VA Classic Selection 2

Following on from the highly successful Classic Americana, comes the sequel Classic Americana 2. Chock full of sounds from the west coast, the 2CD collection includes U.S. superstars The Beach Boys, Bob Dylan, The Doors, Fleetwood Mac, Simon & Garfunkel and more!

Spirituals, guitar evangelists, "shout" bands, quartets, and choirs sing out the sacred sounds of African American gospel music. This Smithsonian Folkways "Classic" spans over a half century of select recordings to paint a broad panorama of this cherished American musical creation. Reverend Gary Davis, Sister Ernestine Washington, Sonny Terry, the Fisk Jubilee Singers, and Elizabeth Cotten are among those featured on these 24 tracks of soulful song.

Originally released in 1995 this was the twenty-sixth release from the original Beechwood owned 'Mastercuts' team, and features 12 records chosen by Lindsay Wesker - previously a noted writer and contributor to 'Black Echoes' magazine.

With a selection of indelible recordings made over 70 years, Classic Piedmont Blues captures the essence of this fascinating blues tradition. Originating in the foothills of Southern Appalachia, the Piedmont blues served as a breeding ground for cross-pollination between traditions: rural and urban, black and white, country and coastal. Swept up on the tide of the Great Migration, it was carried from the Carolinas and Virginia, north and east through Maryland and Washington, D.C., to New York City and back again. Featuring influential artists like John Jackson, Cephas & Wiggins, Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee, and many others, this collection offers an illuminating overview of the Piedmont style. 64 minutes, 36-page booklet with extensive notes.

War, social injustice, personal plaints, and calls for action have long fueled musical creation and performance. In Classic Protest Songs, Mark Gustafson and Jeff Place tap the historic Smithsonian audio collections to compile 22 songs favored by leaders of antiwar, civil rights, industrial labor, farm worker, and other struggles to air their grievances. Woody Guthrie, Lead Belly, Janis Ian, Big Bill Broonzy, Pete Seeger, Barbara Dane, Guy Carawan, Phil Ochs, and other marquee artists let their voices ring out with calls for peace and justice.

50 years after May 68, Classic 21 has selected for you the iconic titles that marked this era of challenge in a superb 4CD box that currently ranks at the top of the sales of the Ultratop!