Highlights Bear

Five more CDs of Connie Francis, picking up right where Bear Family's earlier White Sox, Pink Lipstick set left off, in 1960 – although its 300-plus minutes of music only cover the period of 1960 to 1962. By this time, Connie Francis was established as one of the top female vocal talents of her generation, and she was ready to experiment – you hear her successful move into country music, wonderful outtakes, and never-issued songs from her early-'60s sessions…

A characteristically humongous (8-CD) box set from the wonderful obsessive-compulsives at Bear Family, documenting the Killer's '60s tenure at Smash Records. Lewis made consistently good music during this period, but the combination of his personal scandals and the British Invasion made him a pariah to radio programmers until mid-decade, when he returned to his country roots. Highlights of the set include the entirety of a Texas live show, with Lewis and his crack band rendering various early rock standards at dangerously high (i.e., proto punk) speed, some excellent duets with his (then) wife Linda Gail, and gorgeous renditions of standards like Willie Nelson's "Funny How Time Slips Away" and Merle Haggard's "Lonesome Fugitive." Lewis fans with deep pockets should grab this one immediately…

Hank Garland - Hank Garland and His Sugar Footers (1992) {Bear Family BCD15551 rec 1949-1957}
XLD rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 165 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 114 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 21 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1949-57, 1992 Decca / Chic / Bear Family Records | BCD 15551 AH
Country / Jazz / Nashville Sound / Guitar

The 1961 road accident that left Hank Garland unable to play cut short one of the most promising careers in country music. In 1949, Hank played on Red Foley's Sugarfoot Rag, and suddenly the world took notice of this incredible 18 year-old guitar prodigy. He was signed to Decca, and this set comprises his Decca sides from 1949 to 1951 and his 1957 Chic session.