The complete (well almost) discography for The Long Ryders newly mastered and supervised by Sid Griffin and Tom Stevens.
933871
Influenced by Gene Clark, Gram Parsons as well as The Clash and a key influence on later bands, The Long Ryders were lost to the mist of time as they got little airplay on radio and, for those few stations that might play them, they were around for such a short span of time that they didn't reach the audience they deserved. Yet they paved the way for many of the indie and alt country band's that emerged over the past twenty years.

The fact that they never reached critical mass and didn't break through to a massive audience is Unfortunate as they are a terrific band and these are terrific performances.

The Ryders "Final Wild Songs" gathers up a lot of the band's existing recordings including rare live tracks and alternate mixes in a nice 4 CD package . These exceptions include the following tracks (and I'm sure I've missed a few besides these):
From Native Sons Deluxe:

Still Get By (Radio Tokyo Demos)
 10-5-60 (Radio Tokyo Demos)
 And She Rides (Radio Tokyo Demos)
 Time Keeps Traveling (5x5
 I Can't Hide (5x5)
 The Trip (10-5-60)
 Too Close To The Light (Buckskin Mix - B-Side)
Still Get By (Album version)
 From Two-Fisted Tales Deluxe :

 Still Get By (Native Sons)
 State Of My Union (Live)
 Time Keeps Travelling (Live)
 Baby We All Gotta Go Down (Live)

(These noted by Phillip Jaybe)
The packaging is nicely done--a clam shell mini-boxed set with a poster and a 23 page booklet.

The big, big question is how is the mastering of this set? Does it sound good, bad or indifferent? Andy Pearce has mastered a series albums with mixed results. For example the 10cc reissues of "Ten Out of 10" and "Windows In The Jungle" feature compression which makes them louder and less dynamic.

Luckily that isn't the case here as band members Sid Griffin and Tom Stevens were involved in the selection of tracks. Pearce does a very good job with this release and kudos to him for doing so.

The original master tapes have been used here (except where that wasn't possible especially for some of the rare tracks included here) for the most part. Spread over four discs, this will be the definitive version of the band's recordings. Fans will be happy with this release (even if it is missing one essential track). It would be nice to see this replicated on vinyl as well.
4597182
Like the first reviewer, I agree that this item--along with Live Stockholm '67--is the one to have, not only for the virtues of the complete package, but for the add-ons as well: the VOX wa-wa pedal ad, assorted (mono) singles, and bonus tracks.  Apparently Warner / Reprise has something similar slated to follow for the succeeding two Axelrod productions in April '07, and even if those aren't the "true Prunes," I eagerly await their release as well.  If you're going to do a reissue, this is how to do it.  Now if only someone would put together a two-CD compliation of stuff that Dave Hassinger worked on, produced, or engineered (yeah, it's a pipe dream as competing label interests would prohibit it)--e.g., '65-'66 Stones, Prunes, Grateful Dead, and the list goes on~
3522745
This is the most comprehensive set to date of Yvonne Printemps' recordings. It contains a lot of additional material from radio shows and early 78s. The booklet is great, containing all information on recording dates, disc numbers etc., information that a collector would normally want. The reason I gave this set 4 out of 5 stars is because the transfers could have been better. Compare these with the transfers from the following double CD EMI set:

http://www.amazon.com/Cest-La-Saison-Damour-Doperettes/dp/B000005GRO/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1336937642&sr=8-3

The EMI transfers are sharper, and cleaner. With old recordings, a certain amount of disc hiss must be kept, to preserve audio data. However, the EMI people managed to make their transfers quieter, and sharper, without losing important audio information.

This set is wonderful because it is a complete edition of Yvonne Printemps, containing plenty of new material. But, for 2 out of 4 CDs, go for the EMI set listed above.
2791193
I have been following Strung Out for the past 10 years and this CD is a great compilation of some of their best work.  Does this cd have everything?  Not quite...but this cd would be over 50 tracks if they included everyones personal favorites (Although Vampires and No Voice of Mine would sound amazing remastered).  So is this collection worth getting even if you already own the records?  Totally!  These remastered tracks sound amazing and you can hear whole new layers of sound that are not as crisp on the originals.  I felt like I was hearing some of my favorite Strung Out songs for the first time all over again.  They also recorded 3 brand new songs, which are excellent.  Lagwagon just remastered all of their albums and I hope Strung Out eventually does the same.  I would not hesitate to buy every album all over again with this type of amazing production.
1025912
Lee Hazlewood founded LHI records in the mid sixties. This deluxe edition of the box set includes all of the recordings released by the label excluding the LP by the International Submarine Band for legal reasons. The recordings were remastered from the original tapes and appear in crystal clear sound. The "Cowboy And The Lady" duet LP with Ann Margret never sounded this good. All the vinyl versions I know are of inferior sound quality.
The box includes 4 CDs and 5 DVDs. The first two CDs include all of Lee Hazlewoods recordings for the label, the second two CDs contain some of the key recordings by the labels roster, including some rare singles. Also included is the rare movie "A Cowboy In Sweden" also remastered to pristine quality. The 3 DVDs included only in the deluxe edition contain all of the labels recordings (17 LPs ond over 160 singles) in MP3 and Wave Sound versions. I could play those only on my PC, so the sound quality was inferior. The included booklet is wonderful and includes many color photographs.
This is by far the most comprehensive collection of Lee Hazlewoods recordings available at the moment and a must own for every fan of this musical genius. The music styles include Country, Rock, Pop and even a Comedy LP. I did enjoy this collection very much and looking forward for more to come.
829295
These tracks are from the vaults of the Sounds of Memphis label, covering a period from the mid-60s to the mid-80s. Unfortunately, it's difficult to tell exactly when they were recorded due to the absence of any recording dates listed with each track. That's an odd negative for Kent and Ace Records, whose compliations are usually brimming with details. The only info we are given on recording dates is in the booklet, which says: "All but four of the titles included here are previously unreleased recordings made between the mid-60s and mid-80s."

But on to more important matters; the songs on this CD, most of which are sumptuous soul goodies, catchy tunes that any fan of 60s and 70s soul will savor. My favorite tracks on this CD include the sultry "Big City Lights" by Rudolph Taylor (never heard of this singer before, but this is an outstanding song, and another tune by him that's included, "What's That You Got," is also quite good), George Jackson's excellent "Things Are Gettin' Better", the sassy "Take a Look at Another Fool" by Marjorie Ingram, the sweet "Stars are Out Tonight" by Louis Williams, and a torrid remake of "Vehicle" (the old Ides of March hit) by the Jacksonians, a song that impresses more every time I hear it. Powerful stuff. A few of the tracks near the end of the album, presumably the stuff from the early 80s, are not nearly as strong, but the final cut on the CD, "It's Hard to Say No," by George Jackson and Linda Lucchesi is another jaw-dropper. It's described in the booklet as "a little rough around the edges", most likely because it's nothing more than a raw studio demo with just piano and Jackson singing, but it's also one of the more beautiful tunes on this collection. Other than the lack of excact recording dates, the booklet that comes with the CD has plent of other information on these artists, many of whom never recorded full albums. This compilation is another "Must Listen" for fans of obscure but quality soul music.
570846
This is a collection of home recordings, demos and outtakes by the late, great Buddy Holly, issued in time to capitalize on the 50th anniversary of the singer's tragic death.  While Holly's die-hard fans will consider this an essential purchase, the more casual fan will do better to purchase one of several greatest hits packages available on CD.

Most of these tracks have been available before, but have not previously been issued on CD, except on bootlegs.  Back in 1979, to take advantage of the renewed interest in Holly's music after the 1978 biopic, a boxed set of LPs was released in England that included every known recording, including the roughest of demos, live recordings, and outtakes. Hard core fans and collectors were overjoyed, but reportedly the Holley (yes, that's the original and correct spelling) family and Buddy's widow were less than thrilled by the poor quality of some of the tracks.  Since that time, relatively little of Holly's early recordings and demos has been available.  As a result, a small but lucrative industry developed for bootlegs of the unavailable material.

This set will serve to fill that gap, for most fans.  The sound quality is much improved; presumably modern remastering and noise reduction have been utilized where possible.  Some of the tracks have had instrumentation removed that was overdubbed in the 1960s to make them sound both more contemporary and commercial. As a result, one finally has the opportunity on these songs to hear the Crickets more clearly, including Holly's talents as a guitarist.  Holly's final recordings, demos that were recorded in the kitchen of his Greenwich Village apartment shortly before he left on his final, fatal tour, are presented here without overdubs, and are probably the highlight of this package.
446437
A very well mastered version with all the pictures from the original LP and all the tracks from both versions of the original LP.  No changes made in the sound, except maybe the slightly better sound quality if compared to the 1980s edition.  In my opinion, all other versions of this album should be replaced with this one.
3129796
Hats Off again to the wonderful folks at ACE Records. Volume 5 is the  "Cream Of The Crop" in this 5 CD compilation. Volumes 1 through 4  covered almost everything but this particular Volume adds some of the  really great rock'n roll instrumentals: "Night Theme" by The Mark  II, Bill Doggett's "Honky Tonk" (Parts One and Two) "Week  End" By Bill Haley's Kingsmen and "7-11" With Buddy Lucas  and The Gone All Stars. Every cut is better than you will remember. Again,  the technical quality and precision mastering techniques that ACE employs  makes this one a must for the collector of oldies. Thanks to Trevor  Churchill, John Broven and Rob Finnis for making this collection available.
3789060
The final edition of 'The Weird Tapes' series released on the Voiceprint label. Ten Dave Brock solo compositions. Beginning with the Outer Limits intro leading into "Streets Of Fear". Tunes that caught me off guard were "First Landing On Medusa", "Touchdown", the mutated tripping "Winter Of Discontent" and the very cool psychedelic "Circles". I was also sort of impressed with "Speed Of Light" and "Bombed Out". Brilliant production, to say the very least. After hearing this CD, you'll FULLY understand as to why / how that Dave Brock and Hawkwind as well as the band's past members are still going strong after 35 years now. That is, if you don't already. Very much of a M-U-S-T have.
2803654
Wonderful job on the remixing and remastering of these classic songs.  There are parts of songs that I have not heard before and I highly recommend this even though you might have the records and discs already!
4530895
Unless you've attended one of their concerts, you haven't really heard Fleetwood Mac until this set was released, with the exception of 'The Dance' live album. This has to be one of the best remastering jobs yet. The first disc is also enhanced with videos and interviews. Most of their hits are included and a few that have never been released on an album before but were released as singles. I've beem waiting for this compilation for a long time and it was well worth the wait. If you can, listen to these discs in surround sound. The guitar and drums will blow you away. A must have for Fleetwood Mac fans.
4917185
This is about as good a collection as you could do:  No sense messing with a classic; that is to say, unless it's to add a few great bonus tracks, which was done with this reissue.  Two, appropriately, from Leslie West's solo album, prophetically entitled "Mountain", which were big fan favorites at Mountain concerts and demonstrate the prototype foundation that evolved into the super group itself; and two more simply awesome Mountain tracks.  The only thing that would have made it more perfect would have been to throw on a song or two from the Avalanche album that was originally released after this compilation.  In fact, when you consider that Mountain only had 3 and a half studio albums total, not doing so is a bit of a misstep.  Still, altogether, this is a great comp for fans of early-seventies hard rock like Black Sabbath or BTO (they're sort of a mixture of the two) but don't have any of the aforementioned albums. There is certainly more to this group than just "Mississippi Queen"; this whole album pretty much rocks, even the downbeat songs.

Some have commented on the sound quality being poor; it is odd that they reissued this but there's no mention of remastering.  However, these recordings sound like they weren't engineered well to begin with, even for the time; remastering is only going to do so much here.  On the other hand, to my ears it just sounds like they're live recordings without the audience noise, which adds a certain power to them that I enjoy.  But that will be subjective from listener to listener.

I have to also say I enjoyed the brief but well-written liner notes.  That sort of thing really adds to the value of a package like this.  All said, this is a fun yet bludeoningly heavy collection of classic rock that fans of the genre should definitely have in their collection.
1181485
After hearing some DVD Audios and SACD's, I have to say that by far, this record contains the finest sound of all. This is the very first opportunity to hear how well crafted is the sound of Roxy Music in this record.
Bob Clearmountain, one of the original engineers in charge, says it better in the booklet: "While the band, Rhett Davies and I were working on the original stereo mixes in 1982, I can recall imagining the sound image as being more than just "stereo". There was so many wonderful things going on, I'd wish I'd had more places to put them than just 2 speakers. I wanted to be totally immersed in the album's soundscapes". About the new mix he adds: "it is how I'd always imagined this album should be presented -the sorround experience actually drawing you inside the music". Maybe other people have said the same about other records being remixed for 5.1. But after hearing AVALON, you'll really understand what Mr. Bob's excitement is all about.
If you are a Roxy Music fan, and SACD Multi Channel amplifier owner, this is a must have. The SACD layer contains an additional song not included in the original version of AVALON, called ALWAYS UNKNOWING (take note that this song is not included in the stereo layer). It's funny, but for me, this song (which is a very good ballad far from being a simple and uninteresting extra) gives this album a completion that I've always missed from the original record...It's as if there was something missing. But now, it's complete.
Note: This record is not made in the USA, but imported from Europe. I'd wish Amazon would give us the opportunity of having more SACD's only available in UK by now. But this is also to tell you that maybe, just maybe, there aren't many copies in store.
1741957
Having been a longtime fan of Big Country, the ability to get all their recorded works in one set was an opportunity I couldn't pass up. The only way that this could have been better is if the individual albums would have been in jewel cases (better protection but not very eco-friendly) instead of the cardboard album protectors.

If you're a fan of one of the most underrated bands of the 1980s, this is something you have to get ahold of, especially if you've lost previous copies of their work.
2628762
A terrific album. Isaak weaves his way thru nearly two dozen Sun Records classics, plus throws in a couple penned by his own hand. The recordings are gorgeous and it is apparent the band had much fun putting this collection together. Highlights include a spot-on Elvis cover and the first rendition of My Happiness I've heard done by a male voice. The liner notes with this album are some of the most informative and enjoyable I have come across. (My friend Roger says you should always read the liner notes.) I give it 4 stars and not 5 because of the tacky presentation of purchasing either one CD or two. All 25 songs in the 2 CD set could have been packaged onto one disc. Yet, you pay the price equivalent of a double-disc set. Jeers for that decision. Otherwise, if you like Isaak or the old Sun Records singles, you should love this CD.
2343538
A great collection, the tracks have been remastered and the sound it great.