The best of Earth, Wind, & Fire all in one exclusive bundle!

* 15 NEWLY MASTERED CDS ENCOMPASSING THEIR ASTONISHING RECORDING CAREER ON COLUMBIA RECORDS
* PLUS A BONUS DISK OF RARITIES, INSTRUMENTALS AND UNRELEASED TRACKS
* SUPERVISED BY EW&F'S FOUNDER AND SPIRITUAL GUIDE MAURICE WHITE
* 16 great albums on 16 CDs!
* Each individual album is packaged in a replica mini-LP sleeve reproducing that album’s original cover art.

Original Price: $159.99 USD
$139.99

ADD TO CART Pre-Order - Ships on or before September 13, 2011

Earth, Wind & Fire's horn-powered hit machine represents the best in pop melodies, harmonizing voices, funky syncopation and rhythms of the world.

During their heyday in the Seventies, they became one of music's most beloved groups with catchy songs like "September," "Shining Star," "Let's Groove," "Boogie Wonderland," "Sing a Song," "Can't Hide Love," "Reasons" and "After the Love Is Gone."

Earth, Wind & Fire was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000, and The Columbia Masters demonstrates why the group became the soundtrack for 20th century American life.

The set — personally supervised by the group's founder and spiritual guide Maurice White — includes:

15 of the band's classic albums, newly mastered for superior sound.

Original LP jackets, meticulously reproduced.

A 40-page booklet with photos and commentary by Maurice White.

The Columbia Masters also features a newly compiled bonus disk with:

Two unreleased tracks from the Touch the World sessions.

Two scintillating live performances ("Getaway" and "In the Stone") recorded in Rio de Janeiro in 1980.

Rare instrumental versions of "Let's Groove" and "Boogie Wonderland" (with The Emotions).

Maurice White's unmistakable productions for Neil Diamond, Ramsey Lewis, Jennifer Holiday and Barbra Streisand.

1. Last Days and Time
2. Head to the Sky
3. Open Our Eyes
4. That's the Way of the World
5. Gratitude
6. Spirit
7. All 'N All
8. Best of Earth, Wind & Fire Vol. 1
9. I Am
10. Faces
11. Raise!
12. Powerlight
13. Electric Universe
14. Touch the World
15. Heritage
16. Bonus Disc: Constellations: The Universe of Earth, Wind & Fire

ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA - THE CLASSIC ALBUMS COLLECTION

* This box set is the definitive document of Electric Light Orchestra's classic recordings
* Each album features rare bonus tracks, including numerous alternate versions and unreleased tracks.
* Each album is packaged in a replica mini-LP-style sleeve reproducing that album's original cover art.
* Includes such enduring ELO hits as "Can't Get It Out of My Head," "Evil Woman," "Telephone Line," "Livin' Thing," "Sweet Talkin' Woman," "Mr. Blue Sky," "Don't Bring Me Down" and "Hold on Tight."

Original Price: $99.98 USD
$79.99

ADD TO CART Pre-Order - Ships on or before September 13, 2011

England's Electric Light Orchestra, better known to its fans as ELO, went from cult status to arena-level superstardom in the 1970s, evolving from eclectic classically-influenced prog-rockers to state-of-the-art hitmakers. At the peak of their popularity, they were one of the world's biggest-selling recording acts, and also one of the most unusual. Combining rock instrumentation with a full string section, ELO couldn't help but stand out, both musically and visually.

Originally launched by Jeff Lynne, Bev Bevan and Roy Wood as a sideline to their legendary band the Move, ELO arrived in 1971 with their debut album No Answer. Wood departed soon after, but singer/songwriter/guitarist/producer Lynne continued to pilot ELO through a series of ambitious albums that blended the band's expansive symphonic-rock sound with songs that were both sonically adventurous and infectiously catchy. ELO was particularly successful in America, where the band scored a series of multi-platinum albums as well as 19 Top 20 singles.

ELO's recordings grew progressively more ambitious, with the playful experimentation of the group's early efforts evolving into the extended orchestral excursions of 1974's Eldorado and the rousing, concise songcraft of the dual commercial breakthroughs A New World Record and Out of the Blue.

Albums included:

1. No Answer
2. Electric Light Orchestra II
3. On the Third Day
4. Eldorado
5. Face the Music
6. A New World Record
7. Out of the Blue
8. Discovery
9. Time
10. Secret Messages
11. Balance of Power

DEXTER GORDON - THE COMPLETE COLUMBIA ALBUMS COLLECTION

* The best of Dexter Gordon's Columbia albums all in one bundle!
* 6 great albums on 7 CDs!
* Each individual album is packaged in a replica mini-LP sleeve reproducing that album’s original cover art.
* The booklet includes full discographical info., rare photos, and liner notes!

Original Price: $69.98 USD
$55.99

ADD TO CART Pre-Order - Ships on or before September 13, 2011

There are no second acts in American lives” wrote F. Scott Fitzgerald, a man who never would have put those words to paper had he lived to see Dexter Gordon’s triumphant late career revival. Actually, the great tenor saxophonist had a number of “second acts” during his lifetime. Yet the late 1980’s flourish that found Gordon (1923-1990) an international star and an Oscar nominee could hardly be topped for a dramatic finale.

Gordon may have come of age in the Swing Era worshipping the dual tenor deities Coleman Hawkins and Lester Young, but he made his mark during the subsequent rise of bebop, translating Charlie Parker’s revolutionary rhythmic and harmonic language to the tenor saxophone. From 1945 to 1962 “long tall Dexter” (LTD) maintained his status as one of the unimpeachable tenor titans, notwithstanding prison spells that somehow never stalled his momentum. Relocating to Europe, Gordon, his ear ever open to stylistic changes in jazz, retained his celebrity.
On returning Stateside in 1976, Gordon was signed by Columbia Records, who documented him on the celebratory Homecoming: Live At The Village Vanguard. Subsequent albums found Gordon, still in fighting shape and now receiving higher public visibility than ever before, turning out a series of acclaimed recordings that united him with younger associates including Bobby Hutcherson, Woody Shaw, and George Cables.

Gordon’s ultra hip manner and regal bearing made him a natural for films, and in 1986, he starred in Round Midnight in a role loosely based on both Bud Powell and Lester Young, ultimately garnering a deserving Academy Award nomination. (Gordon also appeared in the posthumously released Awakenings alongside Robert DeNiro and Robin Williams.) He went out a “star, ” a role he had already embodied in the jazz world for some five decades

Albums included:
1-2. Homecoming: Live At The Village Vanguard [2 CDs] (1976)
3. Sophisticated Giant (1977)
4. Manhattan Symphonie (1978)
5. Live At Carnegie Hall (1978)
6. Gotham City (1980)
7. Bonus Tracks ( a new compilation disc of bonus material)

PAUL DESMOND - COMPLETE RCA ALBUM COLLECTION

* The most complete package to date of Paul Desmond's RCA Albums.
* Each individual album is packaged in a replica mini-LP sleeve reproducing that album’s original cover art.
* Includes a stand-alone booklet with photos and discographical information.

Original Price: $59.98 USD
$44.99

ADD TO CART Pre-Order - Ships on or before September 27, 2011

For the bulk of the 1950s and 60’s, Paul Desmond had one of the sweetest gigs in jazz history. As the featured alto saxophonist in the Dave Brubeck quartet, Desmond was a central figure in the most commercially successful jazz ensemble of the time. The sole horn in the group, Desmond attracted considerable critical and public acclaim for his supremely lyrical, sublimely melodic playing. His dulcet phrases couched in what he himself dubbed a “dry martini” tone, Desmond’s alto was a defining sound of the era.

But even a beloved sideman has to step into the full glare of the spotlight at times. While the delightful Two of a Mind found Desmond in a spare collaboration with just Gerry Mulligan’s baritone saxophone and bass and drums, his other RCA albums paired him with Jim Hall, a brilliant guitarist whose lyrical sensibilities matched those of the altoist himself. Exploring standards and the occasional Desmond original, the two proved to be perfect musical partners.

While the majority of Desmond’s recordings found him fronting a quartet with the ever-present Hall, the tasteful drummer Connie Kay, and the resourceful bassists Gene Wright and Gene Cherico, the 1961 Desmond Blue matched the saxophonist with a string orchestra and outstanding arrangements by Bob Prince for a set of exquisitely rendered classics including a memorable “My Funny Valentine.” Take Ten signaled Desmond’s deepening interest in Brazilian bossa nova; Boss Antigua explores the genre with further depth and idiomatic understanding. The final RCA album, 1964’s Glad To Be Unhappy, is yet another quietly majestic quartet recording that made it clear that Desmond had developed a solid musical identity of his own. That he left the Brubeck fold just a few years later came as little surprise to those who had tracked the star saxophonist’s monumental RCA work of the 1960s -- it was time, and he was more than ready.

Albums included:

1. Desmond Blue (1961)
2. Take Ten (1963)
3. Bossa Antigua (1964)
4. Glad To Be Unhappy (1963-1965)
5. Easy Living (1963-1965)
6. Two Of A Mind w/ Gerry Mulligan (1962)

WOODY SHAW - THE COMPLETE COLUMBIA ALBUMS COLLECTION

* The most complete package to date of Woody Shaw's Columbia albums!
* 6 great albums on 6 CDs!
* Each individual album is packaged in a replica mini-LP sleeve reproducing that album’s original cover art.
* The booklet includes full discographical info., rare photos, and liner notes!

Original Price: $69.98 USD
$55.99

ADD TO CART Pre-Order - Ships on or before September 13, 2011

Encountering the name Woody Shaw (1944-1989) in print or conversation, it’s not uncommon for a phrase much like “ the last original trumpet voice” to follow. For Shaw was just such a player: a daring horn stylist with an utterly personal and technically advanced approach that has yet to be matched since his untimely death.

Even as a young up-and-comer, Shaw was eager to investigate the cutting edge of modern jazz, working for a time with the innovative multi-instrumentalist Eric Dolphy. After a memorable stint with the hard bop maestro, Horace Silver, Shaw leaped head first towards the post bop firmament, collaborating with such visionary player/composers as Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, McCoy Tyner, Andrew Hill, and Larry Young, whose 1965 masterwork, Unity, featured Shaw’s soon-to-be-standard, “The Moontrane.”

Further work with such A-list leaders as Art Blakey, Max Roach and Dexter Gordon (Shaw is heard to great advantage on the legendary tenorist’s joyous Homecoming) followed, but it was only a matter of time before this blatantly talented horn man set out on his own. The late 1970s and 80’s found Shaw fronting ensembles that brought attention to such fine players as Steve Turre and Mulgrew Miller, as well as shining light on the leader’s own adventurous, strikingly virtuosic improvising.

On such landmark Columbia albums as Woody lll and For Sure! -- projects that represented a career peak for Shaw in terms of both personal creativity and commercial exposure -- his impressive compositions ( the outstanding “Organ Grinder” among them) and arranging skills for expanded ensembles are brought to the fore. Although he didn’t live to conquer the personal problems that set back his career, present day trumpet icons from Dave Douglas to Wynton Marsalis have acknowledged Shaw’s lasting influence. Let Miles Davis have the last word about Shaw: “Now there's a great trumpet player. He can play different from all of them."

Albums included:

1. Rosewood (1977)
2. Stepping Stones (1978)
3. Stepping Stones Bonus Tracks
4. Woody III (1979)
5. For Sure! (1979)
6. United (1981)

NINA SIMONE - THE COMPLETE RCA ALBUMS COLLECTION

*The best of Nina Simone all in one bundle!
*The most complete package to date of Nina Simone's RCA albums.
* 9 great albums on 9 CDs!
* Each individual album is packaged in a replica mini-LP sleeve reproducing that album’s original cover art.

Original Price: $89.98 USD
$71.99

ADD TO CART Pre-Order - Ships on or before September 22, 2011

As unclassifiable as she was forthright, Nina Simone (1933-2003) went her own way; it was up to her devoted audience to keep pace with her stylistic wanderings. Defiantly outspoken and willfully eclectic in her music, Simone electrified listeners with artfully intense performances.

Trained as a classical pianist but thwarted in her ambitions, Simone turned to singing out of economic necessity. The 1950s and 60’s witnessed Simone gaining success with her involving blend of blues, gospel, and jazz, classical, R&B, and popular song. Her wide-ranging musical nature and smoldering delivery captivated listeners fascinated by her scope and emotional involvement.

Politically radicalized in the early 1960s, Simone took her music in yet another direction. Now recording songs that addressed the civil rights movement as well as folk and recent pop songs, Simone aligned herself with a contemporary audience. Her RCA albums were stocked with songs that ran the gamut from “I Wish I Knew What It Was Like to Be Free” by Billy Taylor and “Ain’t Got No (I Got Life)” from the Broadway hit, Hair, to Leonard Cohen’s “Suzanne” and Burt Bacharach’s “The Look of Love.” It was this ability to endow work from Langston Hughes to the Bee Gees with equal intensity that drew legions of mesmerized fans to her.

Simone’s outspoken nature and confrontational personality may have caused havoc with her career, but, from today’s perspective, her forthrightness can be seen as a model for a new generation of take-no-guff performers. Simone had something to say, she made sure you heard it, and judging from the myriad artists who cite her as an influence, many did.

Albums included:

1. Nina Simone Sings The Blues (1967)
2. Silk & Soul (1967)
3. ‘Nuff Said (1968)
4. Nina Simone & Piano (1969)
5. To Love Somebody (1969)
6. Black Gold (1970)
7. Here Comes The Sun (1971)
8. Emergency Ward (1972)
9. It Is Finished (1974)

With regards to the Nina Simone reissue:

There is no mention as to whether the expanded editions of "Sings The Blues"; "Silk And Soul"; and "Nina Simone And Piano" will be included. An e-mail response from Myplay was useless as they just referred me back to the product page!

However the picture of the booklet on the Pop Market page looks like a longer tracklist than the originally released RCA albums (which I think had 11 tracks at most). I even tried to read it with a magnifying glass with no luck.

Yeah, I have too much time on my hands

Just curious if anyone could provide any information on the packaging of any (these or any other) of the "Complete Album Collection" sold through PopMarket.

-Are the mini-lp sleeves of at least decent quality (don't necessarily expect Japanese quality here but at least glossy with good resolution)?

-Do they include paper inner-sleeves which are reproductions of the original inner-sleeves and/or a some type of sleeve that provides additional protection for the discs (see the "rice-paper" sleeves used in The Beatles mono set or the Pink Floyd Oh By the Way set)?

-What are the booklets like? Quality photos? Commentary from band members? Discography/singles discography? Lyrics? An essay from a journalist going on and on about how great this artist was (the one thing that is always included that I cannot stand)?

Thanks to anyone that can provide any information.

There is a track listing on a Polish website with a tracklisting for the Nina Simone box. Whether it is confirmed or not, I can't say. If you're interested, the link is here:

http://www.fan.pl/katalog/p91781369_nin ... lbums.html

Additional information from the Popmarket site regarding Nina Simone:

I was thrilled that my order for my Nina Simone box shipped mid-week from Pop Market. I was disappointed to check my mail today and find a mailer that was slightly bigger than a single CD! I knew there was no way in hell there were 9 CDs, a book, and a box contained within... I was totally pissed when I opened it to find Tony Bennett "Duets II"! WTF?!?! Oh and my credit card was charged for the $76, so there was no mistake on THAT front...

Sent them a message and am now waiting for a response.

The EWF set is PopMarket's daily deal today -- $76.99 with free shipping. This one wasn't exactly at the top of my list, but for that price I decided not to pass it up.

Thanks for the tip, Ven; I've been waiting for a decent deal on this one, so just placed my order.