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UNIVERSAL MUSIC ENTERPRISES
BAR KEYS/20th Century Masters: The survivors of the Otis Redding plane crash continued forward with the funk you get a solid dose of here. Always a solid party music crew that knew how to deliver a proper jam, they never outgrew their Memphis/Georgia grit and used it to power some great stuff. This is a well rounded collection that lovers of the funk will love.
8473 (Mercury)
ENGELBERT HUMPERDINCK/20th Century Masters: He didn’t have a lot of the kind of signature songs you could hang your hat on like contemporary Tom Jones, but his singles were the kind of schmaltz horny sixties housewives knew by heart, and took to heart. Super set of 60’s schmaltz, with a dollop of 70’s comeback added for full flavor, that made MOR fans want mor, mor, mor(e). Looking for that cheap gift for Mother’s Day that’ll probably do more good than it costs?
8489 (Hip-O/Deram)
CARPENTERS/20th Century Masters: Normally, we have no quibble with the 20th Century Masters series, but this time, we have a bone to pick. Certainly, Carpenters had a hefty bounty of hits but the selection on board here are more appropriate to a volume two collection. Where’s “Rainy Days and Mondays”, “Close to You” and all those? Real fans won’t need their arms twisted to get behind the tracks displayed here, but what about the tourists this series is supposed to draw into the tent? Please follow this up with a Version 0.0 or something like that.
8488 (A&M)
DON WILLIAMS/Anthology: Before there were hat acts, there was the gentle giant with his hat, masquerading as a mainstream country act while covering Townes Van Zandt, dueting with Emmylou Harris and co-writing with John Prine. On the one hand, you can’t wonder why this stuff survives so well today and on the other you have to wonder why there’s no room for a cat like this in the contemporary country landscape. Forty tracks of the kind of stuff that kept record business lights on in the post disco crash years that ought to make today’s bunch of carpet bagger slow down and think for a minute. They won’t, but Williams left behind a bounty of stuff we can enjoy.
088112271 (Hip-O)
OLD SCHOOL JAMS-Gold/various: The Gold series takes a twist into genres with this double disc old skool funk special. Covering a lot of ground from a lot of Universal’s labels, this fatly tracked set is loaded with fat jams that made ‘urban’ more than just a marketing handle, at one time. While the obvious artists are featured, there’s some nice crate digging going on here as well and all tracks are the album or 12 inch version. One of those killer party on a platter affairs that will keep the party in high octane mode for as long as you want it to roll on.
8207 (Hip-O)
Volume 30/Number 164
April 13, 2007
MIDWEST RECORD
830 W. Route 22 #144
Lake Zurich, IL., 60047
CHRIS SPECTOR, Editor and Publisher
(c)2007 Midwest Record
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