Don Jones

2012 three CD collection from Blank & Jones. After the success of the So8os compilation it was about time to bring u another exciting decade… the 90's! The concept of So9os is a bit different from So8os. When they got deeper into it, they saw how diversified the '90s were, with a lot of different musical genres. So they decided to dig deeper and find out which songs still sound fresh after 20 years and really have a great production. They also decided to keep the whole dance music explosion from 1995 onwards aside. Not just keep their own career as musicians and producers aside, but also not to focus on only one musical genre. The first So9os release includes some massive tunes from Enigma, Simply Red, Seal, Duran Duran, New Order and many others.

In this instance, "deluxe collection" denotes six songs that blues guitarist Peter Malick recorded with vocalist Norah Jones before she hit it big, a (previously released) EP's worth of material padded here into a two-disc, 31-cut set of radio edits, club mixes, dub mixes, and DJ remixes, with only eight of them previously unreleased. (There are nine versions of the set-opening "New York City" alone.) The material stretches itself pretty thin, as the equal billing given Jones with Malick (the only two members of the "Peter Malick Group" who appear throughout) aims to attract Norah Jones completists or tempt those who might confuse this with one of her own releases.

As with the other volumes in Blank & Jones' 12"-oriented So80s series, the selections here are mostly from the first half of the '80s, and they balance major pop hits with relatively deeper cuts as a way to catch the interest of a wide listening base. This fourth volume includes extended mixes of Gang of Four's "Is It Love," the Cure's "Close to Me," and Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark's "Telegraph," as well as alternate mixes of ABC's "King Without a Crown," Propaganda's "Dr. Mabuse," and Act's "Snobbery and Decay." The CD edition contains a DJ mix from the German duo, while tracks are provided unmixed on discs two and three.

In this instance, "deluxe collection" denotes six songs that blues guitarist Peter Malick recorded with vocalist Norah Jones before she hit it big, a (previously released) EP's worth of material padded here into a two-disc, 31-cut set of radio edits, club mixes, dub mixes, and DJ remixes, with only eight of them previously unreleased. (There are nine versions of the set-opening "New York City" alone.) The material stretches itself pretty thin, as the equal billing given Jones with Malick (the only two members of the "Peter Malick Group" who appear throughout) aims to attract Norah Jones completists or tempt those who might confuse this with one of her own releases.

Tom Jones became one of the most popular vocalists to emerge from the British Invasion. Since the mid-'60s, Jones has sung nearly every form of popular music – pop, rock, show tunes, country, dance, and techno, he's sung it all. His actual style – a full-throated, robust baritone that had little regard for nuance and subtlety – never changed, he just sang over different backing tracks. On-stage, Jones played up his sexual appeal; it didn't matter whether he was in an unbuttoned shirt or a tuxedo, he always radiated a raw sexuality that earned him a large following of devoted female fans who frequently threw underwear on-stage. Jones' following never diminished over the decades; he was able to exploit trends, earning new fans while retaining his core following.

Tom Jones Gold is a two-disc, 42-track set that does an admirable job of mixing all his major hits recorded between 1965 and 1975 for the American Parrot label with well-chosen album tracks and B-sides. Interestingly, the U.K. Deram versions of Jones' singles and albums would occasionally differ slightly from the U.S. releases. All eight of those tracks are wisely included on Gold along with remastered favorites like "Delilah," "She's a Lady," "What's New Pussycat?" "Green, Green Grass of Home," "I (Who Have Nothing)" and "Help Yourself." Recommended for those who want to go a step beyond the average greatest-hits package.