Atlantic Records 50 Years: The Gold Anniversary Collection

by

Various Artists

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I have to be honest and acknowledge that I ordered this dual CD set originally for the sole curiosity of hearing Yes' "Roundabout" & Phil Collin's "In the Air Tonight" in HDCD format. Well I was not disappointed with these two songs. I wish only that more titles could be released in HDCD - THEY ARE UNEQUIVOCALLY WORTH IT ON BOTH HDCD & CONVENTIONAL CD PLAYERS. Anyway, I was surprised with how I enjoyed many of the other titles too. Covering 50 years in a compilation is pretty risky since it requires a breadth of taste or at least curiosity on the auditor's part beyond their usual "sweet spot" and always leaves out some noteworthy absent (eg: ELP's "Fanfare for the Common Man"). All these songs were familiar, but I would not have purchased a CD for them; I am glad to have an intro to Ray Charles' "What'd I Say", Ben King's "Stand by Me" or Otis Redding's "The Dock of the Bay" to name just a few. Enjoy this HDCD experience - you will rediscover these songs even if you heard them a thousand times before. By the way, if you like this you must get the "Monster Jazz"' HDCD - it is breath-taking in a different genre!