Billy Preston — 20th Century Masters: The Best Of Billy Preston (2002)

After kicking around on various labels for half a dozen years and developing a reputation as a stellar sideman, Billy Preston finally broke through to mass success as a recording artist with the instrumental \»Outa-Space\» on A&M Records in 1972, and he had a string of other hits over the next several years, including the chart-toppers \»Will It Go Round in Circles\» and \»Nothing From Nothing.\» This discount-priced best-of features all of his Top 20 pop and R&B hits, including the 1979 duet with Syreeta, \»With You I\’m Born Again,\» a Top Five hit on the Motown subsidiary Tamla that now resides in the Universal vaults along with the A&M catalog. In addition to his hits, Preston also co-wrote the ballad standard \»You Are So Beautiful,\» and his version is included here. Though never a major hit, his \»That\’s the Way God Planned It,\» recorded for the Beatles\’ Apple label, was a signature song for him. That track is not in the Universal vaults, but he did record a live version for A&M that has been included. Thus, the 11 tracks here give a good sense of the highlights of Billy Preston\’s career as a frontman during the 1970s.

Track List:

01. Will It Go Round In Circles (Album Version)

02. Outa-Space (Single Version)

03. Slaughter

04. I Wrote A Simple Song

05. Space Race

06. You\’re So Unique

07. Nothing From Nothing

08. Struttin\’

09. You Are So Beautiful

10. With You I\’m Born Again [feat. Syreeta Wright]

11. That\’s The Way God Planned It (Live)