3 comments about Legends.

1. This is a tale of how Alice Cooper makes five-star music, and Sony knocks it down to four.
   
   You see, if you are a fan of Alice Cooper's music, this collection if wonderful. It includes a large number of his very best songs (Poison, School's Out, and House Of Fire, to name a few)... The problem lies in the packaging, shall we say.
   
   Now, there's a chance this is just the copy I got, but I very much doubt it... But, when I play these CDs in my computer, they are all labeled as though they are CD 2 (of three). The "CD name" is "Legends - Disc 2" for each of the three discs, and all the songs are labeled as the songs on disc 2. This is not to mention that it's listed as "Unknown Artist" playing all these songs.
   
   
   That said, I thoroughly enjoyed playing these discs, and if you like Alice Cooper, you will too.



2. It is incomprehensible, if not insulting, that SONY/BMG includes no information about who is in the live band, when it was recorded, or at what venue.



3. cheap cardboard which holds 3 jewel cases, no book?, no inner sleeve notes? ALICE COOPER has gone thru several changes in his career--awesome 70's, bleak awful 80's, 90's rebirth millenium...etc. if you have the BOXSET-then you may want to go for this 3 disc set. disc 1 and 2 are selected cuts from recent releases and disc 3 is all live recordings(I am not sure as to where these come from but I think from IMPORT cd singles)-if this is true then this is a fine representation of his later career all wrapped up nicely. its an IMPORT box and is cheap priced. for its cheap presentation its not a cheap deal for the consumer.

No comments about Malt Shop Memories.

5 comments about The Doors Box Set.

1. I picked this up at my local FRIES and Electronics. I am sure you have one where you live. Anyways onto the review. I had already heard most of the songs off this set thanks to a cd burner and mp3s, but i wanted better quality. This box has some rare live cuts of songs and assorted rarities from different stages of the Doors career. It even has some songs of the ACETATE they shopped around to record companies before they got signed. To actually get that phsysical acitate in my hands just would be great. The live disc is nice too, but it is infact not LIVE with an audience. The live disc is mostly the doors rehearsing at The Fillmore or somewhere with added crowd noise and studio overdubs. They really screwed us by lying about it on the outside packaging and even going as far to talk about it in the nice booklet you get inside the box! The last disc is just another greatist hits disc basically. You could just use the last disc as a coaster or shoot it.
   
   So to sum this up is it worth it in the end. Yes it is if you are a die hard fan then get this. If you have just discovered The Doors i recommend Perception. Get the ORIGINAL PERCEPTION (Box) it has DVD-A 5.1 surround mixes. Enough said.



2. Why is this box set so hated.I understand that the fourth disck sucks but look at disk 1 ,2 and 3. they have a lot of unreleasd songs on it.
   some of the song might not ever be put on album for example the demo was on the box. i wish they had just made one cd of the demo but o well
   you get to hear some studio songs that wernt on any album and some live songs. i didnt like it how they add the band favoriets cd they should have did another live cd or something butt his box set grows on you after you listin two it a few times so buy or dont....



3. There is a raw fever that exists below of the skin of a man, in the corners of the mind hidden past all sense, its the subconsious. We know this is the legacy of THE DOORS to slip ever so softly ever so violently into the relm seldom found by the dying masses and that is exactly why this box set is perfect, every other box set has that same old shiney packaging and remastered same olds and dont get me wrong that is phenom in itself but for those cats scratching below the surface of a culture that calming; excessive fusion of minds own creative energy and if ever you wished just to pick apart and dive deep inside the cornerstones of the creative world lingering behind the eyes of these four fragile members better known as The Doors then just just listen to these sounds. All the b-side warped out fixings, all the hidden scraps of infinite creation, all the reject gems, and all the raw power of a man facing down a sea of freaks........in other words little monkeys BUY THIS BOX SET!!!



4. Live in new york,that's an amazing live-cd! That one gets 5 stars..the rest is just like any of the greatest hits...to answer the previous review,Smokie is a lot worse than the doors on releasing Greatest Hits!! i've seen about 20 greatest hits with smokie and some of them are even 3 discs! Yuck!



5. Dont let the negative reviews keep you from getting this box set from The Doors. Sure the sound quality does vary but its everything that made the group appealing. The live disc is the BEST DOORS live set regardless of where its from and has great renditions of Celebration of the Lizzard and The End. The third disc has a great overall feel of some of the Doors best songs with superb live cuts like Crystal Ship from The Matrix and a nice cheerful song about death called Someday Soon. The first disc has the infamous Five to One from the notorious Miami performance and great renditions of Queen of the Highway and Who Scared you. Sure this set isnt perfect. Rock is dead sounds nothing more than a disjointed mess of recording space and Mental Floss is Jim's poetic muses at its worst but overall there is much to like about this set. Is it perfect? Nope, its everything that was great and pompous, chilling and dysfuntional. In short this Box Set is The Doors as personal as a fingerprint warts and all for those who wish to hear.

5 comments about Johnny Cash - Love, God, Murder.

1. I don't understand why these three CDs didn't have the Life Cd included in the set. But I love all of Johnny's music. Haven't heard a bad one yet and I hav A LOT of Johnny, June, the Highwaymen and I'm currently building on my Rosanne collection. She's the one who inhereted "the gift".



2. I must disagree with the reviewer who asserts that the themed discs fail to cohere. I'm not sure if the reviewer is aware of this or not, but these discs weren't just slapped together by the record label - Cash hand-picked these himself. It's not a best-of collection in the strictest sense. It's Johnny Cash's personal favorites on three of the dominant themes of his oeuvre. In that sense, the song selection is extremely interesting. We may never know why every specific song was included here, but suffice it to say they each carry a special significance for Cash.
   
   As for the recording quality, I found this collection to be quite acceptable. One reviewer complains that the tracks are mono records with little remastering. Remastering is most helpful when cleaning up old and damaged recordings. To create a stereo mix out of monaural source material is, to me at least, akin to the hideous colorization of black and white films. The recording sounds of the day are part of the music's charm.
   
   My one criticism concerns the "essays" included. They consist of one liner note page each. They feel like an afterthought with nothing very substantial. I was hoping for some interesting commentary on Cash's work, but that was in short supply.
   
   I have personally enjoyed this collection very much. All the more so because it is a collection that Cash wanted to represent himself. It may not flow as nicely as some of the other collections and there may not be exceedingly obvious connections between songs, but it has Cash's personal touch and in that respect, it's amongst my favorite Cash collections.
   
   Highly recommended to those familiar and those new to the man in black.



3. Just like the title says. Themed discs , 1 for songs of love , 1 for songs of God , and 1 for songs of murder. Great to listen to individually , but for real fun I put the 3 discs on shuffle.....Makes for some interesting song to song sequences!



4. I am a long time fan of Mr. Cash and this covers a lot of ground. A great mix of songs from throughout his impressive history. He was a gifted, half crazy, great American artist and this shows it all. If you are new to Cash this is a great one to start with and it's also a great collection for long time fans like me.



5. Both of the spotlight reviews say that the music in this collection are not so hot. Who listens to country music from the '50s for Stereo? Yeah, so this may not be the best collection of Johnny Cash music, but it comes with fake tattoos. Who doesn't want fake Johnny Cash tattoos? Oh man, they're awesome. You gotta see them. I've got this cool one with a gun on my left bi-cept as I write this. I wish I could show you a picture cus I look really cool. To wrap up- if you are only interested in Johnny Cash's excellent music, you might want to look elsewhere, but if you are in it for the total Johnny Cash experience, you gotta get this set. Don't buy it used unless you can verify you will still get the tats. I wish the new Motley Crux collection came with tats.

5 comments about Roots of Rock N Roll: 1946-1954.

1. A real history lesson in the roots of Rock-A-Billy and Rock n Roll. If you enjoy music you'll enjoy this cd...Some great songs, by great artisit. It rocks, it rolls and it will have all the cats jumpin'
   
   A welcome addition to anyones music collection. Very well done, with great song selection.
   
   
   The Mean Eyed Cat
   KNON 89.3
   Dallas, Texas



2. For those of you who are interested in the roots of much of the music that's everywhere, this is a perfect starting place. Here are three discs to show you where almost all great pop music, Post World War II, came from. It couldn't have been picked much better. There are vocal groups, jump blues bands, and thank God, some country songs. They seem to have done a great job with licensing and all that too. I had quite a few of these records and got this as a recent birthday gift, but there was still plenty to thrill me.
   
   One warning: You'll want to follow up by buying almost everything you can by these great artists. It's a happy disease.



3. I've been collecting rock and roll for a long time, and there are some gems on this cd that I've never heard. This is a very concise,thoughtout, and meaningful collection. Oh to have been "back in the day" when these were filling the air-waves. This is a great cd. You will not go wrong.!



4. Most of us cats n kitties out there know that rock n roll was created from white country music and black rhythm and blues. That may be the long and short of it, honeys, but the truth is that this great big 3-CD box set also contains numbers that might be considered jazz ("Hey! Ba-Ba-Re-Bop"), gospel ("Up Above My Head, I Hear Music In The Air"), musical theatre ("Ol' Man River"), comedy ("Riot In Cell Block #9"), and, of course, blues ("How Many More Years", "Hootchie Cootchie Man"). As a matter of fact, both country and r and b came from the blues, but that is a story best told another day. Roots of Rock N Roll: 1946-1954 contains all the above unforgettable performances plus too many more to mention, and the hip compilers at Hip-O records did a masterful job of assembling this assortment, guaranteed to reward listeners with hours of listening pleasure. A great collection, to be sure. However, in the interest of better informing the potential buyer, I feel I must add a couple of cautions. One: Although there are relatively few country selections (maybe half a dozen or so), I realize that country music is a polarizing genre, which means that some listeners really LOVE it and some really HATE it. These particular tracks, from Hank Williams "Move It On Over" (later covered by George Thorogood), to Hank Snows "I'm Movin' On" (later recorded live by The Rolling Stones---look it up!) are pretty soulful, but if you are put off by "steel guitars and a twang" at all, then you may not like them. Two: When you come right down to it, some of these choices don't stand the test of time. Example: Johnny Ray may be seen as an influence on both The Four Seasons and Dion and the Belmonts, but I confess I'm rather bewildered why his rather ordinary pop song "Cry" spent so many weeks atop the charts. And while Faye Adams recording of "Shakes A Hand" created tremors throughout the South when whites and blacks dared to risk arrest by reaching across segregated dance floors to shake hands every time this song was played, the truth is it's not that great a number. And while we're on the subject: "Shotgun Boogie" may showcase Tennessee Ernie Ford's cornpone persona to perfection, but "Sixteen Tons" would have been a much better choice; the latter number is one of the finest fusions of country, pop, gospel, and r and b ever recorded, and it's omission from this collection is a glaring one. Finally, the collection bogs down at times with too many slow numbers. For my money, the compilers could have doubled the number of jump blues songs and made a better collection. Still, don't let these rather minor troubles worry you. Rather, get this collection and marvel at how anyone could be a "Sixty Minute Man", find out where Elvis got his "Hound Dog" from, and, most of all, delight in the unstoppable energy of trains in such unforgettable classics as "Freight Train Boogie" and "Choo Choo Ch'Boogie"!! OUTASITE!!! So get Roots of Rock N Roll today and party down while deciding whether or not to dye your own roots!! Crazy, Man, Crazy!!!!



5. Typically, we're asked to believe that rock and roll started with Elvis. Or that rock and roll was, more than anything else, an evolutionary variation on country music. Or that rock and roll represented (and continues to represent) a white-black fusion.

   Certainly, this collection lays waste to the first two notions. In his informative liner notes, Pete Grendysa tells us that rock and roll existed long before the main (i.e. middle-class white) record-buying public knew about it. And the country examples are relatively few. I'd have been happy if they were none, but I can live with the well-chosen examples here.

   In particular, Hank William's "Move It On Over," while not exactly rock and roll (a two-beat pulse doesn't qualify as such, to my ears), does feature a verse identical to the first four bars of "Rock Around the Clock." And, like Hank Snow's "I'm Movin' On" (Disc 2, track 4), it is a hillbilly boogie in standard twelve-bar blues form. It's not far from the mark.

   And The Delmore Brother's "Freight Train Boogie," from 1946, turns into pure Carl Perkins near the end, easily out-rocking anything Elvis recorded at Sun. Having heard other Delmore Brothers sides that aren't anything like rock and roll, I was surprised and delighted by this number.

   But the black recordings are the real, and whole, point of this collection. Such sides have far too often been disgracefully dismissed by too many rock historians as primitive, artistically-incomplete efforts by African-American musicians struggling toward something higher--"something higher" meaning, of course, Elvis. But listen for yourself. Most of these African-American numbers rock with the force of a thousand Elvises. And these are not performances striving to become whole; they are more than whole. The musicianship, for the most part, is assured and aggressive and infinitely more competent than some of what was to come after rock and roll had conquered the pop charts.

   Many thanks to the genius who thought to include Lionel Hampton's 1946 if-it-ain't-rock-and-roll-what-the-heck-is-it masterpiece "Hey! Ba-Ba-Re-Bop" (with its wonderful, be-boppy jazz piano chords in eight-note triplets at the start). Many more thanks for Jimmy Preston's 1949 recorded-in-an-insane-asylum "Rock the Joint" (however did Bill Haley manage to tame this tune down so drastically?). More thanks, even, for Hal Singer's proto-surf "Cornbread" (1948), Percy Mayfield's masterful "Please Send Me Someone to Love" (1950), and Ruth Brown's superbly soulful "Teardrops from My Eyes" (1950, again--a great year for Soul).

   The best compilation of its kind. If you want to know the real Story of Rock and Roll, you've got to hear the records. And they're here.

5 comments about Instant Live: The Odeon - Cleveland, OH, 3/09/04.

1. To be honest, I'd have to give this whole concert only 4 stars since I don't like some of the songs much at all, but I created a playlist that's about the length of one CD that is all outstanding tunes, so I give the set five stars. First of all, I should say that I've been a Dickey Betts fan since the early 70s, and still go to see him frequently. Secondly, the series of numbers I think are absolutely first rate are Little Martha > Steady Rolling Man > Change My Way of Living > Donna Maria > Having a Good Time > Ramblin' Man > No One To Run With > Seven Turns > Jessica. As far as the band goes, I think all of the guys playing with him are excellent. I think if you get the collection, you'll find at least that the songs I list are great, and you may well find more.



2. The "Instant Live" albums are spare in packaging and lacking in liner notes, but that's not really the point...if you're checking out live Dickey Betts, you probably know what you're in for.
   Betts' vocals sound a bit rusty, but his playing, and that of co-lead guitarist Dan Toler, is top-notch, and the sound is terrific, clear and crisp.
   
   The 18 tracks take up three discs, and while it would have been nice to hear a couple more songs from Betts' solo albums, you really can't complain about what is here. Robert Johnson covers, Allman Brothers classics, and an excellent new song only available on this album ("Girl With The Deep Blue Eyes", complete with some terrific instrumental breaks).
   Betts shares lead vocals with keyboardist Michael Kach, whose voice is good if slightly inferior to Gregg Allman's, and one can't help but think that now and then Great Southern sound more like the Allman Brothers Band of old than the current version of ABB. But hey - all the better, right? Now we have two great "Allman Brothers Bands"...
   
   This is one terrific find for guitar lovers (and ABB lovers as well). Perfect for a long drive along the highway, windows down. Or up. Whatever.



3. The earlier reviewers are either hammering this or lauding this as Dickey's best. I've been seeing Dickey for 30 years both solo and with Allman Brothers and this is neither Dickey's best or his worst.
   Dickey's song selection is fine here and a real treat for me was the opening Little Martha. His guitar playing as well as Dan Toler's is up to the usual standard (in other words it's excellent) but what has declined is Dickey's voice. It appears that his voice just isn't what it was in his glory days and that maybe almost 40 years on the road have taken its toll.
   Listen to Dickey's voice here and then ABB or solo work from 70s and 80s. Now Dickey Betts at a little less than 100 percent is still very very good and still better than almost everyone else. 4.5 stars.



4. I really don't see what the other reviewers are saying about Betts being sloppy, drunk or over the hill. He sings the way he has always sang, and maybe this band is not as tight as the ABB, but then who is? Great songs, great and long jams, sharp and melodious guitar solos and great audio quality.
   
   His playing here rivals Clapton's in this year's Cream reunion.
   Between the Cream live double cd and Bett's triple live cd, all jamband afficionados can hear how the original masters still can smoke. Where it all began, indeed.
   
   If you like the ABB, southern rock or just great guitar playing, this is a great bargain!



5. after reading the poor reviews on this disc i held off on buying it for a couple of months. i bought it and can't believe that there are a.b.b. fans not totally enjoying this cd. i have heard dickeys voice better at various live shows but this performance has alot of character. not perfect but some amazing moments on this cd and incredible song list. get it!!

5 comments about Zombie Heaven 4-CD Box Set.

1. You know , I paid well over $50 for this when it came out .....I still don't regret it , but at less than a Jackson , you'd better snatch this up ! A lovingly assembled and performed package bulging with unreleased tracks and the like. B_U_Y I_T N_O_W !!!



2. Everyone else has already praised the Zombies to the high heavens (as they should) but I was just browsing around and was stunned to see the 17.98 price. For over 100 tracks of some of the finest 60's pop ever? I bought mine around ten years ago, and it was at least $70, and money well spent. Don't hesitate; buy this thing now.



3. The music is classic, its the expensive box thats a little hard to deal with, I suggest a better & cheaper solution
   1. Get "The Decca Stero Anthology" (48 Tracks)
   2. Get "Odessey & Oracle Deluxe Edition" (22 Tracks)
   
   Zombie heaven only boasts about 7 studio tracks that can't be found in the tracks of these two, yes it has lots and lots of different versions that arent here, but the best versions can be found in these two, and better still, the tracks on "The Decca Stero Anthology" are remixed in stereo! which the zombie heaven versions are not.
   If your a zombie fanatic or a completist with money to burn, go ahead and get Zombie heaven. If you want the best versions of all but 7 of their songs in remixed stereo, and don't care for live tracks you can do no wrong in what I'm suggesting. Do you really want to spend upwards to $40 extra just for 7 songs and a disc of live tracks and a bunch of alternate takes and a pretty booklet?
   The 7 Tracks, not included in my suggestion are:
   1.Girl help me
   2.I could spend the Day
   3.Come on time
   4.one day i'll say goodbye
   5.I dont want to worry
   6.A love that never was
   7.Out of the day
   
   You won't be dissapointed no matter what you choose.



4. The Zombies where one of the most under rated British groups of the 60's. They had a jazz tinged style that was different to most beat groups of the day, founded on Colin Blunstone's magical voice and Rod Argent's keyboards. Zombie Heaven is a marvellous collection that does the Zombies' legacy justice.



5. Perfect for feeding a Zombies jones. Making an air-tight case for the Zombies, with signature minor key changes and gossamer harmonies, as one of the best bands of the 60's. And Odessey & Oracle as a worthy peer of Pet Sounds, Forever Changes, the Doors eponymous debut, and Piper at the Gates of Dawn.
   
   The St Alban's schoolboys made music that manages haunting, wistful, and joyous all in the same breathy vocals of Colin Blunstone and in Rod Argent and Chris White's tunes and arrangments. Any band that can rehab Little Anthony & the Imperials merits automatic elevation into the pantheon.
   
   Though this is heresy to Zombie fans, I'd still recommend tracking down the Odessey & Oracle anniversary set for the stereo mixes.
   
   And if you can't get enough Zombies (and indeed who can?) check out Big Beat's companion piece: Into the Afterlife.

5 comments about Genesis Archive #2 1976-1992.

1. Genesis' second box set entitled Genesis Archive # 2 1976-92 was released in November of 2000.
   This set, like Genesis Archive 1967-75, covers a chapter in the band's legacy. Unlike 67-75 where it covered the Peter Gabriel led band with unreleased gems, live recordings and B-sides, this set features the rare B-sides and live tracks from the Phil Collins fronted era.
   Many complain that some B-sides were deleted (in case of "Match of the Day", Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford hated it and in "Me and Virgil's case, Phil didn't like it). Apart from those, we get B-sides that were left off of A Trick of the Tail ("It's Yourself" (with premature fade at band's insistence), Wind and Wuthering ("Pigeons" and "Inside and Out"), And Then There Were Three ("The Night The Light Went Out" and Vancouver"), Duke ("Evidence of Autumn" and "Open Door"), Abacab ("Paperlate", "You Might Recall", "Naminamu" and "Submarine" (with edited ending due to tape master damage)), Invisible Touch ("I'd Rather Be You", "Feeding the Fire" and "Do the Neurotic") and We Can't Dance ("On the Shoreline" and "Hearts On Fire"). All of the tracks were great.
   The only ugly parts were the 12" mixes of Invisible Touch, I Can't Dance, Land of Confusion and "Tonight, Tonight, Tonight". A surprise gem here is the early version of "Mama" which is nice to hear.
   Disc 2 and pieces of disc 3 are a collection of live stuff such as "Entangled" from 1976, "Burning Rope" from 1978, "Deep in the Motherlode", "Ripples", "The Lady Lies" and "Duke's Travels/Duke's End" from 1980. "No Reply at All" and "Man On the Corner" from 1981. "Illegal Alien" and "It's Gonna Get Better" from 1984. Plus "Your Own Special Way" and "The Brazilian" from 1986/87. Lastly, "Dreaming WHile You Sleep" from 1992
   This set comes packaged with a cool informative book and the sonic quality buries the bootlegs and original CD singles that these tracks came from.
   Recommended.



2. "Genesis" has been around for close to 40 years (1968), & this little band is responsible for the solo careers of many fine "pop"
   musicians. Phil Collins, Peter Gabriel and Mike Rutherford (MIKE + THE MECHANICS) have all enjoyed much success as solo stars, all three of them started out playing with GENESIS. All three of them were also together in the band for the better half of the 1970's.
   
   However, this boxed set solidifies GENESIS' rise to the top of the "pop" charts in the late 1970's and the better part of the '80's. Phil Collins had taken over on vocals for Peter Gabriel in 1975, and the band was reduced to a trio by 1978. Luckily, this trio was responsible for some
   of the greatest achievements in modern music, especially based on "singles."
   
   You get three discs of prime classics and b-sides, which have never
   before been released on compact disc. There are the classic singles like "Invisible Touch" and "I Can't Dance," as well as the rarities like
   "You Might Recall" (Three Sides Live LP) and "Hearts on Fire," which
   is an out-take from the 1991 sessions for "We Can't Dance" - Phil's
   Swansong with the group.
   
   I got the whole package for a measley $20 bucks, but that's becuase I
   got it at the great "Bull Moose Music" in Portland, ME. There are also
   many live versions of such GENESIS concert staples as "Ripples"
   "Your Own Special Way," "It's Gonna Get Better" and "No Reply at All."
   
   ... and GENESIS will be performing "Ripples" for the first time in over
   25 years. I will be in attendance for the reunion of Tony Banks and
   Mike Rutherford with the great, Phil Collins, in September '07, on their
   TURN IT ON AGAIN TOUR. Well, I suggest that all of the GENESIS fans who
   are members of Amazon.com get this set. It's the best thing I bought all
   year, and with the in-depth booklet that comes along with the package,
   you really can't go wrong.
   
   This box immortalizes the 15-year experiment that GENESIS endured after
   the departure of the very talented, Peter Gabriel, and later on, the
   guitar genius, Steve Hackett (1977). GENESIS would go on to create
   some of the best loved anthems of the 1980's, and Phil Collins would
   branch off from the trio and create 4 solo albums, while still being
   employed as GENESIS' drummer, vocalist and overall leader.



3. Will try not to say too much that's been said already, but... When Tony, Mike & Phil were assembling this set, it's clear they were pleasing themselves and not thinking in terms of what fans would want. Thus they put the songs in an illogical order that *they* thought sounded good; they left off things the fans would want but *they* didn't like; and so on.
   
   I personally have little or no use for the 12" remixes (except the "I Can't Dance" one), the work-in-progress version of "Mama", or even many of the live tracks. To me, this set is mainly worthwhile for the non-album studio tracks (including the songs from the U.S. THREE SIDES LIVE, the CD release of which is out of print, hard to find & didn't sound very good anyway). I listen to these easily as often as the albums they were left off of! So it annoys me (just as it does other fans) that certain things were omitted -- Match Of The Day, Me & Virgil, the unedited Mama & It's Gonna Get Better. But at least all of those can be found in CD form, although it takes some looking (and M&V sounds like CRAP). What *really* bothers me -- and which I haven't seen mentioned here thus far -- is that two of the non-LP songs have been tampered with. "Submarine" is missing its original ending (due to master damage) so part of it is repeated and faded. "It's Yourself" is faded early, entirely unnecessarily -- *they* just liked it better that way; this is a crime because the song is otherwise unavailable on CD and even the original single is hard to find.
   
   So... this is essential for the fan, but it doesn't give all it could have.



4. Let's get through the three cd and see what's interesting.
   Disc one : two cuts only "Evidence of Autumn" and "Inside and Out"
   Disc two : A good version of "It's gonna get better", "Deep in the Motherlode" and four jewels here, I am talking about "Ripples", "Your own special way", "Entangled" and "Duke's Travel-Duke's end". "Burning rope" isn't bad also.
   Disc three : there's just "The lady lies" that is worth listening.
   Overall, 34 songs on the three cd pack and 10 worth listening to.
   
   I have nothing to do with discoteque version of the Invisible Touch album (Invisible Touch, Tonight, tonight, tonight and "Land of confusion"
   
   Why don't we have more stuff with Steve Hackett ?
   What about the "Supper's Ready" 1982 version that the band performs that year ? This cd pack could have been a lot better if more songs when Steve Hackett was in the band were included. It could have been better also with a better choice of songs after Hackett's departure. A very big dissapointement.



5. I've been a major Genesis fan ever since the early 80's. I have every album/video since Duke & this box set is a fine addition to my collection. The B sides, live & 12" versions are all great. But I especially liked the new songs that were never released (hearts on fire, I'd rather be you & evidence of autumn). I can't believe great songs like these were never released before now! These could've easily all been singles! What were they thinking? I also can't believe how some fans are trashing this set & it's songs. Alot of the people who gave this set bad reviews are fans of the "old genesis". Those fans who only like the progressive era really shouldn't be reviewing this set cuz it's more for fans like me, who grew up in the 70's/80's & know & appreciate great pop music. Phil Collins took this band to new heights & musical creativity & w/out him, Genesis would never have been near as successful as it was. If you are a true fan of Genesis & aren't biased against the pop-oriented direction the band took, you won't go wrong buying this set.

5 comments about Cameo Parkway 1957-1967.

1. Allen B. Klein, owner of ABKCO, and former manager of Sam Cooke and The Rolling Stones, kept the master tapes unavailable from the public for decades. His greed cost him dearly with this set. Most of the potential customers either died or stopped caring, but he forgot about mortality and thought the longer he waited the greater the furor would be. WRONG in this case. To top it all off, there's nothing new here; no stereo for example. Apparently Mr. Klein is waiting until there is NO market for this before releasing what the dead people actually wanted.



2. Chubby Checker, Bobby Rydell, Dee Dee Sharp, the Orlons and the Dovells became major stars on "American Bandstand" in the early '60s. What did they all have in common? They were local Philadelphia acts, yes, but were all working for Bernie Lowe's local Cameo-Parkway record company. This label was rather unique in the fact that it presented a vast variety of styles during its 10 year existence in the popular music scene. As far as different genres go, it was like having the ultimate record collection with every genre imaginable and the collector would have the widest tastes and was open to just about anything. That was the principle behind Cameo-Parkway: record just about anything if it was felt to have sale potential. That seemed to be the theme of this more than overdue collection honoring this unique company finally getting its due. Record collectors and those who can remember these golden days vividly will associate Cameo-Parkway with all the dance crazes that the stars presented: Chubby Checker gave us "The Twist" followed up by "Let's Twist Again", "Limbo Rock", and "Pony Time" among others; Dee Dee Sharp had "Mashed Potato Time", the follow-up "Gravy", and "The Bird", the Dovells had "Bristol Stomp", "Do the New Continental" among others, and the Orlons with "The Wah-Watusi", "South Street", and "Crossfire!" among others. These of course were the label's principal stars and like any box set honoring a certain label, along with the hitmakers you get all these other lesser-known artists and just plain unknowns. It's done for reasons of balance as well as space alone. Each disc clocks in under 75 minutes, though technically all could have reached 80 if possible with a few noteworthy tracks that are not present like Chubby Checker's "The Fly", "Dancin' Party", and "The Hucklebuck" (a personal favorite), as well as the Dovells' "Hully Gully Baby" and even "Stop Monkeyin' Aroun'" (another favorite). So, in short, the big stars could have had a significant amount of more of their hits, but room had to be left for obscurities worth discovering if it's a first for you. 115 songs across 4 discs is plenty enough though with 25+ on each disc in superior sound. If this being played on a stereo, any sound anamolies are barely audible, but the sound is nonethless very satisfactory.
   
   Recommended listening? Absolutely. Recommended buying? It depends.
   
   Those who can remember some of the Wyncote reissue albums that featured the major acts and their hits large and small shouldn't expect a big elaboration on that. There was more to Cameo Parkway than the dance crazes and Chubby, Bobby, Dee Dee, etc. As mentioned before, they recorded just about anything from rockabilly and doo-wop (first part of disc 1) [check out "Memory Lane" by the Hippies/Tams/Stereos; very vintage sounding], to pop and rock, to novelty and even some country/western (Clint Eastwood singing???)and British invasion as well as later to R&B/soul and garage band rock. Artists like Patti LaBelle, Bobby Marchan, Eddie Holman, the Five Stairsteps, and even Bob Seger show up revealing their brief stints with the company during it's waning days when founder Bernie Lowe lost interest and faith in his company since the British Invasion swept the country and as a result, companies like his got lost in the shuffle. C-P tried to catch on to the craze, but wasn't so successful. Their hit-making roster's hits dried up as well as the relocation of Bandstand out west and no longer giving C-P the big boost. That being said, if you like a particular genre, it's meshed up in the mix somewhere, and if you listen to it for the first time, a lot of patience is required. It seems that its focus becomes, if not satisfying everyone's taste, lost or skewed. One minute you're listening to doo-wop, the next you're up twisting and stomping, then you're groovin' to the British beat, and then slow-dancing to R&B/soul ballads. So, the feel of the collection jumps around a lot. If you want to relive these days as closely as possible, all of this music does the trick as much of it is some of the most dated music you'll ever encounter. Many of the obscure singers and their songs especially sound that way and the lyrics may seem rather dire, ridiculous and silly to those first discovering it or can't remember them at all, since it's been so long and now it seems like another and almost "lost" dimension. Years ago, a Baltimore radio station featured a program called "Forgotten 45s" and a lot of these songs sound like eligible candidates. The nostalgia and time machine-like trip back in time though the sound of the music never fails to permeate the air; it's like watching old TV commercials. It isn't timeless (they were no Motown, and definitely no Stax/Volt), but it is very enjoyable.
   
   Nevertheless, this set is interesting, if nothing else. It has been a long time coming, but this is as closely as possible, the story of Cameo-Parkway. The liner notes for this collection are in a CD-sized 40+ page booklet complete with track listing, chart and release info, as well as musician credits all arranged alphabetically and not under each track. It definitely could have been packaged with a lot more care including way more photos aside from the ones of the company bosses and record labels, an LP-sized box to make it more outstanding rather than in a small paper one. The CD's look like little records and the bottoms are black, and the sleevs are apparently supposed to be like record sleeves, so that's a clever facet about it.
   
   If you just like Chubby, Bobby, Dee Dee, the Orlons, the Dovells, ? & the Mysterians only, you're better off picking up the CD's just of them that have also arrived in the wake of this collection. But if you like to get into popular music history and want to hear some vintage-sounding golden oldies (like discovering a malt shop jukebox) in the original hit recordings (that means no cheap re-records that we've been stuck with for so long), this serves as a very nice, if not quintessential pick.



3. CAMEO/PARKWAY/WYNCOTE records will forever be associated with Philadelphia, Dick Clark's American Bandstand (which popularized so many of the company's early 45s), and teen dances like the Twist, Watusi, Fly, Mashed Potato, Bristol Stomp and others. The set CAMEO PARKWAY 1957-1967 chronicles all those great dance tunes and so much more! The hits just keep on comin' here...
   Chubby Checker's cover of "The Twist" made Billboard history when it reached #1 in 1960, then dropped off the charts completely only to return to the top spot in January of 1962. No other song has ever hit #1 twice. Other surprises abound, like a cowboy song by Clint Eastwood, a calypsoish number by The Temptations (nope, not the Motown group), Chubby Checker doing spot-on imitations ("The Class") in his first single release from 1959, and a Bob Dylan impersonator, who gives the 3 o'clock weather report ("White Christmas").
   Much of the material on disc three and four was released after CAMEO/PARKWAY was sold to a consortium of Texans, and well after American Bandstand departed Philly for Los Angeles. This company's glory days were behind them, yet a few outstanding sides are here, notably "Cast Your Fate To The Wind," "96 Tears" and songs by The Kinks, Pete Best, and "Senator Bobby."
   The "Senator Everett" version (not included here) was actually the 'A' side of "Wild Thing." At the time of this single's release, sonorous Everett McKinley Dirksen had a spoken word LP on the Billboard charts, which is what prompted The Hardly Worthit Players (three radio jocks) to lampoon him. The "Senator Bobby" 'B' side was supposed to be the Democratic party response to Senator Everett. With the passage of 40 years and a tragic death, our memory of the Republican senator has dimmed, while his counterpart continues to grow in stature.
   This stylishly compact box set houses a treasure of still-great teen tunes-- sound quality is top-notch. The 44-page well written booklet provides lots of insights and details. CAMEO PARKWAY 1957-67 is a terrific opportunity to hear the music that dominated American airwaves in the late '50s and just prior to 1964's British Invasion. Highest recommendation.
   TOTAL RUNNING TIME --
   DISC ONE -- 73:56
   DISC TWO -- 74:29
   DISC THREE -- 73:48
   DISC FOUR -- 71:48



4. This is a fun collection of joke hits that has long been awaited by folk hounds and lovers of good parody. My personal favorite is the 1967 satire, "Senator Bobby," by the Hardly Worthit Players. The satirist does a good impersonation of the late RFK and the joke version of "Wild Thing" as RFK would have sung it came out in 1967, just prior to the 1968 assassination.
   
   The flip side of that one was "Senator Everitt Dirksen" doing a half hearted version of "Wild Thing." The "Senator Bobby" was hilarious and can be counted on to evoke gales of laughter from listeners.
   
   "Volare" is sure to bring a smile to many faces - in the late 1970s, the Plymouth Volare (it replaced the Valiant) used the song in its commercial.
   
   For those of you who thought ? and the Mysterions were a one-hit wonder with their 1966 "96 Tears" and wondered if they ever did anything else, wonder no longer. They also did "Can't Get Enough of You, Baby" and Smashmouth's remake sounds rather tired compared to the 1966 original. (Smashmouth is rather retro sounding - their 1997 "Like Walking on the Sun" has a very 1967, Doorsesque sound to it).
   
   Be sure to read the liner notes as well as enjoy the music - you are in for some pure fun!



5. I'm giving this collection 4 stars just for the fact that it has those rare Bob Seger & The Last Heard songs that I've been looking for quite a while.

5 comments about Oldies But Goodies: 250 Legendary Hits.

1. After reading many of the reviews, I just wanted to mention that the sound quality is excellent. Digitally remastered and sounds better than anyone could have remembered. Secondly if this is not your kind of music i.e. you dont like oldies or fun 50's music this is NOT for you. For the rest of you out there, this is better than most collections out there for the mere reason that it covers so much and sounds so good
   
   You will be the hit of any party with this collection seeing as you have over 200 songs and they are so much fun.....This collection was made and produced by Art Laboe, and if you dont know who that is, just google him and find out..



2. THIS UNIQUE OLDIES BOX SET BRINGS BACK MANY MEMORIES OF MY YOUTH. I GREW UP LISTENING TO THE SAME SONGS AND ARTISTS FOUND IN THIS COLLECTION. NIGHTIME WOULD FIND ME LYING IN BED WITH MY TRANSISTOR RADIO PRESSED AGAINST MY EAR. I GREW UP LISTENING TO THE EXACT SAME MUSIC FOUND IN THIS OUTSTANDING COLLECTION. I BUY TONS OF MUSIC BUT THIS BOX SET WILL ALWAYS REMAIN MY MOST WORTHWHILE INVESTMENT.
   
   FM DJ FROM THE MIDWEST



3. I bought one of these for a Christmas present for my brother and one for me. We're both connoiseurs of this music.

   When all was said and done, there is most certainly some good stuff here, and it's fairly representative of that era. But quite frankly, there are way too many 2nd and 3rd rate cuts included to make this set worth owning.

   I played mine so few times that I don't even know where it is any more. I'm especially sorry I gave one to my brother for Christmas. He deserved better.




4. This fantastic oldiescollection represents the"soundtrack of my life"! Every song is proofthat rock-n-roll is hereto stay!A must for every collector! Rock on,



5. I found only Vol. 3 of the boxed sets (78 songs, though the box says 80) in a retail store. Some of the artists are not the ones I remember, but perhaps they were the first to record a particular song.