There are record labels devoted to the hit singles of the past, and as you look through the product available, its almost like revisiting those old record stores. First off, the people at Varese Vintage have a response to the "NOW!" series for nostalgic people like me. Their "THEN" series has only 3 volumes to date, but offers a varied collection of hit singles from yester-year. "Then 1: Totally Oldies" includes 18 Top 40 singles from the 70's, all original 45 versions. Its a varied collection, offering pop, soul & Country on one disk with hits from the Likes of the Bellamy Brothers, Jim Croce, The Shocking Blue and Starbuck. "Then 2" covers 18 hits from the 60's featuring Petula Clark, Barbara Lewis, The Turtles and Del Shannon. "Then 3" is devoted to hits of the 50's and features acts like Jerry Lee Lewis, The Everly Brothers, Richie Valens and Frankie Avalon. Varese Vintage is also responsible for the 2 volumes of Barry Scott's "Lost 45's of the 70's and 80's". Scott is a Boston-Based DJ with a syndicated show called "The Lost 45's" which can also be heard via the internet. His 18 song collections focus on some of the harder-to-find songs like Silver's '76 hit "Wham Bam Shang-a-Lang", The George Baker Selections "Paloma Blanca", Diesel's "Sausolito Summernights", Men without Hats' "The Safety Dance", Randy Meisners "Hearts on fire," and Sneakers "More than just the two of us". If you're a record collector, these 2 disks are essential purchases, as you may never come across some of these songs again.
Rhino Records gets my vote as the champs for oldies collections. Their 25 volume "Have a nice day: Super hits of the 70's" gives you 12 songs per disk from the decade that wouldn't die! If you remember all of the K-tel albums from way back,you have an idea of what to expect. In fact,"Rolling Stone" Magazine rated the series 4 stars(of 4), but tongue-in-cheek also added "compiled, no doubt, by some very sick minds". This series includes lost hits, bubblegum pop, novelty songs and just plain weird hits! Lost hits by Actors like David Soul, Shaun Cassidy, John Travolta and Clint Holmes are mixed in with some really obscure songs like Flash Cadillac's "Did You Boogie With Your Baby",Dean Friedman's "Ariel", Looking Glass' "Jimmy Loves Maryanne" and even Gunhill Roads "Back When My Hair Was Short"! Rhino would later release a 7 disk box set called "Have a Nice Decade", which was basically condensed from the 25 volumes, but included a "Shag carpet cover" as part of its packaging! They also released a disk called "70's Party Killers" with a collection of some of the cheesiest pop singles that somehow became Huge Top 5 hits. If its getting late at your next party and you can't get 'em to go home, this disk is guaranteed to clear the room faster than the police! Songs include Morris Albert's "Feelings", Paul Anka's "Having my baby", Mary MacGregors "Torn Between Two Lovers" and the Starland Vocal Bands "Afternoon Delight".
Rhino's other big series,"Didn't It Blow Your Mind: Soul Hits of the 70's" is the definitive compilation of popular and influential soul smashes from the 70's. As "Rolling Stone" noted, "This series proves that this period demands respect. These hits are among the bravest and most innovative singles in pop history". While the 20 disk set is impressive, it is missing some key soul acts like The Jackson 5, The Temptations, Marvin Gaye, and even Diana Ross(no doubt due to licensing problems). You still get gems from acts like Al Green, The O'Jays, Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, and the Ohio Players. Yep, you can't buy 45's anymore, but these labels are keeping the memories alive with numerous great oldies compilations!
Odds & ends...KISS look like they have made peace with their longtime label Mercury Records, as the label have tentatively scheduled "Alive IV" for release on August 20th. While Kiss originally proclaimed their current tour their "farewell" tour, speculation continues as to whether they will sign with another label, including the people at Spitfire, with whom the band has already met...QUEEN'S "A Night at the Opera" gets the DVD-Audio treatment next week, a couple of months past its original release date. The disk is also released in DTS 5.1 96/24. The original disk, released in 1976 includes the hits "Bohemian Rhapsody" and "You're My Best Friend"...TOTO'S new 'covers' album has been pushed back to September. "Through the Looking Glass" is the working title, but Steve Lukather told a spokesman, "It takes a long time to set these things up right. Better to have more time to make it all work seeing as we have new record deals...."SAWYER BROWN'S next release "Can You Hear Me Now" has been bumped to June...BAD COMPANY releases a new live CD on May 21. Recorded a year ago,"Merchants of Cool" features both Paul Rodgers and Simon Kirke, as well as Journey's Neil Schon and Guns N' Roses'former guitarist Slash. The set includes two new songs, and DVD and VHS versions will be released the same day...
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