G R George

NYCNYUSA is an improvement over 1976's lackluster Night Fever, but not by much. It suffers from the same problem that plagues many of the albums in the Fatback catalog: While the group has no problem generating solid grooves, they often have trouble translating them into enough solid songs to sustain an album. Inconsistent material continues to be a problem on NYCNYUSA: "Spank the Baby" layers a chant that is inane even by disco standards over a repetitive jam while "Duke Walk" sinks the pleasant quality of its pop-reggae feel with a dull arrangement that lacks any interesting twists and turns. Another problem track is "Cosmic Woman," which fails to make to good on the promise of its interesting title due to uninspired lyrics and a humdrum groove.

This 60th Anniversary 60-CD Deluxe Edition celebrates RCA Victor's signing of Elvis Presley-The King of rock 'n' roll. Features all of the albums Elvis recorded and RCA released in his lifetime: studio, soundtrack, and live. It also includes compilations released that featured unreleased songs or songs new to the LP format.

Charles Mingus (1922-1979), nicknamed "the angry man of jazz" and still today an icon of the jazz world, was known for his intimidating temperament. His musical talent on double bass, as musical arranger, bandleader or composer, was immense. His music touches on all kinds of jazz styles, from free, blues, hard bop, big band or third stream, influenced by Duke Ellington's orchestrations, but always has an element of irritation and danger. Influenced by New Orleans jazz, Mingus also fancied collective improvisation (as we can hear on various albums on this collection). This exciting box set is a journey through his fascinating music, displaying all of his artistic mutations and idiosyncrasies. Mingus is accompanied here by a host of all-time greats including Max Roach, Teo Macero, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker and Bud Powell.