Al Green - Anthology (4 CD Box-Set) (1997)

Brand new in original shrink wrap. Absolutely pristine. The Right Stuff Records 1997 essential, long out-of-print four-CD collection with 61 tracks including hits, rarities, live cuts, interviews. 64-page color booklet with photos, track annotations, discography. Fast shipping, tracking, insurance.

Al Green is one of those artists whose range and scope, like those of James Brown or Johnny Cash, seem almost too large for a three- or four-CD retrospective. But like Brown's Star Time or Cash's Essential set, Anthology is a deeply satisfying overview of an important artist's work. In addition to its generous helping of hits, intriguing rarities (a great early single of "I Want to Hold Your Hand," a live medley of "Let's Stay Together" and the Carpenters' "We've Only Just Begun"), and early hints of the gospel career that would follow this set's final late-'70s tracks, the box offers interview excerpts that both outline Green's working methods and underscore his crazy-like-a-fox eccentricity. It's worth the price of the set to hear the singer explain the many practical lessons he learned from rock and soul. --Rickey Wright