James Brown - The 50th Anniversary Collection (2 CD,2003/FLAC)

 James Brown's two-CD 40th Anniversary Collection gathered 40 of the soul-funk giant's biggest hits, and in keeping with its title, The 50th Anniversary Collection is just that little bit bigger and better, with (could you guess?) 50 of his most famous tracks. From 1956's "Please, Please, Please" to 1988's "Static, Pts. 1 & 2," it has almost all of his biggies, though the absence of the 1986 Top Five hit "Living in America" is puzzling indeed. But that's a minor quibble given the dozens of classics onboard, which taken as a whole not only represent the best Brown compilation on the market, but also make a plain case for the singer as one of the major talents of 20th century American music.

Climax Blues Band - The Albums 1969-1972 (5 CD, 2019/FLAC)

Formed in Stafford in 1968 by Colin Cooper, the band (originally known as the Climax Chicago Blues Band) recorded their debut album in September & November 1968 with a line up of Colin Cooper (Vocals, Harmonica), Pete Haycock (Guitar, Slide Guitar, Vocals), Arthur Wood (Keyboards), Derek Holt (Rhythm Guitar, Bass, Organ), Richard Jones (Bass) and George Newsome (Drums). Issued early the following year on EMIs Parlophone label, the album saw the band gain a wider audience. Shortening their name to the Climax Blues Band, the group recorded and released their excellent follow-up album, Plays On, later that year. By 1970 the band had moved to EMIs progressive label, Harvest, and issued their third album A Lot of Bottle later that year. The 1971 album Tightly Knit was arguably their best of this period. The bands final album for Harvest was Rich Man, issued in 1972. The album made commercial inroads in the United States and was the launching platform for their success in that country over the next few years. This official 5CD clamshell boxed set celebrates the early years of this much loved British band and features each album in a replica card sleeve wallet and includes an illustrated poster. 

DIO - A Decade of DIO 1983-1993 (6 CD,2016/FLAC)

 If absence makes the heart grow fonder, then the hearts of Ronnie James Dio’s fans have surely been beating our of their chests since 2010, when the man who once fronted Elf, Rainbow, and Black Sabbath came to the end of a valiant battle and succumbed to stomach cancer. Beyond the aforementioned bands, of course, your man Ronnie also made a fair amount of music with his own band, the appropriately-named Dio, and in celebration of their decade-long reign within the Warner Brothers family as heavy metal heroes, we’ve put together a box set which includes newly remastered version of the six albums Dio released during the course of those 10 years.

• CD01 - Holy Diver (41:40)
• CD02 - Last in Line (41:32)
• CD03 - Sacred Heart (38:35)
• CD04 - Dream Evil (43:34)
• CD05 - Lock Up the Wolves (01:01:05)
• CD06 - Strange Highways (53:26)

Glenn Hughes - Justified Man - The Studio Albums 1995-2003 (6 CD, 2020/FLAC)

 

Glenn Hughes, “The Voice Of Rock”, first came to prominence in Trapeze, a band featuring future Whitesnake guitarist Mel Galley, and future Judas Priest drummer, Dave Holland. Following their third album, “You Are The Music, We’re Just The Band”, Glenn joined Deep Purple in 1973 for their “Burn”, “Stormbringer” and “Come Taste The Band” albums. Deep Purple split in 1976, with its members following various solo and side-projects. The first fruits of Glenn’s post Purple career appeared with “Play Me Out” (also available on Purple Records), issued in July 1977. Glenn would go on to collaborate with Pat Thrall in Hughes-Thrall, Joe Lynn Turner in the Hughes-Turner Project, with Tony Iommi in Black Sabbath, plus pursue a prolific solo career through the 1990s and beyond.

Lightnin' Hopkins - The Complete Prestige/Bluesville Recordings (7 CD, 1991/FLAC)

 This is a seven-CD box set that repackages all 11 LPs that Lightnin' Hopkins recorded for Bluesville and Prestige during the first half of the 1960s: Last Night Blues, Lightnin', Blues in My Bottle, Walkin' This Road By Myself, Lightnin' and Co., Smokes Like Lightning, Hootin' the Blues, Goin' Away, Down Home Blues, Soul Blues and My Life in the Blues. The very prolific Hopkins (who was never loyal to any one label) also recorded for Candid, Arhoolie, Fire and Vee Jay during the period! The bulk of My Life in the Blues is actually a lengthy and rather historic interview that Samuel Charters conducted with Hopkins. A special bonus of the set is 13 often exciting tracks from a previously unissued concert at the Swarthmore College Folk Festival. The music throughout the box covers quite a variety of moods and subject matter (with Hopkins being unaccompanied on 34 of the tracks) and definitively sums up the veteran bluesman's later period.