This an essential purchase for all Kevin 'Master Reese' Saunderson fans, as well as for techno completists and historians, but despite of its undeniable importance, I have trouble sitting through both discs in one go. Not that any of the tracks are bad, but it's that thing they call taste which plays a major role here. For one reason or the other (and I don't really want to venture into explaining why), certain tracks don't impress. I've noticed that a common denominator with a lot of other best of and greatest hits releases. But as the title of this release implies, these are certain phases of his career, and odds are that a man as versatile and deeply rooted in the electronic music scene won't impress you with every chunk of music he ever recorded.
That said, when "Faces & phases - The Kevin Saunderson Collection" is good, it rocks hard! There are certain tunes here which validate the purchase around twice. The Savage And Beyond, one of my all time favorite tracks, still gives my whole room a solid shake, with huge drum kicks and an amazing, old school hoover! Then there's the eerie and atmospheric Rock To The Beat, with a timeless lead melody, you get two groove bombs, The Sound and The Groove That Won't Stop, especially the latter with endless acid bleeps. You get both tracks from one of my personal favorite 12", "Inside Out", by Reese, with Bassline being one of the most timeless, instantly recognizible dance floor killers of all time. It can still be heard at clubs, with a lead that confidently holds its own against modern, state of the art techno music. Then there's E-Dancer's Pump The Move, which would later appear on E-Dancer's classic album "Heavenly", but remixed by the legendary Kenny Larkin.
Add the furious, straight up raw techno banger Up Tempo, and there I go with almost two fist fulls packed with amazing tunes.
So I guess my wants and needs were satisfied here. Not everything shines here as much as I wanted it to, but looking at this compilation from the bright side, it's quite obvious this is the easiest way to get your hands on quite a few old school K. Saunderson gems in one place. And this is where and why this one excells! Tracks The Savage And Beyond, Funky Funk Funk, Bassline and The Groove Won't Stop are numbers I won't ever get tired of listening to. Not ever! The mere fact I had the opportunity to collect all four in a single place makes me quite convinced that this is an essential purchase. Add the vast territory it covers across two discs running time, and check the tracklist, and then my guess is you'll share my general appreciation.