The Best From Collins Era

Can it get any better? If aliens came down needing to know what funk was all about, in all its talented, embrace-anything-and-everything, screw with your head and get your butt down glory, then this is a prime candidate for what to give them. The man, his voice, his bass, the backing of a prime core band including his guitarist brother Catfish, Fred Wesley, and Maceo Parker leading the brass – beautiful, hilarious, and just plain great. This one-disc collection could easily be a two-disc or more if one wanted to include every last highlight from Collins' up-down-all-around career – his work with James Brown alone is beyond the bomb – but when it comes to solo work, this is as perfect a place to start as any. Drawing mostly on the albums done with the active help of George Clinton in the late '70s, Back in the Day is a model for what a good compilation should be. Sound is excellent throughout, while full details on who plays what and where, along with where everything came from in the first place, all appear in exhaustive detail. The liner notes, meanwhile, come from longtime funk road manager (Brown, Prince, plenty of others) Alan Leeds, explaining every step of Collins' wonderful story.

The hardest working man in show business brings down the House Of Blues with a live concert event in Las Vegas. James Brown's influential music, uninhibited style and energetic stage presence are captured like never before. Generations of fans rejoice as the undisputed 'Godfather Of Soul' takes his diverse audience on a journey through five decades of chart-topping hits. This disc also features an on-camera interview with the producers and a bonus performance by Tomi Rae.

Pop icon Phil Collins first rose to major fame as drummer and then lead singer for British prog-rock supergroup Genesis. It was with Collins at the mic that the band rose to arena-act stature. Collins' massive popularity as a solo artist, however, eclipsed even that level of success, as the soft-spoken superstar–who started as a child actor on the London stage–went on to become one of the biggest names in popular music over the next two decades. The irresistible charm of Phil Collins turned him into one of the top pop stars of the MTV era. Here are almost two hours of his best from 1981 to 2003: his hits One More Night; Against All Odds, and Everyday plus You'll Be in My Heart, alongside previously-unreleased tracks such as "Somewhere", "I’ve Been Trying" and "Always".