James Brown's two-CD 40th Anniversary Collection gathered 40 of the soul-funk giant's biggest hits, and in keeping with its title, The 50th Anniversary Collection is just that little bit bigger and better, with (could you guess?) 50 of his most famous tracks. From 1956's "Please, Please, Please" to 1988's "Static, Pts. 1 & 2," it has almost all of his biggies, though the absence of the 1986 Top Five hit "Living in America" is puzzling indeed. But that's a minor quibble given the doz...   [ read more ]

CD $18.95

The first of a very good two-volume collection of some of the Andrews Sisters' best work, this 16-song CD was more than essential at the time of its release, mostly due to the presence of several numbers that hadn't been heard in decades: "Pagan Love Song," "Shoo Shoo Baby," "Bounce Me Brother With a Solid Four," "Gimme Some Skin My Friend," their rendition of "Tuxedo Junction," and their Danny Kaye and Al Jolson collaborations, "Civilization" and {&"Way Down Yonder In New Orlean...   [ read more ]

CD $9.45

As part of Delmark Records' 50th anniversary celebration, the label has been issuing budget-priced compilations of some of its stellar offerings. Earlier in 2003, there were double CDs of jazz and blues followed by a host of single-disc compilations. This is one of the most satisfying, a single-disc overview of the Windy City's vanguard tradition as it bridges the passing and new centuries. Nothing on this set was recorded before 1993 (Kahil El'Zabar's Ritual Trio's "Trane in Mind") and s...   [ read more ]

CD $8.53