Cameo's loopy, angular yet supple funk provided some supreme remix moments, as this stellar disc makes plain. Nurtured in the late-'70s funk scene, the group eventually expanded its sound to include new-wave and other rock influences while making a left turn in attitudinal terms: "Word Up"'s rejection of "psychological romance" became nearly as famous as its Good, the Bad and the Ugly keyboard whistle or frontman Larry Blackmon's red codpiece. Despite the absence of the anti-Reagan "Talkin' Out the Side of Your Neck," The 12" Collection all but renders The Best of Cameo moot. --Rickey Wright