This is an undeniably great set, with tons of great tunes. However, there *is* a little fat on it. Not every single was a classic; there's no way they could be, as fast as they were pumping them out. Still, for people who really want a handle on deep soul and who want off-the-beaten-path gems along with the hits, this is a great set to check out.
Stax-Volt: The Complete Singles 1959-1968 buy from Amazon:
Stax-Volt: The Complete Singles MP3 Album
[$99.99]
When these quartets were recorded, in the 1990's and early 2000's, the Kodaly Quartet ("KQ") had been playing together for more than a quarter century. It shows. What is evident on these recordings is the perfect cohesion of these highly talented musicians; they clearly have an intimate knowledge of the score of each quartet and thoroughly enjoy playing together. The KQ's performance is fresh, truly conveys their love for this music, and fully brings to life the range of emotions contained in this musical microcosm - playfulness, elegance, sunny joy, and gentle reverie - with every movement of these quartets having a quality of refinement and graciousness that allows the listener to savor every note.
Haydn: Complete String Quartets buy from Amazon:
Haydn: Complete String Quartets MP3 Album
[$99.99]
This is a perfect box set, doing what all good box sets should. It is comprehensive (Over 100 pages worth of essay and liner notes. It has excellent sound (recieving the digital remastering treatment). And it has plenty of unreleased material. (Over 7 hours, stretching each disc to 80 minutes in length) You can't go wrong with a 12 cd box set covering the golden era in Dead history.
Grateful Dead ~ The Golden Road [1965-1973] buy from Amazon:
The Golden Road [1965-1973] MP3 Album
[$99.99]
When Metallica - Classic Album (The Black Album) was released on DVD and VHS initially in 2001, it was sought out by Metal and Metallica fans all over the country. As a VIDEO release it was buried in the newly created DVD section of most accounts. This DVD chronicles the recording, from the BAND (James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett and Jason Newsted) and the Producer (Bob Rock) the making of this ground breaking release. The Black Album launched Metallica into the sheds where they promoted The Black Album on the road for almost 2 years!
Metallica ~ The Metallica Collection buy from Amazon:
The Metallica Collection [Explicit] MP3 Album
[$9.99]
Big enough for Led Zeppelin's towering sound, this 10-CD box set collects all nine of the legendary band's original studio albums released from 1969 to 1982. Included are: Led Zeppelin I (1969), Led Zeppelin II (1969), Led Zeppelin III (1970), IV (1971), Houses of the Holy (1973), Physical Graffitti (1975) (2CD), Presence (1976), In Through the Out Door (1979), and Coda (1982). A true stairway to heaven for Zep fans, this massive box originally released in 1993 features each classic title with its original album artwork.
Led Zeppelin ~ The Complete Album buy from Amazon:
The Complete Led Zeppelin MP3 Album
[$99.99]
Few comebacks in rock and roll history have been as amazing as that of Aerosmith. Their triumphant return to the charts in the '80s not only rekindled the band's earlier success, but also significantly surpassed it. With their top 20 hits "Dude (Looks Like a Lady)," "Ragdoll," and the top 10 power ballad, "Angel," the group proved they had even more fire left in their fight than anyone could have imagined. Leaving behind its reckless lifestyle, the band sacrificed none of their rowdy rock and roll. "Ragdoll" and "Love in an Elevator" built upon Aerosmith's raunchy blues approach to hard rock, complete with singer Steven Tyler's howl in the best form of his career.
Aerosmith ~ Big Ones Album buy from Amazon:
Big Ones MP3 Album
[$5.00]
Big Ones Audio CD
[$9.99]
This album feels like a mix-tape of really good bands. One song has me comparing them to Passion Pit or Temper Trap, but then the next song has me thinking M83. Then another suggests Stars, and then another suggests Radiohead. In this case, I really like the range. High energy stuff. Fun album.
Passive Me, Aggressive You Album buy from Amazon:
Passive Me, Aggressive You MP3 Album
[$5.99]
Passive Me Aggressive You Audio CD
[$9.99]
Passive Me, Aggressive You Vinyl
[$18.98]
