John Mayall Collection

Superlatives are inadequate for the box record company Universal Music recently released. Two hundred hits on ten CDs, hundreds of hits and a lot of TV and news clips on five DVDs and then another book as reference book. It can not be on. The disadvantage of the Testament of the Seventies is that for a hundred euros a hefty investment. The advantage that you are now ready to be a hit with your Seventies Collection.

Compilation CD's. Those Classic Golden Years - An Essential collection the second half of the sixties and the early seventies…

Some Peter Green fans might be put off by this 64-song/four-CD collection, owing to the fact that they are likely to already own a significant chunk of what's here (especially the Fleetwood Mac material). (And in fairness, there apparently isn't a lot of – or any – unreleased material to draw on from Green's classic period with the band). But this reviewer had to spring for this four-and-a-half hour showcase of his work, and for one major reason – vitality. Green's virtuosity is a given, and his taste and his insights into blues and what can be done with it – while still leaving it as blues – are well known to anyone who's heard his work.

The "In Crowd - The Ultimate Collection" from the original style movement 1958-1967 was a monumental music collection, and the fact that it managed to collect such a wide and eclectic movement made the album essential. What stood out was the fact that the album for the most part stayed away from the obvious tracks and wasn't simply a greatest hits of the sixties album.