There's no mistaking the tenor and funk of Curtis Mayfield. The classic works of the man who led the Impressions on a hit parade and then branched out on his own, before a tragic stage accident, come together in the new Rhino Records collection, "People Get Ready! The Curtis Mayfield Story."
Musical history is threaded throughout the three-disc collection of more than 50 songs, spanning releases by the original Impressions and moving into the hits of Mayfield's solo career.The first disc highlights those years with the Impressions. "Gypsy Woman," the Top 5 "It's All Right," the definitive "Keep on Pushing" and "Amen" are among the early hits included. The socially conscious "This Is My Country" and "We're a Winner" can also be heard with the push of a button.
The second volume traces Mayfield's rich solo catalog. "Beautiful Brother Of Mine," "Get Down" and "We Got to Have Peace" sit alongside the commercially successful "Freddie's Dead (Theme from `Superfly')" and that movie's title track.
Disc three collects such tunes as the soulful "Only You Babe," "Mr. Welfare Man" and the dreamy "Between You Baby and Me," a duet with Linda Clifford.
Another plus is the 58-page, full-color booklet, which offers commentary by music writer Wayne Edwards, Billboard magazine contributing writer David Nathan and an interview with Mayfield himself conducted by Alan Warner in 1994 - four years after a stage lighting tower fell on Mayfield, paralyzing him.
There's something about the Mayfield groove and message that he wanted to get across. The man didn't mix words; he aimed straight for the issue at hand - whether it be racism, unity or other social topics. Mayfield's musical proclamations are as pertinent in today's volatile world as they were in the past.
Rhino went through the vaults, remastered the recordings and captured the elegance and mood of each Mayfield song, reworking the way each should sound. Mayfield's voice, his chucking wa-wa guitar and the beat are all here for a trip through the past and a hopeful outlook on the future.
RATINGS: four stars (* * * * ), excellent; three stars (* * * ), good; two stars (* * ), fair; one star (* ), poor, with 1/2 representing a higher, intermediate grade.