Live in Athens was recorded on the nights of January 23rd and January 24th in Athens Greece. Iced Earth was the only band who played at the Rodon Club those nights and they performed in front of sold-out crowds (of approximately 2000 people) both nights.

Rare Live & Classic was a 1993 box set compilation by Joan Baez. Released on Vanguard where Baez had recorded her most influential work during the first twelve years of her career the set also included material from her subsequent record labels A&M; Columbia and Gold Castle Records as well as a number of previously unreleased studio and live recordings.
Bob Dylan Bob Gibson Mimi Farina Judy Collins Odetta and Kris Kristofferson are among those who make guest appearances on the various tracks; also included were two tracks from a never-released album recorded with the Grateful Dead.

From a cover of "Settin' the Woods on Fire" in September 1952 to "Blue House Painted White" in August of 1962 this four-CD set is a priceless overview of the best part of Porter Wagoner's career. Disc one features his earliest stuff most of which is solid honky tonk material sung in Hank Williams' style. Most of it disappeared without a trace at the time but it's all extremely enjoyable and shows some of Wagoner's versatility. His own sound as it developed on the later songs on disc one and all of disc two is more backwoods with a strong folk component but also beautifully harmonized. Wagoner's most striking attribute was the sheer joy evident in his singing and playing whether he was doing a deeply religious number ("What Would You Do") or a loving tribute to Bill Monroe ("Uncle Pen"). He was equally comfortable with bluegrass and also country-blues as is clear from the previously unissued "My Brand of Blues" where he sounds a lot like Johnny Cash. Disc three shows Wagoner working in a smoother more sentimental and commercial country-pop-oriented vein but as late as 1959 he was still doing wonderfully exuberant numbers. Disc four covers the early '60s the period during which Wagoner continued to merge the stripped-down country of his roots and the smooth Nashville sound. Among the outtakes released for the first time is "Private Little World" featuring a killer guitar solo totally unexpected in a romantic number like this. The accompanying book is informative though not as well organized as the usual Bear Family notes.

Sam Cooke had a voice like clover honey and he was as ingenious a businessman as he was an artist--carefully treading the line between smooth pop and deep R&B; to bring both audiences to him as well as together. Disc 1 of this set compiles his 1957-1959 recordings for the Keen label which had tamed the former gospel tiger into a sweet wry songwriter with a taste for crooning standards and a signature yodel that marked every song as his property. The second and third discs do the same for his RCA career's singles and album tracks which for all their orchestrated slickness left an indelible mark on soul and even rock (compare "That's It I Quit I'm Movin' On" to Elvis Costello's "Blame It On Cain"!). Lastly there's a disc with two complete albums from Cooke's stylistic poles: Night Beat (after-hours cool soul) and Live at the Harlem Square Club (Cooke as hard-hollering crowd mover). As a survey of the middle period of Cooke's career this set is totally solid; be advised though that it skips over both his early years shouting gospel with the Soul Stirrers and the classic recordings from the last year or so of his life--which include hits such as "Shake" and "A Change Is Gonna Come" that are still flabbergastingly out of print.

Probably Motown's best 60s live album partly because the Tops had honed their live act for years before joining the label and Stubbs has an easy confident rapport with the audience. Partly because the performance was in Detroit (at the Roostertail) with superb recording quality and musicianship: some of Motown's house band clearly participated though it's definitely not Jamerson on bass.

Toto was an American rock band founded in 1977 by some of the most popular and experienced session musicians of the era. The band enjoyed great commercial success in the 1980s beginning with the band's self-titled debut released during 1978. Continuing with 1982's critically acclaimed and commercially successful Toto IV Toto became one of the best selling music groups of their era. They also composed the theme music for the film Dune. Although their popularity in the United States diminished in the 1990s and 2000s they continued to tour and sold out arenas clubs and theaters internationally. Toto was known for their technical skill in the studio as well as a musical style that combines elements of pop rock soul funk progressive rock hard rock R&B; and jazz and although they were regularly associated with the soft rock genre and particularly the neo-progressive rock genre this broad array of musical styles helped them appeal to a variety of musicians and non-musician listeners. The band released 17 albums and have sold over 30 million records to date. Their 18th album Falling In Between Live was released in August 2007. It was recorded in March 2007 in Paris. As a result of guitarist Steve Lukather's departure from the band which he agreed with the other members Toto broke up after the last leg of their 2008 tour.

Extravagance in packaging is no vice especially when the media--six CDs wrapped in mockup 45 sleeves inside one of those carrying cases that were the in thing for late-'60s singles buyers--so perfectly enhance the sounds contained within. Of course it's what's in the digital bitstream that counts and Beg Scream & Shout!'s selections are masterfully chosen. Unlike Rhino's excellent but somewhat predictable R&B; Box this one strikes a better balance between well-known hits and artists and great sides by second-tier acts. This approach allows many more surprises to break through over the course of the 144 tracks almost all presented in single-mix mono. Half-remembered too-little-heard never-heard--a big part of the experience of the soul decade is here with even the most familiar tunes thrown into relief by the jumble of chronology and styles. Whether the most indelible legends (James Aretha Otis) unjustly forgotten stars (Joe Simon Tyrone Davis) or great one- and two-shot voices the set just keeps moving with smart selections. Grand discoveries abound--Otis Clay's "That's How It Is (When You're in Love)" which begins with the singer imploring "Please somebody take your hand and slap some sense in me"; C & the Shells' Jerry "Swamp Dogg" Williams-penned "You Are the Circus (I Am the Clown)"--plus original versions of "Tainted Love" (by Gloria Jones) "Mustang Sally" (by its author Sir Mack Rice) "Piece of My Heart" (by Erma Franklin Aretha's sister) "He Was Really Sayin' Something" (by the Velvelettes) and "Leaving Here" (by Eddie Holland). Consistently revelatory and fun fun fun this is pretty much everything a genre box should be.