Never Ever by Willow Rose

Any discussion of the Top 100 '90s Rock Albums will have to include some grunge, and this one is no different. A defining element of that decade, the genre (and the bands that rose to fame playing it) was given credit for revitalizing rock at a badly needed moment. That said, there's far more to the story. Our list of the Top 100 '90s Rock Albums, presented in chronological order, takes in the rich diversity of the period.

Art Tatum - TatumArt (1934-1956) {10 CDs+DVD5 NTSC Set, Storyville Records 108 8603 rel 2008}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 2.36 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 1.70 Gb
DVD5 -> 678 Mb | All Regions | NTSC 4:3 | English (LinearPCM, 2 ch) | ISO Image
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 54 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1934-56, 2008 Storyville Records | 108 8603
Jazz / Swing / Stride / Boogie-Woogie / Piano

This boxed set consists of 10 CD and 1 DVD comprising 212 tracks and 12½ hours of playing time. They range in date from early 1934 to mid-October 1956, only three weeks before Tatum’s death. None of the tracks in this box was recorded in a studio for ultimate sale to the public. With the exception of some recordings made for the U.S. government, they are all live performances, from a wide variety of sources, including off-the-air radio broadcasts, the audio portion of his limited TV appearances, private parties, night club performances, after-hours clubs, transcriptions, recordings in private homes (including his own), and tracks from pressings made gratis for the Voice of America, and for the U.S. Armed Forces during World War II.

Ultra-Lounge is a series of compilation CDs released by Capitol Records, featuring music predominantly from the 1950s and 1960s in genres such as exotica, space age pop, mambo, television theme songs, and lounge. Many of the volumes have since been made available for purchase via digital download. Each CD featured detailed liner notes along with two related drink recipes, tips on how to serve drinks to guests, and often photographs of sculptures made out of bartender items and other objects.

Aptly titled, 'The Great Vocalists Of Jazz & Entertainment', culls 748 of the absolute finest recordings by top singers of the pre-rock era of the '30s, '40s & '50s. All recordings are digitally remastered and over 20 top names are featured, including Billie Holiday, Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, Bing Crosby, Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole, Louis Armstrong, Sarah Vaughan, Lena Horne and Perry Como. Each artist has at least one disc devoted to solely to their repertoire; most have two (Billie & Frank deservedly have three apiece). Hou sed in a sealed, full color 5' x 6' x 8' box, it contains 20 double slimline jewelcases.

Buddy Rich - Argo, Emarcy & Verve Small Group Sessions (1953-61) [7CD Set] (2005) {Mosaic MD7-232}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 2.17 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 1.02 Gb
Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 39 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2005 Mosaic / Universal | MD7-232 | 24-bit remaster
Jazz / Mainstream Jazz / Bop / Drums

Buddy Rich, the most remarkable drummer to ever play jazz, can easily have his career divided into three. During 1937-1945 he was a notable sideman with big bands including those of Bunny Berigan, Artie Shaw, and Tommy Dorsey. In 1966 he formed his own successful orchestra that capitulated him to his greatest fame. During the 20 years in between, Rich led short-lived bebop big bands, a variety of combos, toured with Jazz at the Philharmonic, recorded with all-star groups, and had stints with the orchestras of Dorsey and Harry James. This seven-CD set draws its material from Rich's second period and it can also be divided into two. The first half has Rich recording for producer Norman Granz in a variety of combos.

This is a great collection of rare and hard to find tunes compiled by Jeffrey Glenn. Hundreds of odds & ends by little known groups, famous singers, and famous singers before they became famous.

The Modern Jazz Quartet - The Complete Atlantic Studio Recordings 1956-1964 (2011) {7 CD Box Set Mosaic MD7-249}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 2.97 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 1.23 Gb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 285 Mb | 5% repair rar | 24-bit remaster
© 1956-64, 2011 Mosaic / Atlantic / Rhino | MD7-249
Jazz / Cool / Bop / Third Stream / Piano / Vibes

That sound. One group conceived it. Defined it. Perfected it. The Modern Jazz Quartet was certainly one of the most distinctive voices in the history of jazz, thanks to the unique qualities of personal expression and collective vision of its members Milt Jackson, John Lewis, Percy Heath and Connie Kay (who had replaced original drummer Kenny Clarke by the time the band started recording this music). They were also exceptionally prolific during their tenure at Atlantic Records, producing 14 albums in eight years. And now, that MJQ sound gets the complete respect it deserves, thanks to our new box, The Complete 1956-1964 Modern Jazz Quartet Atlantic Studio Recordings.

Dan Morganstern makes an excellent point in his liner notes when he laments the tendency to refer to Roy Eldridge as a “link between Louis Armstrong and Dizzy Gillespie.” For one thing, Diz eschewed the kind of brilliant trumpet tone that characterized the work of Eldridge and Armstrong. Considered in this light, if one starts with Armstrong’s early achievements and then looks for anything like that kind of distilled joy in all the subsequent history of the music, one gets no further than the spectacular sides the man they called “Little Jazz” made for Columbia in January 1937. There’s just no one after that to “link” to, ever…