Sunrise
Artist: Elvis Presley
Community Score: 9.50

Elvis Presley's legendary recordings for Sun Records had been reissued many times before Sunrise appeared in early 1999, most notably in the 1987 collection The Complete Sun Recordings. Despite its title, The Complete Sun Recordings was missing a few odds and ends, plus its sequencing on CD was a little didactic, resulting in a repetitive... Read More

Live Wire!!
Artist: The Wailers

This 1998 vinyl collection is the definitive compilation of classic second period Wailers material, all dating from their 1965-1967 incarnation, recording for their own Etiquette label while producing the other act on the label, the Sonics. Taking a cue from the younger Sonics, this period finds the Wailers toughening up their sound and... Read More

This Is My Bag/Total Commitment
Artist: Del Shannon

Both of Shannon's 1966 LPs, This Is My Bag and Total Commitment, are squeezed onto this reissue from the Beat Goes On label; while recorded well after Shannon's commercial peak, enough worthwhile performances are included here to make the set worthwhile for casual fans as well as completists. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide Read More

Attack of the Smithereens
Artist: The Smithereens

At first glance, a Smithereens rarities compilation might seem like an odd release. After all, the band was never had more than one gold album and none of their singles cracked the Top 30. That doesn't mean the band didn't have fans, however, nor does it mean that their music was undistinctive, as Attack of the Smithereens proves. Filled with... Read More

Ain't That Too Much: The Complete Challenge Sessions
Artist: Gene Vincent

Faced with a career that was going nowhere fast on a treadmill of gigs, booze and oldies, Gene Vincent re-grouped in 1966 and with the help of an all-star team of Southern California studio whizzes, recorded a batch of songs that stand out as some of his best work. Challenge Records assembled some top-notch session cats like Glen Campbell, Al... Read More

Latin Playboys
Artist: Latin Playboys

These are hardly "songs" in the conventional sense; more like eccentric sketches that create haunting moods. The players bounce back and forth between scratchy traditional Latin music, free-associating blues numbers, and spaced-out honky-tonk. Grounded in roots music, the lyrics and song structures are almost impressionistic in tone, creating an... Read More

Everything Is A-OK!/Astronauts Orbit Campus
Artist: The Astronauts

Everything's A-O-K is a little schizophrenic, containing rock & roll ("Money," "It's So Easy"), blues ("Stormy Monday," "Big Boss Man"), pop ("Dream Lover"), R&B ("What'd I Say") and collegiate folk-pop ("If I Had a Hammer," "Shortnin' Bread"). Orbit Campus, the second half of this two-fer reissue, is the Astronauts' take on frat-rock classics,... Read More

Starbright: The Complete Roulette and Jubilee Singles
Artist: Joey Dee & the Starliters

A two-disc collection of all the group's Roulette singles, A and B sides, all the subsequent Jubilee singles and the rare 1966 album, Hitsville. Rounding out the rarities are both sides of a single sung in German and a premium record available from Vaseline Hair Tonic, the spoken word "Joey Dee Teaches You How to Dance the Authentic Peppermint... Read More