This Dayton, OH, band came to typify swinging, effervescent, and melodic
funk
in an era when
Parliament
,
Funkadelic
, and other outfits were getting bogged down and burned out.
Zapp
, unlike the other
P-Funk
units, had their own personality divorced from
George Clinton
, so much so a listener might not get the connection unless they read the album notes. While both
and
Roger
had enough hits to make separate greatest hits compilations,
All the Greatest Hits
works well due to the song inclusions and the level of skill.
's first hit,
"More Bounce to the Ounce"
with it's hard-hitting
with jazzy underpinnings, set the template. Tracks from
Roger Troutman
's solo debut, like the great
"Do It Roger"
and a cover of
"Heard It Through the Grapevine,"
seemed to sap the strength from the
name, although the band was on them too.
's 1983 near-classic
"Heartbreaker 1 and 2"
still amazes with its minimal, lean sound. The synth-based sound also served
Troutman
well on the mid-'80s solo hit
"In the Mix"
's
ballad
"Computer Love."
As the
never did regain its commercial footing by the late '80s,
fared better solo and turned in the romantic
and surprise hit
"I Wanna Be Your Man."
All The Great Hits
diminishes its appeal by adding disposable tracks like
"Curiosity '93 (Remix)"
and the live
"Midnight Hour-Live '93 (Remix)."
While the hits are indeed here, a fan could just as easily obtain a 1980-84 album of
or
to get a better sense of the importance of the music. ~ Jason Elias