Cardboard sleeve reissue from Diana Ross featuring the high-fidelity SHM-CD format. Part of a ten-album Diana Ross SHM-CD cardboard sleeve reissue series featuring albums "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", "Everything Is Everything", "Surrender", "Touch Me In The Morning", "Last Time I Saw Him", "Diana Ross", "Baby It's Me", "Ross", "The Boss" and "Diana".

This is an odd album, mostly owing to the widely differing sounds represented on it. Though often credited exclusively to Gene Chandler, about half of it is comprised of Chandler's work with the Dukays, the group of which he was a part until the release of "Duke of Earl" (which was a Dukays recording released as a Chandler solo single). The Dukays material is fine if relatively undistinguished late-'50s R&B harmony vocal material, mostly consisting of pleasant romantic ballads. Chandler's work, by contrast, casts him in a mode very similar to Ben E. King's immediate post-Drifters recordings (he even does "Stand by Me" here). There's a considerable chasm between the doo wop and the solo sides, and some listeners might even get dizzy after a few switches back and forth. And the album is dominated by the later tracks, circa 1965, most notably "Turn on Your Love Light," where Chandler moves into the upbeat soul sound that would carry him from the mid-'60s all the way through into the 1970s (and a professional rendezvous with Curtis Mayfield). The sound is excellent, and if you can take the switches in style and mood, this is a fun album. [The original 12-song album has been reissued on CD in Japan under the same title and with the same cover art, with audiophile sound and five bonus cuts drawn from deeper in the Vee-Jay library.]

The Coasters were the 1950s' (and early rock's) dominant novelty/comic R&B ensemble, benefiting from Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller's lyrical wit and inspired production. They weren't simply proficient clowns; the Coasters were a skilled vocal unit whose talents were utilized on slice-of-life narratives, prophetic youth manifestos, and even an occasional teen anthem, as well as the prototype humorous vehicles "Yakety Yak" and "Poison Ivy." Although Rhino has already given them the deluxe two-disc treatment, consumers who either don't want that much Coasters material or prefer only the hits are nicely served by this 16-track anthology. It contains every major release, plus valuable lesser-known selections such as "Shoppin' for Clothes" and "What About Us."

The singer in her precocious formative years, headed by her 1955 R&B smash "Roll With Me Henry" (aka "The Wallflower"). James' follow-ups included the driving "Good Rockin' Daddy," a bluesy "W-O-M-A-N," and the New Orleans raveup "Tough Lover," which found her backed by the gang at Cosimo's (notably saxman Lee Allen). Even though her tenure at Modern Records only produced a handful of hits, these 22 cuts are delightful artifacts of the belter's earliest days. The music and liner notes are identical to the previous R&B Dynamite reissue, except that the tracks have been slightly resequenced, and a couple of songs bear different titles ("Number One" has been changed to "My One and Only," "How Big a Fool" to "Call Me a Fool").

Cardboard sleeve (mini LP) reissue from Diana Ross & The Supremes featuring the high-fidelity SHM-CD format. Part of a ten-album Diana Ross & The Supremes SHM-CD cardboard sleeve reissue series featuring albums "Where Did Our Love Go", "More Hits By The Supremes", "I Hear A Symphony", "The Supremes A Go Go", "Sing Holland Dozier Holland", "Reflections", "Join The Temptaions", "Love Child", "Let The Sunshine In", and "Cream Of The Crop".

Joe Simon is one of the premiere R&B voices of all time. Over a career spanning five decades, "The Mouth of the South" has racked up 35 Billboard pop hits and 50 R&B hits, exploring an encyclopedia of R&B genres ranging from gospel to doo wop, countrysoul, the '70s sound of Philadelphia, Blaxploitation, disco, and a subsequent return to Simon's spiritual side. But, because his hits were evenly split between two different labels, there has never been a definitive compilation…until now. Step by Step—The Complete Pop Hits presents all 35 of Simon's pop smashes, including his maiden chart success, "My Adorable One," released by Vee Jay in 1964, then his 18 hits for the Sound Stage 7 and 16 hits for the Spring labels. Among the tracks are such gems as Simon's Grammy winning version of "The Chokin' Kind," the Gamble & Huff-produced "Drowning in The Sea of Love" and "The Power of Love," "Theme from Cleopatra Jones," the title song that he wrote and produced for the Warner Brothers smash 1973 film, fan favorites "Misty Blue," "Your Time to Cry," and the title track, and his Top Ten smash "Get Down, Get Down (on the Floor)."

The Definitive Collection does an effective job of chronicling the majority of Martha & the Vandellas biggest hits from their first chart entry "Come and Get These Memories" in 1963 to their final one, "Honey Chile," in 1967. All of the familiar radio tracks such as "Heatwave," "Dancing in the Street," "Nowhere to Run," and "Jimmy Mack" are featured alongside several singles of equal quality that didn't get as much radio play upon initial release. While there are other, more exhaustive compilations, such as the double-disc set Live Wire! The Singles 1962-1972, this is the best concise overview of Martha & the Vandellas' career, containing the most hits on a single disc.

Following the fantastic response to ‘NOW Yearbook 1980’ – we are thrilled to present more stellar tracks from the year with ‘NOW – Yearbook Extra 1980’. This limited edition 3CD highlights an additional 66 tracks from the charts of 1980, making it the perfect complement to any Yearbook, 80s pop or NOW music collection.

10 CD Wallet Box featuring the best of late 40s/early 50s rhythm & blues, jump blues, boogie blues and just plain ol' blues.

Although the Roomates formed in 1987, and the 30 songs on this CD weren't recorded until about 20 years later, the sound is very much like that of a doo wop group of the late '50s and early '60s. The production is clear and certainly not at all lo-fi, but the simple instrumentation, upfront harmonies, and basic, catchy material could almost lead many listeners to mistake these for early-'60s recordings. As the very title of the record indicates, the quartet is very influenced by white East Coast doo wop groups such as Dion & the Belmonts, and those familiar with the form will also hear similarities to the Elegants, the Mystics, and the Earls. Steve Webb, Glenn Brentnall, and Nick Kennedy all take their share of lead vocals, and most of the material, unusually for a retro ensemble such as this, is original, usually from the pen of Webb or Kennedy. Because it's not a record of classic covers, but it's certainly in a retro style, listening to the CD can be an odd experience: none of the songs are on the order of the great doo wop classics, but the caliber of the tunes are way above the average of what actual doo wop groups were recording on their LP filler tracks and non-hit 45s.

Continuing our short series of 'Expanded Versions' of classic Millie Jackson albums, the 1972 debut album from one of soul music's greatest talents now gets a well-earned makeover. The set's 10 original offerings are now bolstered by a further nine cuts, including both completely un-issued material - including all four tracks from Millie's first, 1969 studio session - and never before heard, unedited and/or alternate versions of some of the LP's best- known and best loved numbers. Contains several of Millie's 'career hits' including 'A Child Of God', 'Ask Me What You Want' and her UK chart debut 'My Man, A Sweet Man'.

By the end of 1963, the Beatles had probably gone as far as they had dared to dream in establishing the widest possible audience for their music in Britain. When America beckoned, at the dawn of 1964, they were ready and primed to embrace stardom on an unseen scale. Capitol scheduled I Want To Hold Your Hand for US release on 26 December 1963, backed by a $30,000 national marketing campaign - $250,000 in today’s money. Five million fliers and windscreen stickers proclaiming “The Beatles Are Coming!” above a Capitol logo adorned with a Beatle wig, were pasted anywhere they might be seen. Point-of-sale displays were placed in record stores. A four-page Capitol promo pamphlet sent to the trade focused on the Beatles as a cultural phenomenon, placing inordinate emphasis on their haircuts. If anything sold the Beatles to America, even before their music had been widely heard, it was their hair, an identifying motif that became the talk of the nation. Capitol spent $30,000 publicising a haircut!, but their investment paid off, when on 4 April, Billboard’s Hot 100 showed the Beatles at #1 (with She Loves You), 2, 3, 4, 5, 31, 41, 46, 58, 65, 68 and 79, setting the seal on a full-blown cultural phenomenon.

Another installment in Collectables' The Ultimate Christmas Album series, volume four gathers a mix of well-known and offbeat holiday tunes, including Elvis Presley's "Blue Christmas," the Platters' "Winter Wonderland," and Perry Como's "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas." Brook Benton's "You're All I Want for Christmas," Percy Faith's "Christmas Is," and Otis Redding's "Merry Christmas Baby" are some of the collection's soulful highlights, while Santo & Johnny's "Twistin' Bells" and Stan Freberg's "Christmas Dragnet" add some novelty to the festivities. Though it's a somewhat uneven collection, The Ultimate Christmas Album, Vol. 4: WCBS 101.1 has enough interesting and classic moments to make it worthwhile for anyone looking to go beyond the season's basic music.

Volume two of Collectables' Ultimate Christmas Album gathers more classic pop and rock holiday tunes, including the Beach Boys' "Little Saint Nick," Gene Autry's "Here Comes Santa Claus," and Diana Ross & the Supremes' "White Christmas." Most of this volume's best-known tracks are by traditional pop crooners, such as Dean Martin's "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!," Bing Crosby's "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas," and Burl Ives' "Holly Jolly Christmas." However, less-familiar tracks like the Echelons' "A Christmas Long Ago (Jingle Jingle)," Augie Rios' "Donde Esta Santa Claus," and Barry Gordon's "Nuttin' for Christmas" prevent the collection from being too predictable. It's not exactly a straightforward holiday-hits compilation, but The Ultimate Christmas Album, Vol. 2 balances enough standards and obscure tunes to make it a unique collection.

Collectables Records' various-artists compilation The Ultimate Christmas Album has been released both on its own and as a tie-in with a series of radio stations. There are identical editions of the album associated with KLUV, K-Earth 101 FM, and WCBS FM-101.1 in addition to this version, WJMK 104.3 Chicago. The word "ultimate" has been overused and misused in record releases to the point that it doesn't mean very much to see it on the cover of an album. Whether or not one considers this album to justify its title will have a lot to do with individual musical taste. If the potential consumer is a listener to one of the radio stations listed above, which are oldies stations devoted to playing pop/rock music of the 1950s, '60s, and '70s, he or she may agree that the album is the ultimate in holiday music of that period.