Had heard a couple of tracks before but never both LPs in the whole. And it is all brilliant. A mix of right on soul and lovers laments. Essential for any fan of 1960s Motown or Stax - similar in sound but stretching it at the same time.
These may be the Impressions most important albums as they both came after the civil rights movement was in full swing and after the murders of Medgar Edvers, Malcolm X & Martin L. King. Curtis' lyrical content is very straight forward in songs like "They Dont' Know", "This Is My Country" & "Young Mods Forgotten Story". The deep thoughts and feelings behind these songs showcase his unmatched genius of "story telling" & giving the listener a front row seat into what society was like at a particular moment.
"This Is My Country" also features a colaboration with a young Donny Hathaway on the masterpiece "Gone Away' with it's deep and powerful lyrics along with lush orchestrations. It's awesome & almost chilling to hear the work of two Avatar's like Curtis & Donny coming together for such a beautifully written & composed song! These two albums "Keep On Pushing" & "People Get Ready" are probably my all time favorites by the group, although I love everything they produced while Curtis was with them. Those albums begin the transition of both the group & in particular Curtis towards more deep, political and poetic songs & not just the tremendous "love" & "pop oriented" songs of the past.
I highly recommend these two albums as they are a MUST have for any serious music lover. It seems the Impressions are finally starting to get some of the much deserved respect they seem to not have gotten. They were my favorite group from the sixties and were such an major force and influence on artists like Bob Marley & the Wailers, Bob Dylan, Stevie Wonder, Sly Stone, Rod Stewart, Jeff Beck and many others. Paul McCartney once wrote that the Beatles appreciated their work as well & that the song "People Get Ready" was one of the greatest he'd ever heard. Get these albums and start enjoying the wonder that was the mighty Impressions today!
THIS IS A GREAT 2 FER HERE. I THINK THE IMPRESSIONS WERE THE MOST RELEVANT AND OUTSTANDING GROUP IN THE ERA OF THE '60'S. ONE OF THEIR SONGS("PEOPLE GET READY") WAS CHOSEN AS ONE OF THE GREATEST SONGS OF ALL TIME. CURTIS SIMPLY WROTE TIMELY LYRICS, AND IT IS EVIDENT IN THESE RECORDS ON THIS DISC. MY FAVORITE SONGS ON HERE ARE THE OH SO LOVELY, TENDER BALLAD, "SO UNUSUAL", "THEY DON'T KNOW", "STAY CLOSE TO ME", "I'M LOVING NOTHING", "SEVEN YEARS", "GONE AWAY", "MY WOMAN'S LOVE", "FOOL FOR YOU", "CHOICE OF COLORS", "THE GIRL I FIND", AND "MY DECEIVING HEART". "THIS IS MY COUNTRY" IS NOT A BAD SONG, BUT THIS COUNTRY(AMERICA) IS NOT OUR COUNTRY ACCORDING TO THE BIBLE. CURTIS DIDN'T KNOW THOUGH. BUT I CAN RESPECT HIS POINT OF VIEW WHEN HE SAYS, 'SOME PEOPLE THINK WE DON'T HAVE THE RIGHT TO SAY IT'S MY COUNTRY, BEFORE THEY GIVE IN, THEY'D RATHER FUSS AND FIGHT, THAN SAY IT'S MY COUNTRY'. WHAT HE SAID RINGS TRUE, BECAUSE WE HAVE BUILT THIS COUNTRY ON OUR BACKS AND WE DESERVE NOTHING LESS THAN REPARATIONS FOR THAT. LET ME GET OFF THE SOAP BOX. I ENJOY LISTENING TO THIS CD EVERYTIME I PLAY IT. NICE PRICE FOR IT, TOO. CAN'T GO WRONG WITH THIS ONE.