VA - The Many Faces Of Joy Division (3 CD, 2015/FLAC)

 2015 three CD release. This triple disc collection contains 12 tracks from Martin Hannett Sessions by the original Joy Division, 16 Tracks from a live performance of the legendary Unknown Pleasures album by former JD bass player Peter Hook and his band The Light and a third disc containing tracks by some of their late '70s contemporaries, bands that influenced them and more. 

Joy Division was one of the definitive bands from the rock culture. With their dark poetic inception and a sound marked by a new way of thinking about how music should be created, the Manchester band served as a model for countless artists.  The Many Faces Of Joy Division shows the hidden world behind the group, their rare recordings, side projects, their influences and the Manchester scene where the band bloomed. With a wonderful cover art, remastered sound and extensive liner notes, The Many Faces of Joy Division is an album not only for fans but for anyone who wants to understand the influence (and enjoy the music) of a truly transcendent band, which made beauty out of sadness. 

Ry Cooder - 1970 - 1987 (11 CD, 2013/FLAC)

 Whether serving as a session musician, solo artist, or soundtrack composer, Ry Cooder's songwriting and chameleon-like fretted instrument expertise have led to a career spanning over nearly five decades. His work incorporates an incredibly eclectic range of musical styles, including Rock & Roll, Blues, Folk, Tex-Mex and R&B.

Famous for his slide guitar work, Ry Cooder has been highly ranked in both Rolling Stone magazine and Gibson s Greatest Guitarists of All Time polls. His talent has seen him collaborate with many noted musicians including Eric Clapton, The Rolling Stones, Van Morrison and Neil Young.

This neatly packaged box consists of 11 of Ry Cooder s albums from 1970 1987 in a compact boxset, including the first pop album digitally recorded for a major-label, Bop Till You Drop. 

1970 - Ry Cooder

1972 - Into The Purple Valley

1972 - Boomer's Story

1974 - Paradise & Lunch

1976 - Chicken Skin Music

1977 - Show Time

1978 - Jazz

1979 - Bop Till You Drop

1980 - Borderline

1982 - The Slide Area

1987 - Get Rhythm

 

The Beach Boys - Feel Flows: The Sunflower & Surf’s Up Sessions 1969-1971 (5 CD, 2021) (FLAC/@320)

 

Remastered versions of the original albums and an enormous amount of previously unreleased bonus tracks

Capitol Records/Universal Music will explore The Beach Boys‘ 1969-1971 period with a new archive release called Feel Flows – The Sunflower and Surf’s Up Sessions 1969-1971.

Available across a number of formats – including five-CD deluxe set and 4LP vinyl box – Feel Flows features newly remastered versions of Sunflower (1970) and Surf’s Up (1971) and boasts up to 108 previously unreleased tracks, including live recordings, radio promos, alternate versions, alternate mixes, isolated backing tracks and a cappella versions.

 

Kenny Rogers - 42 Ultimate Hits (2 CD, 2004/FLAC)

 

Kenny Rogers compilations tend to drift in and out of print, yet in a sense it doesn't matter much, because most featured most of the big hits. However, very few contained them all and, as of 2004, the only collection in print that contained all his big hits, from the First Edition through the mid-'80s, was 1999's four-disc box set Through the Years, which was too exhaustive for all but dedicated Rogers fans. So, there was a need for a new, relatively concise collection that featured all the hits; hence Capitol's 42 Ultimate Hits, a double-disc set that spans Kenny's entire career, from the First Edition to two new tracks, including a duet with Whitney Duncan. There's not much missing -- a few First Edition singles, along with several post-Eyes That See in the Dark hits that weren't all that memorable, neither of which are missed -- and it could even be argued that it stretches a little bit too far into the present on its second disc, which loses its momentum halfway through. Nevertheless, these are minor complaints, since the bulk of the collection provides Kenny Rogers' biggest songs -- among them "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)," "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town," "Lucille," "Every Time Two Fools Collide," "The Gambler," "Coward of the County," "You Decorated My Life," "Lady," "Love Will Turn You Around," and "Islands in the Stream" -- in a chronological order and a listenable sequence. It may fall a little short of definitive, but it's still the best compilation on the market as of this writing.

 

VA - Magic Bus (3 CD, 2015/FLAC)

 

Hits From The Hippie Trail - Late 60's - early 70's