Total Pop Deluxe Box (3CD/1 DVD) Review

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(More customer reviews)Here's a band who's been around for almost 25 years, and they've never stopped. After their massive pop success, many figured them to be over and done. In fact, they continued their brilliance and it's just kept getting better and better.
For old and new fans alike, this boxset will have delights in store for all. Never before seen pictures in a thick, hardcover book (yes, BOOK), that will simply astound. There is a CD of remastered live tracks from various tours (actually I believe all the CDs in the set contain remastered material), as well as a DVD of some of their most treasured live moments.
The second half of their musical history is a testament to their creative genius. And with a new album already slated in the works (back to their electronic roots, we've been told), life looks up once more, with Erasure at the helm. Bravo!!!!

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Since they formed in 1985, Erasure-Andy Bell and Vince Clarke (founding member of Depeche Mode and Yaz) have sold more than 15 million albums with their world-conquering anthems of love, lust and longing. From dance-floor symphoniesto swooning ballads, the definitive synth-pop superstars have proven themselves one of best loved and most enduring success stories in modern British pop music history. Rhino shows Erasure more than 'a little respect' with TOTAL POP!, a four-disc (3CD/DVD) box featuring: all their singles from 1986-2007, newly remastered in 2009; live recordings spanning 1987-2007; and a DVD disc that unreels BBC performancesfrom 1986-2005.

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Endless Summer Review

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(More customer reviews)This is the perfect title for a Beach Boys retrospective. These songs are constants of the oldies-radio format, especially during the summer. All of those sixties-sounding songs (classic, to the point of being nearly cliche) are here: "Surfin' Safari" "Catch A Wave" "Surfer Girl" "Surfin' U.S.A." "Shut Down" "Little Deuce Coupe" "California Girls" "I Get Around" and so on. If it was about Waves, Women, or Wheels and it had perfect harmony, it's probably on this album. And there are just enough songs dealing with semi-adult themes ("In My Room" "Don't Worry Baby" "Girl Don't Tell Me" "When I Grow Up To Be A Man"), that the whole package doesn't get stale. A couple of omissions are "Surfin'" (recorded before the Beach Boys signed with Capitol) and "Surf City," which Brian Wilson gave to Jan and Dean. "Barbara Ann" seems like is should have been here, and the version of "Help Me, Rhonda" that's included here is not the hit single we heard on the airwaves. But considering "Good Vibrations" was added to the CD release, all is forgiven. True-to-the-core fans of The Beach Boys and Surf music will want to go deeper ("Spirit Of America" is another great compilation for this purpose). But if you want just the cream of their output, all you really need to buy are "Pet Sounds" and this album. No matter what you're doing or where you might be, with "Endless Summer," you have the sun, the sand, and the surf (and maybe even a babe)! Who could ask for more?

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Retrospective (Dig) Review

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(More customer reviews)In May of 1965 I was 14 years old and just getting interested in pop music. I remember it like it was yesterday. I was shopping at a local discount store with my parents and I begged them to let me buy my first 45 rpm record. That record was "Mrs. Brown You've Got A Lovely Daughter" by Herman's Hermits. I have been collecting music ever since. "Retrospective" is a long overdue collection of one of the 1960's most popular groups. And I have nothing but good things to say about it.
In "Retrospective" you will find every single one of the groups 19 charted U.S. hits as well as a handful of gems from the groups LP's. Most people forget just how dominant Herman's Hermits were back in 1965. For the better part of that year the group always seemed to have multiple tunes riding high on the Billboard Hot 100. Songs like "Silhouettes", "Wonderful World" and "I'm Henry VIII,I Am" were staples on Top 40 radio. In addition, unlike many of their contemporaries whose success was limited to single releases, the group was selling albums like crazy. All three of the groups 1965 album releases including "Introducing Herman's Hermits", "Herman's Hermits On Tour" and "The Best of Herman's Hermits" were wildly successful. In fact, "The Best of Herman's Hermits" would remain on the Billboard Top Pop Album chart for just over two years! In addition to the three big hits mentioned above you will also find great pop classics like "Can't You Hear My Heartbeat", "There's A Kind of Hush" and the original 45 rpm recording of "Leaning On The Lamp Post" which for some reason has been unavailable for decades. I was also pleased to find songs like "Hold On" as well as the Hermits beautiful rendition of the Skeeter Davis hit "The End Of The World".
As I mentioned earlier there is absolutely no downside to this collection. The fact of the matter is that the remastering job is so superior that you feel like you are listening to many of these songs for the very first time. The attached 19 page booklet is chock full of info about Peter Noone and the group and it all comes in a very attractive package. And to top it all off the price is right. You wonder why it took so long but if you are a fan of the British Invasion I would snap this one up pronto before it disappears. Highly recommended.

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Live Review

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(More customer reviews)Never an intense Pat Benatar fan when she hit the scene, I now stand in a certain awe of the power she and husband Neil Giraldo convey on this great evocation of years of playing together. With only a quartet--and NO ryhthm guitar!--they rip through Benatar's biggest hits and add new material that is as fresh as the 21st century. The power of the guitar playing shows Neil to be one of the most versatile musicians in rock music--ever. His command of the instrument is extraordinary in the way he bends the music to his will, and the excitement never stops from riff to riff. Benatar hangs back when Neil is on a roll, but then she smashes back into the song with pipes as limber as ever. She is one of the half dozen truly great female rock stars, as different from Aretha Franklin, Bonnie Raitt, and Janis Joplin as she is unique and trailblazing in her own work. A perfect couple, who, one assumes, have played out their career on a field of battle.

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Memories: The '68 Comeback Special Review

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(More customer reviews)Just for truth's sake, on disc 1, Elvis was not singing to taped music (or karaoke as it was condescendingly referred to), it was done live - I've SEEN THE OUTTAKES. You can see the band, and you can see if he makes a mistake the band stops. The only part that the vocals were dubbed were the story sequences, for obvious resons. He also jams with the band for a while during the stand up part playing lead electric blues guitar. You'd be surprised how good he really was on the guitar, no hendrix, but definately a Neil Young. I heard Elvis do guitar solos, oh yeah, the boy can play. And also, he has SO MUCH ENERGY on disc 1 it's mind-blowing. The sound quality is crisp, the bass is pumping, and Elvis vocals portray him as the grass-roots blues singer he is. Another thing is, you get a good glimpse of Elvis' sense of humor in this 2-disc set, which is good for seeing his humanity. That today a singer who gets involved with drugs is pitied and coddled, and Elvis gets called childish names is beyond me, but that's how comfortable it is to agree with a stereotype. Well, no stereotype here, you will hear why Elvis will remain the #1 Artist of all time.

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Stone Free: Tribute to Jimi Hendrix Review

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(More customer reviews)Move on over, let P.M. Dawn, Beck/Seal, the Cure, Body Count, Buddy Guy et al., take over. An eclectic tribute album of Hendrix's greatest tunes featuring rockers, rappers and R&B artists. The Cure's cover of "Purple Haze" or Body Count's "Hey Joe" or P.M. Dawn's "You Got me Floatin' is worth the purchase price alone. Even if you didn't grow up with Henrix as a staple diet for your rock n roll body, this offering is a fourteen course meal of his musical buffet. One is left with the feeling that this collaborative group of muscians, aside from their own creative interpretative presentations, have given great reverence to a man and his music that has enormous staying power. Two thumbs and eight fingers up!

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Monsters of Rock Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a terrific collection of metal songs that dominated the the music scene from 1983 through 1991. The era of pop-metal has been highly underrated in its place in rock history. Much of the best material from amny of the top artists are here. Some songs like the hard to finds "Turn Up The Radio" by Autograph and "The Final Countdown" by Europe are graciously included as are the huge and most memorable hits, Quiet Riot's "Cum On Feel The Noise" Great White's "Once Bitten Twice Shy" Poison's "Every Rose Has Its Thorn", Whitesnakes "Here I Go Again", "Cult Of Personality" by Living Colour, along with only slightly smaller hits including, Winger's "Seventeen", Cinderella's "Nobody's Fool", Ratt's "Round And Round" and Night Rangers underrated epic ballad "Sister Christian". They even highlight some of the genras founding fathers like Alice Cooper and Judas Priest. The only real foul-upss are in the form of Warrant deplorible top ten smash "Cherry Pie" and "Hold On Loosely" by 38 Special, which is an excellent song but also has no purpose on an album devoted to 80's metal and hair bands, not southern rock! MONSTERS OF ROCK isn't perfect ofcourse, but as perfect as it could be with the limited ability a company like Razor & Tie has with sighning top artists. By no means can a perfect 80's collection be made without missing its biggest stars like Motley Crue, Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, Guns N' Roses, major non commercial acts like Metallica and AC/DC, perhaps a take from those worn out veterans used to be known as Aerosmith, and ofcourse the decades biggest star, VAN HALEN.

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Alligator Records 20th Anniversary Collection Review

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(More customer reviews)Amazon keeps inter-mixing the reviews for the 'Alligator Records 20th Anniversary Collection' album and the similarly named 'Alligator Records 20th Anniversary tour' album. So I will include a review of both here to set the record straight.
The 'Collection' album is by far superior to the 'tour' album. The collection has many artists on show and offers a bit of everything. The best tracks are AC Reed's 'These blues are killing me' with SRV brilliant on guitar, Little Charlie and the Nightcats with 'Rain', Roy Buchanan's classic 'Drowning on dry land', Koko Taylor with 'That's why i'm crying', Katie Webster with 'Pussycat Moan', Son Seal with 'Going back home' and Hound Dog Taylor and the classic 'Give me back my wig'. The album is uneven as you would expect for a label show case but well worth it as a introduction to a variety of blues styles and artists.
The 1993 20th aniversary tour album has only Li' Ed, (the late) Kattie Wester, Elvin Bishop, Lonnie Brooks and Koko Taylor. The album does typify Alligator records music that by my definition is mostly reasonable blues without being great. This live album has plenty of energy and is listenable, but fails to scale the heights I expect of the blues.

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60's: Gold Review

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(More customer reviews)'60s GOLD is the latest release in Hip-O Records' "Gold" series. As usual they do a fine job in remastering and song selection--and amazon.com's discounted price makes this a real bargain! I have purchased several previous "Gold" series releases (SOUTHERN ROCK, '70s, BLUES, among others) and have always been pleased, and this is no exception.
However, here are a few points to consider:
*Most of these tracks are from the mid-Sixties. Twenty-six of the tracks were released from 1964 to 1967--eleven from 1967 alone! [Note: All tracks are presented chronologically.]
*There is a heavy emphasis on Motown hits. [Five of which are duplicated from MOTOWN GOLD.] My only concern is why was it necessary to include three(!) Supremes songs?
*The British Invasion is represented by only three artists--The Mindbenders, The Troggs and Procol Harum. The heavy hitters (Beatles, Stones, Kinks, Who, et. al.) are missing. Also, two of America's biggest bands--The Beach Boys and The Doors--are also MIA.
*Finally, with each disk under sixty minutes, it would have been easy to add another ten to twelve tracks and perhaps rectify some of the above concerns.
But if you're looking for a collection of songs guaranteed to satisfy your Sixties nostalgia craving, there are few releases that will provide that fix better than '60s GOLD. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

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Essential G.H. Collection 2005 Usa Tour Edition Review

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(More customer reviews)Take another look at the picture of this CD. It says "Tour Edition", which means many of the songs are recorded live during the tour. If you are looking for songs as played on the radio, you may be dissapointed with this CD set.

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Neil Diamond, The Essential Greatest Hits Collection

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Elvis: '68 Comeback (1968) Review

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(More customer reviews)This DVD has just the basics of Elvis' excellent 1968 special. If you want an in-depth presentation, you should get the 2 DVD Deluxe edition. This DVD includes nearly all of the footage of the original show. Elvis' performances are outstanding, especially the "informal" jam session, where Elvis actually plays his guitar instead of just using it as a prop! Elvis' informal jam session was an early precursor of the MTV Unplugged series that would follow more than 20 years later. The bonus material includes some outtakes and photos, but really does not add much to the set. This DVD should be enough for the average fan and it is available at a reasonable price. Hardcore fans will want the deluxe edition.

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Elvis: ’68 Comeback – Special Edition DVD (audio track list)Opening Production Number: 1.Trouble/Guitar Man2.That’s All Right 3.Baby, What You Want Me To Do4.Medley: Heartbreak Hotel Hound Dog All Shook Up 6.Can’t Help Falling in Love 7.Jailhouse Rock 8.Don’t Be Cruel 9. Blue Suede Shoes 10.Love Me Tender 11.Baby What You Want Me To Do – Impromptu jam.Gospel Production Number: 12.Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child 13. Where Could I Go But To The Lord 14. Up Above My Head 15.Saved16.Lawdy, Miss Clawdy 17. Are You Lonesome Tonight? 18.Trying To Get To You 19.Tiger Man 20.When My Blue Moon Turns to Gold Again 21.One Night 22.MemoriesGuitar Man Production Number: 23.Nothingville 24.Guitar Man 25.Let Yourself Go 26.Guitar Man 27.Big Boss Man 28.It Hurts Me 29.Guitar Man 30.Little Egypt 31.Trouble 32.Guitar ManFinale: 33.If I Can DreamBonus features:Having Fun With Elvis In Burbank Funny moments from throughout the production of the ’68 Special

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Elvis: Aloha from Hawaii (Deluxe Edition) (1973) Review

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(More customer reviews)This Deluxe Edition DVD features pretty much everything you could ask for in regards to Elvis Aloha from Hawaii. You get the staged footage of Elvis arriving in Hawaii and greeting fans, which is actually pretty boring. You get the complete rehearsal concert that was taped two days before the live broadcast. Elvis shows more energy here than in the broadcast concert, but he forgets more of the lyrics and sings two less songs. You get the complete Aloha from Hawaii Concert, which has been re-edited from scratch. The show was originally broadcast with quite a bit of "montage" footage, which means multiple images from the concert seen on the screen all at once in video blocks, but almost all of those effects were removed from this version. After the concert, Elvis recorded five songs on stage with no audience, which were inserted into the concert after commercial breaks, played with montage footage of Hawaii. The complete footage of that recording session is here, complete with all takes of each song, with no footage of Hawaii. Finally, the original broadcast version of Elvis Aloha from Hawaii is included, minus the commercials. What more can you ask for?

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1. Elvis Arrives And Greets Fans 2. Also Sprach Zarathustra 3. See See Rider; Vamp\ See See Rider 4. Burning Love 5. Something 6. You Gave Me A Mountain 7. Steamroller Blues 8. My Way 9. Love Me 10. It's Over 11. Blue Suede Shoes 12. I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry 13. Hound Dog 14. What Now My Love 15. Fever 16. Welcome To My World 17. Suspicious Minds 18. Introductions By Elvis 19. I'll Remember You 20. An American Trilogy 21. A Big Hunk O' Love; A Big Hunk O' Love - music element (with copyright) 22. Can't Help Falling In Love; Can't Help Falling In Love\ Vamp 23. Also Sprach Zarathustra; Also Sprach Zarathustra\ Vamp 24. See See Rider 25. Burning Love 26. Something 27. You Gave Me A Mountain 28. Steamroller Blues 29. My Way 30. Love Me 31. Johnny B. Goode 32. It's Over 33. Blue Suede Shoes 34. I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry 35. I Can't Stop Loving You 36. Hound Dog 37. What Now My Love 38. Fever 39. Welcome To My World 40. Suspicious Minds 41. Introductions By Elvis 42. I'll Remember You 43. Long Tall Sally/Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On; Long Tall Sally\ Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On 44. An American Trilogy 45. A Big Hunk O' Love 46. Can't Help Falling In Love 47. Vamp 48. Blue Hawaii; Blue Hawaii - music element (with copyright) 49. Ku-U-I-Po - Take 1; Ku-U-I-Po - Take 1 - music element (with copyright) 50. Ku-U-I-Po - Take 2; Ku-U-I-Po - Take 2 - music element (with copyright) 51. Ku-U-I-Po - Take 3 52. No More - Attempted Take 53. No More - Take 1 54. No More - Take 2; No More - Take 2 - music element (with copyright) 55. Hawaiian Wedding Song - Take 1 56. Hawaiian Wedding Song - Take 2 57. Hawaiian Wedding Song - Take 3 58. Hawaiian Wedding Song - Take 4 59. Early Morning Rain 60. Paradise, Hawaiian Style 61. Also Sprach Zarathustra 62. See See Rider 63. Burning Love 64. Something 65. You Gave Me A Mountain 66. Early Morning Rain 67. Steamroller Blues 68. My Way 69. Love Me 70. Johnny B. Goode 71. It's Over 72. Blue Suede Shoes 73. I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry 74. I Can't Stop Loving You 75. Hound Dog 76. Blue Hawaii 77. What Now My Love 78. Fever 79. Welcome To My World 80. Suspicious Minds 81. Introductions By Elvis 82. I'll Remember You 83. Hawaiian Wedding Song 84. Long Tall Sally/Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On; Long Tall Sally Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On 85. An American Trilogy 86. A Big Hunk O' Love 87. Can't Help Falling In Love 88. Credits

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2006 Warped Tour Compilation Review

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(More customer reviews)Here is yet another compilation of little known bands with a big crunchy punk sound. If you like to explore different music on a budget this is a pretty decent 2 disc set. It's got mostly heavy thrash punk on this one. I would have preferred it to have some more catchy pop punk tunes, but the for the price, it's hard to resist!

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The official soundtrack for the 2006 Vans Warped Tour contains 50 tracks from the biggest names in rock, such as NOFX, From First To Last, Flogging Molly, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, Anti-Flag, Slightly Stoopid, I Am Ghost, Bouncing Souls, Gogol Bordello, Helmet, Hellogoodbye, Maxeen, Crash Romeo, The Fully Down, and many, many more.

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