Yakovlev Ace

Popoloddities is a compilation, which included previously unreleased material.
Having roots as far back as 1959 with The Scavers and later releasing a single Arman Stumpe Dur Express, this Norwegian quintet that released two albums under the Popol Vuh moniker (a Maya mythology-related name), until they became aware of a German band using the same name, they changed their names to Popol Ace. The group went on to release another two albums before folding at the end of the decade. Musically, they sounded much straigjhter progressive rock than their German mystical homonyms: mellotrons and flute parts , funky jazz-rock and softer ballads were among their usual tricks found in their first two albums (S/T and Quiche Maya) under the Vuh name…

Universal International's The Ultimate Collection lives up to its name with a sprawling three-disc (for some people, a single-disc Ace of Base compilation just doesn't cut it) overview of the alternately beloved and reviled Swedish dance-pop outfit's career. For the most part, UC covers all of the same ground as 2000's Greatest Hits, 2003's Singles of the 90s, and Arista's Platinum & Gold Collection, balancing radio behemoths like "Don't Turn Around," "The Sign," and "All That She Wants" with smaller hits such as "Wheel of Fortune" and Bananarama's "Cruel Summer." What distinguishes The Ultimate Collection from previous comps is the inclusion of some deeper album cuts and an entire disc of remixes, in case "The Sign" didn't get stuck in your head the first time around. ~ James Christopher Monger

Loaded Deck is a greatest hits compilation of Ace Frehley's solo career released in 1997, after the widespread Kiss reunion tour. It includes some of Frehley's greatest hits such as "New York Groove", "Rock Soldiers", and a cover of The Move's "Do Ya". Combining six previously released songs with two unreleased songs and four live tracks, Loaded Deck is actually more consistent than some of the official studio albums Ace recorded during the '80s. Re-converted Kiss fans curious about Frehley's solo career may want to check this out, since it's as good a place as any to catch the highlights.

B.B. King - "Here's One You Didn't Know About": from the RPM & Kent Vaults (2015) {Ace Records CDTOP1457 rec 1954-1962}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 413 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 191 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 73 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1954-62, 2015 Modern Records / Ace Records | CDTOP 1457
Blues / Modern Electric Blues / Soul Blues / Early R&B / Memphis Blues

The great bluesman B.B. King, who died in 2015, was one of the few artists whose every note was of interest. This 25-track CD of mostly previously unissued recordings are drawn from his sessions for Modern Records between 1954 and 1962. Be Careful Baby is a rare thing a B.B. King song that has never been released before in any version, while two tracks appeared on Ace's 2014 RPM compilation Speak Easy. The version of Catfish Blues is from a completely different session to the familiar issued version and from B.B.'s commentary appears to be the version he played on the road. There are many comments from B.B. and the band which provide an insight into the recording process and B.B.'s relaxed and informal manner in the studio. The CD ends with a previous unheard interview, recorded backstage at the Fillmore Ballroom in San Francisco with radio station KSAY at the 10/10 spot on your dial. All tracks are from the original master tapes.

Building off a creative surge that started with 2009's Anomaly and the 2011 autobiography No Regrets: A Rock 'N' Roll Memoir, Ace Frehley returns with solo album number eight, a nine-track pick slide of a record that looks to the past, specifically his 1978 solo debut, without feeling mired in sweaty desperation. Of all the members of Kiss, Frehley has always felt the most relatable, and his goofy charm and Bronx-born swagger help to crystallize the unapologetically nostalgia-driven Spaceman into something more than just a ham-fisted cruise down memory lane. There was always an affable blue-collar dude beneath the greasepaint and platformed boot-bolstered persona of Space Ace, and that workmanlike authenticity shines through on standout cuts like "Bronx Boy," "Your Wish Is My Command" (featuring bass from Kiss bandmate Gene Simmons, who also played bass – and nabbed a co-writing credit – on the opener, "Without You I'm Nothing"), and "Rockin' with the Boys," the latter of which was conceived during Kiss' '70s heyday.