Beware! Some titles transferred from very poor vinyl sources
C. A. Parsons | Chicago | 11/16/2004
(2 out of 5 stars)
"When I saw that this CD contained the underground morning classic Billy Who by Billy Frazier & Friends, I couldn't wait to order it but boy, was I disappointed! This is without a doubt one of the poorest transfers from scratchy vinyl ever put on CD. My own vinyl copy which I used in clubs for years is in way better condition than the source vinyl used for this CD. Even worse is Body Music by The Strikers. The pops and scratches on the source vinyl are extremely distracting and whoever used this without searching for a better copy should be ashamed! The intro on Inside Out by Odyssey is the worst of all, and this is inexcusable considering that the extended mix from the original master has been released on several different CDs in the USA. Most songs here can be obtained on other CDs, so it makes you wonder why the titles from Kool & The Gang, Mtume and Sister Sledge were even included. It's obvious they spent more money on the booklet and its meaningless photos of street scenes than they did on licensing genuine masters. The only thing that saves this release from getting zero stars is the inclusion of the tunes by Leon Ware, Herbie Hancock, Sylvia Striplin and Chemise, although the latter inexplicably fades out during the final break. So if you're looking for Billy Who, save your money and spend your time digging through the bins in used record stores. You're sure to find a copy in better condition than the one they used here."