This Motown release covers only this seminal R&B act's recordings for the company's Soul subsidiary well; don't look here for, say, the Buddah-label "Midnight Train to Georgia." But all is not lost on this supposed "ultimate collection." Especially when you get Gladys--easily one of the most underrated soul singers--and her Pips tearing through their church-drenched 1967 version of "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" or ripping into the peace and love anthem "Friendship Train" or the rousing, finger-wagging "It Should Have Been Me" (one of the greatest you're-gonna-miss-somebody songs of the soul era). With the Pips' seamless harmonies and Gladys's wide-open, no-nonsense vocals, these 22 songs are a great introduction to one of the most beloved R&B/pop groups of the '60s and '70s and well worth owning--even if it only tells half of the story. --Amy Linden