Orgasm: The Very Best Of The Westbound Years

The majority of music fans are familiar with the legendary Ohio Players through such mid- to late-'70s pop-funk hits as "Love Rollercoaster," "Fire," and "Fopp." What many don't realize is that the band had been around since the '60s and released a trilogy of hard funk records from 1972-1973 on the Westbound label -- Pain, Pleasure, and Ecstasy -- that were easily comparable to the early-'70s classics by their rival Westbound labelmates, Funkadelic. And since the albums have been out of print for some time, the European import Orgasm: The Very Best of the Westbound Years is a solid collection of tracks from this era. Included is the 1972 novelty hit "Funky Worm," as well as all the sizzling title tracks from the three albums. A pair of songs from outside the trilogy is added, "Climax" (one of the collection's best tracks) and a cover of Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On," both from 1974. A previously unissued track, "Ain't That Lovin' You (For More Reasons Than One)," is tacked on the end, making Orgasm an excellent anthology of the Ohio Players' early years, before they achieved mass mainstream success. ~ Greg Prato|