Allison Wonderland: The Mose Allison Anthology
I have to be quite honest: when I heard Rhino would be reissuing all that great Atlantic jazz from the '50s and '60s, my heart did not skip a beat. I'm just not a big jazz fan. But I did hang on to "Allison Wonderland." His songs were covered by some of my favorite '60s groups, including The Who and The Yardbirds. I'd been looking for a Mose collection including all his key tracks for some time when someone here answered my prayers and came up with this one.
The Look Of Love: The Burt Bacharach Collection
I grew up in a home where Andy Williams and Ray Conniff ruled the stereo, so I know my way around an M.O.R. ballad. And if anyone can be said to raise it to the level of an art form, it's Burt Bacharach. Don't let Austin Powers or the too-hip lounge revival sour your taste for Burt's intoxicating pop liqueurs like "Walk On By," "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head," or "Close To You" -- any single one of which would have made another songwriter's career.
The Coasters: 50 Coastin' Classics
These guys were practically the house band for songwriting giants Leiber & Stoller. In addition to the hits ("Searchin'," "Yakety Yak," "Charlie Brown," and many more) here you also get original versions of tracks like "Three Cool Cats" and "D.W. Washburn," later covered by such '60s faves as The Beatles and The Monkees. And I love the way the gatefold package opens up with the roller coaster design!
Golden Throats: The Great Celebrity Sing-Off!
A record whose notoriety so preceded it that my brother Mark was into it even before I joined Rhino. Many unforgettable moments herein, especially if you're a Star Trek fan. Captain Kirk's "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" and "Mr. Tamborine Man" NEVER fail to bring a smile to my face. I thought there was nothing that could top them, until I heard Spock's track close the record...
Jerry Lee Lewis: "Live" At The Star Club, Hamburg
As a general rule, live albums are ususally something to steer clear of, but as with so many other things, when "The Killer" got to it, the rulebook went out the window. Cut during the height of the British Invasion in The Beatles' old stomping ground, At The Star Club features Jerry Lee backed by The Nashville Teens, one of the most criminally-underrated U.K. '60s groups.
Love: Love Story 1966-1972
Exactly the sort of cult band for whom I might care about acquiring non-LP B-sides, obscure recordings with Jimi Hendrix guesting, etc. But this set also includes their classic Forever Changes in its entirity. I already had it on vinyl, but on CD it's so much easier to play the hypnotic opener "Alone Again Or" over and over and over...
The Plimsouls -- The Plimsouls...Plus
When I was at UCLA, these guys gave a free noontime concert that I missed in order to attend my Methods Of Applied Mathmatics class. That I didn't ditch to check out Peter Case and co. was one of my biggest college regrets. Includes the power pop masterpiece "Now"; one of my biggest Rhino regrets is that I didn't make a stronger case for its inclusion in our Poptopia series.
The Spinners -- The Spinners
"Could it be" that this is one of the 10 best albums of the 1970s? Give the TOWERING "I'll Be Around" another spin and it will erase all doubt. They had other hits you won't find on this disc, but as a whole it's The Spinners' strongest effort, and the absolute pinnacle of Philly soul.
The Velvet Underground: Loaded (Fully Loaded Edition)
Having flown halfway around the world just to see them live in '93, it's safe to say I'd buy just about anything by the Velvets. That this package has a full disc of unreleased stuff from the Loaded sessions is just icing on the cake.
The Wizard Of Oz: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Deluxe Edition)
The Wizard Of Oz is less a movie than a religion. Lots of unreleased material here (listen to Judy Garland cough halfway through an "Over The Rainbow" outtake!), but the packaging is the real standout. When these first came into Rhino, I made a rare trip out of my office to congratulate the designer.
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