Abc Paramount

Allmusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Standards is a 17-track collection of Ray Charles' versions of classic pop songs, culled recordings he made for Atlantic, ABC/Paramount, ABC/TRC, and Crossover/Atlantic between 1959 and 1977. There are a handful of hits – "Georgia on My Mind," "Ruby," "That Lucky Old Sun," "Without Love (There Is Nothing)," "Makin' Whoopee" – but the collection concentrates on little-known album tracks and live cuts. Although the steady stream of repackages from Rhino can be a little overwhelming, the idea behind Standards is attractive, and it's executed well – it's nice to have all these songs on one collection, even if the live cuts can be a little distracting. Certainly, anyone looking for a collection of mellow ballads from Charles will not be disappointed by this set.

B.B. King - King Of The Blues (1992) [4CD Box Set]
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC+CUE+LOG -> 1,73 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 649 Mb
Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 6 Mb (web)
© 1992 MCA Records | MCAD4-10677
Blues / Soul Blues / Modern Electric Blues

No way can a mere four discs cover every facet of the blues king's amazing recording career, but MCA makes a valiant stab at it. The first two discs, as expected, are immaculate: opening with his Bullet Records debut ("Miss Martha King"), the box continues with a handful of pivotal RPM/Kent masters before digging into his 1960s ABC-Paramount material ("I'm Gonna Sit in 'til You Give In" and "My Baby's Comin' Home" are little-recalled gems). The hits – "The Thrill Is Gone," "Why I Sing the Blues," "To Know You Is to Love You" – are all here, and if much of the fourth disc is pretty disposable, it only mirrors King's own winding down in the studio.

This 4-CD set marks the 45th anniversary of Impulse Records. John Coltrane was the first major artist to sign with ABC-Paramount's fledgling subsidiary in 1961 and it was an inspired choice, his rising prominence and adventurous spirit immediately identifying Impulse with a dynamic shift in jazz. With its gatefold album covers and black and orange graphics, Impulse also added some visual panache to the revolution. While Coltrane–represented here by tracks such as "Greensleeves," "Impressions" and a segment from his signature A Love Supreme–was clearly the label's inspiration, Bob Thiele was one of the great jazz record producers, bent on documenting the best veteran musicians as well as the avant-garde. You hear it in superb tracks here from Earl Hines, Count Basie and Coleman Hawkins, as well as stellar performances by major figures of modern jazz like Art Blakey, Sonny Rollins and Charles Mingus. There are also plenty of appearances by Coltrane’s associates, like McCoy Tyner and Alice Coltrane, as well as the revolutionaries that Coltrane and Thiele nurtured, among them Archie Shepp, Albert Ayler and Pharoah Sanders. It all contributes to a survey of what was most vital in jazz in the 1960s and early '70s that no other single label could manage