Ghost Stories: The Best of The Daily Telegraph's Ghost Story Competition

Before a teenaged Al Anderson began his 22-year run with the well-loved and prolific NRBQ, he had The Wildweeds. Big Al, as he is known, wrote most of this collection of scorching rock and soul-influenced songs. This definitive lineup of The Wildweeds never put out an LP. Thus these tracks - many never released - form a great "lost" album of the 1960s.
For Confidential Recordings' in-depth package, Big Al not only lent his full cooperation, but also provided access to his personal collection of photographs and memorabilia. In addition, Wildweeds historian Richard Brukner interviewed other original band members and scores of family, friends and fans. His resulting sixteen pages of liner notes tell the complete story of The Wildweeds. That story is also told by the music. At the collection's core are the eight songs that comprise the entirety of The Weeds' four single records released on Chess' Cadet label. Six previously unreleased tracks round out the set, including a searing cover of The Soul Sisters classic "I Can't Stand It" and "Fuzzy Wuzzy," a red-hot, fuzzed-out original instrumental. This compilation also debuts "No Good To Cry" in stereo and instrumental versions re-mixed and re-mastered from the original multi-track tapes by original producer Thomas "Doc" Cavalier.

The Shadows are usually thought of as the quintessential British instrumental group and, along with the American band the Ventures and the Swedish group the Spotnicks, one of the most popular instrumental groups in the world. But that barely tells the story of their true significance in the history of British rock & roll – including the fact that they were the first homegrown British rock & roll band to dominate the U.K. charts, or that they weren't originally an instrumental group, either. The band's roots go back to Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, in early 1958, when a young Indian-born singer/guitarist named Harry Webb joined with drummer Terry Smart and guitarist Norman Mitham to form a group that they ended up calling the Drifters. At the time, none of the records by the American R&B group of the same name, founded by Clyde McPhatter, had been released in England, so they had no inkling of the name's already being used. The band played their first performance in March 1958 at a dinner dance and, after a few weeks of local performances, they debuted at the 2I's coffee bar in London's Soho.

2014 compilation. The Dubliners are regarded by many as the fathers of Irish pop music, undoubtedly responsible for bringing ballads & traditional music from the small clubs and pubs to the international pop spotlight. They paved the way and influenced future followers: Planxty, the Pogues & U2. After 50 years on the road the Dubliners officially retired at the end of 2012. Not Bad Records.

The Best of the Manhattans: Kiss and Say Goodbye Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
The Best of the Manhattans: Kiss and Say Goodbye is a terrific, 19-song overview of the Manhattans' recordings for Columbia in the '70s. All but two of the group's Top Ten R&B hits for the label are featured – there's no "We Never Danced to a Love Song" or "Crazy," but "There's No Me Without You," "Don't Take Your Love," "Hurt," "Kiss and Say Goodbye," "I Kinda Miss You," "It Feels So Good to Be Loved So Bad," "Am I Losing You," and "Shining Star" are all present – and several fine lesser-known singles and album tracks are added for good measure. Although the collection might be a bit too extensive for casual fans, it's the definitive overview of the Manhattans' time as a smooth soul group, illustrating how they helped develop the quiet storm subgenre.