Tex Extra 8

Los Lobos are often referred to as one of music's best kept secrets. Although garnering significant critical acclaim, decent album sales, and a devoted fan base who turn out in droves for every tour, the band never really reached the superstar status of some of the artists, like Stevie Ray Vaughan and Melissa Etheridge, who have opened for them in the past. This might be due to the fact that the band's music is so damn eclectic and hard to categorize. It draws equally from rock, Tex-Mex, country, R&B, blues, and traditional Mexican folk influences. As I watched this performance I was reminded of Santana, Cream, ZZ-Top, and The Allman Brothers all within the span of about four songs. This DVD commemorates Los Lobos' thirty year anniversary as a band, and twenty years since the release of their first full length album How Will The Wolf Survive.

As the 70s drew to a close, the roots and dub sounds that had dominated the Jamaican music scene for much of the decade gave way to dancehall, a style that continued to find favour with reggae fans until the onset of the digital revolution of the mid-1980s. Aimed squarely at satisfying the demands of live audiences, songwriters largely abandoned the conscious lyrics that had typified the music of the preceding years, focusing instead on subjects which with their Jamaican audiences could readily identify.

"Texican Style: Live From Austin" captures the band's historic performance to over 25,000 fans in Spring of 2004 - Austin's biggest concert ever. Performances include "Heaven", songs from their Platinum-selling debut CD and previously unreleased songs, while bonus features include interviews, a tour of the boys' hometown. and more. Los Lonely Boys are the three Garza brothers: Henry on guitar, Jojo on bass, and Ringo on drums.

Over 100 country, blues, pop and gospel titles covering all facets of the war featuring: The Louvin Brothers, Fats Domino, Jean Shephard, B.B. King, Gene Autry and dozens of other artists (even old Douglas MacArthur returns for a cameo!). Rarely heard documentary material including patriotic Public Service Announcements, field news reports and even a plea for blood donations from Howdy Doody! A heavily illustrated, full-color book containing extensive artist and song notes plus a Korean War history.

Biography by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
With their fusion of blues, rock & roll, and R&B, the Fabulous Thunderbirds helped popularize roadhouse Texas blues with a mass audience in the '80s and, in the process, they helped kick-start a blues revival during the mid-'80s. During their heyday in the early '80s, they were the most popular attraction on the blues bar circuit, which eventually led to a breakthrough to the pop audience in 1986 with their fifth album, Tuff Enuff. The mass success didn't last too long, and founding member Jimmie Vaughan left in 1990, but the Fabulous Thunderbirds remained one of the most popular blues concert acts in America during the '90s.
Guitarist Jimmie Vaughan formed the Fabulous Thunderbirds with vocalist/harpist Kim Wilson in 1974; in addition to Vaughan and Wilson, the band's original lineup included bassist Keith Ferguson and drummer Mike Buck. Initially, the group also featured vocalist Lou Ann Barton, but she left the band shortly after its formation. Within a few years, the Thunderbirds became the house band for the Austin club Antone's, where they would play regular sets and support touring blues musicians. By the end of the decade, they had built a strong fan base, which led to a record contract with the local Takoma Records…..

This whopping 30-CD box set gathers together the best of Trojan's three-disc box set series. Included are the Ska, DJ, Dub, Instrumentals, Jamaican Superstars, Lovers, Producer Series, Rocksteady, Roots, and Tribute to Bob Marley volumes, each of which can be found under Trojan Box Set for their individual reviews. What's lacking here is a booklet with additional notes and information; the bulk seems to demand some extra coverage and care, yet all that's here are the original notes of each volume – only as much text as can fit on the back of the CD sleeves. From a music standpoint, however, this box is excellent; a truly diverse and comprehensive collection. Of the 500 songs, less than ten reappear on another volume, so you get a more-than-satisfying amount of music spanning the history of the Trojan label.