Stocked with all of the hits, as well as a few more deep cuts than 2009's like-minded yet far more ornate and lengthy Do What You Want, Be What You Are: The Music of Daryl Hall & John Oates, this 2014 four-disc box set may not have all of the bells and whistles of its predecessor, but it's got a better price point and would serve most casual fans (and some hardcore ones) well, especially those looking for something a little more substantial than the standard single-disc career overview and a little less expansive than the 74-track Do What You Want, Be What You Are.

The crackling stations being switched on the radio and the gang shout followed by the spoken injunction to "burn it down" sound like they should be starting off a Sham 69 record. Then "Burn It Down" actually starts, with its horn section, Hammond organ and Kevin Rowland's utterly unconventional soul vocals. The cult of Dexy's, and this album in particular, were worshipped as the return of "soul" to English rock music at the dawn of Thatcherism. Exploring the myth that this album holds, especially in Brit music terms, can be a strange prospect: 20 years on it doesn't sound revolutionary, it just sounds good. And good it is, quite good, compared to where Paul Weller ended up, i.e., too reverential by half. This is vibrant, alive, and unconcerned with perfection…

UK release. This collection comprises all of Cocker's studio albums released from 1984 - 2007, including Live recordings, rarities, additional content from European deluxe discs, US Album versions and songs found in tribute albums from the likes of Elton John and Bruce Springsteen. The albums included in this box are: 1. Civilised Man (1984) 2. Cocker (1986) 3. Unchain My Heart (1987) 4. One Night Of Sin (1989) 5. Joe Cocker (Live) (1990) 6. Night Calls (1992) 7. Have A Little Faith (1994) 8. Organic (1996) 9. Across From Midnight (1997) 10. No Ordinary World (1999) 11. Respect Yourself (2002) 12. Heart & Soul (2004) 13. Hymn For My Soul (2007) 14. Related Recordings (Exclusive Bonus Disc).

Clocking in at 75 minutes, this single-CD release is probably as much Rare Earth as most casual fans want (even though it only contains nine songs), and as a mid-priced item it's doubly attractive…

Another one-stop shop from Universal's 20th Century Masters Millennium Collection, here's all the Joe Cocker you need in one packed-with-hits single-disc collection. Kicking off with "Feelin' Alright," "With a Little Help From My Friends," and "Delta Lady," the set also includes his later hits like "You Are So Beautiful" and his duet with Jennifer Warnes, "Up Where We Belong." This may only clock in at 11 tracks, but it's a very potent little package and highly recommended as the perfect starter set.

While 2002's Down the Road was the best Van Morrison release in ages – with its autobiographical allusions, cultural critiques, and new band – it could not have prepared listeners for the jolt of this, his Blue Note Records debut What's Wrong With This Picture? While the album is hardly a straight jazz record, it does take the territory he explored on Down the Road another step further into the classic pop music of the 20th century filtered through his own Celtic swing, R&B, vocal jazz, and blue-eyed soul. The title track that opens the album is as close to an anthem as Morrison's ever written; he states with an easy, swinging, jazzy soul groove that he is not the same person he once was and wonders why that was so difficult for others to accept. There is no bitterness or bite in his assertions. If anything, the question is asked with warm humor and amusement as if it is indeed the listener's hangup if he/she can't accept Morrison "living in the present time." He asks, "Why don't we take it down and forget about it/'Cause that ain't me at all," as the song whispers to a close.