The selection of songs was damn near perfect, which is quite a feat since there could have easily been another two CD worth of "greatest hits/best of" material out there. The only exceptions to this are essaywhutman (y'all must really be trying to cash in on this song - organix, DYWM, Come Alive - and its not even that amazing of a song compared to what The Roots have put out. the novelty wears off after a few listens) and possibly Star (I've never personally felt this one. would have MUCH rather preferred Water, but that's just me). But the rest of it is an INCREDIBLE "introduction" to the Roots. There was the standard best of material, but the gems that were put in there (QSM, Its Comin, Break You Off and Don't Say Nuthin remixes, etc) ... just brilliant touches that kept it fresh enough for the die hards.

Also, the PRODUCTION was tight as hell. The remastered Quicksand - BANGIN, and the BBC tracks were phenomenal, Proceed .. damn. I'd heard them all before but I felt like I was listening to them with new ears. For me the sequencing was incredible ... some of the best on a Roots album. The transitions, segues, interludes, and just generally how the songs fit together were great.

This album also showcased the BAND in their excellence in differenc settings (live, studio ...). In this respect, the song selection was great. There was stripped down beatboxing, complex orchestration and layering, and straight-up grooves. Overall, a great display of the creativity and talent we've come to love about the Roots.

Finally, I felt that this was an INCREDIBLE introduction to one of the best emcees ever to grace a mic. Moreso than TTP (the so-called "outing of Black Thought as the great emcee he is" album), these CDs showcase Thought's talents in a way that's refreshing even to those of us that have been following him from the beginning. It is a great historical overview of some of his best moments (not necessarily his best verses, but the songs capture his energy perfectly) and again, the sequencing lets each song build upon his previous flows in a really nice way.

In all ... hats off to quest for putting this together. Great job.














oh yeah ... the holy grail of liner notes is good too.