Soul music has produced thousands of groups over the last forty years, some have come, and many have disappeared without trace - not The Moments - they have been one of the most prolific sweet soul groups of the last thirty years and here we find a definitive collection of their work for the All Platinum label. OK so there have been other sets from the group available previously and even this one has seen the light of day before but not quite as extensive as this. At the turn of the decade into the 1970's soul groups found themselves at a fork in the road within their musical careers, either they continued with the sound of the sixties, or they found a new audience using the sound of sweet soul.

This had already proved successful within Philadelphia where the Delfonics had already found fame and fortune since 1968 and other like minded groups such as the Ebony's and the Intruders were quick to capitalise on huge amounts of black radio exposure giving the groups in question chart successes. Whilst my own introduction to the Moments was not until 1975 via the superb sampler LP that Phonogram Records issued on All Platinum in the UK featuring great songs from the likes of Eleanore Mills, Lonnie Youngblood, Sylvia Robinson, The Rimshots etc., did one start to take notice of the classy falsetto vocal arrangements that the group had to offer and suddenly the Moments were big business. Their most famous early release of the seventies was the superb ballad  title track 'Love On A Two Way Street' (issued in the UK on the London label) but it was 1975 when the UK record buying public turned the song 'Girls' into a top 5 hit. The song was credited as the Moments & Whatnauts although it is claimed the latter did not sing on that song, but whether they did or not is irrelevant as the Moments achieved their biggest chart hit oftheir career.

Bearing in mind that at this time club land was embraced in disco orientated music and it wasn't long before the band tried their hand at a few dance orientated tunes to maximum effect. Listen to the modern soul anthem 'Nine Times' and you will quickly appreciate that the Moments were equally on par with other names of that era in terms of achieving club play. 'Nine Times' remains one of the best modern soul tunes of our times. Other notable songs of an uptempo nature include the Sylvia Robinson written 'My Thing' (also issued in the UK on London) and 'Dolly My Love' which was a pop hit here in the UK  and this CD contains a specially recorded version including a voice over for Radio 1 who were right behind the single at the time.

'Sexy Mama' a gentle plodding sexual workout remains one the groups all time classic tunes and one that will strike a chord with those who were into Barry White and Gene Page in the seventies and is a song that millions will have romanced to over the years. 'Jack In The Box' is another catchy mid tempo affair that has found more popularity as the years have passed. The Moments are perhaps the foremost group in sweet soul to emerge out of New Jersey during the seventies and eighties. With fierce competition from other US States who each had their own 'sound' such as Detroit's Motown Sound, PIR out of Philly, Chi Sound out of Chicago, and the upcoming sound of Solar from the West Coast.

Whether you are a dedicated fan of seventies sweet soul or are new to the Moments, be assured that they ranked amongst the best of their era. We all know that some of the best soul music of all time failed to hit the charts so don't be put off if you don't recognise all the songs on this CD. The first disc clearly concentrates on their early work, and once you are ready for disc two you are catapulted into their glory years for which there was nobody to touch them. A superb collection of sweet soul ballads, love songs, and dance floor favourites will keep you occupied for hours.

Rating 8/10