The Complete Hank Williams

Between 1986 and 1987, Mercury launched its first effort to chronicle Hank Williams' complete recorded works, releasing a series of eight double albums/single CDs which were later collected as a box set. Both the individual compilations and the box set were pulled from the market in the '90s, clearing the way for The Complete Hank Williams, a ten-disc box set which purported to contain all of Williams' recordings…

Hank Williams, Jr. - The Complete Hank Williams, Jr. (1999) {3CD Set, Curb Records D2-77944}
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© 1999 Curb Records / D2-77944
Country / Honky-Tonk / Outlaw Country / Country-Rock

To be fair, the title of The Complete Hank Williams, Jr. is disingenuous, since three discs are hardly enough space to cover his complete recordings or even his complete recordings for Curb Records. So, forget the title and concentrate on the music, which is a distillation of his decade-long stint at Curb. Granted, these ten years found Williams coasting to a certain extent, relying more on his superstar status than pushing his music forward, but that doesn't mean that the music itself is weak. There are a few cuts that don't quite measure up with the best of his work, but there's little arguing that the compilers have done an excellent job of rounding up the highlights from these uneven years, resulting in an exhaustive survey of Williams' latter-day work that will be useful for fans that want to dig deep yet don't want to invest in his entire catalog.

Hank Mobley - The Complete Hank Mobley Blue Note Sessions 1963-1970 (2019) {8CD Box Set, Mosaic MD8-268}
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© 1963-70, 2019 Blue Note / Mosaic Records / UMG | MD8-268
Jazz / Hard Bop / Saxophone

An amazing run of music – some of our favorite albums ever recorded for the Blue Note label, and the legendary second chapter of the career of tenor genius Hank Mobley! Hank was already a hell of a tenor player when he came on the scene in the 50s – graced with this deeply soulful style that helped usher in a whole new generation of talents on the instrument – but during his final years at Blue Note, he really took off with amazing new ideas, unusual rhythms, mindblowing arrangements, and the kind of compositional skill she never showed at the start!

Johnny Cash - The Complete Mercury Recordings 1986-1991 (2020) {7CD Set, Universal Music 0602567726951}
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© 1986-91, 2020 Mercury / UMe ‎| 0602567726951
Country / Country-Pop / Traditional Country / Country-Folk

In 1986, after almost 30 years on Columbia Records, Country music legend Johnny Cash released his first album on Mercury Records – Class Of ’55, in collaboration with fellow Sun Records alumni Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins. Seven years later, his last recording before signing with Rick Rubin’s American Recordings would be another collaboration, “The Wanderer”, with U2.

Johnny Smith - The Complete Roost Johnny Smith Small Group Sessions (1952-64) {8CD Box Set Mosaic MD8-216 rel 2002}
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© 1952-64, 2002 Roost / Mosaic Records / EMI | MD8-216
Jazz / Cool / Guitar

Johnny Smith is an exquisite jazz guitarist known mostly to fellow musicians and serious jazz fans. This beautifully packaged and expertly annotated eight-CD limited-edition boxed set from Mosaic includes his complete small-group recordings for Roost, most of which have languished out of print for decades. Smith's unique voicings on his instrument set him apart from other players, yet he maintains a lush, crystal-clear tone no matter the tempo or setting.

Sonny Stitt - The Complete Roost Sonny Stitt Studio Sessions (1952-65) {9CD Box Set Mosaic MD9-208 rel 2001}
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© 1952-65, 2001 Mosaic Records / Capitol / EMI | MD9-208 | 24-bit remaster
Jazz / Bop / Saxophone

Under the watchful eye of famed producer Michael Cuscuna, this nine-CD set serves as a compilation of Stitt's 1950s and 1960s Roost LPs. This release also features a 28-page booklet consisting of comprehensively annotated liners. Moreover, the record label does its best to convey the artistic element via a series of black-and-white photos of Stitt and his sidemen amid anecdotes by many of the late saxophonist's affiliates. Interestingly enough, seven of the original LPs did not list personnel. In some instances, guesses were made, although most of these tracks are well-documented, thanks to the producer's diligence and painstaking research. Artists such as drummer Roy Haynes, bassist/composer Charles Mingus, and pianist Harold Maber represent but a few of Stitt's accompanists.

Charlie Ventura & Flip Phillips - The Complete Verve/Clef Studio Sessions (1998) {6CD Box Set Mosaic MD6-182 rec 1947-1957}
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© 1947-57, 1998 Verve / Clef / Mosaic Records / PolyGram | MD6-182
Jazz / Bop / Cool / Mainstream Jazz / Saxophone

Although they were never major influences, both Flip Phillips and Charlie Ventura had their moments of fame and were entertaining and hard-swinging tenor saxophonists. This 1998 limited-edition six-CD box set from Mosaic is typically wondrous with quite a few little-heard gems included among the 116 selections (five previously unreleased, three of which are alternate takes). The first two CDs feature Charlie Ventura during 1951-1954, right after his "Bop for the People" band broke up.