[2018-01-26] The Ohio Players "The Definitive Collection Plus" 3CD set (Robinsongs UK)

Linda · **Posted:** Thu Nov 23, 2017 3:10 pm

Description
For the very first time you can now get your hands on a Definitive Collection of the Funk sensation that was The Ohio Players.

Robinsongs are proud to be the first label to combine the Capitol, Westbound, Mercury, Arista & Boardwalk repertoire to make this unique compilation, but we did not stop there, we have also included material from Band members: Junie Morrison, Sugarfoot & Shadow (Billy Beck, Clarence Willis & Diamond) to give you a total career overview of this exceptional Funk Band.

This package also includes a 28-page colour booklet, that includes an essay by Christian John Wikane a New York based music journalist, with contributions by the band’s drummer and architect of the Ohio Players beat James “Diamond” Williams.

Robinsongs have divided the package in three parts “The Early Years”, “The Golden Years” & “The Later & Solo Years”, the early years kicks the package off with two tracks from the Capitol Records album “The Observations In Time” where we can see the direction that the Band is heading, onto Westbound where the Band recorded their breakthrough single ‘Funky Worm’, a R&B #1 which featured Junie as the voice of Granny, other standout Westbound tracks are ‘Pleasure’, ‘Pain’ & ‘Ecstasy’, DISC ONE finishes with two cuts from their first Mercury album “Skin Tight” including the hit ‘Jive Turkey’.

DISC TWO kicks off with arguably the band’s biggest hit ‘Fire’ which went to #1 in the R&B chart and the Album went to #1 in the Billboard album chart, three other #1 singles feature on this disc ‘Sweet Sticky Thing’, ‘Love Rollercoaster’ and ‘Who’d She Coo’ which was also the Bands only UK chart single. Other stand out tracks on this disc are ‘I Want To Be Free’, ‘O-H-I-O’ and ‘Fopp’.

The final CD covers the transition to Arista & Boardwalk Records, and features the full-length version of ‘Everybody Up’ plus tracks by Junie – ‘Love Has Taken Me Over’, Shadow – ‘Born To Hustle’ and Sugarfoot’s 1985 cover of ‘Fire’. This truly is a Definitive Collection.

Tracklist
[CD1: The Early Years]
1. Here Today And Gone Tomorrow
2. Find Someone To Love
3. Pleasure
4. Walt’s First Trip
5. Varee Is Love
6. Funky Worm
7. Pain
8. Players Balling (Players Doin’ Their Own Thing)
9. Ecstasy
10. Food Stamps Y’all
11. Sleep Talk
12. Climax
13. Skin Tight
14. Jive Turkey

[CD2: The Golden Years]
1. Fire
2. I Want To Be Free (Single Version)
3. Granny’s Funky Rolls Royce – Junie
4. Sweet Sticky Thing
5. Love Rollercoaster
6. Happy Holidays (Part 1)
7. Fopp (Single Version)
8. Suzie Thundertussy – Junie
9. Who’d She Coo?
10. Far East Mississippi
11. Feel The Beat (Everybody Disco)
12. Contradiction
13. Merry Go Round
14. Body Vibes
15. O-H-I-O
16. Good Luck Charm

[CD3: The Later & Solo Years]
1. Magic Trick
2. Funk-O-Nots
3. Time Slips Away
4. Everybody Up
5. Don’t Say Goodbye
6. Take Da Funk Off, Fly
7. Love Has Taken Me Over (Be My Baby) – Junie
8. Try A Little Tenderness
9. Skinny
10. Sitting On The Dock Of The Bay
11. Born To Hustle – Shadow
12. Just Me
13. Kiss – Sugarfoot
14. Fire 85 – Sugarfoot

Amazon USA
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077MT94JH/?tag=imwan-20

Amazon UK
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B077MT94JH/?tag=imwan-21

Rick A · 23 Jul 2006

Great band. Glad to see this put together.

DanO · 30 Jul 2006

I'll have to look more closely, but at first glance, this is a nice collection.

The current band has a new single, but I think it is download-only, so I'm out on that for now.

DanO · 30 Jul 2006

The Ohio Players have a brand new song called "Reset", and it kills.

Sadly, I believe there is currently no physical option, but I suggest you all check it out online.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076F6V4NC/?tag=imwan-20

Linda · **Posted:** Thu Jan 11, 2018 3:18 am

Bump: Updated the cover image in the first post to the full packshot.

joeconn4 · 31 Mar 2008

"This truly is a Definitive Collection"

No it isn't. The mix of labels, that's outstanding! Including spin-off material from the band members, that's great too. But this collection is missing a bunch of hard to find singles. Their inclusion would have made this collection definitive. Frustrating!!

Missing... Only 1 of their 1970's USA charting singles is missing, "Rattlesnake". While there are rumors that this track was plucked out of the vaults by their former record company and finished by studio musicians, it was released as an Ohio Players single. As a collector of 1970s chart hits, I would be all over this collection, except for this gaffe... Their 1960's singles "Neighbors", "Trespassin'", "It's a Crying Shame". and "Bad Bargain" are all missing... And their final 4 singles are all missing.

Disappointing - and a missed opportunity.

DanO · 30 Jul 2006

joeconn4 wrote:

"This truly is a Definitive Collection"

No it isn't. The mix of labels, that's outstanding! Including spin-off material from the band members, that's great too. But this collection is missing a bunch of hard to find singles. Their inclusion would have made this collection definitive. Frustrating!!

Missing... Only 1 of their 1970's USA charting singles is missing, "Rattlesnake". While there are rumors that this track was plucked out of the vaults by their former record company and finished by studio musicians, it was released as an Ohio Players single. As a collector of 1970s chart hits, I would be all over this collection, except for this gaffe... Their 1960's singles "Neighbors", "Trespassin'", "It's a Crying Shame". and "Bad Bargain" are all missing... And their final 4 singles are all missing.

Disappointing - and a missed opportunity.

With regard to "Rattlesnake", it is a bonus track on the reissue of ECSTACY, in case you may have been unaware. Not a comment on the validity of this new collection, just mentioning that "Rattlesnake" can be had for the collector.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000MTOL3Q/?tag=imwan-20

[2018-01-26] The Ohio Players "The Definitive Collection Plus" 3CD set (Robinsongs UK)

Who is WANline