Maxine Brown

It's universally acknowledged among critics and fans that Maxine Brown was at her peak when she was on the Wand label in the mid-'60s. Since Ace/Kent also covered this period on its fine prior compilation Oh No Not My Baby: The Best of Maxine Brown, it's not quite clear why this 28-track CD was necessary, covering as it does much of the same ground. The differences aren't just a matter of packaging: though Oh No Not My Baby also had 28 tracks, nine of them don't appear on Best of the Wand Years (that's counting "I Want a Guarantee," represented this time around by a previously unissued version with an alternate vocal). Some of the cuts that didn't make the journey to the more recent CD, alas, are good ones, like "Ask Me," "I Don't Need Anything," and "I Cry Alone." As some compensation, Best of the Wand Years does have four previously unissued tracks, two of them ("That's All I Want from You" and "If I Had Known") being of special interest, as they were written for her by Otis Redding during a brief time in which he was producing her, shortly before Redding's death. Best of the Wand Years also has more thorough, and more thoroughly illustrated, liner notes. Yet ultimately the song selection for Oh No Not My Baby: The Best of Maxine Brown, and Varese Sarabande's 25 All Time Greatest Hits, is slightly superior, particularly for the inclusion of the great 1963 pop-soul single "Ask Me" -- a puzzling omission from Best of the Wand Years, especially as it was one of her more popular 45s. You don't lose out much by getting Best of the Wand Years, but it can't quite be tagged as the definitive Brown compilation. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide