Rotary Connection - Black Gold: The Very Best Of Rotary Connection (2006)

Rotary Connection released a handful of albums. The one that had the most mainstream success was Christmas-themed. Only one song, "Want You to Know," dipped into the pop chart, rocketing all the way up to number 96. How necessary, then, is a 33-track, two-disc anthology? 100-percent necessary. Until this release, the group had one of the most neglected discographies in all of psychedelic soul, or chamber pop, or acid rock, or Midwest hippie folk. Ugly two-fer releases and other vanishing reissues have done their legacy, and no matter how many producers and DJs have sampled and talked about their music, Rotary Connection have always slipped through the cracks, admired mostly in retrospect by a select group of crate diggers and open-minded fans of Minnie Riperton's easier-to-categorize (and almost always misunderstood) solo career. Black Gold: The Best of Rotary Connection aptly scans through the strange and unexpected twists taken by the group from 1967 through 1971, and while their inability to be categorized played a significant part in their obscurity, it was one of their prime strengths. The remarkable scope is best exemplified by a three-song stretch on the first disc: a steamy, almost unrecognizable run through Otis Redding's "Respect," the soaring "I Am the Black Gold of the Sun," and the impossibly delicate and moving "A-Muse" (also as gorgeous as anything off Love's Forever Changes). The package covers a lot of ground, including the entirety of the all-covers Songs and most of the highlights from the remainder of the albums. "Hangin' Round the Bee Tree" is the only missing highlight; otherwise, this is as good as it could possibly get, short of obtaining the albums in full. In addition to being a long overdue look at a very underappreciated group, the set also covers major chapters in the careers of Charles Stepney and Minnie Riperton, two of Chicago's greatest gifts to music.

Tracklist:
1.01 - Rotary Connection - Magical World (4:23)
1.02 - Rotary Connection - Amen (4:02)
1.03 - Rotary Connection - Rapid Transit (0:38)
1.04 - Rotary Connection - Turn Me On (3:06)
1.05 - Rotary Connection - Respect (3:05)
1.06 - Rotary Connection - Pink Noise (0:23)
1.07 - Rotary Connection, Minnie Riperton - I Am The Black Gold Of The Sun (5:49)
1.08 - Rotary Connection - Amuse (4:02)
1.09 - Rotary Connection - Sunshine Of Your Love (5:07)
1.10 - Rotary Connection - Sursum Mentes (0:44)
1.11 - Rotary Connection - Memory Band (3:22)
1.12 - Rotary Connection - Didn't Want To Have To Do It (3:15)
1.13 - Rotary Connection - May Our Amens Be True (3:04)
1.14 - Rotary Connection - Tales Of Brave Ulysses (4:32)
1.15 - Rotary Connection, Minnie Riperton - The Sea & She (3:32)
1.16 - Rotary Connection, Minnie Riperton - Hey, Love (4:11)
1.17 - Rotary Connection, Minnie Riperton - Song For Everyman (5:32)
1.18 - Rotary Connection, Minnie Riperton - Love Is (5:21)
2.01 - Rotary Connection - The Salt Of The Earth (4:58)
2.02 - Rotary Connection, Minnie Riperton - Love Has Fallen On Me (4:18)
2.03 - Rotary Connection, Minnie Riperton - If I Sing My Song (3:39)
2.04 - Rotary Connection - The Weight (3:25)
2.05 - Rotary Connection - The Burning Of The Midnight Lamp (4:39)
2.06 - Rotary Connection - Living Alone (2:53)
2.07 - Rotary Connection - Love Me Now (2:45)
2.08 - Rotary Connection - Want You To Know (3:03)
2.09 - Rotary Connection - I Got My Mojo Working (2:33)
2.10 - Rotary Connection - This Town (3:25)
2.11 - Rotary Connection - We're Going Wrong (3:21)
2.12 - Rotary Connection - Life Could (4:23)
2.13 - Rotary Connection - Teach Me How To Fly (3:18)
2.14 - Rotary Connection - V.I.P. (3:07)
2.15 - Rotary Connection - Let Them Talk (4:26)