Prior to signing with Philadelphia International Records, The O'Jays recorded for several smaller labels and enjoyed modest success on the R&B charts. During the group's tenure with Los Angeles-based Imperial Records, the group consisted of Eddie Levert, Walter Williams, William Powell, Bill Isles and Bobby Massey. Interestingly enough, Eddie Levert has always said that prior to working with Gamble & Huff, The O'Jays saw themselves as a group whose specialty was romantic ballads as opposed to uptempo dance music--an observation borne out by many of the songs on this package. While The O'Jays' Imperial recordings can not really be compared to the all-time classic songs found on the group's PIR albums like "Back Stabbers", "Ship Ahoy", "Message In The Music" and others they nonetheless prove that The O'Jays were among the greatest Soul vocal groups of all time and that artistic and musical quality are not always synonymous with commercial success. Enjoy!