20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection

The entry in 's discount-priced series follows the first seven years of the group's career, from the late-1986 release of their remake of 's (heard here in a remix) to the early-1994 release of the Top Five single From that period, all of their Top 40 hits are included, plus the self-defining tracks from their debut album, : and (the latter in a remix), and the tribute to African American womankind At a time when could be brutally hard-edged, was a good-natured presence, sending himself up and maintaining a positive attitude. This is a good survey of the highlights of the early part of his career -- not as complete as the 2000 compilation , but not as expensive, either. ~ William Ruhlmann