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Kool & The Gang Album: “Gangthology”
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Release Date:2003-12-02
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Type:Unknown
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Genre:R&B, Funk, Love Songs
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Label:Universal International
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Explicit Lyrics:Yes
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UPC:0044006358925
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Review - :
A group with two distinct careers (and a matching fan base for each), {$Kool & the Gang} recorded dozens of great sides during their 20-year career, but anthologists have often floundered when attempting to sum up the group with a decade-spanning collection. The problem is always the same: what's the correct ratio of early material (organic {\funk} jams) to later material (synthetic {\urban} {\pop}), and how to sequence it? The Australian compilation {^Gangthology} divides its track listing not by chronology but by mood, separating the contents into one disc titled "Wild" and one titled "Peaceful" (a concept sparked by {$Kool & the Gang}'s own {^Wild and Peaceful} LP). The focus is justifiably on the band's early-to-mid-'70s artistic peak, with all but ten of the 33 tracks coming from that period and including all the major hits ({&"Hollywood Swinging,"} {&"Jungle Boogie,"} {&"Funky Stuff"}) plus a full dozen neglected album tracks of the time (like {&"Street Corner Symphony"} and {&"Whiting H. & G."}). The band's time with {$J.T. Taylor} at the helm gets plenty of space too, with a miniset on the first disc comprising {&"Ladies Night,"} {&"Steppin' Out,"} {&"Celebration,"} {&"Get Down on It,"} and {&"Fresh."} The second disc reveals -- for those who've never investigated the band fully -- that {$Kool & the Gang} were just as good at making jazzy, impressionistic music (just listen to {&"Summer Madness"} and {&"Winter Sadness"}) as they were with the hooky, chorus-led jams they're known for. One caveat, however: in attempting to fill out the second disc with "peaceful" material, the compilers were forced to include subpar material like {&"You Don't Have to Change"} and {&"Messenger of Wisdom."} How ironic that in looking for a different way to anthologize {$Kool & the Gang}, they fell prey to the same pitfall; a better ratio here would have been 75% wild and only 25% peaceful. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide
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