Bobby 'Blue' Bland - The Duke Years 1952-1962 (3 CD, 2014/FLAC)

 Bobby Bland earned his enduring blues superstar status the hard way: without a guitar, harmonica, or any other instrument to fall back upon. All Bland had to offer was his magnificent voice, a tremendously powerful instrument in his early heyday, injected with charisma and melisma to spare. Just ask his legion of female fans, who deemed him a sex symbol late into his career. For all his promise, Bland's musical career ignited slowly. He was a founding member of the Beale Streeters, the fabled Memphis aggregation that also included B.B. King and Johnny Ace. Singles for Chess in 1951 (produced by Sam Phillips) and Modern the next year bombed, but that didn't stop local DJ David Mattis from cutting Bland on a couple of 1952 singles for his fledgling Duke logo. 

 

 

Lionel Richie - The Definitive Collection (2 CD, 2003/FLAC)

 Although rooted in soul and R&B, Lionel Richie became a global superstar of the pop charts, blurring musical borders in the 1980s with solo hits like "All Night Long (All Night)," "Hello," and "Stuck On You," as well as chart-topping collaborations like the Diana Ross duet "Endless Love" and the star-studded charity single "We Are the World" which he co-wrote with Michael Jackson. A consummate singer, songwriter, and producer, Richie steered the Commodores into their most successful period, fronting the band on late-'70s hits like "Easy" and "Three Times a Lady" before making himself a household name as one of the most dominant male solo acts of the following decade. During his commercial peak, he proved himself a master of smooth romantic balladry, sending songs like "Truly" and the Oscar-winning "Say You, Say Me," to the top of the pop charts, though he also had a knack for more uptempo fare like 1986's "Dancing On the Ceiling." Richie also forged a unique crossover connection to country music, writing and producing for Kenny Rogers and collaborating with Alabama. Although his popularity faded during the '90s and early-2000s, Richie updated his sound with 2006's Coming Home and was rewarded with his first Top Ten LP in twenty years. The singer's renaissance continued over the next decade with 2012's country-driven Tuskegee returning him to the top of the pop charts. Beginning in 2018, Richie began a new high profile role as a judge on American Idol, introducing him to younger generations of fans. 

 

Man - Original Album Series Vol. 2 (5 CD, 2016/FLAC)

 

1972 - Greasy Truckers Presents Man 

1972 - Live At The Padget Rooms, Penarth 

1973 - Back Into The Future 

1973 - VA-Christmas At The Patti

1975 - Maximum Darkness 

 

Bo Diddley - The Chess Years 1955-1973 [12 CD, 1993]

 

An influential singer & guitarist who recorded his best known material for the Checker and Chess labels. In 1955, Bo Diddley scored his first hit with the double sided single "Bo Diddley"/"I'm A Man" and a string of R&B hits followed through the 50's & early 60's, most notably "Diddley Daddy", "Say Man", "Roadrunner" and "Mona".

His trademark rhythm, the "Bo Diddley Beat" (shave-and-a-haircut, two bits), was an acknowledged influence on Buddy Holly, The Rolling Stones, Jim Morrison, The Yardbirds and George Thorogood, among others.

Tim Hardin - Hang On To A Dream: The Verve Recordings (2 CD, 1994/FLAC)

 

Hang On to a Dream: The Verve Recordings is a compilation album by folk artist Tim Hardin, released in 1994. It includes all Hardin's studio recordings for the Verve label as well as alternate takes, unreleased tracks, and demos.

The songs include all tracks from the albums Tim Hardin 1, Tim Hardin 2 and Tim Hardin 4 (last track not included), the latter a release of demos done by Hardin for Columbia in 1964 which were ultimately rejected at that time.