The Best of Kool & The Gang

Product Description:

Kool & The Gang: Robert "Kool" Bell (vocals, bass); Amir Abdul-Salaam Bayyan (vocals, guitar, keyboards); Charles Smith (vocals, guitar); Khalis "Ronald Bell" Bayyan (vocals, flute, soprano & tenor saxophones, keyboards, percussion); Dennis "Dee Tee" Thomas (vocals, flute, alto saxophone); Robert "Spike" Mikens (vocals, trumpet, flugelhorn, percussion); Larry Gittens (vocals, trumpet, flugelhorn); Clifford Adams (vocals, trombone); Ricky "Richard Westfield" West, Caldwell MacMillan, Kevin "Ice" Lassiter (vocals, keyboards); George "Funky George" Brown (vocals, drums, precussion); Donal Boyce (vocals, sound effects); Woodrow "Woody" Sparrow (guitar); Otha Nash (trombone).

Producer: Kool & The Gang.

Compilation producer: Harry Weinger.

Recorded between 1969 and 1976. Includes liner notes by Cleveland Brown.

THE BEST OF KOOL & THE GANG, 1969-1976 culls highlights from the band's creatively rich, pre-"Celebration" years. Given the album's concentration of intricate horn melodies and catchy synth lines, it's hardly surprise that 1969-1976 occasionally plays like an encyclopedia of contemporary hip-hop samples.

The party whistle that sounds just seconds into the opening "Funky Stuff" sets a celebratory tone that rarely lets up during the 74 minutes that follow. The 1976 B-side "Open Sesame, Pt. 2" is rife with frenetic horn colorings. On "Who's Gonna Take the Weight, Pts. 1 & 2," a short sample of crowd noise played in a loop throughout the song gives the track a carnival-esque feel. "Kool It (Here Comes the Fuzz)" is another studio track that features ersatz crowd noise, and the effect only adds to the festivities. The cooled-out and synthesizer-rich "Summer Madness" and the deeply grooved "N.T., Pts. 1 & 2" are downright infectious. Also included is the classic "Jungle Boogie," a song given new life as part of the PULP FICTION soundtrack. This essential collection makes clear how Kool & the Gang left its indelible imprint on the spirit of the boogie.