Description
Producers include: Harvey Fuqua, Johnny Bristol, Van McCoy, Berry Gordy, Ivy Jo Hunter.
Compilation producer: Henry Weinger.
Includes liner notes by David Ritz.
Digitally remastered using 24-bit technology by Kevin Reeves at PolyGram Studios, Edison, New Jersey.
Liner Note Author: David Ritz.
Arrangers: Paul Riser; Van McCoy; Wade Marcus; David Van De Pitte.
For David Ruffin, leaving the Temptations in the early 1970s to pursue a solo career was taking a gamble. Like Eddie Kendricks (who did the same thing), Ruffin was asked whether or not he was sure he wanted to leave such a successful group. But the soul singer had some fine moments as a solo artist, a fact that is illustrated by this CD. Released in 1998, The Ultimate Collection focuses on Ruffin's post-Temptations work in the 1970s. There's a lot to admire in this good- to excellent-anthology, which ranges from his hits "Walk Away from Love" and "My Whole World Ended (The Moment You Left Me)," to a pleasing cover of Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes' "I Miss You." The late soul man was a master of dramatic tearjerkers, and the emotional, heart-on-his-sleeve approach serves him quite well on "Pieces of a Man" (not to be confused with the Gil Scott-Heron song), "World of Darkness," and "No Matter Where." If you've never experienced the pleasures of Ruffin's solo years, The Ultimate Collection would be the most appropriate starting point. ~ Alex Henderson
- Format: CD
- Released: 1998-09-22