AMG Review of Ultimate O'Jays

Richie Unterberger
All Music Guide

With few viable alternatives, this can be considered the ultimate O'Jays collection only by default, as it focuses exclusively on recordings from the years 1972-1975, cutting off some reasonable and sometimes very well-known singles from before and after that time frame. Still, this was the period that saw the O'Jays at their commercial and artistic zenith, and these are the songs that most of the public thinks of when the O'Jays' name is mentioned. "Back Stabbers," "Love Train," "I Love Music," "Put Your Hands Together," "For the Love of Money," "Give the People What They Want," and "Livin' for the Weekend" are all on this 16-track compilation, as well as a number of smaller hits and LP-only cuts. It's a solid (and, with 75 minutes of music, good-value) collection documenting both the peak of the O'Jays and the peak of the Philly soul sound in general.