The Impressions The Complete A & B Sides 1961 1968 (2009)

At nine discs and 244 tracks, The Complete Stax-Volt Singles: 1959-1968 is far too exhaustive for casual fans, but that's not who the set is designed for – it's made for the collector. Featuring every A-side the label released during those nine years, as well as several B-sides, the set is a definitive portrait of gritty, deep Southern soul. Many of the genre's major names – Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Carla Thomas, Booker T. & the MG's, William Bell, Rufus Thomas, the Bar-Kays, Albert King – plus many terrific one-shot wonders are showcased in terrific sound and augmented with an in-depth booklet.

5CD box set mini LP replica sleeves, containing a quintet of original albums from the legendary Soul diva: Aretha Now, I Never Loved A Man The Way I Love You, Lady Soul, Live At The Fillmore and Spirit In The Dark.

Sandy Coast was a Dutch beat group from Voorburg mainly in the late sixties and early seventies was popular. Her best-known hits were True love that's a miracle from 1971 and The eyes of Jenny from 1981. The lead singer of the group was Hans Vermeulen.

Gary Lewis & The Playboys - The Complete Liberty Singles (2009) {2CD Set, EMI Music CCM-2013 rec 1966-1970}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 408 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 246 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 39 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1966-70, 2009 Collectors' Choice Music / EMI Music Special Markets | CCM-2013 / 509996-96951-2-4
Pop / Rock / AM Pop / Oldies / Soft Rock / Pop Rock

Although they weren't particularly innovative, and nothing they recorded ever changed the course of rock or pop music one iota, Gary Lewis & the Playboys don't really deserve the marginalization they've gotten to the footnote side of rock & roll history. They were a 1960s singles band, pure and simple, and the perfect example of a "summer band," one that plays fun songs full of bright harmonies, specializing in melodic singalongs that made up for what they lacked in depth by being infectious and persistent. Yeah, drummer and singer Gary Lewis was the son of comedian and star Jerry Lewis, but that's just the footnote to a footnote. Lewis could sing, and he was skilled enough at it to do it while he was playing drums, so forget any notions that his recording career was due entirely to privilege.

This may seem like a strange way to listen to a group's legacy, 42 songs on 11 CD platters in a box. It is a bit pricey, as well, but going up four songs at a time with the Animals sort of makes sense, at least as far as distilling down their most successful and interesting work. The group never quite got the hang of making successful albums; that doesn't mean that they didn't do some very good ones, including their two for EMI, but their 12" platter sales never remotely matched the popularity of their nine hit singles from 1964 through 1966. Their EPs were a different matter - while the group strained in the studio to assemble 40 minutes of attractive listening, their songs made great four-track platters. In England, they issued five extended-play singles, while in France the group saw twice that many issued in their name, both by EMI Records and the Barclay label…

Slim Harpo - Buzzin' The Blues: The Complete Slim Harpo (2015) {5CD Box Set, Bear Family BCD 17339 EK}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 1.56 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 935 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 41 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2015 Bear Family | BCD 17339 EK
Blues / Electric Blues / Harmonica Blues / Swamp Blues

Back when the Rolling Stones were proud to be the voice of revolt and Mick Jagger was as far away from his knighthood as Zayn Malik is from a seat in the House of Lords, they were, very occasionally, modest, not to say humble. A couple years after cutting their eponymous first album in 1964, chock full of covers of blues and rhythm and blues songs by black artists including a buzz-toned slice of anthropomorphism about our favourite honey-making insect, Jagger told Rolling Stone magazine: “You could say that we did blues to turn people on, but why they would be turned on by us is unbelievably stupid. I mean what's the point in listening to us doing ‘I’m a King Bee’ when you can hear Slim Harpo do it?”

The Turtles - The Complete Original Albums Collection (2016) {6CD Set FloEdCo MFO 48047 Official Digital Download rec 1965-70}
FLAC (tracks) - 16bit/44kHz - Official Digital Download (qobuz.com) -> 2.24 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 876 Mb | Cover | 5% repair rar
© 1965-70, 2016 Flo & Eddie Inc. (FloEdCo) / Manifesto Records | MFO 48047
Pop Rock / AM Pop / Folk Rock / Sunshine Pop / Psychedelic

Judging from their radio hits, the Turtles were one of the best American pop bands of the '60s, crafting a series of engaging singles that were tuneful, witty, and fueled by a potent mix of Brill Building professionalism and knowing musical experimentation. But while one could certainly get a perspective on their genius through hits like "Happy Together," "Eleanor," "She's Rather Be with Me," and "You Baby," it was on their albums (and the B-sides of their 45s) where they let their imaginations run free and cut their wittiest and most ambitious material.