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"#1 Pop Hits of the 60s & 70s [Madacy Box] [Digipak]" (06/30/2005) Rock & Pop Various Artists, Madacy Distribution

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"Hard to Find 45's on CD, Vol. 2: 1961-64" (09/15/1996) Oldies Various Artists, Eric RecordsIncludes liner notes by Fred Bronson. Liner Note Author: Fred Bronson. Recording information: Bloomington, IN (1961-1964); Britain (1961-1964); Brussels, Belgium (1961-1964); Durham, NC (1961-1964); London, England (1961-1964); Los Angeles, CA (1961-1964); Philadelphia, PA (1961-1964); RCA's Studio A, New York CityFort Worth, TX (1961-1964); Steubenville, OH (1961-1964). The second installment of the Hard to Find 45's series is, like the first, a wide assortment of Top 40 hits, some of them indeed very hard to find on CD or even hear on the radio. Some of them are not really that hard to find on CD, though this disc (like every one in this series) takes pains to present original 45 RPM single versions, often in stereo. Whereas the first volume was devoted to material from 1955-1960, this goes into the next era (1961-1964), and though it's pretty pop-inclined, there's a good deal of diversity. There's doo wop verging on soul by the Stereos ("I Really Do Love You," the Flares' "Foot Stompin'," Clyde McPhatter's "Lover Please"), girl-sung teen idol pop (Little Peggy March's "I Will Follow Him," Marcie Blane's "Bobby's Girl"), the poppiest brand of girl group sounds (the Murmaids' "Popsicles and Icicles," Diane Renay's "Navy Blue," the Caravelles' "You Don't Have to Be a Baby to Cry"), the foreign novelty (Singing Nun's "Dominique"), middle-of-the-road pop (Joe Dowell's "Wooden Heart"), forgotten British Invasion/middle-of-the-road pop/folk-country (the Bachelors' "Diane"), and a hot rod tune (the Hondells' "Little Honda") whose relatively hard-driving toughness is almost out of character on this CD. As far as hits that are really hard to hear on oldies radio or buy on CD in some fashion, there aren't that many. But some of the tracks that really don't show up much on whatever channels include the rockabilly pop of Larry Finnegan's 1962 hit "Dear One," Paul & Paula's "Hey Paula" follow-up hit "Young Lovers," Richard Chamberlain's celebrity hit one-shot "Theme From Dr. Kildare (3 Stars Will Shine Tonight)," Joe Dowell's 1962 hit "Little Red Rented Rowboat," and, above all, Julie Rogers' gloppy orchestral number ten 1964 single "The Wedding," a throwback to pre-rock vocal pop that somehow was a big hit when such music was being rapidly phased out of the pop mainstream. Surprisingly, Rogers was a young British singer, though one virtually never mentioned as being part of the British Invasion in subsequent times. ~ Richie Unterberger

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"25 All-Time Greatest Summer Songs: The Ultimate Collection" (07/25/2000) Oldies Various Artists, Varese (Japan)Compilation producers: Cary E. Mansfield, Bill Pitzonka. Includes liner notes by Bill Pitzonka. Digitally remastered by Dan Hersch (DigiPrep, Hollywood, California). Liner Note Author: Bill Pitzonka. Arrangers: Ron Frangipane; Stan Applebaum; Terry Melcher; Mike Batt; Bill Justis; Billy Strange; Bruce Johnston. Since these tracks date back to the '60s and early '70s, this upbeat collection of happy sunshiny tunes should have an "oldies" tag attached to its boasting, clumsy title. Otherwise there's little about this collection that doesn't live up to its rather grandiose moniker. OK, so the unfortunate exclusion of the Beach Boys as well as fellow California surfers Jan & Dean leaves this lacking, but there are plenty of other compilations that include them, and fascinating rarities such as the Wombles' "Wombling Summer Party" as well as the Legendary Masked Surfers (featuring Dean Torrence) doing Brian Wilson and Jan Berry's obscure "Gonna Hustle You" carry the torch for the more popular MIA Wilson summer tunes. Other than that, the track list says it all, and unique, along with seldom anthologized nuggets from Nancy Sinatra with Lee Hazelwood, the 5th Dimension, and Bruce and Terry, make this a winning and wonderfully consistent 70 minutes of fun in the sun tunes. The booklet features snappy liner notes and original trade ads for the songs, which enhance the disc's kitschy appeal and prove this is not just another tacky, quickly thrown-together package meant to make a quick buck. So hop in your woody, throw the top down, and slap in this disc. It's guaranteed to plaster a warm smile on your face, even during those freezing, bleak winter days. ~ Hal Horowitz

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"Best of Doo Wop Ballads" (09/26/1989) Oldies Various Artists, Rhino Records (USA)The companion volume to Rhino's Best of Doo-Wop Uptempo checks out the ballad side of the aisle and comes up with 18 smoothies in the bargain. Highlights include Dion and the Belmonts' "Where or When," the Five Satins' "In the Still of the Nite," the Cadillacs' "Gloria," the Moonglows' original of "Sincerely," the Velvetones' "Glory of Love," the Crests' "16 Candles," the Flamingos' evocative "I Only Have Eyes for You," and Lee Andrews and the Hearts' "Teardrops." Selections from the Pastels, the Skyliners, the Jive Five, the Dells, the Blue jays, the Penguins, the Spaniels, and the Heartbeats complete the set. ~ Cub Koda

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"Rock & Roll - The First 50 Years: The '50s 25 Top 10 Hits" (04/27/2004) Oldies Various Artists, VarŠse Sarabande (USA)Liner Note Author: Bill Dahl. Photographer: Billy Vera. Like numerous compilations on the Varese Sarabande label, this anthology of 1950s rock & roll hits seems geared toward the casual consumer who picks up oldies collections once in a while, not the more serious collector looking for the best overview of a genre or the best volumes for building a comprehensive library of a certain style. If you're not worried about such matters, however, this 26-track scoop of early rock & roll smashes is pretty good, though the three-CD The Golden Era of Rock 'n' Roll 1954-1963 is a much more definitive survey of the most essential early rock & roll hits, if you're inclined to dig deeper. But Rock & Roll - The First 50 Years: The '50s 25 Top 10 Hits certainly has a generous share of inarguable top-ranked classics, starting with Carl Perkins' "Blue Suede Shoes," Fats Domino's "Blueberry Hill," Jerry Lee Lewis' "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On," the Everly Brothers' "Bye Bye Love," Eddie Cochran's "Summertime Blues," Little Richard's "Long Tall Sally," the Coasters' "Yakety Yak," and Jackie Wilson's "Lonely Teardrops." There are also some of the greatest songs by early rockers known for only one or two hits: Wilbert Harrison's "Kansas City," Huey "Piano" Smith's "Don't You Just Know It," and Bobby Day's "Rockin' Robin." There's also some diversity that goes a little beyond the most celebrated early rock & roll standards, including instrumentals (the Champs' "Tequila," Bill Doggett's "Honky Tonk, Pt. 2," Bill Justis' "Raunchy"), teen idols (Freddy Cannon, Frankie Avalon, Jimmy Clanton), quality songs that are more pop than rock (Miss Toni Fisher's "The Big Hurt," Bobby Darin's "Mack the Knife," Guy Mitchell's "Singing the Blues"), and even Boyd Bennett's Bill Haley-like "Seventeen," which was a Top Ten hit in 1955 though it eventually faded from popular memory. As a "bonus" track, there's also Sonny Dae & His Knights' original 1954 version of "(We're Gonna) Rock Around the Clock," which is more boogie-oriented than (and considerably inferior to) the Haley cover that became the first massive rock & roll hit. ~ Richie Unterberger

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"The Only Doo-Wop Collection You'll Ever Need [Box]" (01/18/2005) Oldies Various Artists, Shout! FactoryLiner Note Author: Billy Vera. Don't let the title fool you; after listening to The Only Doo-Wop Collection You'll Ever Need, you'll definitely want more. This is a good starting point for the curious, since all the basics are here in the original hit versions: "The Great Pretender," "Earth Angel," "I Only Have Eyes for You," "Goodnight Sweetheart, Goodnight," and, thrown in for good measure, a few tracks that even vocal group scholars wouldn't mind hearing again by the Marvelows, the Duprees, the Jive Five, and the Earls. While this is an excellent primer, the best representation of vocal group harmonies of the era remains the lavish (and pricey) 101-track Doo Wop Box on Rhino. ~ Al Campbell

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"Top Hits of the Sixties: Coolest Hits" (03/14/2006) Oldies Various Artists, Collectables RecordsTop Hits of the Sixties: Coolest Hits is a solid collection of '60s pop that crosses from bubblegum to more rock-oriented hits. Nicely built around well-known classics such as the Lovin' Spoonful's "Summer in the City" and Ohio Express' "Yummy Yummy Yummy," it also features lesser-known gems like Lorne Greene's "Ringo." While perhaps not as pointed as the Bubblegum Classics collection or as esoteric as the Nuggets boxes, Coolest Hits is a great collection for the casual fan of groovy '60s radio hits. ~ Matt Collar

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"25 Original Vocal Groups Sing About "The Great Ladies of Doo Wop"" (03/14/2006) Oldies Various Artists, Collectables RecordsFull title: 25 Original Vocal Groups Sing About The Great Ladies Of Doo Wop. Doo wop groups spend most of their time singing about the wonders of one special girl (that is, when they are not lamenting the loss of one special girl), so Collectables Records' idea of compiling 25 doo wop songs named after 25 girls and sung by 25 different acts is a clever one. Beyond the unifying concept, however, 25 Original Vocal Groups Sing About "The Great Ladies of Doo Wop" is just a sampler that will please fans of the style without expanding its appeal. Of the 25 tracks, only one, the Charts' "Deserie," was ever anything like a countrywide hit, and only a few of the groups represented -- the Paragons, the Crests, the Three Friends -- ever had any national profile. (The Temptations heard here are not the ones who recorded for Motown.) The groups sing in familiar ways. For example, Little Bobby Rivera & the Hemlocks sound like Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers on "Cora Lee." The most excited of the singers is the leader of Jackie & the Starlites, who gets positively apoplectic over "Valerie." But all of these girls seem worthy of devotion, at least to the harmonious males who sing their praises here. ~ William Ruhlmann

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"Centerfield [Remaster]" (04/24/2001) Oldies Fogerty, John, Dreamworks SKGRecorded at The Plant Studios, Sausalito, California. All tracks have been digitally remastered. "Put me in coach, I'm ready to play." These are lines familiar to any baseball fan, for John Fogerty's "Centerfield" has become the unofficial song of our national pastime. Those lines also signaled Fogerty's return to the music business after a ten-year absence. The music is mighty familiar, as Fogerty works the same terrain he mined for gold with Creedence Clearwater Revival from 1968-1972. The riff of the opening track, "The Old Man Down the Road," sounds so much like the Creedence hit "Run Through the Jungle" that Fogerty was sued by his former record company for plagiarizing himself. (He won the suit, the court upholding a composer's right to sound like himself.) "Old Man" was a Top Ten single, and this album reached number one itself. "Big Train (From Memphis)" is a rockabilly salute to Elvis, while "I Saw It on TV" takes us on a trip through the '50s and '60s "from Hooter to Doodyville," via the boob tube. "Searchlight" recalls "Keep On Chooglin" and the other extended one-chord jams of the Creedence days. Fogerty also lashes out at his old nemesis Saul Zaentz, head of that former label, Fantasy Records, with whom he had battled (and lost) over rights to his own catalog of Creedence songs. On "Mr. Greed" and "Zanz Kant Danz" (renamed "Vanz Kant Danz" on later pressings due again to the threat of lawsuit), he vents his anger over these past legal battles and foretells the one to come over "Old Man." Fans hoped Centerfield would indeed mark the return of John Fogerty to the playing field, but after releasing the bitter Eye of the Zombie the following year, he disappeared again, not to return until 1997's Blue Moon Swamp. ~ Jim Newsom

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"Doo Wop 45s on CD, Vol. 1" (03/14/2006) Oldies Various Artists, Collectables RecordsAll tracks have been digitally remastered. Doo Wop 45s on CD, Vol. 1 is a single disc containing 25 tracks that dig a little deeper into the genre and haven't been burned out from years of over-exposure. While a few well-known chart-toppers are included ("In the Still of the Night," "One Summer Night," and "Get a Job"), it's a treat to have access to songs by the Danleers, the Nutmegs, the Kodaks, and the Versatones that received regional attention but never achieved the national success initially hoped for. These tracks have been remastered from the original tapes, providing superior sound and giving the Doo Wop 45s on CD series that extra edge over similar compilations. ~ Al Campbell

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"Now or Never" (10/29/2002) Oldies Carter, Nick, Jive Records (USA)Personnel includes: Nick Carter (vocals); Matthew Gerrard (various instruments, programming); Gary Clark (guitar, bass, keyboards, background vocals); Brian Kierulf (guitar, programming); Esbjorn Ohrwall, Peter Kvint (guitar); Steve Mac (keyboards); Josh Schwartz (bass, background vocals); Georff Dugmore (drums); DJ Spinz (scratches); Martin Brammer, Alison Clark (background vocals). Producers include: Matthew Gerrard, Gary Clark, Brian Kierfulf, Josh Schwartz, Steve Mac. Personnel: Nick Carter (background vocals); Gary Clark (guitar, keyboards, programming, background vocals); Esbj?rn ?hrwall, Per Aldeheim, Fridrik Karlsson, Paul Gendler, Peter Kvint (guitar); Steve Lee (acoustic guitar, background vocals); Adam Phillips (electric guitar); Steve Mac (keyboards); Rickard Evensand, Geoff Dugmore, Chris Laws (drums); Daniel Pursey, Steve Harvey (percussion); Martin Brammer (programming, background vocals); Matthew Gerrard (programming); Alison Clark, JosŠ Carlos Schwartz, Max Martin, Wayne Hector, Michelle John Douglas (background vocals). Audio Mixers: Chris Lord-Alge; The Matrix ; Gary Clark; Martin Brammer; Mark Taylor ; Max Martin; Michael Brauer; Steve Mac; Rami; Stefan Glaumann. Recording information: Angel Studios, London, England; Battery Studios, New York, NY; Crashpad; Decoy Studios, Encino, CA; Maratone Studios, Stockholm, Sweden; Metaphonic Studios, Surrey, England; Polar Studios, Stockholm, Sweden; Rokstone Studios, London, England; Sphere Studios, London, England; The DOJO, Jackson, NJ; The Lab, Santa Monica, CA; The Location, Stockholm, Sweden; Westlake Audio, Hollywood, CA; Westlake Audio, Los Angeles, CA. Illustrator: Nick Carter. Photographer: Anthony Mandler. Arrangers: The Matrix ; Matthew Gerrard; Steve Mac. With baby brother Aaron wowing the Nickelodeon set and the Backstreet Boys cooling their collective heels, Nick Carter decided it was NOW OR NEVER to drop a debut. Rocking out a bit more than his former group, this New Yorker still manages to strike an even-handed balance between the ballads sure to make the gals swoon and slightly harder-edged fare. Despite these aspirations to break out on his own, Carter is no fool, as he wisely enlisted Swedish bubblegum gurus Max Martin and Rami to maintain a degree of creative presence in this project. Thus you have numbers like the subtle, mid-tempo pop nugget "Blow Your Mind" and "I Just Wanna Take You Home" (a crash-and-bang song that sounds like a musical sibling of Bon Jovi's "It's My Life"). Otherwise, Carter pleases the girls with potential prom themes like "Do I Have To Cry For You" and the epic "Heart Without A Home (I'll Be Yours)." But like Bryan Adams, Carter realizes kids just wanna rock and he obliges by doing an imitation of the raspy Canuck on the loping "Miss America" and the pseudo-metal anthem "Girls In The USA".

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"The Big Chill [Deluxe Edition]" (03/23/2004) Oldies Original Soundtrack, Hip-O RecordsProducers include: Norman Whitfield, Smokey Robinson, The (Young) Rascals, Richard A. Podolor, Jerry Wexler. Compilation producer: Meg Kasdan. Includes liner notes by Lawrence and Meg Kasdan. Digitally remastered using 24-bit technology by Kevin Reeves (Polygram Studios). Includes liner notes by Kevin Filipski. Liner Note Author: Kevin Filipski. Arrangers: Chris Stainton; Jerry Ragovoy; Leon Russell; Arif Mardin; Stuart Scharf; The Grease Band; Tom Dowd; Bob Dorough. This digitally remastered reissue gives another generation a chance to experience one of the first major examples of baby boomer nostalgia. When THE BIG CHILL was first released, ex-hippies were just old enough to get nostalgic about their youth. It's soundtrack features both Motown R&B classics and pop-rock hits by the likes of the Rascals and Three Dog Night, all of which made the transition from counterculture touchstones to oldies radio staples right around the time this album first came out. With electronically enhanced sound and a more postmodern perspective, THE BIG CHILL soundtrack seems even more charming upon reissue than it did in the Reagan Era. By combining the ten songs from the original Big Chill soundtrack album with all but one song from The Big Chill: More Songs From the Original Soundtrack; three instrumental songs from the film; and 15 classic '60s rock and soul tracks that didn't appear on either of those soundtracks (or the film itself), Hip-O managed to fashion a two-CD, 38-song deluxe edition of the Big Chill soundtrack. It's big enough that some of the content is rather speciously related to the original film or soundtrack concept; as a phrase on the cover says, it's more "music from and inspired by The Big Chill" than it is an expanded version of the actual soundtrack. Regardless of how strongly particular tracks tie in to the movie that inspired all this packaging, it's amply stuffed with classic '60s music. Motown does form a bigger piece of the pie than anything else, with 14 of the tracks coming from the company's vaults. But it doesn't actually dominate: there's plenty of other stuff, including great hits by the Rascals, Aretha Franklin, Procol Harum, Percy Sledge, Creedence Clearwater Revival, the Beach Boys, the Spencer Davis Group, Lesley Gore, the Mamas & the Papas, Wayne Fontana & the Mindbenders, James Brown, and the Zombies. True, there's not much that doesn't get played to death on oldies radio anyway, with Howard Tate's "Get It While You Can" and the Supremes B-side "Ask Any Girl" about the only exceptions. Because of that, there's little reason for collectors to pick it up, other than to get something for their significant other that they can stand listening to together. For a general public divorced from the snobbish record-collecting community, however, it's an excellent and varied scoop of classics from the era, to be filed right next to the two-CD edition of the Forrest Gump soundtrack no doubt. Note, however, that one of the songs from The Big Chill: More Songs From the Original Soundtrack -- the Steve Miller Band's "Quicksilver Girl" -- has been omitted from this deluxe edition, for reasons unexplained. ~ Richie Unterberger

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"Spotlight on Old Town Records [Box]" (03/14/2006) Oldies Various Artists, Collectables RecordsThough Hy Weiss' Old Town Records wasn't very successful in a commercial sense, recordings by the label's artists -- the Chimes, the Capris, the Harptones, the Five Crowns, the Cleftones -- proved more durable than most when it came to doo wop revivals in the '60s, '70s, '80s, and 2000s. Certainly a five-disc wrap-up is more than most fans can handle; also, these discs are usually available separately from Collectable as well (under the title Spotlite on Old Town Records), while a competing series on Ace (Old Town Doo Wop) features crisper sound and more authoritative liner notes. Still, Spotlight on Old Town Records has a few virtues. The first is, obviously, the recordings themselves; Old Town contributed dozens of favorites for most doo wop fans -- gauzy ballads like "There's a Moon Out Tonight" by the Capris, or "Life Is but a Dream" by the Harptones. The price is also a factor, since Collectables is able to offer 125 tracks at a substantial price-cut from most labels. One (related) drawback: the decent packaging that Collectables has added for box sets still masks some deficiencies in the area of extra information, but as far as dreamy doo wop is concerned, this one does deliver. ~ John Bush

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"70's Rock 'N' Roll" (08/04/1998) Oldies Various Artists, Madacy Distribution

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"Billboard Top 10 Karaoke: 1980's" (05/06/2005) Rock & Pop Karaoke, Sybersound

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"The Best Jukebox Album in the World...Ever!" (03/14/2000) Oldies Various Artists, Virgin Records (USA)As its somewhat hyperbolic title promises, The Best Jukebox Album in the World... Ever! collects some of the best singles from the '50s and '60s, including Duane Eddy's "Rebel Rouse," the Troggs' "Wild Thing," Booker T & the MGs' "Green Onions," and the Zombies' "She's Not There." Del Shannon's "Runaway," Gene Vincent's "Be-Bop-A-Lula," and the Kinks' "You Really Got Me" are some of highlights of this fun oldies compilation. ~ Heather Phares

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Oldies Music calling your name? Find all of the top Music gear that you want at ShopRoid. Compare prices from top brands like as well as . Browse ratings from merchants that sell Oldies Music and other Music. Narrow your choices down by price range, brand, merchant, and more. Find the product that's right for you: #1 Pop Hits Of The 60's And 70's [9/30] - Hard to Find 45's on CD, Vol. 2: 1961-64 by Various Artists (CD - 09/15/1996).