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.
