Daryl Hall & John Oates - Original Album Classics (5 CD, 2008/FLAC)

 

CD1 - Daryl Hall & John Oates [Originally Released 1975]

CD2 - Bigger Than Both Of Us [Originally Released 1976]

CD3 - Beauty On A Back Street [Originally Released 1977]

CD4 - Private Eyes [Originally Released 1981]

CD5 - H2O [Originally Released 1982]

VA - Time Life : Rock 'N' Roll Era [21 CD]

 

Time Life music collections are always solid, well-done affairs, and this one, which features classic early era rock & roll hits from 1955 to 1964, is no exception. Every track is a hands down winner, and it's always wonderful to hear all the timeless gems.

VA - Blues Harp Meltdown Vol. 1 (2 CD, 2002/FLAC)

 

For the past ten years, Mark Hummel has brought together some of the world's finest blues harmonica players to perform under one roof. This blistering two CD set was recorded live at Moe's Alley in Santa Cruz, California at the Blues Harp Blowout 2000 and includes performances by RJ Mischo, Gary Smith, Mark Hummel, James Harman, Rick Estrin, Kim Wilson and Billy Branch with Junior Watson. 

Chicago - Studio Albums 1979-2008 (10 CD, 2015)

 

A belated sequel to Rhino's 2012 box set The Studio Albums 1969-1978, 2015's The Studio Albums: 1979-2008 rounds up the expanded remasters of Chicago's next ten studio albums, beginning with 1979's Chicago 13 and ending with 2008's Chicago XXXII: Stone of Sisyphus (which was actually recorded in 1994 but shelved for 14 years). Some of the group's biggest hits are here -- Chicago 16, Chicago 17, Chicago 18, Chicago 19 -- but so are some of their odder albums, like 1995's Night & Day: Big Band and, generally, some fans of the band's earliest music may find this a shade too slick. Nevertheless, for the hardcore, this is a handsome way to get the remasters, and for more casual fans, it's a convenient and relatively affordable way to get Chicago's best albums in one place.

The Beatles - Mythology Vol. 1-3 [11 CD]

 

Apart from The Complete BBC sessions, this is the one bootleg that all British Beatle fans should own. In addition to an excellent selection of studio outtakes, it includes every known British concert recording between 1963 and 1965, as well as key interviews and spoken performances such as Juke Box Jury. This captures, what the British experience of Beatlemania felt like at the time. Even the later, admittedly more tedious, interviews, remind us of how it was towards the end. In short, a necessary and highly enjoyable part of any serious Beatles fan's collection, whether you happened to be there or not.