If you're considering reading Terry Teachout's new biography, Pops: A Life of Louis Armstrong
, there could be no better accompaniment for tracking his early years than JSP's budget 4-disc set, The Hot Fives & Sevens
. These are the sides that changed the face of music forever, beginning in the mid-twenties. Astounding, ear-popping, cornet playing on classics like 'Wild Man Blues" and "Muskrat Ramble" (he was the first true virtuoso of jazz), the invention of jazz singing on "Heebie Jeebies", its all here, powered by Armstrong's sheer force of personality. He would quickly morph into one of the most popular entertainers in the world. Immaculately restored by John R.T. Davies, this is music that defies era and categorization and is a testament to the pure joy of music making.
At the beginning of the single artist/career overview box set boom in the 1980s was Biograph
. It still stands as one of the best collections of Bob Dylan music ever assembled and could be an ideal gift for someone who may possess a greatest hits CD or even a handful of other Dylan titles. It's the sequencing that makes Biograph unique. Classics from the canon such as "Like A Rolling Stone", "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" and "I Want You" are here but they're seamlessly integrated with live nuggets, obscure album tracks and other superb songs that officially appeared here for the first time like "I'll Keep It With Mine." It neatly sweeps his career from the early 60s to the mid 80s and is surprisingly affordable.
You've read a lot about King Records in this blog with this year's publication of King of the Queen City: The Story of King Records (Music in American Life)
, written by our own Jon Hartley Fox. If you want to listen to what part of the fuss was/is about regarding the Cincinnati-based independent record label, The King R&B Box Set
is your ticket. This box rolls up a deep bounty from the label's blues and R&B side, everything from instrumentals like organist Bill Doggett's chugging "Honky Tonk" and Freddie King's fierce guitar workout "San-Ho-Zay", to superb singing from Roy Brown, Wynonie Harris, Little Willie John and the underappreciated Lula Reed.
, there could be no better accompaniment for tracking his early years than JSP's budget 4-disc set, The Hot Fives & Sevens. These are the sides that changed the face of music forever, beginning in the mid-twenties. Astounding, ear-popping, cornet playing on classics like 'Wild Man Blues" and "Muskrat Ramble" (he was the first true virtuoso of jazz), the invention of jazz singing on "Heebie Jeebies", its all here, powered by Armstrong's sheer force of personality. He would quickly morph into one of the most popular entertainers in the world. Immaculately restored by John R.T. Davies, this is music that defies era and categorization and is a testament to the pure joy of music making.
At the beginning of the single artist/career overview box set boom in the 1980s was Biograph. It still stands as one of the best collections of Bob Dylan music ever assembled and could be an ideal gift for someone who may possess a greatest hits CD or even a handful of other Dylan titles. It's the sequencing that makes Biograph unique. Classics from the canon such as "Like A Rolling Stone", "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" and "I Want You" are here but they're seamlessly integrated with live nuggets, obscure album tracks and other superb songs that officially appeared here for the first time like "I'll Keep It With Mine." It neatly sweeps his career from the early 60s to the mid 80s and is surprisingly affordable.
You've read a lot about King Records in this blog with this year's publication of King of the Queen City: The Story of King Records (Music in American Life), written by our own Jon Hartley Fox. If you want to listen to what part of the fuss was/is about regarding the Cincinnati-based independent record label, The King R&B Box Set is your ticket. This box rolls up a deep bounty from the label's blues and R&B side, everything from instrumentals like organist Bill Doggett's chugging "Honky Tonk" and Freddie King's fierce guitar workout "San-Ho-Zay", to superb singing from Roy Brown, Wynonie Harris, Little Willie John and the underappreciated Lula Reed. 
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