Because Lionel Richie turned into such an awful drip, the Commodores get dismissed these days as inauthentic. They were rarely great (though "Brick House" is the shit - one of the definitive funk songs), but they were a very good band that had a way with a ballad. As Richie's leadership grew more intractable, the music turned ever more shallow (compare the earlier "Easy" to the later "Still" and you'll see what I mean...), but the band left an admirable trail of hit singles in its wake. Lionel Richie eventually left the band in the early 80's to turn white (er, go solo) and was fabulously successful (either way you look at it). The Lionel-less group soldiered on, scoring but a few hits before fading into relative obscurity.

Before that happened, the Commodores accumulated enough hits and recorded enough worthwhile music to warrant a substantial purchase by any funk-n-soul fan. Motown issued then deleted an excellent, two-disc Anthology: The Best Of The Commodores (1995), only to issue the similarly-titled, also-excellent Anthology in 2001. Both are highly recommended, each stretching from the giddy instrumental "Machine Gun" (1974) through "Night Shift" (1985), a tribute to recently deceased rhythm & blues forerunners Marvin Gaye and Jackie Wilson.

The Commodores single-CD Ultimate Collection (1997) is the next best thing, however, compiling all their major hits except "Sail On," one of their best ballads. The cheaper, chintzier 20th Century Masters (1999) includes "Sail On" but skips "Too Hot Ta Trot," one of their better uptempo numbers... go figure. Something barely shy of a jillion Commodore collections (a number of them latter-day re-recordings) are constantly crowding the market, so choose your weapon carefully.

As for theCommodores' individual albums, well, they were a singles band. Their eponymous 1977 platter, Commodores, stands out from the pack as it debuted both "Easy" and "Brick House," the Commodores' best ballad and best dance song, respectively. As for Lionel Ritchie's solo material, the less said the better. His Definitive Collection (2003) is the least saccharine choice, culling the Commodores' best ballad-oriented material along with Ritchie's numerous solo smashes.