Tina Turner's career has covered four decades, so it's nearly impossible to capsulize her musical contributions onto only three CDs. Still, it's disappointing to see her raucous early years pared down here and the songs done since her early '80s rebirth given so much emphasis. Not that the later material can be faulted. Cuts like "Private Dancer," "The Best" and "What's Love Got to Do with It" demonstrate Tina's emotional power. But it would have been great to hear a couple more of those raw, gritty Sue sides (Ike & Tina's first label) from the early days or a few more of her Phil Spector collaborations besides the towering (and certainly essential for inclusion) "River Deep—Mountain High." But we do get the unforgettable "Proud Mary," and that's incentive enough to consider adding this set to your Christmas shopping list.(Capitol)
Carole King
A natural woman—and a born songwriter. Devotees will savor this collection, which includes a live 1971 recording of King's "You've Got a Friend" with James Taylor and all of Tapestry, with such hits as "I Feel the Earth Move," "So Far Away" and "It's Too Late." But given her longtime producer Lou Adler's preference for a spare sound (digitally spruced up here) and King's warm but limited singing style, casual listeners might find the pleasures of nostalgia waning before they reach the end of all 36 tracks. (Ode/Epic/Legacy)
The Band
Though there have been other worthy compilations of the Band's music, just the last CD of this thorough, three-disc set alone makes it worth buying this one. The CD features early, mostly unreleased tracks, including the hilariously primitive version of "Do the Honky Tonk" when the group was called Levon Helm & the Hawks and drew heavily from blues influences like Howlin' Wolf. And five tracks recorded at Watkins Glen, N.Y., in 1975 capture the secret of their success: each member could express his distinctive style, yet the group still played together as tightly as the skin on a drumhead. (Capitol)
Loretta Lynn
Over the course of her career, Loretta Lynn has amassed 17 No. 1 singles (some of them with frequent duet partner Conway Twitty) and become a country music legend (celebrated in Coal Miner's Daughter). This set of 70 songs shows us why. Most of those No. 1's are here ("Fist City," "One's on the Way" and others), along with some early Ernest Tubb duets. Lynn's popularity has been overshadowed in recent years by a crop of cookie-cutter cowgirls—most of whom could learn a thing or two from these sincere, emotional performances. (MCA)
The Temptations
Though in recent years the group has become basically a Vegas lounge act, this five-CD set reminds us of how vital these entertainers and their sound once were. All the hits are here ("The Way You Do the Things You Do" and "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" among dozens of others), along with rare single B-sides and several unreleased tracks. There is even a "hidden" gem (a vocal-only version of "My Girl") that will make collectors drool. And a gorgeous detailed booklet, chock-full of facts and photos, tops off one of this year's most musically satisfying boxed sets. (Motown)
Andrés Segovia
Segovia compared the acoustic guitar to a temperamental woman. "Sometimes it is impossible to deal with her," he said. "But if you caress her properly, she will sing very beautifully." Indeed, during his passionate love affair with the guitar, which lasted until his death, in 1987, at age 94, Segovia took an instrument that had previously been considered unrefined and transformed it into an elegant vehicle of classical music. This exquisite, four-CD collection includes many of Segovia's best-known adaptations of classical compositions, including Bach's "Chaconne" and Albéniz's "Leyenda." (MCA Classics/Decca)
Aerosmith
The bad boys from Boston get the omnibus treatment with a box that bundles up their first 12 albums, plus a bonus disc of rarities. (The renascent group's five most recent efforts, released on Geffen Records, are not included.) Aerosmith's earliest work now sounds sloppy and uninspired, like a ragged, bluesier version of the Doobie Brothers. It wasn't until Joe Perry's hard-rock chops fused with Steve Tyler's glam attitude on 1975's Toys in the Attic that the band caught fire. Two of the albums included in this collection are greatest-hits packages, and three are live recordings, so this boxed set is even more guilty of overkill than most.(How many versions of "Dream On" or "Walk This Way" does anybody really need?) But if you're going to indulge yourself, who better to have as the house band than Aerosmith? After all, they wrote the book on excess. (Columbia)
Louis Armstrong
This is an ideal introduction to Armstrong's jazz, as well as a trove of rare treasures for fans. The four-CD set begins with Satchmo's recording debut with King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band and concludes with highlights from his first European studio sessions. His early masterpieces with the Hot Five and Hot Seven are here, including the hard-swinging "Heebie Jeebies," as well as his turns with vocalist Bessie Smith and country crooner Jimmie Rodgers. If Santa leaves this collection in your stocking, you're in for one happy Christmas. (Legacy/Columbia)
- Contributors:
- Randy Vest,
- Mark Lasswell,
- Andrew Abrahams,
- David Grogan,
- David Hiltbrand.
Saved by the Bell Reunion
The hookups, the meltdowns, the memoires
The case reveals what was really going on what they think of each other now!
