Ohio Players - The Definitive Collection...Plus...: 3CD Digipak

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.

Track List:

DISC ONE:
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

DISC TWO:
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

DISC THREE:
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