5 comments about Doo Wop Box, Vol. 3: 101 More Vocal Group Gems from the Golden Age of Rock-N-Roll.

1. Doo Wop Box #3 has its moments - there are many really good tunes on it - but it falls far short of the first two sets, which were excellent. Disc 3 contains a couple of tunes that were featured in the first 2 sets but otherwise has some really scarce tunes. Disc 4 in this set is a complete waste of time and is suitable for use as a frisbee or coaster. Rhino really dropped the ball with this set. Buy the other two sets before investing in this.



2. This set was a disappointment after the first two. I just didn't think that the set was put together that well. Many of the songs were picked by opinions that Doo Wop "experts" said needed to be in a box. It has its moments, but overall is not as strong as the first two. Make sure you get them before this one. This is definately a set to finish the collection from Rhino. Once again, the sound is great, as Rhino products are always top sounding (at least the ones I own).



3. ...While it's true that "The Doo Wop Box III" is not quite as consistent as "Box I" and "Box II," it's still an amazing compilation. I, for one, am glad that Rhino decided to compile a disc of modern doo-wop to show that the form isn't just a dead relic of the distant past. Doo-wop fans who don't know about The Persuasions are missing out on some great music. They certainly deserve to be included in a set like this. (Though I wouldn't necessarily have picked "Looking For an Echo" to represent them.) Doo-wop doesn't HAVE to come from the 1950s or 60s to be "pure." Just listen to the Neville Brothers' version of "We Belong Together." You're telling me that's not gorgeous, glorious music? Get real!

   My only quibble with this set is that it includes a handful of tracks I already owned from the previous DWB sets. But that's such a minor detail that it hardly seems to matter. Not when it's offset by the inclusion of such mindbending tracks as "Newly Wed" by the Orchids -- which I never would have found had it not been for this set.




4. Most people will compare this with the fabulous box sets I and II, unfortunately. This set doesn't have quite the sparkle of the first two, but is still great. I think Rhino should be complimented, but derided, for trying something a little different in this third offering. Regarding Disc 3 (entertainment figures' picks), the intriguing liner notes put their choices into good perspective. It seems Disc 4 ("modern" doo wop) offends a lot of people, but I think it's a fun disc. It clearly shows doo wop's pervasive influence on pop music. And it's obvious the modern groups are performing with love for the genre, and not in comic parody. A solid B+ , warranting any doo wop fan's purchase.



5. I wish that I could give this collection more stars. Boxes 1 and 2 were incredible, but it sounds like Rhino is really scraping the bottom of the barrel here. Discs 1 and 2 are decent, 3 other than repeating a couple of songs available on the first 2 boxes (hello people! who is your target buyer? people who already own boxes 1 and 2 perhaps?....duh). Disc 4 was a remarkale misstep, taking Doo Wop out of the 'classic' venue and transporting it into the 'modern' age. It's nothing short of a small miracle that the majority of songs do pull it off (yes it is THAT "Whole Lotta Love" and THAT "Eye of the Tiger" in Doo Wop format). Still, for the price of this box set, getting songs that I already had owned (regardless of the star's picks) and a whole cd of 'interpretations' of Doo Wop standards was a sad affair and Rhino is a better lable than to pull this on a listener. You got me this time... if there is a Doo Wop Box 4 (and I doubt it) please don't trick me again.

5 comments about Simply Dusty.

1. This is an incredible book and the CD's are awesome! Dusty chronology as far as songs, when, where & why is noted page by page, as well as photographs throughout her career. It has early songs almost impossible to find as well as hits. 95 in all. A tribute to a great great singer and an interesting catalogue of the music and the times. Thoughts by other artists about Dusty's contribution throughout. Worth the price tag.



2. I ordered this & received the full size 11x11 book, not the 6x10 book like the description says. Great book & CD selections!



3. A wonderful collection for any Dusty fan or for someone looking to be introduced in a more sophisticatd way than to just buy her 'best of' albums. She is here in all her glory. A must for the Dusty devotee.



4. I have plenty of boxed sets, but none of them compare to this. The packaging is remarkable as well as the photos and the music. Dusty could make choking noises sound beautiful.



5. This set went out of print shortly after it's release for a redesign of the package; the result is amazing. I've never seen a boxed set design quite like this one, it's called an "ear book." It's "11 x 11" and fits on a bookshelf, the pages filled with photos, essays and extensive liner notes describing each song. The cd's are filled to capacity and while I wish the extended mix of "In Private" was here, there isn't enough room for the extra three minutes and the bulk of the material makes up for any shortcomings. The songs mentioned in the liner notes but missing such as the duets with Cilla Black, Spencer Davis, BJ Thomas, and the extended version of the Donna Summer co-penned "Sometimes Like Butterflies" can be found on the release "Heart & Soul" on the Varese Sarabande label. This boxed set should serve as a prototype for any collection attempting to be comprehensive as it contains all the hits and every album, including the abandoned projects, is represented. The closing track and Dusty's final recording "Someone To Watch Over Me" is stark and beautiful, it's the way any standard should be sung. Overall, for lack of a better term, I'd say this set is a masterpiece.

5 comments about Mos' Scocious : The Dr. John Anthology.

1. I don't how he does it, but he does. Ya can't remain depressed when he's plumking around, all over in fact, the piano.



2. This is a great collection to get, especially if you don't have many of Dr John's solo CD's already. On 2 CD's you get 39 tracks covering his career from the recordings with Ronnie Barron (tracks 1 & 2) all the way up to 1989.
   
   Dr John is one the most important New Orleans musicians alive and this collection covers the many varied styles of his career. Naturally the sound quality of the earliest recordings, which date from 1959 are a little rough, that may be the age or it may be what was intended.
   
   Stylistically there's huge variety here:
   The Voodoo sound (Gris Gris etc)
   Prof Longhair (Tipitina, Memories of Prof Longhair)
   Early 70's New Orleans Funk (Right Place Wrong Time, Life)
   Rock n Roll (I Wanna Rock)
   Solo Boogie Woogie Piano (Honey Dripper)
   Big Band influenced Jazz (Makin' Whoopie, Accentuate The Positive, More Than You Know)
   
   And that's without discussing the very early tracks which are a very eclectic bunch. Look at the credits for example on Storm Warning (1959). Allen Toussaint - Piano, Alvin Tyler - Sax, Melvin Lastie - Trumpet. This is already a core of very important New Orleans musicians, so you shouldn't be put off by the early tracks!
   
   The CD's come with an excellent booklet, which gives you biographical information, as well as much background information on the recordings themselves. By the way track 15 'Opening' is not in the collection (hence no sample).



3. Rhino has done it again. Excellent selection of material, terrific booklet. This 2 disc anthology tracks the development of one of our greatest eccentrics, from the impenetrable swamp voodoo origins all the way through to top 40 favorites. The funny thing about Dr. John is that he's a horrible singer, a just good pianist, and a good songwriter. But the whole is so much more than the sum of the parts. Surprisingly catchy and musical. Not one false note (except Rickie Lee Jones on Makin' Whoopee). Check out the Honeydripper, Sahara, and Memories Of Professor Longhair. The most wonderful thing about Dr. John is his love of NOLA music, and all he's done to keep it alive. Plus, with the possible exception of a Vegas showgirl, no entertainer has ever looked quite so smashing in feathers. Avoid single disk samplings and go for this. Get yourself a beignet and a cup of chicory coffee. Mos' Scocious!



4. This is another Rhino extravagance with the usual witty and revealing liner notes best served with an artist like Dr. John who has had such a rich history. This collection spans the 30 years between 1959 to 1989 covering his early greaser days through his trippy 60's into the voodoo drenched 70's and 80's. If you feel you only need to own one Dr. John album, make sure this is the one.



5. Forget the single discs, and shell out for this anthology. Dr. John just ain't a "greatest hits" kinda guy anyhow. Dig this set and you will get schooled in a number of musical styles - jazz, funk, cajun/zydeco, and voodoo. Highlights include the wicked 5/4 vamp "Black Widow Spider", the parading foot-stomper "Mardi Gras Day", the creepy "Zu Zu Mamou", and the smile-inducing "Wash Mama Wash". And when the Meters check in on disc 2, well... forget about it. YOU CAN'T SHUT DA FUNK UP!!! Mac gives piano lessons on three solo instrumentals from the early 80's, and a set of standards closes things on a classy note.

5 comments about Time-Life Treasury of Christmas.

1. I am a huge Christmas fan. Whenever I begin to feel a little blue I just pop in one of these CD's and I feel like it's Christmas already. This is the best collection of Christmas I have ever heard.



2. There is perhaps no such thing as the ultimate traditional Christmas music collection, but this comes as close as you're ever going to get. Most of the songs it wouldn't be Christmas Eve without are here, and in their best versions - like Bing Crosby's "White Christmas", Harry Simeone's "Little Drummer Boy" and Gene Autry's "Rudolph" and "Here Comes Santa Claus". The only changes I would make would be to exchange "Baby's First Christmas" and "Tennessee Christmas" for Crosby's "Silver Bells" and a good version of "We Three Kings" - and Nat King Cole's "Christmas Song" instead of Mel Torme's - rather minor griping all things considered. To wrap it all up, Guy Lombardo's classic version of "Auld Lang Syne" ends the album as it symbolically ends the holiday season. Well worth your money if you're starting out your collection.



3. Good selection and variety of artists and songs. Thiscollection falls short,however, in the amount of music -- 30 minutesper CD. You could put the entire collection on one CD, which makes the price tag a bit steep for what you really get. END



4. This is a great "starter kit" for anyone who wants to collect Christmas classics and have them on hand for the holidays. However, I cannot fathom why the cloyingly sweet "Baby's First Christmas" is included in the set. Whenever it comes on, my family and I dive for the stereo to advance to the next track.



5. I found the song arrangements were more jazzy 40's, 50's style than traditional choir/orchestra Christmas styles of the 60's, 70's and 80's. I ended up listening to a radio station as background music for Christmas day, instead of the CD's.

4 comments about Compact Disc Singles Collection.

1. I have the 12 UK albums on CD, the "Magical Mystery Tour", "The Decca Tapes", "In The Beginning", and I have the 2 Past Masters albums, but I didn't have any single, so I made with my iTunes a CD with 24 tracks of all the A-Sides (including Back In The USSR, and Yesterday, that are not included in this collection), and then I made another CD with the other 24 B-Sides (including Twist & Shout, and I Should Have Known Better, that are not included in this collection either), they all fited perfectly in 2 discs, but it felt so empty because is not the same like having all the original covers, so I finally decided to get this Box Set, and I couldn't be more happy. Since I had all the tracks in the Stereo versions, I compared the sound with the Mono versions, and the Mono versions here are way ahead of the Stereo ones, and just the fact that I have all the original covers, really makes this collection a must.
   
   The only problem is that it doesn't have the singles: "Back In The USSR", and "Yesterday", that were released in 1976 when John Lennon was still alive. It also doesn't have "Free As A Bird" (1995), and "Real Love" (1996), that are also UK singles. I guess they just limit the collection to the years that the band were together 1962-1970, and even then, they didn't put "My Bonnie" (1962). I don't care too much for the "Beatles Movie Medley" (1982) because is not really a single, but it would be cool if they had inluded all these singles in this Box Set.



2. Actually, to answer another reviewers question about the sound quality, this box set is currently the only way to get the singles in mono. Consensus by collectors is that the mono sound is preferable for probably at least the first 13 of these 22 singles, possibly for many more. Therefore, a must for collectors.
   Also, please note that the original singles were issued without picture sleeves, excepting Strawberry Field/Penny Lane, which looked very cool, and Let It Be/You Know My Name, which looked very similar to the Let It Be album. These picture sleeves are therefore from later reissue pressings of the singles, or specially constructed for the box set.



3. Sure, these songs are all available on CD elsewhere, but in this CD Singles Collection, you get the original release artwork from all 22 Beatle singles in one package. Purists may want to seek out the original boxed set on 45 RPM records, but this collection is a great way to get all of The Beatle "singles" and their matching picture covers on CD.
   It is fasinating to flip through these discs and see the changes the Beatles went through from "Love Me Do" in 1962 to Let It Be" in 1970. I am a Beatle fan from "way back" and this collection is for me, a fun addition to the rest of the Beatles Albums and past masters on CD. A guilty pleasure. Sometimes it is just so nice to indulge.



4. Why spend so much money on all the songs that are available elsewhere? Why buy so many discs with only two tracks on each disc? That's a waste of CD space. Also, they don't tell you if it's the same quality or same recording as the normal masters.

1 comments about Beatles Bop: Hamburg Days.

1. I had written about "Beatles' First [DELUXE EDITION] [LIMITED EDITION]" . At that time I had made a statement about it couldn't get any better. I was wrong Beatles Bop - Hamburg Days Special Edition is way superior. Bear Family Records did a superb job with this release. A tad bit expensive but well worth it if you can swing the dough. I believe they got their hands on every recording and version stereo and mono during this period that the Beatles recorded. Then to top things off a beautiful Hard Cover Book that does a fantastic job explaining The Beatles of that era, every one associated with them including, dates, people by name, where, the songs, the versions, when recorded, when released, the contracts, just about anything you would care to know. They pulled information from interviews, magazines, newspapers, and books. It appears that a lot of effort went into putting this together. The pictures are stunning and there are a lot. All this to me makes Beatles Bop - the Hamburg Days worth the money. Bear Family Records certainly has set the mark for box sets and putting the puzzle together for this period of The Beatles. That said, Who can take the lead and pick up from were this ends and go a couple of more years? There is just as much confusion in this period that could be cleared up. Also it would be nice if they did something like this for the Star-Club tapes.

No comments about The Collection: Aerosmith/Get Your Wings/Toys in the Attic.

5 comments about The Collection,3 CD Boxed Set: Blonde on Blonde/Blood on the Tracks/Infidels.

1. According to Bob Dylan Blonde on Blonde is the closet he's ever come to capturing that sound he hears in his head. "That wild mercury sound. It's metallic and bright gold, with whatever that conjures up." To me the sound is very similar to the outstanding Highway 61 Revisited and like that hallowed album, Blonde on Blonde is considered by anybody who is somebody in the music business as one of the best records of all time.
   
   The album opens with a rockin' "Rainy Day Woman #12 & 35" that grabs straight for your soul and it doesn't let go till the close of "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands." Just plain good music, that's what you'll find here. I can't say enough good about Blonde on Blonde. It's true, that thin, wild Mercury Music is Bright and Gold.
   
   Blood on the Tracks was released a year to the day (January 17, 1965) after Planet Waves and although that record was a tough act to follow, Bob Dylan did it dramatically with Blood on the Tracks. Tracks represents both a return to Colombia Records and a dynamic new sound for Dylan. Originally recorded in New York, when Dylan took a sample of the record to his brother in Minnesota, he was advised to do some of the songs over again as the album was mostly all recorded in the same key and the production of all of the songs was too similar. Reportedly his brother said many would find it boring.
   
   Dylan took his brother's advice, hired some local musicians, re-recorded, "Tangled Up in Blue," "Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts," "You're a Big Girl Now," "If You See Her, Say Hello," and "Idiot Wind." With the inclusion of the new version, the record was punched up enough to be one of Dylan's best all time sellers and probably the most critically acclaimed of his career. I know it's my favorite album of his. It's so real, so full of pain. It makes you want to weep, it's so damned good.
   
   For Infidels Bob Dylan went back to Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits fame, who he'd worked with on Slow Train for guitar work and he asked ex-Rolling Stone axe man Mick Taylor to join the crew. Add Sly Dunbar as a drummer and put Robbie Shakespeare on Bass, then finish it off with Alan Clark on keyboards and now you really have a band. Gone on this record, except for Clydie King's vocals on "Union Sundown" are the female backup singers, although this track sounds not a bit like the others with the female singers, it actually sounds more like how Ronnie Blakely's backup did on "Hurricane."
   
   Dylan, though he didn't make an overtly Christian record here, didn't shed his Biblical references. They abound in the long and powerful song, "Jokerman." However, there is a lot for Dylan's old fans to like with "Infidels." He's put protest songs, or at least topical songs, on this rocker of a record. "Union Sundown" is about as political as you can get. Then there is "Neighborhood Bully" about Israel and her confrontation with her Arab neighbors. However, sadly, Dylan left off the excellent "Blind Wille McTell." Fortunately that song made it's way onto a later compilation. I said, this was a rocker of a record and a lot of that can be credited, I believe to Mick Taylor. He just plays his heart out. The other musicians do too. This is a must own Dylan record. That's what I think anyway, this record is just simply Amazing and even better if you play it loud.



2. Close your eyes and listen to "Blonde on Blonde." Every song on the album is so jammed with imagery that they paint pictures on the inside of your eyeballs. Though "Blonde on Blonde" was recorded way back before I was even a twinkle in my daddy's eyes, you can still listen to it today and be amazed. From the first note all the way to the end of "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands" this is a record so full in imagery, power and raw poetry that it will never cease to stun. Sooner or Later, if you play Bob Dylan records, you're going to have to admit that this is one of his best.
   
   
   "Blood on the Tracks" is one of Bob Dylan's better known records and one I really love. I've been listening to it as long as I can remember, thanks to my dad, who is a huge Dylan fan. I am as well. How can you not be. Just give a listen to "Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts" with your eyes closed. If that eleven minute long cowboy ballad doesn't paint pictures on the inside of your eyeballs. A couple other picture painters are "Tangled Up in Blue" and "Idiot Winds," though I must say, I prefer the version of "Idiot Winds" on the official "Bootleg Series." Then there is the pain of Dylan's separation from his wife Sara throughout this album. Bob Dylan has always been right out front with his feeling on his albums, especially so on "Blood On the Tracks." I've read that this is considered one of the best albums ever made and I have to say that I agree.
   
   
   I really like the way "Infidels" rocks out. I also like the imagery in the songs, especially in "Jokerman." The just keep coming after you, burning themselves into you eyes, etching themselves into your hear, impinging themselves on your mind. Once heard "Jokerman" is never forgotten. Dylan has had several bands throughout his long and prolific career, but I think the group he has on "Infidels" is the best ever. You really feel that they click as a unit and the music is all the better for it. Some other songs I really like on "Infidels" are "Man of Peace," "Sweetheart Like You" and the album's closer, "Don't fall apart on me Tonight." "Infidels" is Bob Dylan at his very best.



3. Three Masterpieces in This Collection
   
   I own the record, the cassette and the CD of "Blonde on Blonde." The album was a double gatefold with a startling, good looking picture of Dylan on the cover. From looking at this cover, you get the impression of a young Brando. And like the defiant Brando of those early years, we see a defiant Dylan here, making music his way and damn the critics. This is a rocker, just witness the lead off song. It's also got the long "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands" taking up the whole last side on the second disc of the double record. That must have really blown some minds back then. There is dynamite organ work, terrific piano work, knock 'em dead guitar work on this record. Every song is a gem and every song seems to redefine Dylan, a man who has been defined and redefined so many times in his career. Not only is this record one of his best, but it's one of the best records ever made. I know that's been said before, but it's true.
   
   From the first chord of "Tangled Up In Blue" on "Blood on the Tracks" you know you're listening to something special. The song draws you in, sends chills up your spine, it's so good. Then it chews you up and spits you out right into "Simple Twist of Fate", another chiller of a song. I've read that Dylan was going through rough times when he recorded this record and in typical Dylan fashion he's put his life on his sleeve for all to see. He's in pain and you really feel it when you listen to these songs.
   
   Like my friends, I just love the pulsating power of "Infidels." I also appreciate the way Dylan gets his spiritual message across without jamming it down your throat. "Jokerman" for me is reminiscent of "Subterranean Homesick Blues" and I can just picture a younger Dylan with those signs tossing them away during the singing of "Jokerman" the way he did in "Don't Look Back." I'm not a very spiritual person, but the biblical references in "Jokerman" did have me going to my Bible (everybody has one, religious or not, right?) and checking them out. Then there is "Sweetheart Like You," a song covered so well by Rod Stewart, but even more sentimental when you hear it sung by the writer himself. This is just a super rock and roll record, every song a gem.



4. "Blonde on Blonde" opens with "Rainy Day Women Nos. 12 & 36" and I can remember driving from LA to TJ with that record on the cassette player. I was riding with three friends and we played that record all the way there. Over and Over listening to that refrain, "Everybody must get stoned." We were college girls out for a good time. We did tequila shooters south of the border, but we were back Stateside by dark, I guess we weren't quite as daring as we thought we were. In the motel in Chula Vista we played the whole album on my portable cassette player. We cried during "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands" even though it's probably not a crying song. "Vision of Johanna" is just the best. "I Want You," is a gripping rocker. "Just Like a Woman," is just like this whole record, Just outstanding, superb, really.
   
   "Blood on the Tracks" is an album of broken love. There is so much sadness here. But there is also the best cowboy ballad on this record since Marty Robbins' "El Paso" and "Big Iron." "Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts" just goes on and on, seemingly without end, then poof, it's over and the Jack of Hearts has gotten away with all the cash. You need a refreshing, uplifting song like this to balance out all the heartbreak. Once again, Bob Dylan has proven that he is the absolute best at whatever he attempts. Once again he's turned out a record that once listened to, becomes a part of you. It seems he's done that a lot, is still doing it.
   
   On "Infidels" I just love the way Dylan says, "They say that patriotism is the last refuge to which a scoundrel clings" in the song "Sweetheart Like You." That phrase is timeless, more true today than ever. But than that's the way with a lot of Bob Dylan's songs, they never seem to age. I saw Dylan when he was touring for this record and he did a rocking version of "Masters of War," that is just ripping. "Neighbor Hood Bully" on this record is performed pretty close to the way he did that song, "Sundown On the Union" is too. This is a rock and roll record and I just love it!



5. "Blonde on Blonde" builds on the excellent "Highway 61 Revisited" enhancing not only Dylan's musical genius, but his mystique as well. What is he here? I mean what did they think of him back then, back when this record came out. Rock and Roll star, sure. Poet, sure. No longer involved in the politics of the day, but involved in so much more. Mr. Jones didn't get it on the last record and he's probably not getting it now. However lots of folks did get it, or thought they got it. I like to think I would've, but I don't know if I understand this record even now, after all this time, but I plan on listening to it over and over till I do finally understand this musical masterpiece, because I know it's important and it is just so very good, so wonderful.
   
   I must have worn out a dozen copies of "Blood on the Tracks on record before I got the CD and I've gone through a couple of those. This record simply never gets old. It's as fresh now as the day Bob Dylan recorded it. It sends chills up my spine every time I hear it and I can't hear it enough. I play it in the car, at home, have it on my iPod and on my iBook. This is the kind of record that sets the standards for all the rest. It's on the top of the heap, rivaled only by Dylan's own "Highway 61 Revisited", "Blonde on Blonde," the Rolling Stones powerful bootleg "LiveR Than You'll Ever Be and the Beatles' two wonderful records, "The White Album" and "Abbey Road." That's a pretty powerful group of records. You should own them all, "Blood On the Tracks" especially.
   
   Supposedly "Infidels" is another in a series of comeback records for Bob Dylan. It seems many thought he'd abandoned them when he did the Gospel flavored "Slow Train", "Shot of Love" and "Saved", but there are those like me who thought he never went away. I thoroughly enjoyed those records. This one I like better though as I think it's one of the best Dylan has done. Perhaps it's ex Rolling Stone henchman Mick Taylor's driving guitar, I don't know, but this record is a rocker through and through. It just makes you want to get up and jump. It's got that raw rock and roll power my friend Sara is always going on about.

4 comments about Man in Black 1954-58.

1. One word for this collection: exhuastive.
   
   If you are a Cash enthusiast, this collection, containing an extraordinary number of outtakes, is a must have. The liner notes are thorough and make for good reading. I understand there is still a lot of unreleased material from this time period, but this collection has everything that's publically available. The organization of the material is raw, presenting a number of tunes repeating themselves back-to-back, and is clearly intended for the collector.



2. This amazing box from Bear Family Records includes all SUN recordings plus an eye on the wall at his first Columbia session.Amazing good sound.
   Here you can hear Johnny sing "Rock and roll Ruby" pure rockabilly.It is amazing how his last rockabilly recordings 45 years later has the same good rocking sound.Compare it to the rockabilly recordings on "Unearthed".If you buy this and "Unearthed" you will find out that Johnny got back to his country roots.Buy it you will not regret it,well spent money.



3. This five cd set includes everything that Johnny Cash recorded for Sun Records. All of his fifties hits are here "Hey Porter", "I Walk The Line", "Folsom Prison Blues", few Hank Williams' songs "Hey, Good Lookin'", "I Can't Help It (If I'm Still in Love With", "Cold, Cold Heart", "I Could Never Be Ashamed of You" and some alternate takes are featured here. Must for Johnny's fans!



4. This is a superb complete box set of Cash's Sun material and early Columbia work. There are other CD's available of his sun work and a lot more overdubbing are on some of thoese CD's, but on this box set you will hear them as they were recorded originally! There are a few surprises on this box set and quite a few outtakes and chatter in the studio which I know you will really enjoy. The best CD is disc 5 though. There is an uninterrupted recording session from 1959 with Johnny, the Tennessee Three and the Jordanaires recording Lead Me Father, That's Enough, Picking Time, Don't Take Your Guns To Town, I Still Miss Someone, One More Ride and Cold Shoulder. I highly recommend it to all Cash fans as it is a graet introduction to his career!

5 comments about Lifelines: The Jimi Hendrix Story.

1. This set is somewhat scarce these days, but most Hendrix nuts have probably heard it. The first three discs contain some rare recordings, some obvious ones, and a narration that's either annoying or informative, depending on your mood. A real gem is the home demo recording of "Angel" on Disc 3 - I know of no other release of this performance. Personally, it's my favorite recording of the song, warts and all. It has an intimacy and delicacy that are lost in the bombastic (and somewhat ragged) recording released posthumously on "Cry of Love." It's too bad Jimi never recorded a proper studio version of this gorgeous ballad. The 1967 Paris "Red House" on Disc 1 is also fantastic - Jimi and the band are in raucous form here. Some of the other recordings on the first three discs (the narrated part) are available on "The BBC Sessions" (or the earlier, less comprehensive release, "Radio One"), including the sizzling "Drivin' South," which has always been one of my favorite Hendrix jams.
   
   Anyway, the real meat of this set is the 1969 L.A. Forum concert on Disc 4 (Amazon's track listing is incorrect; there are four discs in this set, not five). For Hendrix fanatics like myself, this disc is pure nirvana. The recording quality is outstanding for a live show of this vintage, and the band is at the peak of its powers. Jimi, of course, is brilliant throughout; drummer Mitch Mitchell's playing still has its trademark agility and inventiveness (his playing with Jimi in 1970 was rather lackluster and sloppy by comparison); bassist Noel Redding does sound a bit bored at times during the extended jams (perhaps an indication of the dischord that would eventually lead to the trio's breakup later in '69), but in general, he's solid.
   
   "Tax Free" is a great warm-up jam, though the band probably should have tuned more carefully before beginning (bassist Redding sounds sharp to me). A stunning performance of "Red House" follows, in the extended arrangement Jimi featured in his '69 and '70 shows. This is one of the best versions I've heard, and Jimi's vocals are particularly strong here. This performance of "Spanish Castle Magic" is fascinating, if a bit overlong. It features an extended "flamenco" solo (in the style of Jimi's Woodstock improvisation) that builds to an overwhelming climax. The "Star Spangled Banner" - "Purple Haze" pairing is a blueprint for the famous Woodstock sequence. This "Banner" sounds tame in comparison to Woodstock, but "Haze" is a strong performance, as is the ensuing "I Don't Live Today." Again, "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)"/"Sunshine of Your Love" is a tad over-extended, but it does have its share of powerful moments.
   
   All in all, the L.A. Forum concert is occasionally ragged, occasionally self-indulgent, but it reaches some stunning peaks, particularly on "Red House" and "Spanish Castle Magic." It's too bad that "Foxey Lady" was omitted (it's on the hard-to-find, excellent "Jimi Hendrix Concerts" compilation), but if you are a Hendrix nut, you'll want to have this set in your collection.



2. This is a Biography, a radio program released in the UK as "Live & Unreleased: The Radio Show" Some of the "never before released" material has since been released in other collections. What struck me most about this was how good it is as a radio show, when radio still offered some good programming. I like "Damien's" voice, and though I do have to put it away for a while after listening, I go back to it now and again. I think this collection is perfect for iPods, where you can listen to the entire collection leisurely, as if it was an audiobook.



3. The live concert disc is good because there is no voice over. However the rest is terrible. If they would have left the dj voice off this set would be a Hendrix staple because the outtakes and rarirties are phenomenal. Includes the rare 'Valley's of Neptune' song which is a locked away Hendrix masterpiece. On this version though you have about 25 seconds ruined by a dj voice. Almost the holy grail, but not quite.



4. Four disc collection of 52 Hendrix songs...many rare songs mixed in with the hits with the fourth disk being a live concert from LA. There is narration and interviews between each song so it made for an enjoyable one-time listen but unrepeatable. The live disc is now available on it's own.



5. I purchased this awhile back and while the music selection is good with unreleased goodies and the remastering was well done, there's this annoying DJ-like introduction to the songs. There's this great acustic version of Angel that I wanted to convert to Mp3, but it's ruined by a ...DJ voice-over at the end. I have no idea why they did that.