Icon Icon 2

Icon 2, the 24-track big brother to the single-disc Icon, expertly chronicles the Scorpions from their late-'70s and early-'80s heydays through their 2010 farewell release, Sting in the Tail…

The only three-time Rock `n' Roll Hall Of Fame inductee (The Yardbirds, Cream & as a solo artist), Eric Clapton is one of the very few artists whose enormous popularity is equaled by the respect given him by critics and peers alike. And rightly so, as demonstrated by these two new collections. The single ICON focuses on Clapton's career from the landmark Derek & The Dominos recordings through the remarkable hits that established "Slowhand" as the important solo artist he continues to be. The double CD ICON expands upon that vision to include key tracks from Cream and Blind Faith, while digging further into his massively successful career from Derek & The Dominos onward.

This svelte yet meaty 12-track collection of singles dutifully serves up the German metal legends’ most recognizable cuts, from the classic rock radio hits (“Rock You Like a Hurricane,” “No One Like You,” “Big City Nights”) to the “lighters/cell phones in the air” arena ballads ( “Still Loving You,” “Wind of Change”)…

Universal’s 2010 collection Icon 2 expands the simultaneously released 12-track Icon by another 12-track CD that covers the group’s '80s hits. Although this material isn’t quite as well regarded as the ‘70s hits that make up the first disc, this does make for a good overview of the band’s peak and includes such latter-day staples as “I Love It Loud,” “Lick It Up,” “Heaven’s on Fire,” “Crazy Crazy Nights,” and “God Gave Rock 'n' Roll to You II.”

Universal's double-disc Icon doubles the size of their single-disc set of the same name and covers the same ground only in greater detail, adding a few more live tracks and studio staples to draw a greater picture of his ABC and MCA recordings of the late ‘60s, ‘70s, and beyond. It’s a bit shorter than 2006’s Gold and not quite as rounded, yet it’s still a very good sampler of B.B. King at his latter-day best.

No Doubt’s 2010 installment in Universal’s ongoing Icon series is a retitled reissue of the excellent 2003 compilation The Singles 1992-2003. Spanning 15 tracks, the disc is sequenced like a concert, favoring forward momentum over chronological history, and that's a point in its favor since it shines a spotlight on individual songs, not eras. More than anything, this highlights No Doubt's consistency as a singles band, since the defining breakthrough single, "Just a Girl," is as exciting as both the band's pre-fame "Trapped in a Box" and the sexy neo-electro grind of "Hella Good." It also shows that even if lead singer Gwen Stefani grew increasingly assured and sexier over the years (compare the seductive "Underneath It All" to the breathy, naïve "Don't Speak") and even if she was always rightly the focal point, the band itself is a muscular, versatile, tuneful outfit, rooted in ska revivals like "Spiderwebs" but equally convincing when turning out spiky pop like the glorious "New," the hard-rocking "Sunday Morning" and "Ex-Girlfriend," the sighing ballad "Simple Kind of Life," or the rubbery, reggae-inflected "Hey Baby".

Universal’s 2010 collection Icon rounds up recordings Johnny Cash made during his stint on Mercury in the ‘80s, which means that the versions of “I Walk the Line,” “Cry Cry Cry,” “Guess Things Happen That Way,” “Get Rhythm,” “Hey Porter,” “Wanted Man,” “Ring of Fire,” and “Folsom Prison Blues” included here are not the original hit versions. They’re perfectly fine remakes supported by such ‘80s vintage recordings as “The Night Hank Williams Came to Town” and a cover of Harry Chapin’s “Cat’s in the Cradle.” This will inevitably be a let-down for those looking for the originals, but they’re solid versions and this collection is enjoyable for what it is.