Rare Earth-Ma (1973)

Rare Earth's sixth album was preceded by four excellent studio works and a sensational double live album, and became another of their great works thanks to a series of songs full of blues rock reminiscent of funk and soul. "Ma" was produced by one of the producers of the Motown label, Norman Whitfield, who in turn was co-author of some of the album's songs, which would provide it with the characteristic sound of the black bands of the legendary Detroit label. The line-up of Rare Earth for this new album was significantly different from that of their first works, said line-up was composed of Gil Bridges (saxophone, flute and vocals), Peter Hoorebelke (drums and vocals), Ray Monette (guitar and vocals), Mark Olson (keyboards and vocals), Pete Rivera (drums and vocals) and Mike Urso (bass and vocals). The seventeen-minute repetitive guitar riff on the psychedelic and sublime “Ma” is the high point of this album, a track that contrasts with the Zeppelin-like hard rock “Hum Along and Dance,” the soul-funk feel of “Big John is My Name,” and the experimental “Come With Me.” Although it did not have the same media or commercial impact as other previous works, “Ma” was considered one of the cult albums in the underground and over time became one of Rare Earth’s most popular albums.

Rare Earth-In Concert (1971)

Despite having a label with their name, Rare Earth were always strangers within Motown, a group of whites who made versions of classic black music with an added rock component. However, the records they made between 1969 and 1971 are authentic jewels of rock music and particularly, the album In Concert, the best live album released by the Motown label.
Many think that the two published versions of "Get Ready", a classic of Smokey Robinson, are recorded live, but the public that is heard in his second work was added later, on a recording made in studio. It is in In Concert where we can listen to Rare Earth totally live, in performances recorded in different parts of the United States, from Florida to New York. Perhaps the studio version is a little more complex and elaborate, but it is here where you can appreciate all the authenticity and all the know-how of one of the best bands of the early 1970s. It is an incredibly well recorded album and with musicians capable of improvising to unsuspected extremes on songs so many times covered as "What'd I Say" or "(I Know) I'm Losing You", "Get Ready", etc. The passage of time has not deprived this work of any of its virtues or of the freshness that it had at the time when it was played in discotheques around the world, and that is that good music is above fashion.

Rare Earth-Get Ready (1969)

Rare Earth was a strange, different and rare band within the Motown record label, this label recruited black artists who made soul preferably, however Rare Earth were white and made rock.
In 1969, thanks to their guitarist Dennis Coffey, they signed for Motown but under a subsidiary seal.
The legendary soul company did not regret this decision, between 1970 and 1980 Rare Earth would achieve six great successes in the North American charts.
The style of the band was a muscular soul-rock and especially impetuous in the instrumental passages.
Their first album "Get Ready" would reach number twelve on the sales charts, with material composed mostly by the band itself and producer Norman Whitfield.
Although the star song was a volcanic version of the "Get Ready" song of the Temptations, quite different from the original with a duration of 21 minutes where with a devastating introduction, a hypnotic central part and a long instrumental part, it left the listeners breathless with such a musical orgy.

Rare Earth-One World (1971)

If their third album, Rare Earth, once again made waves on the Billboard R&B charts, achieving a gold record and a top ten hit with the Motown classic "(I Know) I'm Losing You", their next album, "One World", was no less successful. In fact, they matched their previous achievements and even produced another worldwide hit with their own composition, "I Just Want to Celebrate". Recorded with the same lineup as their previous album, "Ecology", with the exception of guitarist Rod Richards, who was replaced here by Motown session musician Ray Monette, the rest of the band consisted of Mark Olson, Ed Guzman, Gil Bridges, John Persh, and Pete Rivera. The latter three were survivors of the original lineup that had recorded the monumental and groundbreaking "Get Ready" several years earlier. Produced by Tom Baird, it showcases Rare Earth's signature sound with its muscular and vigorous soul, jazz, blues and rhythm and blues, featuring notable tracks such as the extended version of Ray Charles' "What I'd Say", the bluesy funk rock "The Seed", the robust "Someone Of Love", the soul rock "Any Man Can Be A Fool", the country/folk rock "If Die", the melodic "The Road" or the aforementioned funk rock "I Just Want to Celebrate".