The Chess Box
Artist: Bo Diddley

Not every single track you'll ever want or need by the legendary shave-and-a-haircut rhythm R&B/rock pioneer, but a great place to begin. Two discs (45 songs) in a great big box with a nice accompanying booklet contain the groundbreaking introduction "Bo Diddley" (never again would he be referred to as Ellas McDaniel), its swaggering flipside... Read More

Voodoo Jive: The Best of Screamin' Jay Hawkins
Artist: Screamin' Jay Hawkins

Screamin' Jay Hawkins -- genius or lunatic? An investigation of Hawkins' body of work suggests these two options were hardly mutually exclusive in his case, and while he certainly tended to favor material that indulged his fondness for the vocal freak-out, the man also possessed a solid baritone voice and knew just what to do with it. (A careful... Read More

Goodnight, My Love
Artist: Jesse Belvin

Jesse Belvin's Modern Record legacy, from 1955-57, 25 songs (including an alternate take of "Goodnight My Love") including an undubbed version of "Beware," a pair of previously unheard songs ("What Can I Do Without You," "I'll Make A Bet"), a compelling soulful cover of Sam Cooke's "You Send Me," and the previously overlooked single version of... Read More

Soul on Fire: The Best of LaVern Baker
Artist: LaVern Baker

One of R&B's earliest divas, LaVern Baker could grab hold of a song and belt it out with the best of them, whether she was singing bouncy, up-tempo rock & roll or bluesy torch ballads. Baker's contributions to the rockin' and rollin' wing of '50s R&B were in a class with Atlantic labelmates Ruth Brown and the Clyde McPhatter-era Drifters, as the... Read More

Mr. Excitement
Artist: Jackie Wilson

A three-CD box from the experts of reissue at Rhino, Mr. Excitement takes Wilson's career from his first sides with Billy Ward & the Dominoes in 1956 through his final recordings in the early '70s. The former Detroit boxer hit either the R&B or pop chart over 50 times, making him one of the most successful R&B artists ever, in chart terms at... Read More

Summertime
Artist: The Marcels

Fans of this extraordinary doo wop outfit will have to own this CD, containing 24 demo tracks including "Zoom," and the number that ultimately evolved into their celebrated cover of Rodgers & Hart's "Blue Moon." Also on hand are "A Sunday Kind of Love," "Over the Rainbow," "I Could Have Danced All Night," "Spanish Harlem," "Save the Last Dance... Read More