day. Years have gone by...but Common Threads remain-four part harmony; love for God, faith, family and country; an ability to bring a stage to life. Enjoy an "uncommonly" successful group joined through the years by a Common Thread.  (less)

Catch Bull at Four proves that the Cat had seen darkness, too, and that those darker elements had become more pronounced than they'd been in the past. His vocal style shifts from the cool croon that made Tea for the Tillerman and Teaser and the Firecat top sellers to a harsher, almost growling delivery. The album's standouts--the wistful reverie "Sitting" and the delightfully infectious "Can't Keep It In"--are resolute in lyric and melody. Rambling, mystical odes such as "The Boy with a Moon & Star on His Head," "Angelsea," and "Sweet Scarlet" offer quaintly romantic imagery and lavishly undulating melodies. But it's the mercurial dynamics and driving melody of "18th Avenue (Kansas City Nightmare)" and the bitter conviction...  (less)

differences be fended off for long? But, of course, Don Henley, Glenn Frey, and the boys had a juggernaut on their hands, generating a dozen top 10 hits in their initial eight-year spurt. Selected Works: 1972-1999 gathers all the highlights from the group in all of its '70s and early '80s glory on three discs, dubbed "The Early Years," "The Ballads," and "The Fast Lane." The handsome box is fleshed out with a live disc from New Year's Eve 1999. With striking packaging, extensive liner notes, and a surplus of vintage photos, Selected Works is a suitable retrospective on a band that defined the California sound and took it easy, and, in the process, took it to the limit. --Steven Stolder  (less)

if his lyrics are often comical. This 22-song collection includes both his hits and his greatest performances. Top-quality musicians abound: Early 1949 cuts feature Ernest Tubb’s guitarist Billy Byrd and Roy Acuff’s Smoky Mountain Boys; his own talented Country Boys included at various points Grady Martin, Red Taylor, Tommy Jackson, Buddy Emmons, Harold Bradley, Cecil Brower, and Pig Robbins. His spirited vocals roll through traditional Acuff-influenced country, proto-rockabilly, Western swing, and earnest (if not overblown) ballads. Rather than polish up his hillbilly background, he flaunts it for all to notice. This pint-sized package packs a mean punch. --Marc Greilsamer  (less)

best and forge a riveting selection of sacred material ("I’ll Go To Church Again With Momma" and "Bring It To Jesus") as well as heart-breaking ballads like the title track —every offering created with the ease of master craftsmen.  (less)

his soft, calming tunes. Give a Hot Country Star these songs, and their simple truths about love, faith, and country life would seem like platitudes. However, in the caress of Williams's warmhearted baritone, they come off as sincere, timeless nuggets of wisdom. With the barest of accompaniment, Williams took 10 of these 12 songs to the top of the country charts (while the remaining pair reached No. 2) in the '70s and '80s. Though he penned hits for many others, his own smashes usually came courtesy of writers such as Bob McDill and Wayland Holyfield, though Williams, a Texas native, clearly relates to their unpretentious, bucolic sentiments. Throughout, Williams gives good ol' boys back their good name and women back their dignity, and through the strength of h...  (less)

racking up a steady stream of Top Ten singles, and establishing a reputation as the archetypal interpreter of Jimmy Webb s wonderful songs, highlighted by classics like By the Time I Get to Phoenix, Wichita Lineman and Galveston, and later hits such as Larry Weiss' Rhinestone Cowboy, and Allen Toussaint's Southern Nights. Boasting Campbell's smooth vocals and layered arrangements, where steel guitars bounced off sweeping strings, those songs not only became country hits, they crossed over to the pop charts as well, which was appropriate, since that is where he began his musical career, as a sideman to the Beach Boys among others. This 1981 live performance was recorded at a concert in Dublin, during one of his many successful European tours and ...  (less)

and covers the last four years of the Stanleys' career on King Records - 1961-65 - a career that was cruelly terminated by the death of Carter Stanley in 1966. Focusing primarily on tracks that were released on 45s by King, some posthumously, this package includes some of the best vocal and instrumental performances that Carter, Ralph and various line-ups of their group, the Clinch Mountain Boys, laid down during a career that spanned a quarter of a century. Highlights include their original recording of 'Don't Cheat In Our Hometown' - later to be taken to the top of the US Country charts by a famous alumnus of the Clinch Mountain Boys, Ricky Skaggs, and the sombre recitation 'Old And In The Way', the title of which Jerry Garcia, David Grism...  (less)

the country music scene of the 1950s and beyond. A Kentucky-born Florida resident until his recent death, Gary Stewart was revered by Texas country music fans. Johnny Rodriguez hit the country music scene in 1973 with his Top 10 hit "Pass Me By (If You're Only Passing Through)." Dale Watson is recognized as the leader of the back-to-basics honky tonk country movement.  (less)

Kohrs, Bryan Bowers & many others. They’re distinguished, top-notch players hailing from all over the geographical—& instrumental—map. “Many A Blue Moon” sounds like it came straight from a lost 8-track under the grubby bus seat of Jimmy Martin. The girl is gone & the old boy is crying, all to the ultra-traditional drive of the great Ron Stewart’s fiddle & banjo. The moon is blue & so is the singer. Then pause 4 seconds. Here comes equally great talent from the distant fringe of bluegrass—Radim Zenkl’s whistle & Bryan Bowers’ autoharp—called together by a 5-minute ode to . . . to what? To a half-dozen carefully enumerated academic philosophies. Bluegrass whiplash, you bet! Welcome to Oreg...  (less)

boy-next-door country-folk singer chalked up 10 top-10 hits. Even after the singles began to peak somewhere short of Rocky Mountain heights, Denver ably branched into film (he costarred in the box-office winner Oh God ) and social activism (as much as any entertainer, he deserves credit for making environmentalism a mainstream movement). The man born John Henry Deutschendorf was almost as widely loathed as he was beloved, however: the number of people who were intoxicated by his wholesome, soaring songs were nearly matched by those who wretched at the mention of his name. This two-disc anthology is for the latter group, though it underserves an element of the late superstar's audience. Missing here are "Fly Away," "Calypso," "Rocky Mountain High," "Sweet Surrender," "Take Me...  (less)

landed a solo deal with Warner Bros., which, in late 1978, released her first single, "Lotta Love" (penned by her mentor Young). It went Top 10, spurred her debut album Nicolette to gold, and launched a promising career. She cut four albums for Warner Bros. and guested on records by others ranging from the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band to Van Halen. In Nashville, Larson starred in the musical Pump Boys And Dinettes and cut the album Say When, proving she was adept at country too. Sadly, Nicolette passed away in December 1997 of complications arising from cerebral edema; she was just 45. Now Rhino is proud to bring you the only collection devoted to this underappreciated artist's best solo recordings, The Very Best Of Nicolette Larson. Fea...  (less)