Sorting Out the Best of Curtis Mayfield From the Vaults

When a reader called this week to ask which Curtis Mayfield album to buy, the answer seemed easy enough. The suggestion: Try a “greatest-hits” album by the R&B; great, who died Sunday at age 57.

The problem, the caller explained, was that she had already found four greatest-hits albums at the store--two devoted to Mayfield himself and two to the Impressions, the group the singer-songwriter-guitarist led for most of the ‘60s.

And, it turns out, those albums only scratch the surface of the Mayfield greatest-hits sweepstakes.

In my own album collection alone, I found eight Mayfield greatest-hits albums, plus two tribute albums. Also: a two-disc deluxe version of Mayfield’s most successful album, the 1972 “Superfly” soundtrack, as well as a collection of singles that Mayfield produced for other artists.

The glut demonstrates the various ways an artist’s music can be repackaged over the years--and the challenge consumers face in trying to find the album that best summarizes the artist’s work. Some of these albums may have been discontinued by their labels, but the chances are good that you can find most or all of them if you check major chain stores and used-CD shops.

First some background on Mayfield that will be helpful in wading through the alternatives.

Mayfield, who was born in Chicago in 1942, formed the Impressions with Jerry Butler while still in his teens. The group had a national hit in 1958 with “For Your Precious Love.” The single, released by Vee Jay’s Abner Records, featured Butler on lead vocals.

After Butler went solo, Mayfield became the leader of the Impressions, who switched in 1961 to ABC-Paramount Records, where they quickly had a Top 5 R&B; single with “Gypsy Woman.” Before Mayfield went solo himself in 1970, the group--whose most celebrated lineup also included Fred Cash and Sam Gooden--had some two dozen Top 20 R&B; hits, including the socially conscious, uplifting “People Get Ready” and “We’re a Winner.”

Mayfield’s solo career was also productive, generating a dozen more Top 20 R&B; singles, including “(Don’t Worry) If There’s a Hell Below We’re All Going to Go,” “Freddie’s Dead” and “Superfly.”

But tragedy struck in 1990 when Mayfield was paralyzed from the neck down in a stage accident. He made a final album for Warner Bros. in 1996, but his legacy remains tied to the ‘60s and ‘70s recordings.

Here’s a look at how well various retrospectives capture Mayfield’s music.

** 1/2 The Impressions’ “Greatest Hits” (MCA).

Adam White’s liner notes begin with a bold declaration: “Curtis Mayfield was the most important black songwriter of the 1960s. . . . To be sure, Smokey Robinson was the era’s romantic, just as James Brown was the rhythm master and Sly Stone was the innovator. But Mayfield’s work reflected the country’s social and political concerns with unique resonance and life-affirming dignity.”

Well stated.

Unfortunately, this skimpy, 12-song, 32-minute package, which was released in 1989, doesn’t showcase Mayfield’s gifts well. Ignoring the Butler years, the album begins with “Gypsy Woman” and includes three of the Impressions’ social anthems: “Keep on Pushing,” “People Get Ready” and “We’re a Winner.” But it omits two essential tracks--”This Is My Country” and “Choice of Colors”--as well as all of Mayfield’s solo works.

**** Curtis Mayfield & the Impressions’ “The Anthology 1961-1997” (MCA). This two-disc, two-hour-plus set is a vast improvement, quite possibly the most consistently satisfying of all the collections. It offers more comprehensive liner notes and a far more comprehensive look at the Mayfield output than the first MCA package. It, too, begins with “Gypsy Woman,” but goes much deeper into the Impressions catalog and takes us into Mayfield’s solo work, including three tracks from the “Superfly” soundtrack. “This Is My Country,” a Top 10 hit in 1968, is often overlooked in articles about Mayfield, but it is as stirring as anything he wrote--a joyous tribute to the progress of the civil rights movement. In “Choice of Colors,” a No. 1 R&B; single from 1969, Mayfield even uses the celebrated civil rights battle cry, “We Shall Overcome.”

** The Impressions’ “The Complete Vee-Jay Recordings Featuring Jerry Butler and Curtis Mayfield” (Vee-Jay). If that title seems a little unwieldy, just think of this 18-song package as the roots of the Impressions. Butler, whose own distinguished solo career included such hits as “Let It Be Me” and “Only the Strong Survive,” sings lead on seven tracks, including the breakthrough hit “For Your Precious Love,” while Mayfield sings lead on eight and writes or co-writes nine. The music is nicely designed, but it doesn’t give much clue to the greatness that lay ahead. For historians only.

** The Impressions’ “Further Impressions” (Hip-O). Released in 1996, this 14-song CD is designed as a companion piece to MCA’s “Anthology.” It’s made up of various album tracks and single B-sides, and has some interesting moments, such as the alternating lead vocals on “I Can’t Stay Away From You.” Again, only for the most devoted fans.

*** The Impressions’ “The Very Best of the Impressions” (Rhino). If you want a single-disc survey, this 1997 retrospective is the one. There’s none of Mayfield’s solo work or Butler’s contributions, but the 16 selections live up well to the album’s title. Includes both “This Is My Country” and “Choice of Colors.”

*** Curtis Mayfield’s “The Very Best of Curtis Mayfield” (Rhino). This first look at Mayfield’s solo career, released in 1997, features 16 songs, including “Hell Below” and three from “Superfly” (“Freddie’s Dead,” “Superfly” and “Pusherman”). Nothing from the Impressions years, however.

** 1/2 The Impressions’ “Greatest Hits” (MCA). Released nearly a decade after the first MCA package, this “Greatest Hits” offers more ambitious packaging and four extra songs. Unfortunately, those four don’t include “This Is My Country” and “Choice of Colors.”

**** Curtis Mayfield’s “People Get Ready! The Curtis Mayfield Story” (Rhino). This three-disc, nearly four-hour set follows his work from “Gypsy Woman” and “People Get Ready” through the “Superfly” years and the ‘80s. It’s the only CD featuring “Mighty Mighty (Spade and Whitey)” as well as the faded innocence of such post-”Superfly” tunes as “If I Were a Child” and “To Be Invisible.”

A beautifully designed package, this is the ultimate collection for the most devoted Mayfield fans. For the more casual fans, however, the set may be excessive. The heart of Mayfield’s legacy is in the first two discs. While the post-’70s material on the third disc is stylish and passionate, it lacks the consistent punch of his earlier work.

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

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Robert Hilburn can be reached by e-mail at robert.hilburn@latimes.com.