Five Heartbeats

Ever the thinker, saxophonist Steve Coleman now delves into the connection between human biology and music with Functional Arrhythmias, perhaps his most accessible release in recent memory. With a vast discography that has covered everything from unadulterated funk in 1988's Sine Die (Pegasus) to advanced concepts in 2011's The Mancy of Sound (Pi), his curiosity and influence continue to expand.

The Dells - Anthology (1999) [2CD] {Hip-O Records}
XLD rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 952 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 341 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 68 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1999 Hip-O Records / Universal | CD MP D3811a
Doo Wop / Chicago Soul / Early R&B / Northern Soul / Pop-Soul

The Dells were one of the few groups that rode the transition from doo wop to smooth soul without missing a beat and without falling off the charts. Just as remarkably, the group did so without declining much in quality, as Hip-O's definitive double-disc Anthology proves. Throughout these 36 tracks, the music changes, from street-corner R&B to string-drenched disco-soul, but in all their incarnations, The Dells always sound wonderful. There are a handful of minor hits missing, but all the big singles – including both the Vee-Jay and Cadet versions of "Oh, What a Nite" and "Stay in My Corner" – are here, assembled chronologically.

Volume two of Collectables' Ultimate Christmas Album gathers more classic pop and rock holiday tunes, including the Beach Boys' "Little Saint Nick," Gene Autry's "Here Comes Santa Claus," and Diana Ross & the Supremes' "White Christmas." Most of this volume's best-known tracks are by traditional pop crooners, such as Dean Martin's "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!," Bing Crosby's "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas," and Burl Ives' "Holly Jolly Christmas." However, less-familiar tracks like the Echelons' "A Christmas Long Ago (Jingle Jingle)," Augie Rios' "Donde Esta Santa Claus," and Barry Gordon's "Nuttin' for Christmas" prevent the collection from being too predictable. It's not exactly a straightforward holiday-hits compilation, but The Ultimate Christmas Album, Vol. 2 balances enough standards and obscure tunes to make it a unique collection.

Various Artists - The Rama Story (1999) {2CD Set, Westside Records WESD215 rec 1953-1956}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 514 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 337 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 33 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1953-56, 1999 Rama Recordings / Westside Records | WESD 215
Rhythm & Blues / Doo Wop / Oldies / Rockabilly / Rock 'n' Roll

This 2 disc set brings together 61 tracks from this early George Goldner run label. Although Rama only had a three year run as a label, they made significant inroads, especially as a doo-wop specialist with seminal tracks from the Crows ("Gee"), the Wrens ("Come Back My Love"), the Valentines ("Lily Maybelle") and the Heartbeats ("A Thousand Miles Away"). But there's also some errant pop sides and some fine rockabilly aboard as well from Don "Red" Roberts, Little Billy Mason (a white Frankie Lymon sound-alike with guitar band backing), and Roc LaRue. A delightful two disc set that shows off the many sides of this interesting label.

Various Artists - The Gee Story (1999) {2CD Set, Westside Records WESD223 rec 1954-1962}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 549 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 364 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 26 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1954-62, 1999 Gee Recordings / Westside Records | WESD 223
Rhythm & Blues / Doo Wop / Oldies / Blues / Rock 'n' Roll

This 2 disc set brings together 63 tracks from this early George Goldner run label. Covering a nice selection of the label's output from 1954 to its demise in 1962, Gee made inroads as a doo-wop specialist, primarily with the recordings of Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers, the Cleftones, and later with the Regents and the Drapers. Plemty of classics aboard from these artists as well as goodies from the Emanons, the Coins, the Five Crowns, the Valtones, Annie Kaye, and Lorraine Ellis, making this a superlative overview of a label that for almost a decade dealing in nothing but new York rhythm and blues.

Another serious project in vein of Time Life Music, the "24 Golden Hits" is a compilation series of the world famous hits, released on CD circa 1987-1988. Here is the complete series packed into five boxes and each box was re-released separately. Each Volume-set contains the five discs and titled as "120 Golden Oldies". 600 "Golden" songs total and over than one day of the continuous listening!