THE VAULTS / CD REISSUES : The Commodores, “The Best of the Commodores,” Motown.***

More than any other popular R&B; vocal group of the ‘70s, the Commodores stretched the boundaries of the genre as it branched out from its funk-gospel roots into country and sweet pop. Fortunately, most of the songs on this two-disc set--including “Brick House” and “Sail On”--are from the ‘70s and not the lame, post-Lionel Richie period in the ‘80s.

Reissues are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (essential).