The+j.b.'s

Five CD box set containing a quintet of original albums from this Blues/Rock/Pop outfit: "Live" Full House, Bloodshot, Ladies Invited, The J. Geils Band and The Morning After.

William "Bootsy" Collins' (bass/vocals/guitar/percussion) short but highly influential tenure with James Brown in the '70s proved to have a lasting impact – not only on the artist, but anyone who heard the audacious funk that Bootsy, his brother Phelps "Catfish" Collins (guitar), and Frankie "Kash" Waddy (drums) brought to Brown's self-proclaimed "New Breed Band" – who were soon rechristened the J.B.'s…

James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer, and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the honorific nicknames "Godfather of Soul", "Mr. Dynamite", and "Soul Brother No. 1". In a career that lasted more than 50 years, he influenced the development of several music genres…

One of the most delightful bands of the mid- to late-'60s, the Lovin' Spoonful, led by John Sebastian's songwriting and singing, had a string of good-time hits in the latter part of the decade, all of which are here, including the classics "Do You Believe in Magic?," "Daydream," and the thundering "Summer in the City," as well as the infectious did/didn't series "Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind?," "I Didn't Want to Have to Do It," and "You Didn't Have to Be So Nice," all three of which have refreshingly simple melodies and approaches…

By this point Brown's insane schedule was catching up to him. He seemingly had singles or albums coming out on a weekly basis, and Reality finds him at an artistic impasse. Released in late 1974, Reality was one of the few of his '70s albums recorded entirely in N.Y., with and without the J.B.'s…

Strong but delicate, deliberate but subtle, driven but supple, Masaaki Suzuki's 2005 recording of Bach's Italian Concerto and French Overture for harpsichord are quite convincing in their own distinctive way…