Capitol Years Box, The - Kraftwerk

Advantages: Top sounds of swing, country and vegas high rollers
Disadvantages: Shows Mr Sinatra up for the fraud that he was

...The Rat Pack. Vegas. Fun and laughs at the Sands Casino. Frank and Sammy. Who really wants to forgt a crew of guys who epitomise the whole ethos of cool? Certainly not me. But of that group one man stood head and shoulders above the others. He was rugged, strong and could sing songs so effortlessly that it sounded like he could do it in his sleep. Dean Martin was not only as enigmatic as Frank Sinatra, and as funny as Sammy Davis Jr, but he had a talent for turning songs into something special. During the British invasion of the American charts in the Sixties, he as one of the few who managed to fend off the Beatles from the top positions. This "Very Best of" album is certainly that as for the first time it gathered together the hits from his stint with both Capitol Records and Reprise Records. Dean managed to move... Read review

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Advantages: All the classics from their early years are featured
Disadvantages: Only covers 1979-1988, the 3 omitted singles could have been included instead of the two dodgy extended 12" mixes which take up almost 15 minutes between them

...Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark are either : (a) The silliest, most ridiculously-named band in the history of pop (b) Responsible for some of the most unusual, classic synthesizer ditties ever to make the charts (c) An enduring outifit capable of sustaining a career over 20 years, regardless of fickle trends and fashions (d) All of the above or... (e) A bunch of pretentious idiots with naff haircuts, dependent on wimpy little keyboards and tinny drum machines, who ought to have been fed to the Rock'n'Roll lions at birth Okay, so (e) is not an option here. Sorry folks. The year is 1979. Punk is the dominant musical and cultural force in Britain. Yet a separate breed of acts would emerge, inspired by the austere technology-assisted experimentation of bands such as Kraftwerk. The original Human League line-up - before... Read review

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Advantages: All the Beach Boys hits in a boxed set
Disadvantages: Some people really will hate this type of music

...Good Vibrations: Thirty Years of The Beach Boys" is one of the finest compilations of a major musical artist yet released. Inside, you will find an exceptionally well-chosen selection of Beach Boy hits, album tracks, alternate takes, experiments and other assorted oddities. There are no essential songs or performances missing, although one might quibble about not finding a personal favourite among the extensive track listing. Even then, I'll wager that the compilers at Capitol have second-guessed even the most fervent Beach Boys fanatics. Here is the proof as to why in some circles Brian Wilson is considered a pop music genius on the order of a Paul McCartney or a Stevie Wonder. The sound is terrific, given that the original recordings have some unusual imbalances and are very trebly--no doubt due to Brian Wilson's rumoured deafness... Read review

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