VA - The Complete Motown Singles Vol. 8 (1968) [6 CD, 2007/FLAC]
Artist development at Motown was comprehensive.
Equal parts finishing school and academy of popular arts, the company
provided its acts with elaborate choreography under the tutelage of Cholly Atkins. Young women raised in public housing
projects, like the Supremes, were schooled in the social graces, and
chaperones accompanied the package-tour bus cavalcades that brought
Motown to other parts of the United States during the company’s early
years.
Neil Diamond 50 – 50th Anniversary Collection [3 CD, 2017/FLAC]
Neil Diamond 50 - 50th Anniversary Collection is a retrospective of 50 Neil Diamond songs recorded between 1966 and 2014. It was released in March 2017.
Diamond selected the songs for Neil Diamond 50. Its tracks range from the 1966 album The Feel Of Neil Diamond to 2014's Melody Road. A three disc set, with liner notes by David Fricke, it includes songs which Rolling Stone described as "staples in the American pop songbook."
A 50th Anniversary World Tour coincided with the release of the box. It began April 7, 2017 in Fresno, California.
Dr. Hector And The Groove Injectors - Cure For The Common Groove (1998/FLAC)
The latest CD from former Grinderswitch frontman, Dru Lombar, and his hot rocking band, Dr. Hector & the Groove Injectors arrived in 1998. With lots of good ol' rock & roll soul, a massive dose of rhythm & blues, and some infectious guitar playing, Cure for the Common Groove hits the spot better than an Alka Seltzer after a huge Mexican dinner. This is a disc that begs, no, demands to be heard time and time again. Set the repeat button on the disc changer, sit back and groove. That's what the doctor orders. It'll heal your afflictions, for sure. Celebrating ten years of red-hot recording, the CD includes tracks from previous Dr. Hector offerings such as "14 Carat Fool," co-written by Lombar and King Snake label chief and producer, Bob Greenlee, or "Pickin' the Blues," an Elmore James favorite that showcases Lombar at his guitar pickin' best. Cure rocks its way through the opening cut, an original electric blues number called "Risky Business," and gets downright funky with a saxophone-laced rendition of the J.D. Loudermilk composition "Bad News." "Safe in Your Arms Again" is a stone-cold blues throw-down that will have everyone closing their eyes and swaying from side to side like a Ray Charles wannabe while pretending to play some blues air guitar. R&B takes over with "I Wonder Where I'm Going to Sleep Tonight," and then carries on with the theme, with an almost Motown-sounding "Can't Take No for an Answer." One of the best tracks on the record is the energized "Two Strong People," a cut with all the heart and soul of an Ike & Tina Turner romp. "Emergency" closes out the 18-song set with Lombar tossing in some Duane Allman-influenced slide guitar over yet another excellent beat and lyric. Dru Lombar has one of the finest voices in Southern music, and his guitar playing is always right on the money. Cure for the Common Groove is just what the doctor ordered. You'll be out of that bed and up dancing again in no time.
VA - Screamin' And Hollerin' The Blues : The Worlds of Charley Patton [7 CD, 2001/FLAC]
Screamin' and Hollerin' the Blues: The Worlds of Charley Patton is the musical equivalent of a limited-edition, fine-press book, and it's easily one of the most beautiful collections of recorded music ever assembled. Exquisitely designed, this 78-album-inspired, seven-CD package contains a wealth of information and music, featuring not only the Delta blues pioneer's complete recorded works, but the music of peripheral players (including Son House, Howlin' Wolf, and Henry "Son" Sims), a disc of fascinating audio interviews with Patton associates, and hours of reading material on the enigmatic songster.
At the 45th Grammy Awards the set won three awards for Best Historical Album, Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package, and Best Album Notes.
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