By Gail Mitchell 36 minutes ago

LOS ANGELES (Billboard) - Nickolas Ashford & Valerie Simpson have penned a slew of R&B/pop classics. "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" and "I'm Every Woman" are just two of the hits they've written since breaking through in 1966 with Ray Charles on "Let's Go Get Stoned."

But the married team managed to keep a few chart-hot singles for themselves. A compilation of their seminal R&B and dance singles released between 1973 and 1981 is captured on the two-disc "Ashford & Simpson's the Warner Bros. Years: Hits, Remixes & Rarities" (Rhino Records, February 26). It debuts at No. 21 this week on Billboard's Top Electronic Albums chart.

The duo released nine Warner Bros. albums that contained such percolating dance grooves as "It Seems to Hang On" and "Found a Cure." And thanks to Simpson's brother Jimmy — who began extending the duo's album tracks for dance club DJs — the "remix" concept came into popular play.

Disc one of the collection offers a 14-track set of hits and several songs that originally were issued as promo-only 12-inch remixes ("Send It," "Top of the Stairs"). Disc two finds Tom Moulton, Joey Negro and other top remixers putting their own spins on eight of those A&S tracks.

The compilation led Ashford & Simpson to alter their performance of one song, "Stay Free."

"We rearranged our arrangement because we liked this remix so much," Simpson said. "With (producer) Johnny ("D" DeMairo's) vision, these remixers were respectful of our original songs."

Beyond performing, Ashford & Simpson still operate New York eatery/club the Sugar Bar, are composing songs for a musical adaptation of author E. Lynn Harris' novel "Invisible Life," host the infomercial for Time Life's new "Uptown Saturday Night" R&B/dance collection and saw newcomer Ryan Shaw earn a Grammy Award nomination for his cover of their "I Am Your Man."

With a songwriting wish list of artists that includes Mary J. Blige, Ashford says the duo is "just waiting for that phone call."

Reuters/Billboard