5 comments about The Best of Atlanta Rhythm Section.

1. Got this ARS compilation back in 1991... It still ROCKS HARD for me!
   
   Almost all of the greatest hits of this (WHY?) underrated but excellent band are here... The beautiful mellow hits "Imaginary Lover" and "Do It Or Die", a refreshing cover version of "Spooky", also "So Into You" (what a song to be good, dude!) and an excellent tune, perhaps one of ARS's best: "I'm Not Gonna Let Them Bother Me Tonight".
   
   This CD is surely a must-have for any serious American Rock collector. Get it if you don't have it!



2. A spinoff of the old ClassicsIV with Dennis Yost. I was thrilled to see it was still available as an album. This group made some of the best sounds of the late 70's and early 80's.



3. I bought this cd for a few well known tracks, but the lesser known and even unknown tracks were a very pleasant surprise. I would recommend this cd to anyone who likes good sounding 70' tunes.



4. Other reviewers talk about lone hits for ARS so that must make me an anomaly. I never owned an ARS album growing up but I know and jam (in my head) to just about every song on this CD as most of them could be heard on radio stations through out the south back in the day. ARS has a jazzy feel that is still Southern Rock in its roots. Champagne Jam and Spooky are excellent songs but my favorite has always been "I'm Not Gonna Let It Bother Me Tonight". Long title, but excellent song. Their 'hit' is a good song too but they had depth that is worth going after. Their sound holds up even today.



5. This CD offers a mere smattering of what the Atlanta Rythmn Section was all about. It does give you what the casual listener might have heard on the radio at the bands peak of popularity, which to be fair was short lived. But radio play popularity doesn't matter when it comes to bands like this. ARS, like many 70s bands, and particularly southern rock types, weren't popular because of their radio hits. Their appeal to those who first heard their crossover hits on the radio was the cherry on the sundae. What made them great were solid, beginning to end CDs like their first 2 breakthroughs- "A Rock and Roll Alternative," and "Champagne Jam," both of which are inadequately represented here, albeit not unfairly represented. After all, this is a "Greatest Hits" collection. But if you want to get a truer, more representive measure of what made this band great and got them radio play in the first place, I say skip this CD and buy the 2 aforementioned CDs, which would have necessities like, "Hitchhikers Hero, Outside Women Blues, Everybody Gotta Go Sometime, Don't Miss the Message, Evil Eve," and "Large Time," just to name a mere few. To get to this CD, it does take the most popular tracks from those CDs, but the songs selected from those and subsequent CDs to follow are disproportionate. Add to that there are a few songs on this CD that don't even belong there, but are there merely because of an apparent need to put something on the CD from the entire span of the bands existence, even though their latter CDs were a shadow of their best two. If memory serves, the band in its latter stages was also a mere shadow of their best, early period as well. But to be fair, of all the ARS "hits" collections this one is probably more complete than the others, which isn't saying much. This group deserves an anthology. Lesser bands have that much. I'm not going to say they're deserved of a box set. As much as I loved this band, the breadth of their musical lifespan isn't worthy of that much. But if lesser bands- take your pick: the hair bands of the 80s, the few hit wonders of the 60s and 70s, the bands who got one or two of their songs made popular in dance clubs- are worthy of a minimal of an anthology, surely The Atlanta Rythmn Section can get that much.

5 comments about Street Survivors.

1. They might have been street survivor but not plane crash survivors. This is one of the biggest tragedies in rock and roll music to me. This album is awesome. It is a great listen for anyone who loves southern rock. My more favorite tunes on this album are not ones you would ever hear on the radio like "aint no good life".
   
   I will still be thinking what it? This album always brings back those memories.



2. I loved the album when it first came out years ago, and the cd does not disappoint. It was great the hear all thoses songs again, brought back so many great memories.



3. This album was DEFINITELY Steve Gaines coming out party...His influence was ALL OVER this album...whether it be his playing or songwriting /vocals.( I know a little) was an older song he had been doing since the early 70's...And "Ain't no good life" was the ONLY Skynyrd Song in history that RVZ didn't do the lead vocals...Man, I was in 10th grade when this came out...Still sounds as great today as it did back then...One can only imagine what the Steve Gaines inspired Skynrd would have become..Because he definitely scared Gary Rossington and Allen Collins into playing better than they had in years...What a shame...



4. The original line-up's last album opens with the Chuck Berry-like rock n' roll romp "What's Your Name", followed by another of the band's best-known songs, "That Smell".
   Lynyrd Skynyrd were tighter than ever on this their fifth album, and there are several excellent songs to be found here. The swinging, mid-tempo "One More Time" was originally recorded back in 1971, six years before "Street Survivors" came out, but never released, and if it isn't one of the band's best-known songs, it is nevertheless one of their best.
   "You Got That Right" is okay, it's not one of my favorites, but I know that a lot of people feel differently. And the melodic country-rock ballad "I Never Dreamed" is easy to like as well.
   
   It's not all joy, though..."I Know A Little" isn't particularly memorable, and Skynyrd's version of Merle Haggard's "Honky Tonk Night Time Man" is too much Okie from Muskogee for me. Guitarist Steve Gaines' "Ain't No Good Life" is good enough, but no more than that. And I'd have really liked a rougher vocal on "That Smell", but that's a minor complaint, obviously.
   
   This 2001 reissue features five bonus tracks, three alternates and two non-album tracks, "Georgia Peaches" and "Sweet Little Missy". Both are good, neither is great.
   But the alternate "You Got That Right" is actually quite interesting, a little faster and more hard-hitting than the one originally issued, and the alternate and slightly shorter "I Never Dreamed" is very good as well, although not much different from the original.
   
   Lots of great stuff here. "Pronounced..." remains Lynyrd Skynyrd's best studio album, and I would put "Bullets" and "Second Helping" before this one as well. But being Skynyrd's third-best album isn't half bad at all. Fans will certainly not want to be without this one.



5. that this album had to be the swan song for a great lineup of a great band.The addition of Steve Gaines to the band gave them a shot in the arm both creatively and instrumentally and if not for the unfortunate accident that ended it all, I believe they would have soared to new heights.I was , along with friends , set to go see them in concert(would have been the third time for me) when the plane crash occurred just three days prior to our going. This album ranks with their best("Second Helping")and I never tire of listening to it.RIP Ronnie, Allen and Steve.

5 comments about Rio Grande Mud.

1. This is an older recording (1972) and doesn't quite have the same punch as Fandago or Tres Hombres, but still a very good CD. Excellent earthy blues and rock. Just got paid and Francene are classic Texas rock songs! Sure Got Cold After the Rain Fell is an excellent funky blues ballad. And then Bar-B-Que, well that just makes me want to go eat a big ole platter of ribs from a rib joint where their ain't no white people for ten miles around (cause we all know the brothers have perfected the Bar-B-Que)!



2. Excellent album, ZZ's 2nd release. Equal in musical quality & production are their first (ZZ Top's First Album), their 3rd (Tres Hombres), their 4th (Fandango!) & their 5th (Tejas). I do however, wish that when they re-released these recordings on CD, they wouldn't have 'digitalized' them. The sound of these records was much more natural on vinyl.



3. yeah re-mix sucks but it's still great zz. admit you were wrong and make it right!



4. I am a recording engineer and sound mixer. I grew up in Texas, listening to and watching ZZ Top. The first two ZZ Top albums were released on vinyl records. Tres Hombres was the first to be released on Compact Disc. When the inevitable popularity of the CD overtook the market, Bill Ham thought it would be a great idea to release the first six albums on CD, which they affectionately called the "six pack." While remastering this compilation, somebody (who knows, but who controlled all of ZZ Top's musical movements??) got the bright idea to re-edit, reproduce, re-arrange and remix the first three albums. At the time, there was a new device in the studios that was known as a "digital echo" device for adding reverb and delay textures to sounds. Most notably, Phil Collins was using this echo device to enhance his drum sounds. ZZ Top's producer (you know who) decided it was the way to go as well, that the new sounds would attract the day's "new audience." The echo and reverb patterns on the "six pack" were so much bigger and wetter than on the original first three albums. Then I started to notice that there were different vocal performances and different guitar riffs in a few places. Talk about re-arranging an original! At a later time, the reproduced versions released on the "six pack" were then released on individual CD's which contain the original artwork of the first three albums. However, they are definitely NOT the original recordings. This process is much like Jimi Hendrix's producer, who went into the studio after Hendrix died and actually hired a player to finish the guitar work on recordings that were incomplete when Hendrix died. Those recordings were subsequently released as "Hendrix's final unrealeased recordings." Suffice it to say, that if the world's art museums decided that certain Rembrandt or DaVinci paintings looked "faded" or weren't "up to date with today's audience," and they repainted certain brush strokes on these masterpieces, the world art community would have a cow! Don't buy these CD's, they are not ORIGINAL works. They have been repainted to fit what someone thought would be a new and "catchy" idea.



5. "Rio Grande Mud" offers the listener with a consistent and driving groove, catchy melodies, and searing guitar lines by Billy Gibbons. Frank Beard's riveting drum work and Dusty Hill's fluid bass patterns are sure to please the most discriminating of listeners. One can actually hear the muscial progress the guys made as they crept from "the back forty" into the mainstream of American blues and rock & roll. This CD should be bought as part of a set, to complement "ZZ Top's First Album," and "Tres Hombres."

5 comments about White Mansions/The Legend of Jesse James.

1. The other reviewers here have described both these masterpieces quite perfectly. So I'll just add that they both are written & conceived by Paul Kennerly, Emmylou Harris' ex, the guy who wrote all the "good" songs by the Judds, an Englishman who helped late seventies/early eighties Country Music to be something more than a vehicle for whiny, adenoidal lil' boyz wearing cowboy hats or vapor-brained former "beauty queens." And on a more personal note, after moving from somewhere in Georgia to an even-more-undefinable "somewhere" in Ohio, the combination of Eric Clapton's bottleneck-slide guitar, Steve Cash's vocal on the song "White Trash" and a 12 oz Red Bull kind of..."solidify reality" when things tend to get..."weird" up here in Buckeye Country.



2. I had the vinyl version of "White Mansions" back in the 1980's, and I liked it because I am a Civil War buff, and a country/folk fan. However, somehow I never knew a companion album about the James Boys was created two years later. I stumbled on this offering by accident a few weeks ago while browsing Amazon, and immediately ordered it. "White Mansions" seems even better than I remembered it. "Jesse James" was a touch disappointing, musically, upon first hearing, which was in my car with the windows down due to my Golden Retriever occupying the back seat. That one makes a better debut if you listen with earphones, or at least with full attention, in a quiet room. Now I like both equally. Paul Kennerly created, with high historical accuracy, musical tributes to first the misguided Southern secessionists and soldiers, and then the also misguided James Gang. He pulls off being objective to both lost causes without being overly sympathetic to either the wrongs of slavery or of bank and train robbing. His recruits, first for "White Mansions" with Waylon Jennings, his wife Jessi Colter, Eric Clapton and other gifted singers and pickers, and then for "Jesse James" with Johnny and Rosanne Cash, her then-husband Rodney Crowell, Charlie Daniels, Levon Helm and Emmylou Harris, can't be faulted. As a Yankee, I don't care all that much for the white Southerners whose racism fueled the terrible war. As a law-abiding person, I admit a nearly life-long fascination with the James brothers which stops short of admiration. But as a fan of story songs about the American experience, I confess to thinking this two-CD package a remarkable achievement which deserves wider recognition.



3. I bought this CD as a gift for my husband. He had the "White Mansions" album and I wanted him to have the CD. I had not heard of "The Legend of Jesse James" and neither had he, but he is enjoying both selections.



4. This album is so incredibly good I can't hardly stand it. It is the best country album I've ever owned/heard. If you like classic country, old Charlie Daniels, "Outlaw" country, concept albums in general, or just plain good music, you will like this.



5. I was looking for these two albuns for a long ago. I'm very glad finally got them. That's all and thanks.

5 comments about Lady Soul.

1. The unedited version of "Chain of Fools" with the haunting blues opening makes this CD worth buying by itself. But wait, there's more. The hits fit well together with the lesser known songs; this CD may end up in my top ten of all time (I may have to drop a Beatles album because of it).



2. A lot of people rank this as Aretha's best album, or at least in her top three. I don't know about that myself; there is a lot of filler on this album, mostly mediocre to bad covers ("Groovin'", which never was that good a song in the first place - to generalize once again, covers of bad songs will probably turn out just as bad, if not worse; "Niki Hoeky" is, um... hokey; "People Get Ready" is turned from moving to schlocky - try to find the Impressions' original instead; no amount of Aretha's belting can redeem "Come Back Baby"). The rest is far better, thank Gitchie Mondou. You get a classic unbridled soul shouter known as "(Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You've Been Gone" - the single song I use to point out why Aretha is the greatest soul singer ever; "(You Make Me Feel Like a) Natural Woman" and "Ain't No Way" are tender, moving ballads; "Chain of Fools" is my favorite Aretha Franklin song, a cup of proto-funk that would make James Brown proud. Speaking of James Brown, she also does a very good cover of his popular "Money Won't Change You". The most underrated of the batch is the slow, gritty blues "Good to Me as I Am to You", with a solid guitar riff from Eric Clapton. It was also written solely by Franklin, proving she could be quite a good songwriter herself: she also co-wrote "Since You've Been Gone" with Teddy White and "Ain't No Way" with her sister Carolyn. If you're addicted to Aretha, this will satisfy.



3. After releasing the mamouth I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You/Including Respect with the big hit "Respect" Aretha was crowned "The Queen Of Soul" and for good reason cause she was an extra-ordinary performer with a magnificient voice. The same year as the success, she came out with another album called Aretha Arrives but it wasn't considered a classic and perhaps she should have waited before releasing another album so soon after. One year after in 1968 however came the worthy successor to "I Never Loved a Man", and it couldn't been better titled then "Lady Soul". This album is simular in many ways and mostly mentioned in the same lines, as a classic 60's soul album with songs about love, faith and hope. Joe South, Bobby Womack, King Floyd and Eric Clapon contributed on diffrent instruments and Whitney Houston's mother, Cissy sang backround vocals. By that you can really understand that Aretha's albums with Atlantic were a project they always put alot of work in, apart from her previous Colombia recordings.
   
   On "Lady Soul" there is once again a variation of newly composed songs and famous covers, in todays standards you could say that she covered too much but back in the day most albums were compiled like this. But what differs Aretha from other singers is that she always made the songs she sings her own and that is typical for a musicial prodigy like I would call her. 3 singles were relased from this album and all made the top 10, while the #2 single "Chain of Fools" became a synonym for Aretha and another female anthem of a woman who's taking alot of pain from her man who's being unfaithful, but in the last verse she confess "One of these mornings the chain is gonna break/ But up until then, yeah, I'm gonna take all I can take", the most famous part of this classic is probably the "chain chain chain" chant that is incredibly catchy. "Money Won't Change You" was a James Brown song and it's much more funky then the usual song here, but rather short. "People Get Ready" was a Curtis Mayfield composed classic from the time with the Impressions about the civil right movement but Artetha still manage to make a good version of it (just like she did on Sam Cooke's (A Change Is Gonna Come), even if it's slightly diffrent then the original in a slower pace. This song is wonderful and the lyrics in the first verse goes like "There's a train a-coming/ You don't need no baggage/ You just get on board/ All you need is faith/ To hear the diesels humming/ Don't need no ticket/ You just thank the Lord". Another brassy song in "Niki Hoeky" where a gifted backround band and gospel choir is helping her out. "(You Make Me Feel like) a Natural Woman" is perhaps the best song of this album together with "Chain of Fools", a typical Aretha classic with strong message of love and self esteem where she find strenght after being loved and respected from a great gentleman. Carole King wrote it with her partner Gerry Goffin, she later released it herself on her album Tapestry a few years later.
   
   "Since You've Been Gone (Sweet Sweet Baby)" reached the #5 on the pop charts and it was actually written by her and her husband Ted White. It's most funky and emotional with backround choirs and horns setting the tone. Bit short though. Aretha continued composing with "Good to Me As I Am to You" a slow ballad with stripped down bluesy arrangements. Next up is the cover of Ray Charles's "Come Back Baby" which is another worhhwile addition to a great album. "Groovin" is a cover of the Young Rascals immense hit from 1967, I actually prefer their original version cause it had better arrangements. "Ain't No Way" was written by Aretha's sister Carolyn and it is the closer. This is a slow love ballad, simular message like "Chain of Fools".
   
   Overall, Another album another classic by one of our greatest female singers to date. This album is a needed brickstone in a devoted music fan's collection. For furhter listening, also check her next album Aretha Now which is almost equally strong.



4. It would be difficult to rate the best of Aretha's work, but this one must be considered. Everything fell into place in this beautiful production. "People Get Ready" was made for Aretha, one of the best of all time, in my opinion.



5. Luckily I was able to experience "Lady Soul" in concert before her rise to fame and fortune around 64 when she sang with a combo at the piano in a small club and this was a life-changing experience...a masterful singer from the beginning, this incredible "Lady Soul" collection happens when it all comes together for this peerless legend...a riveting and magnificent collection of great performances, Aretha Franklin really arrived when she laid down the tracks for "Lady Soul"! "Chain Of Fools" is legend while the funky rhythm driver "Money Won't Change You" show that Aretha has no peer...a sublime "People Get Ready" show that the soul legend goes where few venture...a funky workout "Niki Hoeky" makes use of the repeat mode as this version is infectious...Carole King classic "(You Made Me Feel Like)A Natural Woman" helped put Carole King on the musical map with an engrossing classic reading of her amazing song while the soulful original "Since You've Been Gone" is a stunning Aretha original that cooks & so does the awesome blues classic "Good To Me As I Am To You" which features a brilliant Eric Clapton on guitar. A soulful workout of a Ray Charles original, "Come Back Baby" is riveting while Aretha knew how to get inside of a great Rascals tune and "Groovin" is a fine and soulfully satisfying example! A haunting original is saved for last and "Ain't No Way" is a real Aretha Franklin masterpiece that is haunting and mesmerizing. Bonus tracks are welcomed alternate takes and anything from this session is awesome! Bravo Aretha!!!

5 comments about Street Survivors.

1. I've always been a huge fan of this album. For me, and many others, it's still the best Skynyrd album. Until I picked up this CD, I had no idea that Skynyrd had recorded the album twice. It's interesting to hear the original recordings of these songs. While most of them were done better in the rerecorded versions, it's cool to hear how they were originally done. The two songs that were left off the album are good, but I can see why they left them out. They're not quite up there with the eight songs that made the album. It's nice to hear live versions of some of the Street Survivors songs, but it's a shame the sound quality is so poor.
   
   I love the extended original version of "That Smell." It's not quite as good as the classic version we all know and love, but it has some excellent guitar work. It may be heresy to say this, but I've always considered "That Smell" to be the best Skynyrd song ever. Musically, the song is a monster, with a great melody and all that killer guitar work. Add Ronnie's great singing, and some of the best lyrics he ever wrote, and you have a classic. And don't forget the awesome backing vocals by the Honkettes. Despite the grim nature of the lyrics, I can't help smiling whenever I hear them sing "Hell yeah!" It's one of those perfect moments in music.
   
   I can't help wondering what might have been. With an album like this, they were certainly at the top of their game, but, considering their hard-living ways, they may have self-destructed anyway. We'll never know, but at least we have this amazing album (and all their other work). Their record company has been shameless (aren't they all?) about endless repackaging of Skynyrd's material, but this one is worth it, especially if you don't have the remastered single-disc version.



2. Their last album and probably my favorite and I now have on cd instead of vinyl.Deluxe 30th Anniversary: Disc one as origional October'77.Second disc is the Criteria Studio album recorded 1976-77 and has the origional versions of the songs plus a couple that were left off the re-recorded album.Also has an extended guitar jam of That Smell which differs from final recording and is similar to what they did when played live.Also has last song ever recorded by Ronnie called Jacksonville Kid-new lyrics to Honky Tonk Night Time Man tune.I've never heard this before.
   Second part of cd is Live in Fresno August '77 featuring "new songs from our next album" and although the sound isn't 100% it's in the nineties and a good addition to previously released live recordings.Even if you have the origional of this it's worth it to get the Deluxe Edition for the bonus material.



3. Bottom line: This album has already been released as a remastered version, and that single disc remastered version is by far the better value, giving you a remaster of this phenomenal album, plus all the true bonus tracks, but without the useless inferior versions of the original tracks.
   
   Here's the story behind this release: Supposedly, it was Kevin Elson (later to become famous as the producer for giant AOR bands like Journey and Mr. Big), working as a studio engineer, who told the band not to release the album that they had recorded with Tom Dowd, which is contained on disc two of this set. Thank GOD they listened to him. This has always been one of my favorite albums, but it's shocking how lifeless and uninteresting the Dowd recordings sound.
   
   I have always wondered what Skynyrd would have created had it not been for the tragedy that followed this album. Since hearing this, though, I have wondered how much better they would have sounded on earlier albums if they had never met Dowd. Disc two of this set is a scathing indictment of Dowd's skills as a producer. It explains, though, why his most famous clients, including the Allman Brothers, Eric Clapton, and Lynyrd Skynyrd, always sounded better live than they did on studio recordings.



4. This album is hailed as Skynyrds best, but I totally disagree. I like "What's Your Name," but as a whole Steve Gaines brough too much of a blues influence into the mix for my taste. The Skynyrd that included Ed King totally ROCKED. Even when he left and there were only two guitar players it was better than this album. I think if they would've continued in this blues direction they would've been dropped from their record label for the lack of a hit. Plus, they were all getting fat...and anytime a big rock band introduces 3 female back-up singers, the end is near.



5. I see a lot of conflicting reviews here, and frankly, I don't get it. The fact that someone bought the Deluxe Edition of Street Survivors means they probably REALLY liked the standard issue - and any big fan of this band, or album, should love this release.
   
   If you are a casual fan of the band and/or you don't care if this is the best sounding remaster up to this point, then get the standard edition and save some moolah. But if you love this band and/or you're looking for the best sounding version of the original album, this is just the ticket. The overall difference in mastering quality isn't tremendous, but inadequacies that existed from song to song have been rectified. It's obvious that each track got its own mastering instead of just setting the controls and applying it to the whole album. This was the best way to do this album since it was derived from three different recording studios using three different engineers and three different producers.
   
   The first version of this album, that the band recorded in Miami, is on the second disc, and it's clear why the band didn't like it - it was more laid back and quiet - a departure from the bands rip-roaring and brawling reputation. They added some fire to it when they re-recorded it in Georgia, but the Miami version is still very interesting, and it would have been the album we all know if the band hadn't gotten cold feet!

5 comments about Searchin' for a Rainbow.

1. The Marshall Tucker Band is a really interesting bunch of musicians. No one blends country and rock together quite like these guys. The title song rules even though it reminds me of Bob Dylan's "Black Diamond Bay". Throw in some highly memorable vocal work and the occasional touches of violin and guitar playing and you have yourself a great band. While I would have preferred some more jamming on the record (because I KNOW these guys can jam like no other) I can't complain about the quality of the musicianship.



2. SEARCHIN' FOR A RAINBOW features the Marshall Tucker Band going in a great new direction. The country, bluegrass, and Western swing elements that had always been there were moved to the fore this time around, and the band had its first hit single (#38) with the song "Fire On The Mountain", which uses the Gold Rush of the 1800s that was part of my high school Social Studies curriculum as a metaphor for how the music business chews up and spits out people. However, dig a little deeper, and the song is a parable about how self-indulgent behavior can kill you in the end, an interpretation that led to me hanging up pictures of pretty actresses as a deterrent to habits that might make me sick or injure me. That's hardly the only great song here, as the title track, "Virginia", and live versions of "Can't You See" and "It Takes Time" (the latter a bonus track), also stand out. There's more filler than usual, but this CD still gets five stars for effort and the great moments that do appear.



3. My musical tastes run to the eclectic- classical, Beatles/British Invasion, Johnny Cash (especially the Sun Records years), '60's and '70's classic rock, country and many other genres as well. I am not a huge fan of this band, in fact the only songs by them I've heard are on this album. I first listened to this album in a friend's dorm room at college. The whole record just works for me. I take it as a unit, and I really like listening to it. It's worked for me since 1975, and I'll probably keep listening to it 'til they put me under.



4. Yes I said album I wore our 3 LP's and I also have a new one in the wrapper. I also have the cd and it is on my computer and my Ipod as well. Not many days go by and probaly never a week goes by that I don't listen to this music. It is a part of me.



5. I've been an avid record album collector for over 30 years. I had about 400 original albums. However, last October, I was a victim of Hurricane Wilma in the Florida Keys and suffered major damage to my home. Two of the most precious possessions were lost to me; my personal and family photographs along with all my record albums. These are things I'll never be able to replace. I am grateful that no one was hurt and that I've been able to rebuild the damaged parts of my house.
   I was around for the advent of Southern Rock and saw both The Marshall Tucker Band performing these two albums and The Allman Brothers Live at the Fillmore East as the second opening act, behind the Elvin Bishop Group, for Johnny Winter And. I'm just happy that I was able to replace these treasures with CDs. I'll always miss my vinyl, but am very glad that even though I won't have the sentiment of the original record albums, that I can still have the priviledge of enjoying the great music in what is now a much higher quality format.

5 comments about The Complete Hank Williams Jr..

1. This CD set is awesome! All of Hanks best songs in one package. Hank Williams Jr. is one of the best Country musicians of all time and anyone that likes his music will not be disappointed with this CD set. Highly recommended to all Hank Jr. fans and anyone else that just wants to hear Hank's best songs. There is no better beer drinking music than Hank Williams Jr. Party On Hank!



2. a hank hits without "the conversation"? are y'all sniffin gaspipes?! my god.. some idiot didn't pay-out and done ruined this here. i was gonna buy it too. well, godbless anyway.



3. The description "complete" on box sets gets more ridiculous all the time. Only 45 songs from a guy who had 9 of the top 40 albums on the Billboard country chart at the same time?! Those 90 songs would barely be the beginning of a real Complete Hank Jr. Better off getting the bargain price CD reissues of the original albums than a bogus set like this.



4. a fine retrospective of hank williams work and in our case a great price.
   all our favorites were there and she who must be obeyed was very happy with the cd.



5. It's a must have CD for any music lover. I like that it has most of his hit songs.

5 comments about Classic Rock Gold.

1. first off this cd is missing lots of songs like, rock n roll all nite, black magic woman, takin care of buissness, aqualung, do you feel like we do, surrender, crocodile rock more than a feeling... the list goes on... so really buy this and some other complimation rock CDS and youll have all the essential ones but also buy the albums... pointless too really make another rock cd complimation songs already about a few hundred on amazon alone...



2. For any lover of classic rock and roll, this is a must-add to your collection. You could easily spend $200 to collect all of the songs included on this 2-disk set.
   
   Great listening for when you went to crank up the tunes, roll down the window, and forget your worries for awhile!



3. alright first off all these bands are good and this cd is good for someone who wants a lot of classic rock songs but on the other hand stay away from this one okay for one thing it shoulda been 3 cds because this is not comeplete alright where the hell is BOSTONS MORE THAN A FEELING and its missing so many bands that ruled the air waves in the 70s kiss, pink floyd etc. okay why the hell is ROCK AND ROLL ALL NITE NOT ON HERE THATS BS and another thing why is kiss dissed so much all the time anyways this is a very cheesy album and its not even complete i say stay away from most of these albums and just download the songs off amazon for only 89 cents,
   ROCK WILL NEVER DIE



4. This is the music that I listened to during the college years of the mid 70's. I still enjoy this sound better than most I hear today. This collection is what you expect with one classic tune after another by some of the best groups of the 70's.



5. Wow, all I can say is 'WOW'. This is a fantastic collection. This is what I grew up on and every song brings back memories of a particular time or place in my childhood. I've been buying various 'hits' compilations and many of them are remakes. So you start to listen and think, yea this is it, only to hear the voice that doesn't match your memories. Not so here, this collection is made up of all original recordings so your memories will be intact. Of the collections I've purchsed, it's the best. It can't match new music fidelity, but hey, neither did it in the 60's and 70's.
   If you were born in 1958 like me, this will be a golden collection. I just wish it was a series and there were more sets like this one.

5 comments about Christmas Peace.

1. Christmas Peace is an excellent album that everyone who likes Elvis Presley should own. It combines one CD of Christmas songs with one CD of the Gospel songs that were so close to his heart. They are not only inspirational to listen to, they also show that Elvis was a deeply Christian man who was overwhelmed by his life circumstances. Would any of us do better? You cannot sing with the conviction he does on his Gospel selections and not believe it. The songs on this album capture both the sacred season of Christmas and the sacred theme of Gospel music.



2. The CD is great! It's a must have for all Elvis fans! It contains Elvis' greatest Christmas songs and a CD that contains his inspirational songs.



3. I'll give this cd a 5 star---------BUT WHERE IS THE CHRISTMAS MESSAGE FROM ELVIS-----WHICH I REALLY WANTED TO HEAR ?????? On the Christmas cd #8 states Christmas Message from Elvis on the discription list of Songs. I received this cd and there is no suchChristmas Message !! (VERY DISAPPOINTING) !!!! On the Cd Disc #1 (Christmas) if you look at the back where the list of songs are it does not say anything about this message being on the disc----Amazon has this WRONG on their list---Because it IS NOT THERE !!! BUT I would still get this CD---It's Still GREAT because it's ELVIS !!!! I LOVE ELVIS -----So I WANT ANYTHING HE SINGS !!! So get this cd, Elvis' Singing will NEVER let you be sorry ! I could never get threw the Holiday's or any other day without this CD ! This is a great christmas CD, don't let the fact that there is no Elvis message on this stop you from odering this If you want to have Peaceful Holidays you will love this cd. There is no way I could handle Christmas without Elvis! Dina



4. Another repackaging of the 20 Christmas songs that Elvis recorded during his career. The twist on this package that makes it different from previous Christmas releases (such as "White Christmas" and "If Every Day Was Like Christmas") is the second CD containing 20 Gospel songs.
   
   Elvis' performance of the earlier Christmas songs (the ones recorded in the 50's and 60's) are outstanding! Elvis is in top form for these songs and several of them have become Christmas classics still receiving radio play 50 years after they were recorded! The Christmas songs recorded in the 70's are good but not in the same class as the earlier recordings. His performances of the Gospel songs on the second CD are excellent!
   
   If you are looking for a collection of Elvis Christmas music AND some of his mellow Gospel songs, this is the collection for you!
   
   However, if you are just wanting Elvis Christmas songs, I would recommend that you save a few bucks and buy the "If Every Day Was Like Christmas" CD, which contains all 20 Christmas songs found here plus 4 alternate versions on a single CD, making it the most comprehensive Elvis Christmas collection available. If you are just looking for some Elvis Gospel music I would recommend you buy the Elvis "Ultimate Gospel" CD.



5. Elvis has always been my favourite artist. This cd shows how wonderfully capable Elvis was at singing any style of music he chose. Great sound quality and packaging make this another winner from BMG .