Eddie Kendricks - Keep on Truckin': The Motown Solo Albums, Vol. 1
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Free Music Notes for Keep on Truckin': The Motown Solo Albums, Vol. 1
Free Music Review: In a word - EXCELLENT!!
Hit: 5 Stars
For years, we fans of the legendary Eddie James Kendricks (1939-1992) have prayed, written Motown endless letters and even waged an online petition to have this come to pass - to have all of Eddie's original albums reissued on CD. I've always felt that Eddie's career as a soloist was never given its proper due because in the eyes of the industry, his work with the Temptations seemed to supercede everything he did on his own, and that was truly not fair. They wanted to boil his career down to two hits - "Keep On Truckin'" and "Boogie Down" - and like nothing else he did was worthwhile. Motown continued to contribute to this mode of thinking as well. Please! That is as far from the truth as you can get!
But finally, after so very long, some of Eddie's original albums are now available on CD. In this collection, we have four remastered EJK CDs from the 1970s:
ALL BY MYSELF (1971)
PEOPLE...HOLD ON (1972)
EDDIE KENDRICKS (1973)
FOR YOU (1974)
These four albums are chock full of quality material by Eddie, all produced by the team of Frank Wilson and Leonard Caston (except Eddie's debut LP, which was produced by Wilson alone). Looking for early popular cuts by EJK like "Can I", "This Used To Be The Home Of Johnnie Mae", "If You Let Me", "Girl You Need A Change of Mind", "Keep On Truckin'" and "Shoeshine Boy"? Well, like the compilation of hits CDs that Motown has issued previously, those songs are all here...but these are the albums where those choice cuts came from. Chronologically, the album BOOGIE DOWN from late 1973 - early '74 was completed and issued before FOR YOU. But due to the timing of the tracks on that album, BOOGIE DOWN couldn't be included here...but it will be in the next volume of Eddie's works, which will be released later on in '06. Be on the lookout for it.
I am very happy with this collection, and the remastering is nearly flawless. Only complaint I have is the treatment of the seven-minute plus ballad "Each Day I Cry A Little" from the EDDIE KENDRICKS album. Filled with spoken passages and an emotionally devastating message, it's so heartbreakingly beautiful, it has to be one of the very best in the entire EJK catalog. For those who have never heard this masterpiece, IMO, its closest comparison would probably be the Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes' magnum opus "I Miss You" from 1972 - not so much by the sound, but because both these songs feature spoken passages and anguished vocals revealing men in emotional pain. However, the way it's mixed here has too much echo, the background singers' vocals are brought so far to the front at times you don't hear much of Eddie, and the strings are a bit overpowering, especially halfway through and towards the end of the song. I have the original vinyl LP and the mix is different. But other than that, this is a perfect collection of four of Eddie's excellent Motown solo albums. For anyone who has only brought Eddie's greatest hits CDs in the past and craved to have more, this is an absolute MUST for you to own!! Want to know why Eddie is one of the greatest R&B legends of all time and why he will never be forgotten? Song after song on this set shows the listener that this was no ordinary singer - here's the proof. Listen and enjoy.
Free Music Review: Super Compilation on 2 cd's!
Hit: 5 Stars
Here we have another prime example of the Hip O Select Motown music. Eddie Kendricks first 4 albums. Super hit songs with fine arrangements sung by the greatest R&B falsetto that ever lived. He is accompanied by the funkiest of brothers in the band. The 24 bit stereo remastering is super solid. Only 5000 sets available. What more can I say? Some people say that they like Motown music.
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