Classic 100

The April Wine entry in Capitol Records' midline-priced Classic Masters series is a reasonable best-of culled from the group's tenure at Capitol from the late '70s to the mid-'80s.

Jimmy Smith - Eight Classic Albums [4CD BoxSet] (2011) {Real Gone Jazz}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 1.41 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 715 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (jpg) -> 133 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2011 Real Gone Jazz | RGJCD257
Jazz / Soul Jazz / Hard Bop / Hammond B-3

Playing piano-style single-note lines on his Hammond B-3 organ, Jimmy Smith revolutionized the use of the instrument in a jazz combo setting in the mid-'50s and early '60s with his recordings for Blue Note Records, creating the template and setting the stage for what became known as soul-jazz. This four-disc box combines eight of his 1950s LPs for Blue Note, including A New Sound, a New Star, Vol. 1 (1956), A New Sound, a New Star, Vol. 2 (1956), The Incredible Jimmy Smith at the Organ, Vol. 3 (1956), At Club Baby Grand, Vol. 1 (1956), At Club Baby Grand, Vol. 2 (1956), The Sounds of Jimmy Smith (1957), A Date with Jimmy Smith, Vol. 1 (1957), and A Date with Jimmy Smith, Vol. 2 (1957).

"Classic Album Selection" is an album collection of one the best rock bands ever: Thin Lizzy. The box set contains the following 6 original albums (with original masters) by the Irish legends: "Nightlife" (1974), "Fighting" (1975), "Jailbreak" (1976), "Johnny The Fox" (1976), "Bad Reputation" (1977) and "Black Rose: A Rock Legend" (1979). Each packed in mini LP paper sleeves, the design goes along with the other already released classic album selections. A great box set for all fans or those who want to add a new gem to their collection of the band's material.

This collection provides a great value, especially if you total up the costs of each album separately. There are a few issues of which you should be aware. Sound quality is acceptable, but not spectacular. Audiophiles will hate these discs, but I assure you that they are listenable. More importantly, these are not cheesy 'needle drop' transfers from scratchy LPs. Plus these are from albums recorded in the late 1950s/early 1960s during an era when recording technology was rapidly improving. If you compare these to some of the albums to which I've linked below you will see that the ones in this collection do not have bonus tracks. In all cases you are getting tracks that were released on the original album. The six albums span four discs.