Sacd Doobie

If you were challenged to name five rock albums that epitomized the '70s, Frampton Comes Alive! should probably top the list. Former Humble Pie guitarist Peter Frampton recorded a few perfectly fine albums with his band Frampton's Camel, but it wasn't until some of those tracks were recorded at a live performance in San Francisco and released as Frampton Comes Alive! that he became a household name. Buoyant pop, sentimental ballads, arena rock–this album has it all. This 25th-anniversary remastered package features three previously unreleased tracks from the source shows, plus an additional selection recorded at the time as a radio promo.

As influential in its own way as early '70s efforts by Sly and the Family Stone, Stevie Wonder, Curtis Mayfield, and Marvin Gaye, the Isley Brothers' 3+3 took black music to the next level. Combining frontline vocalists O'Kelly, Ronald, and Rudolph with the instrumental chops of younger brothers Ernie and Marvin, plus brother-in-law Chris Jasper, the group broke out with the smoking single "That Lady," featuring Ernie's Hendrixian guitar. They followed it up with some soulful reworkings of rock songs of the moment (which, as luck would have it, all turned into certified classics), including the Doobie Brothers' "Listen to the Music," Seals and Crofts's "Summer Breeze," and James Taylor's "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight." It's hard to imagine now how daring a strategy that was at the time, but the results sounds as fine today as ever.

Blue-eyed soul crooner Michael McDonald gave his career a much-needed shot in the arm with 2003's Motown, a commercially well-received collection that matched the one-time Doobie Brother and '80s solo star's rich vocals with songs from Hitsville's peak. Fans of Motown, The Doobie Brothers, and of course, Michael McDonald will love, "Motown".