The acid-jazzers of the 1990s could learn a thing or five from the pre-"Ladies Night" Kool and the Gang. They were one of the tightest funk acts around, and this best-of finds them leaping from highlight to highlight. While their lyrics are sometimes just (admittedly sage) chants like "Love the Life You Live", the Gang also earn top marks for brashness ("Jungle Boogie", "Spirit of the Boogie"), tongue-in-cheek self-aggrandisement ("Hollywood Swinging"), and surreal anti-heroin ranting ("Rhyme Tyme People"). --Rickey Wright