, percussion, background vocals); Ronnie Kaufman, Richard Calhoun, James Gadson, Melvin Webb (drums); Lonnie Simmons (percussion, background vocals); Shondu Akiem (percussion); Julia Tillman Waters (background vocals).
Audio Remasterer: Gary N. Mayo.
A collection from the Mercury funk lineup that covers the hits from the first five Gap Band albums. Every major hit that they had is included here. What one might notice is that all of the major hits ("You Dropped a Bomb on Me," "Burn Rubber on Me," "Early in the Morning," and "I Don't Believe You Want to Get up and Dance") all sound surprisingly similar. This may or may not be a large surprise to everyone, but the bright note about their similarity is that the basic riffs and rhythms that they all use are extremely catchy. The energy that the Gap Band exudes in the midst of producing a song is stunning, and this compilation displays that to the fullest extent. For a basic introduction to the forms of funk that the Gap Band followed, this album would certainly suit any given listener. For those who only need one Gap Band album in their collection, this one also fits the bill perfectly. For die-hard fans who already have all of the band's albums, this one would probably only really serve as a summary. ~ Adam Greenberg

• Released: 1994-06-07
• Genre: R&B
• Format: CD