In my career as a high- profile, globe- trotting music journalist, I've seen a lot of live shows. Some were the bomb, and some just plain bombed. Yet through it all, two shows I've attended stand out in my mind as transcendent: that of James Brown in 1993, and Kool & The Gang in 1996.

Actually, I've witnessed Kool & The Gang's raw energy on more than one occasion, and they never fail to leave me breathless. Jumping eagerly from hit ("Jungle Boogie") to hit ("Hollywood Swingin'") to hit ("Misled") to hit ("Too Hot") to hit ("Cherish") to hit ("Joanna") to hit ("Celebrate"-- in Spanish no less), their stage show is superglued tight as they whirl and spin across the stage in perfect funkadelic harmony.

Robert "Kool" Bell and his collected "Gang" have certainly cemented their place in history as a singles band, and with good reason: their albums have never been particularly memorable. This holds true on their 1981 release Something Special. The album, for those of you not as well acquainted with the band's discography, was released just one year after their anthem "Celebrate" became an international R+B smash. But as Kool and the Gang attempted to establish their diversity on the record, they ignored the fact that it was funk that put them on the map.

Abandoning their roots for a more accessible sound, Kool & The Gang brings us songs like "Good Time Tonight," which was written as a follow- up to that world- famous chart- topper "Celebrate," but it lacks the spark (not to mention the fame) of that particular number. "Stand Up and Sing" was the band's live encore regular, but the studio version doesn't do it justice. "Stop," a song that was left off the album because it lacked lyrics, is included as a bonus track. And, showcasing the Gang's ability to groove while hanging on to their pop sensibility, it proves itself as one of the better numbers Something Special has to offer.

But the record's treasure is "Get Down On It." Stuffed full of call and response between Taylor and the Gang, it's James' finest hour. With his bright tenor purring over a white- hot trough of tongue and groove, he sounds as smooth as the other James Taylor while executing with dignity.

Something Special marked Kool and the Gang's departure from funk band to pop band, which in retrospect served the band well. And, thanks to the folks over at Mercury Reissues, you can get it on a CD now.

-Lang Whitaker