Because of Funkpill's acknowledgments to two classic songs by one of the funkiest bands ever (gotta give credit where credit is due), I have decided to start thread to see what other orgers opinions are. I'll start with a list of my favorite songs, although it's hard to choose just one as "the best." Let's Discuss!
[Edited 10/23/07 10:54am]
[Edited 10/23/07 10:59am]

-Come Inside (Live) I have to say this is my favorite
-Machine Gun
-I Feel Sanctified
-Jesus is Love
-High On Sunshine
-Brick House (12")
-The Bump
-Heroes
-Just to be close to you
-Lady (You bring me up)
-Old-Fashioned Girl
-Sail On
-Cebu
-Fancy Dancer

Does anyone else like the track "Layback" from Nightshift?

I LOVE THAT SONG!

Hell yeah!

Machine Gun
Caught In The Act
Movin' On
Hot On The Tracks
Commodores
Live!

I told y'all I was going to tell you what my favorite track by the Commodores is if you created an appreciation thread, so here goes...

Too Hot Ta Trot

Slippery & Wet - probably one of the most slinkiest funk tracks I ever heard is my fave from them.

Other than that, the usuals like:
"Machine Gun"
"I Feel Sanctified"
"Brickhouse"
"Lady (You Bring Me Up)"
"Zoom"
"Just to Be Close to You"
"Sweet Love"
"Easy"
"Too Hot Ta Trot"
"Sail On"
"Three Times a Lady"

Yeah, The Commodores are a great group . I especially love

-Lady (You Bring Me Up)
-Nightshift
-Machine Gune
-Brick House
-Easy
-Old Fashioned Love
-Slippery When Wet
-Just To Be Close To You
-Three Times A Lady
-Sail On
[Edited 10/23/07 13:36pm]

Timmy84 said:

Agree


But its Slippery When Wet

Slippery When Wet


Fancy Dancer (The Extended version)


Come Inside


Wonderland


Sexy Lady


Zoom



just a few

Maschine Gun (1974)
1. Machine Gun
2. Young Girls Are My Weakness
3. I Feel Sanctified
4. The Bump
5. Rapid Fire
6. The Assembly Line
7. The Zoo (The Human Zoo)
8. Gonna Blow Your Mind
9. There's A Song In My Heart
10. Superman



Caught In The Act (1975)
1. Wide Open
2. Slippery When Wet
3. The Bump
4. I'm Ready
5. This Is Your Life
6. Let's Do It Right
7. Better Never Than Forever
8. Look What You'Ve Done To Me
9. You Don't Know That I Know
10. Wide Open (Reprise)


Movin' On (1975)
1. Hold On
2. Free
3. Mary, Mary
4. Sweet Love
5. (Can I Get A Witness)
6. Gimme My Mule
7. Time
8. Cebu


Hot On The Tracks (1976)
1. Let's Get Started
2. Girl, I Think The World About
3. High On Sunshine
4. Just To Be Close To You
5. Fancy Dancer
6. Come Inside
7. Thumpin' Music
8. Captain Quickdraw
9. Can't Let You Tease Me


Commodores (1977)
1. Squeeze The Fruit
2. Funny Feelings
3. Heaven Knows
4. Zoom
5. Won't You Come Dance With Me
6. Brick House
7. Funky Situation
8. Patch It Up
9. Easy



Live! (1977)

1. Won't You Come Dance With Me
2. Slippery When Wet
3. Come Inside
4. Just To Be Close To You
5. Funny Feelings
6. Fancy Dancer
7. Sweet Love
8. Zoom
9. Easy
10. I Feel Sanctified
11. Brick House
12. Too Hot Ta Trot


Natural High (1978)

1. Fire Girl
2. X-Rated Movie
3. Flying High
4. Three Times A Lady
5. Such A Woman
6. Say Yeah
7. I Like What You Do
8. Visions


Midnight Magic (1979)

1. Gettin' It
2. Midnight Magic
3. You're Special
4. Still
5. Wonderland
6. Sexy Lady
7. Lovin' You
8. Sail On
9. 12:01 A.M. (Reprise)


Heroes (1980)

1. Got To Be Together
2. Celebrate
3. Old Fashion Love
4. Hereos
5. All The Way Down
6. Sorry To Say
7. Wake Up Children
8. Mighty Spirit
9. Jesus Is Love


In The Pocket (1981)

1. Lady (You Bring Me Up)
2. Saturday Night
3. Keep On Taking Me Higher
4. Oh No
5. Why You Wanna Try Me
6. This Love
7. Been Loving You
8. Lucy

my favorite Commodores songs...

"Are You Happy" (1973)
"Machine Gun" (1974)
"I Feel Sanctified" (1974)
"The Bump" (1974)
"Slippery When Wet" (1975)
"This Is Your Life" (1975)
"Gimme My Mule" (1975)
"Sweet Love" (1975)
"Cebu" (1975)
"Girl,I Think The World About You" (1976)
"High On Sunshine" (1976)
"Just To Be Close To You" (1976)
"Fancy Dancer" (1976)
"Come Inside" (1976)
"Zoom" (1977)
"Brick House" (1977)
"Funky Situation" (1977)
"Easy" (1977)
"Funny Feelings" (1977)
"Too Hot Ta Trot" (1977)
"Come Inside (live)" (1977)
"Flying High" (1978)
"Three Times A Lady" (1978)
"Say Yeah" (1978)
"I Like What You Do" (1978)
"Sail On" (1979)
"Wonderland" (1979)
"Sexy Lady" (1979)
"Heroes" (1980)
"Lady (You Bring Me Up)" (1981)
"Oh No" (1981)
"Why You Wanna Try Me" (1981)
"Lay Back" (1985)

tricky2 said:

I put that song on my list.I'm surprised that someone else likes it too! It's a very haunting,hypnotic synth ballad with cool lead vocals by J.D. Nicholas.It's my favorite song from the 'Nightshift' album.This song got some attention from Quiet Storm radio stations.

I've only had greatest hits compilations from The Commodores and their live album up until recently. I've always loved jams like "Too Hot Ta Trot", "Brick House", "Slippery When Wet", "Machine Gun", "Fancy Dancer", etc.

Lionel Richie's solo bullshit really turned me off from buying any Commodores albums until recently when I started remembering some of the great funk jams they had before he turned all "Shitney Houstonish" even before she reared her ugly head. So I recently bought "Hot On The Tracks" and I definately want more of their albums.

vainandy said:

Their 1977 self-titled album is their best work,but 'Hot On The Tracks' is a close second.The song "Girl,I Think The World About You" is one of my favs!

FuNkeNsteiN said:

Man,I love this song!! Some people think of it as a "Brick House" clone,but I think it's even better.

funkpill said:

"just a few"??? Boy,you better get back here and add some more songs to your list! I KNOW those aren't the only Commodores jams you can think of!

SoulAlive said:

I've always considered it 'good but uneven'. It has a couple of killer tracks but the rest are just 'good' or 'ok'. A couple are a bit filler-ish too
Overall though, it's a good album, don't get me wrong. It's just not as consistent as 'Hot On The Tracks' or 'Caught In The Act'. Their debut is also great, but has some filler material in there along with the killer tracks.

SoulAlive said:

Trot is better than Brick House, though it might have something to do with the fact that Brick House is soooo overplayed

Slippery When Wet.. and Just To Be Close To You is my shit.

StarMon said:

Now this was when the Commodores we're The Commodores!

I wanted to add "Won't You Come Dance With Me" to my list of favs. In fact, that whole Commodores Live album is slammin! It gets better everytime I hear it!

FuNkeNsteiN said:

The extended version is better...

I love the Commodores. I only got into them in the mid-90's, previously I only knew the late 70's hits/Lionel ballads

Love this band. Grew up on them as a kid. Have all of their albums. My fave all time 2 songs by them though are ;

This Is Your Life ( wrote a thread about this one on here before) and
Zoom
Of course I dig all of the songs that everybody else on here has already listed but I ADORE these two songs. ESPECIALLY "This Is Your Life". It has that beautiful "I Want To Be Free " from the Ohio Players vibe all over it.

Hot on the tracks was the first album i ever bought. I was a little fart
in the 4th grade. I played the hell out of that album. My uncle turned me on to the commodores with the caught in the act and movin on albums. Movin on is one of their more underrated albums. Give me my mule is my shit. That was lionel puttin the stank on it back then. I wish they would release that album on cd. I liked all of their albums with lionel but i would have to say natural high was probably my least favorite.
Say yeah, x rated movie, and i like what you do keeps my interest in natural high. Three times a lady is classic but after hearing it so many times it kind of reminds you of the stuff lionel would come to do as a solo artist.
[Edited 10/24/07 20:15pm]

phunkdaddy said:

Many fans think 'Natural High' is the album where they began to get "soft".There's not alot of hardcore funk on that album.The two singles "Three Times A Lady" and "Flying High" are pop songs.Still,I like this albumn alot,probably because it's not as overplayed as the album that came before it (1977's self-titled release) and the album that came after it (1979's 'Midnight Magic').

FuNkeNsteiN said:

I'd like to know what songs you think are "filler" on that album To me,that album is filler-free.Every song is top notch.The hit singles were "Brick House" and "Easy",but I think several other songs were just as strong ("Zoom","Funky Situation","Funny Feeling").

'Hot On The Tracks' is my second favorite Commodores album,but I think it loses steam after "Come Inside".The last three songs aren't that great.

"material thangz-uh.....i thought had so much VAL-YA!!!!!
aww girl....didn't really have any val-ya at all!!!!!"


"Just To Be Close To You" from "Hot On The Tracks" (1976)

FuNkeNsteiN said:

Exactly

woogiebear said:

I was listening to that song yesterday Lionel's spoken intro is a highlight,lol.

You really can't go wrong with this excellent 2-CD Anthology.All the hits are accounted for (in their full-length album versions!),and there are some key album tracks as well.The liner notes are very good and informative,too.To those of you who are just getting into their music,this is the place to start.