The Police Every Breath You Take The Classics (1995){pocm 1990}

In 1937, vibraphonist Lionel Hampton began leading a series of all-star swing recording dates. Although he would still be a member of Benny Goodman's organization for another three years, Hampton was a natural-born leader and his record dates featured top sidemen from a variety of major jazz bands. This CD begins the chronological reissue of all of this music (except alternate takes). Hampton is teamed with players from the Benny Goodman and Duke Ellington orchestras plus a large assortment of guests. Among the many highlights are "Hampton Stomp" (featuring Hampton playing rapid lines on the piano with two fingers), "Stompology," Johnny Hodges on "On the Sunny Side of the Street," and some good spots for Jonah Jones' trumpet.

Along with the Specials, Madness were one of the leading bands of the ska revival of the late '70s and early '80s. As their career progressed, Madness branched away from their trademark "nutty sound" and incorporated large elements of Motown, soul, and British pop. Although the band managed one crossover American hit in 1983, they remained a British phenomenon, influencing several successive generations of musicians and becoming one of the most beloved groups the country produced during the '80s. This box set includes the following albums: One Step Beyond… (1979), Absolutely (1980), The Rise And Fall (1982).

Modern electric blues guitar can be traced directly back to this Texas-born pioneer, who began amplifying his sumptuous lead lines for public consumption circa 1940 and thus initiated a revolution so total that its tremors are still being felt today. Few major postwar blues guitarists come to mind that don't owe T-Bone Walker an unpayable debt of gratitude. B.B. King has long cited him as a primary influence, marveling at Walker's penchant for holding the body of his guitar outward while he played it. Gatemouth Brown, Pee Wee Crayton, Goree Carter, Pete Mayes, and a wealth of other prominent Texas-bred axemen came stylistically right out of Walker during the late '40s and early '50s.