Customer Rating:  
Summary: Great, but go for the 'Ultimate Collection' and 'All The Great Love Songs'
Comment: The Commodores are one of the few groups to have more compilations than regular studio albums. Led by Lionel Richie, who would soar to fame in the late '70s and early '80s as a solo artist, started his career as a member of The Commodores, and in my opinion, he's at his best with this group.
The Commodores are a great Motown group for a number of reasons. The most notable one is the way they shift their styles and range of music. They can be funky, they can make great Marvin Gaye-style R&B or they can offer ballads in their own unique way.
Either way, their installment in UMG's '20th Century Masters' series is better than many of the discs in the series. 'Three Times The Lady,' 'Lady,' and 'Machine Gun,' to name a few, are all on this set, therefore making it a great starting point for the new Commodores fan.
And, on top of that, the sound quality is excellent.
But, at 11 songs, the disc is relatively skimpy too. Why didn't they include a ballad like 'Lucy' or 'Oh No'? And, what's even more annoying than the omissions of those key Commodores tracks is the fact that they could easily fit here, too.
Overall, don't buy '20th Century Masters' unless you are a new or an easily pleased casual fan. Instead, do yourself a favor and treat yourself to 'The Ultimate Collection,' or if you can find it, 'All The Great Love Songs.' Both are great ways to get hooked on The Commodores. But the best advice I can offer you is unless you are a new fan or you are on a budget, just avoid this.
Recommended for the new fan, the easily pleased casual fan or the budget-minded fan. It's not bad, but there are far better, therefore, the four stars rating is appropriate.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Comment: I remember my father listening to these songs way back in the late 70s. After hearing them over and over, I got to like them too. Whenever I hear them on the radio now, it always brings good memories. My favorites "Easy," "you bring me up" and "Sail On." These songs are classics. Excellent melodies and vocals.
Customer Rating:
Summary: THE MILLENNIUM COLLESTION THE BEST OF THE COMMODORES
Comment: I WAS LOOKING FOR THE SONG OH NO AND I FINALY FOUND IT ON THIS CD. I CAN`T WAIT TO GET IT.THIS CD BRINGS ME BACK TO WHEN I WAS A KID.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Lady, They Were Brought Up
Comment: There are just so many times when it comes to making a good hits package, they can be either good or bad, but the cases with the 20th Century Masters Millenium Collection has been either a considered hit or miss when it comes to showcasing a artist definitively. That has been the case with so many acts like Joe Cocker and Rod Stewart and classic Motown legends like Diana Ross and The Temptations. For The Commodores, the group hasn't been around in years, but there is always the possibility of finding a good hits package all theirs, following the R&B legends from Alabama.
The Commodores 20th Century Masters Millenuim Collection is a simple and convient reflection behind one of the most unique R&B groups of the 70's and 80's. The collection does a really good job at highlighting Lionel Richie and company. The songs here are arguably as simple and definitive as you could expect. The compilation includes some great party anthems like Brick House and Machine Gun, as well as classic ballads like their tribute to Marvin Gaye and Jackie Wilson on Nightshift, Sweet Love to even simple ballads like Three Times A Lady and Easy. While there are a lot of great tracks here, there are a couple of disadvantages to the record. One of them is that the album overhadows tracks like the Funk track Girl, I Think The World About You and Zoom. Not only that, but the tracks on the collection weren't remastered as well as well as other collections like the 1997 Ultimate Collection of The Commodores.
Despite a few flaws, The Commodores 20th Century Masters Millenium Collection is a very simple and straight forward reflection of one of the best 70's groups of all time. This is a very inexpensive, but mostly well-thought out reflection of Lionel Richie & Company. If you are on a budget and really want to get your groove on, I absolutely suggest this great album.
Album Cover: B+
Songs: B
Price: A-
Remastering: C+
Overall: B 1/2-
Customer Rating:
Summary: More "Lionel Richie" than "Commodores" but...
Comment: This 20th Century Masters is the best I've heard in the whole "20th century" series, but doesn't do too good a job at spanning the Commodores lifespan. Before Lionel Richie became a household name, The Commodores were mostly funk, as can be seen in "Brick House," the group's biggest hit, but beyond that song, the disc doesn't cover that side of the group very well at all.
But, I still give the compilation a perfect 5 star rating, because even though it covers a pretty narrow portion of the band, it covers the BEST portion. Lionel's ballads aren't nearly at the same level of genius as some of Marvin Gaye's or Stevie Wonder's greatest work, but I think they're just as enjoyable. Songs like "Sail On" and "Just To Be Close To You" will simply never get old.
I absolutely love this CD, it's one of the most played in my collection, but if you're looking for a true Commodores overview, you might want to look elsewhere.
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