While they never scored major commercial success in either the United States or the United Kingdom, the Creation inspired a cult following during their original 1966-1967 run that continues to grow with the passage of time, and with good reason. The Creation's pre-psychedelic fusion of mod style and freakbeat sound was intriguing enough, but the real key to their music was the guitar work of Eddie Phillips, who combined forceful, elemental picking with feedback and the use of a violin bow (years before Jimmy Page embraced the idea) that allowed him to conjure singular sounds from his axe. Combine that with the inspired crash-and-bash of bassist Bob Garner and drummer Jack Jones, and the soulful passion of vocalist Kenny Pickett, and the Creation produced a sound that was second only to the Who for sheer power and inventiveness during their brief, impressive heyday…

The J. Geils Band made many fine, sometimes great, studio albums but where they really captured their full, thrilling potential was on the concert stage. Most live albums tend to be a poor excuse for actually being at the show in question, but the Geils Band's live albums jump out of the speakers with so much joy, fun, and unquenchable rock & roll spirit that you might as well be there. "Live" Full House was their first live record, and it is a blast from start to finish. Recorded in 1972 at Detroit's Cinderella Ballroom, the group runs through songs from their first two albums, The J. Geils Band and The Morning After, kicking out the jams on rockers like the Motown chestnut "First I Look at the Purse," Otis Rush's "Homework," and one of the group's first self-penned classics, "Hard Drivin' Man," as well as positively scorching through an incredible version of John Lee Hooker's dark and evil blues "Serves You Right to Suffer"…

With Bo Diddley's various hits and anthology packages all out of print and the multi-disc deluxe box set out of pocketbook reach for most casual consumers, MCA finally comes up with a 20-track compilation that hits the bull's-eye and makes this rock pioneer's best and most influential work available to everyone. The song list reads like a primer for '60s British R&B and '90s blues bands: "Bo Diddley," "I'm a Man," "Diddley Daddy," "Pretty Thing," "Before You Accuse Me," "Hey! Bo Diddley," "Who Do You Love," "Mona," and "Roadrunner" are the tracks that made the legend and put his sound on the map worldwide. The transfers used on this set are exemplary, the majority of them utilizing masters that have a few extra seconds (or more) appended to the fades, which will cause even hardliners to hear these old standards with fresh ears; especially revelatory are the "long versions" of "I Can Tell" and "You Can't Judge a Book by Its Cover."

Two Great Guitars (1964). Two Great Guitars is a studio album by Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry, released in August 1964. It was the first studio album issued by Berry after his release from prison. The two men were friends, and both recorded for Chess. The album consists of two lengthy spontaneous instrumental jams plus a couple of recently recorded instrumentals by the two guitarists. The album cover shows a Gibson ES-350T owned by Berry and a guitar created by Diddley.
The Super Super Blues Band (1968). This is easily a "super super blues bust." Power trios, of course, were hip in the late '60s - even at down-home Chess Studios, where ad hoc "supergroups" were assembled for 1967's Super Blues and its sequel, Super Super Blues Band. (No one ever accused Chess Records of being subtle.)…

For years, Roy Wood's post-Move/ELO catalog has been cluttered with budget-line compilations. The same tracks have been recycled over countless discs, usually distinguished by terrible fidelity and haphazard sequencing. Repertoire remedied the situation in 1999 by releasing two comprehensive compilations - one focusing on Wood's solo recordings (Exotic Mixture: Best of Singles A's & B's), the other on Wizzard's singles (Singles A's & B's). This was a welcome development, since both were good-sounding, intelligently assembled compilations, yet it wasn't an entirely ideal situation, as most fans - whether they're fanatics or curious listeners - would like to have one, tight collection of highlights from Wood's and Wizzard's singles and early-'70s albums…

One of the finest rock & roll revival bands of the 1970s, Showaddywaddy also proved to be one of the most successful and enduring. Originally styled as a British answer to American retro-masters Sha Na Na, Showaddywaddy found themselves scooped up into the glam rock basket; indeed, at a time when rival giants Mud, Wizzard, and the Rubettes were also mining the '50s for inspiration, Showaddywaddy swept ahead with barely a glance over their shoulder. The group's run of greatest hits sounds devastatingly pure, even authentic, while further evidence of their resilience can be garnered from the fact that Showaddywaddy are regularly gigging, a full 50 years after the bandmembers first heard the music which brought them such fame.

2CD set with 40 restored and remastered tracks. Rare BBC archive recordings. Authoritative liner notes and new quotes. The most comprehensive collection of The Yardbirds BBC 'live' recordings, assembled with the assistance of the BBC, with several tracks now all together the first time on this newly restored and remastered 2CD set. Several tracks have been expertly repaired from rare, hard-to-find recordings and feature for the first time on this set.
Detailed data in the booklet, which also includes authoritative liner notes by Richard Morton Jack, editor of 'Flashback' magazine, and contains new quotes from Yardbirds' Jim McCarty and Paul Samwell-Smith. Jim McCarty also adds an introduction exclusively for this the set, looking back at the BBC years…

Although technically he never left, Alvin Lee is back. Recorded in 2003 at original Elvis guitarist Scotty Moore's Nashville home studio, with Moore as the mastermind behind the sessions (although due to ear problems he only plays on two tracks), along with Presley's drummer D.J. Fontana on the skins, this would be a listenable effort regardless of who was singing. With ex-Ten Years After's Alvin Lee playing guitar and taking the lead vocals it's a powerfully compelling disc that approximates many of the Sun label greats. Recorded predominantly live in the studio and sounding it, these songs - mostly originals written expressly for the sessions and an unexpectedly rip-snorting run through of the TYA chestnut "I'm Going Home" - find Lee at his most enthusiastic…

The Nashville Teens were a truly kick-ass rock & roll band from London. Their main claim to fame was providing the kamikaze backup behind Jerry Lee Lewis on his Live at the Star Club LP and recording the massive hit "Tobacco Road." This disc reissues that entire 1964 album and adds another 14 bonus tracks to it, getting us all the way to 1971 in the group's recorded output. Hot versions Of "Mona," "I Like It Like That," "La Bamba," and "Too Much" are the album's high points, and while the later tracks are a nice touch, they don't quite measure to the group's halcyon days.

Capitol Records initially planned to release a live album from the Beatles in 1964, recording the band's August 23 concert at the Hollywood Bowl. Nobody at the label found the results satisfactory so they attempted it again almost exactly a year later, taping the August 29 and 30, 1965 shows at the Hollywood Bowl but, once again, it proved hard to hear the Fab Four from underneath the roar of the crowd, so those tapes were also shelved. They remained in the vaults until 1977, when Capitol president Bhaskar Menon asked George Martin to assemble a listenable live album from the two sets of Hollywood Bowl tapes, all with the idea of combating the rise of bootlegs and quasi-legit Beatles live albums. It was a difficult task, yet Martin and engineer Geoff Emerick managed to assemble a 13-track LP of highlights that was quite well received upon its 1977 release yet managed to earn a reputation as something of a disappointment in part due to the screams that overwhelmed the band…

This is the definitive reissue of the first two albums from the rock act that ruled the Pacific Northwest in the early 60s. 2003 compilation includes the albums, "At the Castle" & "The Wailers & Co", along with six bonus tracks from rare singles, most of which have not previously been on CD.

Del Shannon's second and third albums appear (after a fashion) together on this BGO reissue. Actually, what BGO has re-created is the song lineup of the U.K. version of the Little Town Flirt album, which is a plus, as it contains several songs - including "Runaway" - that were repeated from earlier releases on the U.S. version. In either configuration, Little Town Flirt was one of the better rock & roll LPs of its period and holds up well. Shannon and his producers probably thought they were playing it safe by loading the record up with a fair number of covers, including "Dream Baby" and "Runaround Sue"; they never dreamt that one of his other covers from early 1963, of the Beatles' "From Me to You," would have put him for a moment on the cutting edge of music in England (where the record wasn't issued until later) as well as in front of the leading edge by almost a year in America…

Dr. John's Gumbo bridged the gap between post-hippie rock and early rock & roll, blues, and R&B, offering a selection of classic New Orleans R&B, including "Tipitina" and "Junko Partner," updated with a gritty, funky beat. There aren't as many psychedelic flourishes as there were on his first two albums, but the ones that are present enhance his sweeping vision of American roots music. And that sly fusion of styles makes Dr. John's Gumbo one of Dr. John's finest albums.