Gap Band IV featured a complete lineup of up-tempo, mid-tempo, and alluring ballads. The feature releases, in order, were "Early in the Morning," "You Dropped a Bomb on Me," and "Outstanding." The first two are energized numbers seasoned around horrific basslines and Charlie Wilson's dazzling vocals. Respectively, they peaked at number one and two on the Billboard R&B chart. Not as aggressive, the latter is a festive number paced an unorthodox percussive beat. It claimed the number ...   [ read more ]

CD $6.63

A collection from the Mercury funk lineup that covers the hits from the first five Gap Band albums. Every major hit that they had is included here. What one might notice is that all of the major hits ("You Dropped a Bomb on Me," "Burn Rubber on Me," "Early in the Morning," and "I Don't Believe You Want to Get up and Dance") all sound surprisingly similar. This may or may not be a large surprise to everyone, but the bright note about their similarity is that the basic riffs and rhythms ...   [ read more ]

CD $13.25

Except for a few minor differences -- a couple of different track selections, two fewer songs -- 20th Century Masters largely duplicates The Best of the Gap Band, which means that it isn't a bad compilation at all, just a largely unnecessary one. It's mostly a toss-up as to which is better, although The Best of the Gap Band may have a slight edge due to its inclusion of a couple of 12" versions, as well as the fact that it has two more songs than 20th Century Masters. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Gu...   [ read more ]

CD $9.45