VA - Old School Jams: Gold [Remastered] (2007) 320 / Lossless

The terrain sampled here has been trod upon hundreds of times. However, since this double-disc set is part of Hip-O/Universal's Gold series, it shouldn't be disregarded on first sight. While anyone with a basic collection of funk, post-disco, or any other forms of club-oriented R&B spanning the '70s through the first half of the '80s will likely have a good percentage of the tracks on Old School Jams, a few gaps are bound to be plugged, and the sound quality is such that you might be able to replace some of those lower-budget discs you picked up during the late '80s and early '90s. Another winning factor is that the longer 12" mixes are often used instead of single edits. Oft-compiled hits like the Commodores' "Brick House," Rick James' "Super Freak," and Rose Royce's "Car Wash" are balanced with tracks that never seem to get their due, like Teena Marie's "I'm Just a Sucker for Your Love" (at least not compared to "Behind the Groove" or "Square Biz"), Mary Jane Girls' "All Night Long," and Bobby Nunn's "She's Just a Groupie."