Released in 1991 by Rhino Records and Warner Special Products, Never Mind the Mainstream: The Best of MTV's 120 Minutes Vol. 1 & 2 captures the definitive snapshot of college rock, post-punk, and underground alternative music just before grunge reshaped the mainstream landscape. Serving as an essential companion to MTV's iconic late-night alternative show hosted by Dave Kendall, this 32-track double-volume compilation brings together influential classics from R.E.M., Joy Division, Depeche Mode, New Order, The Stone Roses, The Cure, Sonic Youth, The Violent Femmes, and Ministry. Compiled by Kurt Steffek and remastered by Bob Fisher, it stands as an unbeatable time capsule of smart, left-of-center '80s and early '90s music.

Released in 1993 as part of Rhino Records' definitive year-by-year retrospective series, Billboard Top Rock'N'Roll Hits - 1965 compiles ten chart-topping classics that defined mid-Sixties American radio. Highlighting a pivotal year when garage rock, folk rock, soul, and pop converged, the collection spans Sam The Sham & The Pharaohs' legendary party anthem "Wooly Bully," The Beach Boys' sunshine pop classic "Help Me, Rhonda," and Phil Spector's Wall-of-Sound masterpiece "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" by The Righteous Brothers. Complete with protest folk-rock pioneer Barry McGuire ("Eve Of Destruction") and pop duos Sonny & Cher, this 10-track anthology offers a pristine snapshot of 1965's biggest hits.

Released in 1998 as part of Rhino Records' acclaimed "Smooth Grooves" compilation series, Smooth Grooves: New Jack Ballads Volume 3 gathers some of the finest late-1980s and early-1990s quiet storm classics and soulful New Jack Swing downtempo cuts. Packed with smooth synth melodies, heavy slow-jam basslines, and passionate vocal performances, the 12-track collection highlights foundational hits alongside rare fan favorites. Features iconic cuts including Guy's timeless slow jam "Let's Chill," Club Nouveau's signature classic "Why You Treat Me So Bad," and the Mac Band's smooth hit "Roses Are Red," alongside gems by 52nd Street, Doc Box & B. Fresh, and Timex Social Club. Essential for R&B, New Jack Swing, and 90s slow jam enthusiasts.

Released in 1996 by Rhino Records in conjunction with Turner Classic Movies, Ain't It the Truth: Lena Horne at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer is an indispensable archival collection detailing Lena Horne's historic 1940s tenure as MGM's premier African American musical star. Spanning 23 tracks, this package gathers soundtrack masters, extended film sequences, and previously unreleased studio outtakes from classic film musicals like Cabin in the Sky, Stormy Weather, Thousands Cheer, Words and Music, and Till the Clouds Roll By. Featuring rare performances—including deleted numbers like the title track "Ain't It the Truth" and her original recording of "Bill"—this compilation showcases Horne's sultry phrasing, flawless diction, and towering dramatic screen presence during Hollywood's golden era.

Released in 2010 by Rhino Records, Original Album Series is a monumental 5-CD box set tracing the key album releases of legendary Italian progressive rock pioneers New Trolls. Spanning 1968 to 1981, this collection charts the band's remarkable evolution from late-60s psychedelic pop-rock into symphonic prog rock mastery and 1970s melodic rock. CD1 presents their acclaimed 1968 debut concept album Senza Orario, Senza Bandiera, featuring lyrics by poet Riccardo Mannerini and singer-songwriter Fabrizio De André. CD2 gathers early singles and key works on 1970's New Trolls anthology. CD3 contains their undisputed masterpiece, Concerto Grosso per i New Trolls (1971), composed by Luis Bacalov, which famously merged classical orchestration with hard rock and electric guitar improvisations. CD4 (Aldebaran, 1978) and CD5 (FS, 1981) document their transition into lush, polished symphonic pop-rock, anchored by timeless Italian classics like "Quella Carezza Della Sera". Beautifully preserved in dynamic fidelity, this collection is an essential box set for aficionados of Italian Prog (RPI) and classic rock.

Released in 1999 by Rhino Records, Hot Rods & Custom Classics: Cruisin' Songs & Highway Hits is a massive four-disc box set celebrating America's obsession with automobiles, drag racing, and the open road. Spanning five decades of automotive music, this compilation brings together 88 essential tracks across rockabilly, classic rock, surf, blues, and country. Featuring automobile-themed anthems from icons like Chuck Berry, The Beach Boys, Gene Vincent, Jan & Dean, Wilson Pickett, Canned Heat, and The Ramones, the set is intermingled with vintage radio clips, drag race sound effects, and classic spoken-word audio snippets.

Released in 1996 exclusively for the Japanese market via Rhino Records and EastWest Japan, The Monkees Best!! With Original Karaoke is a unique compact collection featuring five of the iconic American pop-rock group's biggest hits alongside their original backing instrumental tracks. Highlighting signature classics like "Daydream Believer," "I'm A Believer," and the TV theme song, this release gives fans and karaoke enthusiasts rare access to the pristine original instrumental mixes of these 1960s pop gems.

Released in 1997 by Rhino Records, Take It Off! Striptease Classics is a fun, sultry, and deliciously theatrical compilation celebrating the Golden Age of burlesque instrumental jazz. The collection opens with David Rose & His Orchestra's iconic 1962 number-one hit The Stripper, whose unmistakable brass blare and bump-and-grind rhythm set the tone for the entire release. The vast majority of the tracklist highlights the work of Sonny Lester & His Orchestra, drawing heavily from two famed early-1960s Roulette Records instrumental LPs recorded specifically for burlesque-inspired home entertainment. Across tracks like For Strippers Only, Blues To Strip By, Bumps & Grinds, and Lonely Little G-String, Lester's big band delivers swaggering horn riffs, seductive saxophone leads, and swinging percussion. The compilation is rounded out by rare vintage singles in a similar vein, including The Genteels' twangy guitar track Take It Off and Bobby Summers' groove-laden Pad. Packed with vintage showbiz charm, playful humor, and nostalgic 1960s lounge aesthetics, Take It Off! Striptease Classics offers a delightfully cheeky slice of American pop-jazz history.

Released in 2000 by Rhino Records (R2 79913), Doo Wop 50 Live! documents the landmark PBS special held at the Benedum Center for the Performing Arts in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Celebrating five decades of vocal group harmony, this historic concert brought together an unprecedented gathering of original street-corner legends and doo-wop pioneers. From Gene Chandler's show-stopping performance of "Duke Of Earl" and The Flamingos' ethereal "I Only Have Eyes For You" to soul-stirring appearances by Arlene Smith & The Chantels, Johnny Maestro & The Brooklyn Bridge, and Harvey & The Moonglows, the album captures the magic, nostalgic charm, and enduring vocal craftsmanship of America's classic vocal group era.

I Love Swing: Best Collection of Swing Music is a delightful three-disc anthology released by Warner Music and Rhino Records in 2009, bringing together some of the most enduring standards and joyful performances from the golden eras of swing, big band, and traditional vocal pop. Gathering timeless classics across forty-eight remastered tracks, this collection highlights legendary bandleaders, iconic crooners, and unforgettable jazz songstresses who defined twentieth-century American and international popular music. Listeners are treated to celebrated performances by big band pioneers like Glenn Miller, Count Basie, and Les Brown, alongside supreme vocal talents including Louis Prima, Tony Bennett, Doris Day, Dionne Warwick, Andy Williams, Peggy Lee, and Sarah Vaughan. From energetic, syncopated big band stomps and lively Latin-flavored pop to intimate late-night jazz ballads and orchestral themes, this set offers a well-rounded and deeply nostalgic listening experience. Rendered with pristine sound quality, it stands as a charming tribute to the sophistication, warmth, and enduring spirit of swing.

The Sun Records Collection is a masterful, critically acclaimed three-CD box set released by Rhino Records in 1994. Striking the perfect middle ground between brief single-disc samplers and overwhelming multi-album sets, this 74-song anthology serves as the quintessential overview of Sam Phillips' legendary Memphis label. The compilation beautifully traces the evolution of Sun, beginning with its foundational, pioneering electric blues and R&B sides by titans like Howlin' Wolf, B.B. King, and Rufus Thomas, before transitioning into the earth-shaking rockabilly and rock & roll explosion. It features definitive, era-defining hits from Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, and Jerry Lee Lewis, while still dedicating crucial space to cult figures, unheralded pioneers, and fascinating regional misses by the likes of Billy Lee Riley, Sonny Burgess, and Warren Smith. Pristinely curated and historically vital, it is a magnificent testament to the studio that permanently rewired the DNA of American popular music.

The Very Best Of The Pogues is a definitive, career-spanning retrospective released by Rhino in 2013, capturing the rowdy genius of modern folk music's most influential boundary-pushers. Fronted by the brilliant, chaotic songwriting of the legendary Shane MacGowan, the collection chronicles a sound that walked a razor's edge between centuries-old Irish traditionalism and the venomous, working-class fury of 1970s punk. Drawing heavily from their seminal first three albums—while tracing their evolution through later, stylistically diverse records—this 18-track compilation perfectly packages their iconic anthems. From the bittersweet, cinematic winter standard "Fairytale Of New York" and the melancholic poetry of "A Pair Of Brown Eyes" to the full-throttle, tin-whistle-fueled blitz of "The Sickbed Of Cuchulainn," it stands as a flawless single-disc testament to a band that completely rewrote the rules of folk rock.

Backed by the sterling Buckaroos, Owens's trademark Bakersfield honky tonk was grittier and meatier than that of contemporaries like George Jones. Relying heavily on the crisp lead guitar of Don Rich and the steel-guitar strains of Tom Brumley, the music possessed a distinctive locomotive rhythm. Rhino's comprehensive 62-song collection follows Owens from his landmark 1961 duets with Rose Maddox through early collaborations with Harlan Howard to his first number one hit, "Act Naturally." Owens would put a stranglehold on the country charts, reaching the top spot consistently with hits including "Together Again" and "I've Got a Tiger By the Tail." Along the way, he'd mix in Chuck Berry covers, bluegrass staples, and even a Paul Simon tune. His later work features duets with Susan Raye, Emmylou Harris, and Dwight Yoakam.

This three-CD box set contains 66 tracks taken from various schools of the first decade (or so) of rock & roll: doo wop, girl group, rockabilly, early soul, light pop/rock, New Orleans R&B, and more. For the most part they were big hits, though one or two things you'll rarely if ever hear on oldies radio are thrown in, like Little Richard's "True, Fine Mama" or Shep & the Limelites' "Our Anniversary." Sometimes songs that were released after the British Invasion started, but owed much to doo wop or girl group sounds, are included. Well, how else would you explain the presence of songs like Jay & the Americans' "Cara, Mia" or the Casinos' "Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye," the latter of which didn't come out until 1967? But why opt for this particular collection, when there are so many other oldies anthologies that either opt for the absolutely most familiar huge smashes if buyers want just the biggest hits, or far narrower, specialized focuses like rockabilly and doo wop if the buyer's choosier and more knowledgeable? You certainly couldn't call a box that has nothing by Elvis Presley, Gene Vincent, Fats Domino, Jerry Lee Lewis, Sam Cooke, Carl Perkins, or Brenda Lee (just for starters) a definitive response to the gauntlet thrown down by the subtitle "The Greatest Songs From Early Rock 'n' Roll." Generally, the compilation targets the kind of warm, romantic songs that nostalgic viewers of the PBS pledge drive perennial Doo Wop 50 special might be apt to buy (or submit a pledge in exchange for) on an impulse right after the credits roll. That's not a purely flip remark: The box was co-presented by Rhino with WQED, the Pittsburgh station that originated the Doo Wop 50 program. Any box that has classics like "Twist and Shout," "He's So Fine," "Cathy's Clown," "Do You Love Me," "Hello Stranger," "Will You Love Me Tomorrow," "Runaway," "Up on the Roof," "Stand By Me," "What'd I Say," and many others of similar quality has a lot going for it, but it's certainly not the best you could do if you're looking for starting points for collecting late-'50s/early-'60s rock. Basically, it's the equivalent of those all-over-the-map collections of oldies that have been hawked on TV for decades, assembled with considerably greater taste and much better liner notes.

Released in 2007 by the archival masters at Rhino Records, From The Velvets To The Voidoids: US Punk Rock Roots 1970-1978 is a phenomenal, masterfully assembled 2-CD anthology tracing the lineage of American underground rock. Curated as an audio companion to rock historian Clinton Heylin's seminal book of the same name, this collection serves as the definitive roadmap of how raw garage energy, street poetry, and art-school experimentalism coalesced into the explosive punk movement. Disc 1 dives into the heavy, primal architecture of the proto-punk godfathers, mapping the line from the Velvet Underground's hypnotic urban tales and the Stooges' feedback-drenched aggression straight to the glam-inflected swagger of the New York Dolls. Disc 2 captures the legendary mid-70s CBGB and Max's Kansas City revolution in its absolute prime, charting the rise of the Ramones, Television, Patti Smith, and Talking Heads alongside rust-belt post-punk pioneers like Pere Ubu and Rocket From The Tombs. Preserved in a stunning, high-fidelity digital archive, this compilation is an indispensable, noisy history lesson for serious rock collectors and alternative music historians alike.