Jolly Joker presents: June 2021

VA - Funk Anthems (2 CD, 2015/FLAC)

Though technically not a blues performer, Mamie Smith notched her place in American music as the first black female singer to record a vocal blues. That record was "Crazy Blues" (recorded August 10, 1920), which sold a million copies in its first six months and made record labels aware of the huge potential market for "race records"; thus paving the way for Bessie Smith (no relation) and other blues and jazz performers. An entertainer who sported a powerful, penetrating, feminine voice with belting vaudeville qualities, as opposed to blues inflections, Smith toured as a dancer with Tutt-Whitney's Smart Set Company in her early teens, and sang in Harlem clubs before World War I. Apparently, Smith's pioneering recording session was an accident, since she was filling in for Sophie Tucker, but the success of the record made her wealthy.

Robert Cray (born August 1, 1953, Columbus, Georgia, United States) is an American blues guitarist and singer. A five-time Grammy Award winner, he has led his own band, as well as an acclaimed solo career.

Cray started playing guitar in his early teens. At Denbigh High School in Newport News, Virginia, his love of blues and soul music flourished as he started collecting records. Originally, he wanted to become an architect, but around the same time he began to study architectural design, he formed a local band "Steakface", described as "the best band from Lakewood you never heard of". Cray's guitar and vocals contributed greatly to Steakface's set list of songs by Jimi Hendrix, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Fleetwood Mac, The Grease Band, Blodwyn Pig, Jethro Tull, Spirit and The Faces.

Matthew Sweet is probably best known for Girlfriend, one of the finest power pop albums of the ‘90s. Susanna Hoffs is widely recognized as the lead singer of The Bangles, a band that’s shown its love for well-crafted pop by covering songs by Big Star and Jules Shear. In 2006, these two artists teamed up to release Under the Covers, a collection of ‘60s classics, and what’s great about the album is that Sweet and Hoffs didn’t just pick the most obvious tunes to interpret for the project. Two sequel releases — covering songs from the ‘70s and the ‘80s — were released in 2009 and 2013, respectively. Here’s a half dozen choice cuts from the overall series.

1970 Climbing!

1971 Nantucket Sleighride

1971 Flowers Of Evil

1974 Twin Peaks

1974 Avalanche

A new collection of mostly unreleased studio outtakes.

"Special Limited Edition for The Rolling Stones Fan Club"

Charly Records is a British record label which specialises in reissued material. This is fantastic collection of 50 reissued blues albums.

41 Fenton Robinson (Mellow Fellow)

42 Eddie Boyd (Third Degree)

43 Bo Diddley (Signifying Blues)

44 Willie Mabom (The Seventh Son)

45 John Lee Hooker (Shake It Baby)

46 Howlin' Wolf (London ReVisited)

47 J.B. Lenoir (Mama Watch Your Daughter)

48 Lowell Fulson (Reconsider Baby)

49 Big Bill Broonzy (The Southern Blues)

50 Arthur 'Big Boy' Crudup (Mean Ol' Frisco)

75 Classic cuts of Chicago Blues with all tracks digitally remastered for optimum listening.

Joy Of Cooking were formed in Berkeley (San Francisco Bay Area) during the hippie era (1967). Their fusion sound, incorporating folk, rock, jazz, gospel and blues, had little in common with acid-rock: it heralded a new era of "creativity" and of stylistic re-evalutation.

One of the first bands led by female musicians, and one of the earliest to deal with feminist issues within popular music, the Joy Of Cooking were led by pianist Toni Brown (who had graduated in creative writing) and guitarist Terry Garthwaite (a folk-singer and an aspiring sociologist). The three-unit rhythm section, on the other hand, was entirely male. Hampered by the fact of not being the typical rock band, the Joy Of Cooking gathered a lot of critical attention but never enjoyed any commercial success.

Probably one of the best examples of a fan-collected set is John Lennon: Between the Lines: Complete Home Recordings 1975-1980. The collection brings together all of Lennon's available demos from the period, using all relevant books, bootlegs, official releases, and even 'Lost Lennon Tapes' tape logs to uncover not only what was recorded, but in what order. It is a painstaking effort, and all of the recordings have been transcribed. The set reveals that Lennon did not stop writing in 1975, but rather worked slowly, tossed aside many compositions, and worked on several others that eventually formed the basis for Double Fantasy and the posthumous Milk and Honey.

This set includes all surfaced Lennon home recordings from the 1975-80 period. All of the audio has been carefully remastered and speed corrected from the best available sources, and the tracks have been presented in the order of recording (as far as could be ascertained) -- something which hasn't been attempted previously. For several of the demos, the actual taping order and context of the various versions is revealed for the first time.

Three disc slimline jewel case of live 90s recordings of Savoy Brown in America.

Disc 1 Track 1 and Disc 2 Track 2 & 3 Recorded Live 9th March 1998 Tampa, FL, USA

Disc 1 Tracks 2-7 and Disc 2 Tracks 1, 4 & 5 Recorded Live 14th August 1997 Rochester, NY, USA

1974 - Dragon Fly

1975 - Red Octopus

1976 - Spitfire

1978 - Earth

1979 - Freedom At Point Zero

VA- The Many Faces Of Iron Maiden [3 CD, 2016/FLAC]

As we all know, Iron Maiden is one of the essential names in heavy metal. As usual in our successful collection The Many Faces, we submerge ourselves to explore the lesser known works of the band. You will be able to enjoy the work of bassist Steve Harris as producer of the band Slammer. You'll also hear Stratus, drummer's Clive Burr band after leaving Maiden. Also included are the big hits of the first two albums of the band (their favorites for many fans) with the voice of Paul Di'Anno, the original singer. All these rarities and more, complete this important album not only for Iron Maiden fans, but also for all hard-rock music lovers.

Over a six year period Blind Blake recorded eighty-four titles together with numerous as “house” guitarist to artists like Papa Charlie Jackson, Ma Rainey, Leola B. Wilson and Irene Scruggs. This compilation covers his formative years and it has been surmised that initially he made three visits between August and December 1926 to Paramount’s Chicago studio. Blake’s first record West Coast Blues / Early Morning Blues was released on October 2 1926, the former title being basically a dance piece with Blake’s jaunty voice exhorting his listeners to “do that old country rock”, underpinning the spoken lyric with sophisticated, ragtime guitar accompaniment, taking the opportunity to incorporate a popular advertising slogan of the day (“Good to the last drop, just like Maxwell House coffee”). Early Morning Blues, on the other hand, was lyrically far more menacing, his warm, wistful and insinuating voice, at times reminiscent of Lonnie Johnson’s approach, giving lie to the seriousness of the subject (“When you see me sleeping, baby don’t you think I’m drunk, I got one eye on my pistol, the other one on your trunk”).

Blake’s role as accompanist to Leola B. Wilson, an artist who sang on the vaudeville circuit, displays his ability to use double and stop time phrases, as well as managing to copy her vocal range on Down The Country Blues, a number inspired by a Bessie Smith song. The instrumental, Buck Town Dance, with kazoo playing from Dad Nelson, was probably the model for the piece so often recorded by John Hurt and Gary Davis during the 1960s while Dry Bone Shuffle and That Will Never Happen No More have noticeable echoes of minstrel and white influence. As both were recorded as part of a hillbilly session by the Kentucky Thorobreds perhaps Paramount were hoping to sell Blake to both markets. Blind Blake’s true guitar genius is evinced with Sea Board Stomp (perhaps the basis for some of Big Bill Broonzy’s “stomps”) where, not satisfied with emulating instruments like cornet, saxophone and trombone, he also treats his audience to a lesson in the syncopations of Dixieland Jazz.

Hemispheres is the sixth studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released in October 1978 by Anthem Records. After touring to support the band's previous release, A Farewell to Kings, during which the group gained popularity in the UK, Rush started work on their next album. As with the band's previous studio album, Hemispheres was recorded at Rockfield Studios in Monmouthshire and Trident Studios in London with longtime engineer and arranger, Terry Brown. Rush continued its progressive rock sound with the side-long "Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres" and the nine-minute instrumental "La Villa Strangiato".

The album was re-released in various expanded formats on November 16, 2018 as part of the band's ongoing 40th Anniversary editions, including the previously unreleased live set by the band at the Pinkpop Festival from June 1979.

2002 live compilation for one of the UK's finest & busiest rock bands. The album spans the band's career from 1972 to 2001 & features a mixture of rare & previously unreleased tracks.

Disc 1 • 1965 • Canadian Sunset

Disc 2 • 1959 • To You Sweetheart, Aloha

Disc 3 • 1962 • Moon River

Disc 4 • 1963 • Days Of Wine And Roses

Disc 5 • 1963 • The Wonderful World Of Andy Williams

Disc 6 • 1964 • Call Me Irresponsible

Disc 7 • 1964 • The Great Songs From "My Fair Lady"

Disc 8 • 2013 • Bonus CD: Rare And Hits

Chronicles is a compilation album produced by Jon and Vangelis, released by Polydor/Spectrum Music in 1994.

Jon Anderson - vocals
Vangelis - keyboards / synthesisers / programming

Jimi Hendrix - The 1970 Studio Recordings

As Good As It Gets: Jukebox Blues contains 52 tracks spread out over two discs of urban and jump blues classics from the mid- to late '40s. All the big names are here, including John Lee Hooker, Amos Milburn, Wynonnie Harris, Julia Lee, T-Bone Walker, Charles Brown, Memphis Slim, and Louis Jordan.

Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, Bill Ward – four names that resonate throughout Rock’s recorded history as clear and sublime as the haunting bell that tolls the opening to their eponymous debut album from 1970.

Collectively, they formed Black Sabbath and forged the most haunting and hypnotic rock sound of all time. From humble beginnings, the Birmingham quartet enslaved the minds and souls of millions of rock fans around the world and continue to do so into the new millennium. The musical genre they created inspired countless musicians and spawned countless bands. Hailed as Metal’s originators, their musical contributions to the world are still formidable and current forty years later. Their unique sound still echoes in many of today’s greatest Metal bands. Black Sabbath, established now in the forever of Metal’s ongoing musical progression, beckon and await you to enjoy their triumphs within.

This deluxe box set contains all the Ozzy era Black Sabbath albums housed in a Black Cross, the box also contains a 100 page exclusive Illustrated discography featuring rare covers from throughout the world.

Black Sabbath 1970

Paranoid 1970

Master Of Reality 1971

Volume 4 1972

Sabbath Bloody Sabbath 1973

Sabotage 1975

We Sold Our Soul For Rock 'N' Roll 2CD 1975

Technical Ecstasy 1976

Never Say Die! 1978

Black Sabbath: Radio Documentary 2010

Master Of Reality: Radio Documentary 2010

Paranoid: Radio Documentary 2010

Arthur Brown's Kingdom Come are to have a 5CD box set, Arthur Brown’s Kingdom Come: Eternal Messenger – An Anthology 1970-1973, released through Esoteric Recordings on June 28.

The five disc box set features all of the albums recorded by the band between October 1971 and April 1973. Galactic Zoo Dossier (1971), Kingdom Come (1972) and Journey (1973) have all been newly remastered. the set also features archive sets Jam - The First Sessions 1970 and At The BBC 1971-1972, a twelve track CD featuring sessions recorded for the BBC between March 1971 and September 1972, nine tracks of which are previously unreleased.

Deuce (1971)

Calling Card (1976)

Top Priority (1979)

Jinx (1982)

Fresh Evidence (1990)

Disc 1 - Golden Earring

Disc 2 - Kayak

Disc 3 - Shoes

Disc 4 - Sandy Coast

Disc 5- Outsiders

Disc 6- Motions

Disc 7- Earth & Fire

Disc 8 - The Cats

Disc 9 - Q65

Disc 10 - Cuby & Blizzards

CD 51: Sonny Rollins (1957) Vol. 4

CD 52: Sonny Rollins (1955–56) Vol. 5

CD 53: Horace Silver (1952–53) Vol. 1

CD 54: Horace Silver (1954–55) Vol. 2

CD 55: Charles Mingus (1956)

CD 56: Thad Jones (1956)

CD 57: John Coltrane (1956) Vol. 1

CD 58: John Coltrane (1956) Vol. 2

CD 59: John Coltrane (1957) Vol. 3

CD 60: John Coltrane (1957) Vol. 4

Blind Lemon Jefferson was an American blues & gospel guitarist and singer/songwriter (September 24, 1893 - December 19, 1929). He was one of the most popular blues singers of the 1920s and has been called the "Father of the Texas Blues".

Due mainly to his high-pitched voice and the originality of his guitar playing, Jefferson's performances were distinctive. His recordings sold well, but he was not a strong influence on younger blues singers of his generation, who could not imitate him as easily as they could other commercially successful artists. Later blues and rock and roll musicians, however, did attempt to imitate both his songs and his musical style.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame selected Jefferson's 1927 recording of "Matchbox Blues" as one of the 500 songs that shaped rock and roll. Jefferson was among the inaugural class of blues musicians inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1980.

The Studio Collection vinyl LP box set features all of Sting s solo studio albums on A&M Records in one collection for the very first time. Included are eight studio albums across eleven vinyl LPs in exact replicas of the original release artwork plus two albums that are previously unreleased on vinyl namely Brand New Day and Sacred Love

1985 - The Dream Of The Blue Turtles

1987 - ...Nothing Like The Sun

1991 - The Soul Cages

1993 - Ten Summoner's Tales

1996 - Mercury Falling

1999 - Brand New Day

2003 - Sacred Love

2013 - The Last Ship

This 3-CD, 53-track set is the first comprehensive ELO collection drawn from the original master tapes (many of which were recently rediscovered). ELO impresario Jeff Lynne oversaw this project, penning commentary for every track including hits ( Don't Bring Me Down; Telephone Line; Shine a Little Love; Xanadu , etc.), classics (including 10538 Overture , their first song!), alternate takes, demos, unissued cuts and a new version of Xanadu with Lynne on vocals. A suitably grand-scale set for the masters of orchestral rock!

Fan-made compilation od early Pink Floyd on BBC

Tempest was a British progressive rock band active from 1972 to 1974. Its core members were Jon Hiseman on drums and Mark Clarke on bass. They released two studio albums before breaking up.

Hiseman and Clarke had played in Colosseum together and formed Tempest at the beginning of 1973. For the band's first, eponymous album (originally called Jon Hiseman's Tempest), the line-up was completed by Allan Holdsworth on guitar and Paul Williams on vocals and keyboards.

Later in Tempest's brief history, they were joined by Ollie Halsall, who had played guitar with progressive rock band Patto. With two guitarists, the group played a number of shows beginning with a June 1973 show at Golders Green Hippodrome, London, which was broadcast by the BBC and later released as a bootleg erroneously entitled Live in London 1974.[ By the time a second album was recorded, 1974's Living in Fear, Tempest was down to a trio, consisting of Hiseman, Clarke, and Halsall; reportedly Holdsworth didn't want to play alongside a second guitarist. The band broke up soon after.

In 2007, a double CD anthology was released entitled Under the Blossom which featured remastered editions of the two studio albums, two previously unreleased studio tracks from the Living in Fear era and the BBC live recording of the June 1973 concert at Golders Green with the two guitar line-up.

1975 - Ted Nugent

1976 - Free-For-All

1977 - Cat Scratch Fever

1978 - Weekend Warrior

1980 - Scream Dream

Otis Redding - The Complete Stax-Volt Singles Collection [3 CD, 2013]

The very face of classic Southern soul is Otis Redding, whose incendiary and passionate singing and stage presence came as close as anyone's to transferring the energy, explosiveness, and drive of Southern gospel into the secular pop world of soul. Otis Redding's recording career really only lasted five years, from 1962 through 1967 (seven studio albums in all), and the balance of it, along with his biggest hits, really only came in the last two years of that time, with his biggest hit and first number one, "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay," released after his death. All of it was enough, though, to establish Redding as the greatest performer of the classic deep soul era, a designation he undoubtedly deserves. This wonderful three-disc, 70-track set collects all of Redding's singles, both the A- and B-sides, including a couple of holiday releases, plus his singles with fellow Stax Records star Carla Thomas, in the original mono mixes. Mono is how these tracks were meant to be heard, mixed to sound powerful blasting from radios and jukeboxes, and even played through 21st century sound devices, these mixes are incredible to hear, all power and passion. This was -- and is -- soul.

VA - Plug It In Turn It Up : Electric Blues - The Definitive Collection! 1970-2005 [3 CD, 2011]

In some ways, the fourth installment of Bear Family's four-volume Plug It In! Turn It Up! Electric Blues - The Definitive Collection is the most important -- not because this was the most innovative period for electric blues but rather the years of 1970-2005 are generally considered to be when the genre was rather dormant. Certain acts had hits now and then, but the blues weren't ruling the R&B charts and rock & roll starts to shed its blues influence during the '70s, so its presence doesn't seem as immediate. Nevertheless, this fourth volume proves that electric blues not only has a rich legacy but that it is one that continues into the modern era, both by old hands (Buddy Guy pops up with his 1991 "Damn Right, I've Got the Blues") and new (Robert Cray's "Smoking Gun," which actually crossed over into the Top 40). Most of the major names of soul-blues and mainstream blues are here -- B.B. King, Al Green, Z.Z. Hill, O.V. Wright, Bobby Rush, Bobby "Blue" Bland, Albert King -- and this also traces the rise of Alligator Records (Hound Dog Taylor's "Give Me Back My Wig" still sounds nasty all these years later), grapples with such rock bands as the J. Geils Band and ZZ Top, and makes a case for the influence of Stevie Ray Vaughan and the Fabulous Thunderbirds. While it doesn't necessarily make a case for the next generation -- some of the newer tracks toward the end of the set are by old guys like R.L. Burnside -- this fourth volume does prove that electric blues remained vital well into the new millennium.

The creator of a singular sound that he dubbed "folk-funk," vocalist, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Bobby Rush is among the most colorful and enduring characters on the contemporary chitlin circuit, honing a unique style that brings together a cracked lyrical bent with elements of blues, soul, and funk.

Return to Greendale is a live album from American-Canadian folk rock musician Neil Young and American rock band Crazy Horse recorded in 2003 while touring to promote the album Greendale

4 CDs of lost and found acetate records from Bob

The complete George Jones United Artists recordings from 1962 to '64, 150 songs compiled in one package for the first time ever.

Compiles every surviving title including six previously unissued tracks and his geatest hits from the era: She Thinks I Still Care, You Comb Her Hair, A Girl I Used To Know, She Once Lived Here and The Race Is On along with lesser-known George Jones gems including Open Pit Mine and Jones's overlooked original composition In The Shadow Of A Lie. Features his highly regarded tribute albums to Little Jimmy Dickens, Hank Williams, Bob Wills along with 'George Jones Sings The Hits Of His Country Cousins' the gospel package 'Homecoming In Heaven' and 'The Best Of George Jones'.

Includes his complete UA duet recordings with Melba Montgomery including their admired 'Bluegrass Hootenanny' album, Plus a full bio covering the UA years and rare photos.

George Jones was coming off a successful Mercury Records contract when his producer Pappy Daily took him to United Artists Records in 1962. Instantly, he became UA's top country star and got off to a powerful start with Dickey Lee's ballad She Thinks I Still Care, an award-winning performance at the time, a country music standard today. Over the next two and a half years, Jones recorded originals along with songs written by some of Nashville's greatest, among them Jack Clement (Not What I Had In Mind), Justin Tubb (Big Fool Of The Year), Hank Cochran and Harlan Howard (You Comb Her Hair) and Freddie Hart (My Tears Are Overdue).

Even then, George Jones' peers began embracing his still-evolving singing style, rooted in his admiration for both Roy Acuff and Hank Williams, as a vocal Gold Standard. At UA, that style continued developing while at the same time he expanded his scope by teaming with the truly great female duet partner: Melba Montgomery. Together, they created an amazing, even hypnotic traditional vocal synergy on hits including We Must Have Been Out Of Our Minds and to this day, Jones considers his work with Melba his best work with a female singer. On tour, his antics still centered around his legendary boozing and hell-raising yet George Jones's studio output for UA was amazingly consistent, the accompaniment traditional though the Jordanaires frequently appeared on various UA sessions.

Along with revealing the complete scope of George Jones's two and a half years, the collection also includes rare photos and extensive, detailed liner notes by Rich Kienzle including comments from George Jones, Montgomery and the late Buck Owens.

1965 - Do You Believe In Magic

1966 - Daydream

1966 - Hums Of The Lovin' Spoonful

1968 - Everything Playing

1969 - Revelation: Revolution '69 / The Lovin' Spoonful (Featuring Joe Butler)

This 10-CD box set features all 213 soul singles released by Stax/Volt in this period (1972-1975) are contained in Volume 3, which like the previous compilations features a panoply of big hits as well as a surprising number of undeservedly obscure gems.

The Symbol Remains is the fifteenth studio album by American rock band Blue Öyster Cult, released on October 9, 2020.

The title comes from a lyric on Blue Öyster Cult's 1983 LP The Revolution By Night in the song “Shadow Of California.“

This is the band's first studio release since 2001's Curse of the Hidden Mirror, making it the longest gap between the band's studio albums. It also marks the recording debut by long-time members Jules Radino and Richie Castellano, as well as the first studio album since 1985's Club Ninja to not feature Allen Lanier, who died in 2013.

The Harlem Hamfats were a crack studio band formed in 1936 by black talent scout Mayo "Ink" Williams. Its main function was backing jazz and blues singers such as Johnny Temple, Rosetta Howard, and Frankie "Half Pint" Jackson for Decca Records; the Hamfats' side career began when its first record "Oh Red" became a hit. Despite its name, none of the band's members came from Harlem, and none were hamfats, a disparaging term referring to indifferent musicians. Brothers Joe and Charlie McCoy were blues players from Mississippi; leader Herb Morand, Odell Rand, and John Lindsay were from New Orleans; Horace Malcolm and drummers Pearlis Williams and Freddie Flynn were from Chicago. This territorial disparity created a sound which blended various blues styles with New Orleans, Dixieland, and swing jazz. The band's high-spirited playing and excellent musicianship compensated for what some critics have called lack of improvisational skill. The Hamfats' music has been somewhat neglected over the years. The vocalists tended to be derivative of other popular singers of the day such as Louis Armstrong, Fats Waller, and various blues singers. The lyrical content of their songs often revolved around subjects like drinking and sex, leading some to dismiss them as a lightweight novelty act. Although it is not seen as an innovative group, the Harlem Hamfats' riff-based style was influential to Louis Jordan, early Muddy Waters, and what would eventually become rhythm & blues and rock & roll.

The Last Waltz was a concert by the Canadian-American rock group the Band, held on American Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 1976, at Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco. The Last Waltz was advertised as the Band's "farewell concert appearance," and the concert saw the Band joined by more than a dozen special guests, including Bob Dylan, Paul Butterfield, Neil Young, Emmylou Harris, Ringo Starr, Ronnie Hawkins, Dr. John, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, Muddy Waters, Ronnie Wood, Neil Diamond, Bobby Charles, The Staple Singers, and Eric Clapton. The musical director for the concert was the Band's original record producer, John Simon.

The event was filmed by director Martin Scorsese and made into a documentary of the same name, released in 1978. Jonathan Taplin, who was the Band's tour manager from 1969 to 1972 and later produced Scorsese's film Mean Streets, suggested that Scorsese would be the ideal director for the project and introduced Robbie Robertson and Scorsese. Taplin was the Executive Producer of The Last Waltz. The film features concert performances, intermittent song renditions shot on a studio soundstage, and interviews by Scorsese with members of the Band.

Wishbone Ash became famous for their invention of the "twin-guitar-sound". Two equal lead guitars breed beautiful harmonies and double voiced guitar parts. Wishbone Ash are masters of rock

This 4cd box set is essentially a repackage of the 3cd compilation "Backbones" with the addition of extra tracks from the "Illuminations " album making CD 1 in this set the entire Illuminations album.

This is an excellent overview of the the later Andy Powell incarnation of Wishbone Ash up until 2004 .

Slaves And Masters
The Battle Rages On
Purpendicular

Charly Records is a British record label which specialises in reissued material. This is fantastic collection of 50 reissued blues albums.

31 Bessie Smith (Empress Of The Blues)

32 VA (Blow Brother Blow)

33 Lightnin' Hopkins (Coffee House Blues)

34 Blilly Boy Arnold (I Wish You Would)

35 Eddie Taylor (Bad Boy)

36 Frank Frost (Jelly Roll King)

37 Luther Allison (Sweet Home Chicago)

38 John Lee Hooker (Blues For Big Town)

39 Muddy Waters (Funky Butt)

40 Champion Jack Dupree (Home)

An absolute treat for blues fans, as well as an important historical document, Alligator Records: 50 Years of Genuine Houserockin’ Music marks the fiftieth anniversary of one the great blues and roots record labels, set to release June 18, available on 2-LP and 3-CD. It’s a half-century since Alligator Records founder, Bruce Iglauer, spent his savings on recording his favorite Chicago blues band, Hound Dog Taylor & The HouseRockers, and thereby founded what was to become one of the most celebrated labels in blues history.

Since then, Alligator Records’ artists have claimed more trophies than can be recounted here, including over 150 Blues Music Awards, 48 Grammy nominations, and three Grammy Awards. The roster of artists featured on this release is testament to Iglauer’s vision and lasting enthusiasm, from Hound Dog Taylor, Koko Taylor, Albert Collins and Johnny Winter to contemporary acts such as Shemekia Copeland, Chris Cain, Toronzo Cannon, Selwyn Birchwood and Christone “Kingfish” Ingram. All tracks have been remastered by Iglauer and Collin Jordan at The Boiler Room in Chicago and the collection is accompanied by liner notes from Bruce Iglauer, which provide a fascinating insight into his career.

The Solo Collection is a box set detailing the solo career of Freddie Mercury; it includes the material Mercury recorded before joining up with Queen, up through the 1993 No More Brothers remixes. Mercury's singles and two studio albums are included, as well as a disc of instrumentals, numerous rare tracks, and a set of interviews conducted by David Wigg.

Selected Works: 1972–1999 is a compilation box set by the Eagles, released in 2000. The box set consists of four CDs featuring their greatest hits, album tracks, previously unreleased live performances. This set chronicles their work from their debut 1972 self-titled album Eagles to the 1999 millennium concert.

Of all the pre-war Delta bluesman, no one achieved the popular status of Big Bill Broonzy. Indeed, as Neil Slaven states in his liner notes to Volume One of this collection, Broonzy had been issuing recordings for over 20 years before his last name was attached to the labels; only "Big Bill" appeared under the track listing.

Gipsy Kings - Gipsy Kings

Gipsy Kings - Mosaique

Gipsy Kings - Este Mundo

Gipsy Kings - Love & Liberte

Gipsy Kings - Estrellas