Easy Rider (1969) [remastered]

A limited-edition five-CD box set comprising both albums that Janis Joplin made with Big Brother & the Holding Company (Cheap Thrills and Big Brother & the Holding Company), both of her solo albums (I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama! and Pearl), and a bonus EP with five previously unreleased recordings. Each of these four albums includes previously unreleased bonus tracks (including live material), and each is available separately with the same bonus cuts. The tracks on the bonus EP aren't available anywhere else, and if you're devoted enough to consider laying out for this deluxe box, you're probably most interested in what's on that fifth disc.

After the critical acclaim Michael Chapman received for Rainmaker in 1969, he followed up quickly in early 1970 with Fully Qualified Survivor, a record more adventurous and haunting than its predecessor, with added production flourishes and equally strong songs. Fully Qualified Survivor is the album that established Chapman as a folk troubadour. Leaving the guitar pyrotechnics largely locked in a shed, Chapman concentrated instead on his songwriting skills, and the sacrifice—for this record anyway—paid off. Leaving the lead guitar credits to a fellow Hull-man, Mick Ronson (who got his gig with David Bowie as a result of his playing on this album), with Rick Kemp making a return as bassist and Barry Morgan on drums, Chapman relied on no less than Paul Buckmaster—then beginning to work with Elton John, among others—to employ and arrange a small string section to fill out the songs.

Digitally remastered box set featuring all of the albums and singles recorded by the legendary American acid/progressive rock band Iron Butterfly recorded for Atlantic's Atco label between 1967 and 1971 and additional recordings made at the Fillmore East in New York City in April 1968. Iron Butterfly first came together in San Diego, California in 1966 with a line-up of Doug Ingle (vocals, organ), Danny Weis (guitar), Greg Willis (bass), Jack Pinney (drums) and Darryl DeLoach (vocals). After performing in the San Diego area the band relocated to Los Angeles in search of a recording contract, with Willis soon departing to be replaced by Jerry Penrod on bass. Jack Pinney also departed and was eventually replaced by Ron Bushy. The band’s psychedelic and acid rock style was honed during regular appearances at LA venues such as the Whisky a Go Go and the Galaxy Club, which saw Iron Butterfly develop a loyal following and led to the band signing with Atlantic’s Atco label in 1967…

Johnny Cash was one of the most imposing and influential figures in post-World War II country music. With his deep, resonant baritone and spare percussive guitar, he had a basic, distinctive sound. Cash didn't sound like Nashville, nor did he sound like honky tonk or rock & roll. He created his own subgenre, falling halfway between the blunt emotional honesty of folk, the rebelliousness of rock & roll, and the world-weariness of country. Cash's career coincided with the birth of rock & roll, and his rebellious attitude and simple, direct musical attack shared a lot of similarities with rock. However, there was a deep sense of history – as he would later illustrate with his series of historical albums – that kept him forever tied with country. And he was one of country music's biggest stars of the '50s and '60s, scoring well over 100 hit singles…