Billy Stewart

Billy Stewart's greatest album and song were both contained on this fine recording from the mid-'60s. "I Do Love You" was that rare anguished testimonial that never became vapid, sappy, or overly sentimental, and was compelling and captivating throughout Stewart's marvelous leads and the piercing harmonies. The album also contained other gems like "Fat Boy," "Reap What You Sow," and "Sitting In The Park." Maybe someday this album will be reissued intact, after Stewart's hits have finally been recycled to death.

Billy Stewart's greatest album and song were both contained on this fine recording from the mid-'60s. "I Do Love You" was that rare anguished testimonial that never became vapid, sappy, or overly sentimental, and was compelling and captivating throughout Stewart's marvelous leads and the piercing harmonies. The album also contained other gems like "Fat Boy," "Reap What You Sow," and "Sitting In The Park." Maybe someday this album will be reissued intact, after Stewart's hits have finally been recycled to death.

Billy Stewart's greatest album and song were both contained on this fine recording from the mid-'60s. "I Do Love You" was that rare anguished testimonial that never became vapid, sappy, or overly sentimental, and was compelling and captivating throughout Stewart's marvelous leads and the piercing harmonies. The album also contained other gems like "Fat Boy," "Reap What You Sow," and "Sitting In The Park." Maybe someday this album will be reissued intact, after Stewart's hits have finally been recycled to death.

In its simplest terms, Blondes Have More Fun is Rod Stewart's disco album, filled with pulsating rhythms and slick, synthesized textures. It's also his trashiest, most disposable album, filled with cheap come-ons and bad double entendres. Of course, that makes Blondes Have More Fun one of his most enjoyable records, even if all the pleasures are guilty. With its swirling strings and nagging chorus, "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" was the reason the record hit number one, and decades later, the song stands as one of the best rock-disco fusions. The rest of the record isn't as engaging, but he throws out a handful of winning tracks in the same mold, including "Ain't Love a Bitch," "Attractive Female Wanted," and the title track.

The Capitol collection Essential Billy Squier compiles various hits from the '80s pop/rocker's albums. Taking up the "essential" part of Squier's catalog here are tracks from 1981's Don't Say No, 1982's Emotions in Motion, and 1984's Signs of Life, including "Everybody Wants You," "The Stroke," "In the Dark," and "My Kinda Lover." Less essential but no less worthy of inclusion are such cuts as "Lonely Is the Night" from Don't Say No and "The Big Beat" from Squier's 1980 debut, The Tale of the Tape. Also included are some lesser-known cuts like "Love Is the Hero" from 1986's Enough Is Enough, "Don't Say You Love Me" from 1989's Hear & Now, and "Angry" from Squier's unfairly ignored 1993 Capitol swan song, Tell the Truth. Taken as a collection, these are Squier's best-known and catchiest tracks and showcase his unique mix of Led Zeppelin meets Queen meets Rod Stewart-style dance-rock. While Squier continued to record for various labels from the mid-'90s onward, these tracks make up the bulk of his time as a hot commodity in the '80s, and it’s great having them all on one disc.

10-CD box set that contains 250 original Rockabilly recordings. Featuring Jonny Cash, Carl Phillips, Johnny Horton, Marty Robbins, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Hank Thompson, Faron Young, Bill Haley & The Saddlemen and many others. All the tracks were recorded between 1947 and 1960 but with the vast majority coming from the 1950's.