The Greatest Hits [Commercial]

Gladys Knight & The Pips: Gladys Knight, Bubba Knight, William Guest, Edward Patten.
Liner Note Author: Derryck Strachan.
Greatest-hits collections by artists who recorded for a number of different labels throughout long careers are always a double-edged sword, and this Camden collection is no exception. This 18-cut selection is chock-full of great tunes and some monster hits -- but none of them come from Gladys Knight & the Pips' Motown period or before. Everything here was issued on the Buddah label in the 1970s, owned and distributed by Capitol. That said, what is here is amazingly solid: "Midnight Train to Georgia," "You're the Best Thing That Ever happened to Me," "Part Time Love," "Home Is Where the Heart Is," "I've Got to Use My Imagination," "So Sad the Song," etc. In fact, some argue (and they'd be right) that there is a serious case to be made for Gladys Knight's 1970s and early-'80s music -- rather than her work at Motown -- being her best. Camden is a British EMI imprint, specializing in reissues of this type. This comp sold wonderfully in Britain when it was released in 1998 because there are no less than a dozen U.K. hits on it. The sound is better than decent, there are some informative liner notes, and the package is solidly priced. ~ Thom Jurek