a Kind of Loving 1962

Universally hailed as the reigning king of the blues, the legendary B.B. King is without a doubt the single most important electric guitarist of the last half century…

Authoritative and comprehensive, this 55CD set presents a unique period in human history: a period when brilliant recorded sound on LP & CD, plus radio, TV, film and live all combined to offer huge new opportunities for singers, record labels and producers to expand the audience for classical music. This box set puts the spotlight on fifty-five unique voices whose music and art shaped the century. Included are also the debut recitals of some of todays biggest names, underlining Deccas unparalleled ability at spotting vocal talent.

20 original albums recorded beetween 1959 and 1975 on the legendary soul label Atlantic, including Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett and Solomon Burke‘s masterpieces, the classic Stax/Volt recordings by Booker T. & The M.G.’s, Rufus Thomas, Sam and Dave, Eddie Floyd and Ben E. King, Percy Sledge, Don Covay and Donny Hathaway’s legendary LPs. Also includes material previously unreleased on CD, such as Sam Dee's classic The Show Must Go On.

Unit 4+2 was a one-hit wonder that probably deserved better. As one of the better acoustic-electric bands of the mid-'60s, the group stormed the charts with one memorable hit, "Concrete and Clay," scoring on both sides of the Atlantic, but they were never able to come up with a follow-up that was as catchy. The group originated with guitarist Brian Parker and an instrumental band from Hertfordshire called the Hunters, who recorded for the Fontana label in 1961. Parker left the Hunters in early 1962 and joined Adam Faith's backing band the Roulettes. He didn't stay long with the latter band, preferring to put together a group of his own with the emphasis on vocals. Parker recruited guitarists Tommy Moeller (with whom he began writing songs) and David Meikle, and singer Brian Moules, and the quartet played gigs at youth clubs and other local venues, and turned professional soon after.

This CD reissues two complete LPs from near the beginning of altoist Cannonball Adderley's career. The first session is quite unusual for Adderley (who was completely unknown just a few months earlier) was given a very early opportunity to record with strings. He sounds fine on 11 standards and Terry Gibbs' "Lonely Dreams" but mostly sticks near the melody while Richard Hayman's Orchestra sounds rather anonymous. The 1958 sessions finds him performing ten songs from the early-'40s Duke Ellington show "Jump for Joy" (including "Just Squeeze Me," "I Got It Bad," and "Jump for Joy") while accompanied by a string quartet, a rhythm section, and trumpeter Emmett Berry; Bill Russo provided the generally stimulating arrangements. The formerly rare music on this CD is enjoyable but not as essential as Adderley's slightly later Riverside albums.

2014 original album series 5 CD set, in LP replica papersleeves. Collects five classic UK Mersey beat albums: Gerry & the Pacemakers' "How Do You Like It?" (1963) & "Ferry Cross the Mersey" (1965), plus the Swinging Blue Jeans' "Blue Jeans A'Swinging" (1964), Billy J Kramer with the Dakotas' "Listen…" and the Fourmost "The First & the Fourmost (1965)…