CHRISTMAS PRESENT IDEAS for CD Volume 2 - "The Path Even Less Taken" - A List of Not So Obvious BUDGET BUYS by AMAZON Hall Of Fame Reviewer Mark Barry...

22 November 2019
I get asked a lot (via e-mail) to advise on gifts (especially music titles). 
This list is for those on a budget but still looking for quality 
and maybe even a bit of quantity into the 3CD bargain...

CD PRESENTS FOR CHRISTMAS 2019 Volume 2

BEST BUDGET BUYS

HIDDEN AMAZON GEMS... 

Given that there are so many 'Best Of' and 'Anthology' CD sets for such a wide spread of music artists and genres, it can be a little hard to see the wood for the chaff and re-records. For this post, I'm focusing on SONY/BMG Music and their "Real...Ultimate Collection" 3-CD sets. Sony began theirs as far back as 2011, but have upped the numbers considerably across 2018 and 2019.  

Sony/BMG's catalogue of labels is vast - Columbia Records (USA) and CBS Records (UK), Epic, Philadelphia International, Kirshner, Portrait, RCA Victor, Monument and loads more. 

Across the decades huge swathes of their Rock, Pop, Soul, Country, Rhythm and Blues, Easy Listening, Male and Female Vocalists, Latin, Swing Jazz and Folk output has been remastered onto single CDs and multiple Box Sets (using their LEGACY imprint) by great Audio Engineers like VIC ANESINI, GREG CALBI and BERNIE GRUNDMAN. For huge artists like say Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Santana, Paul Simon and more still selling strong - Sony puts their considerable output onto "The Essential" Series - usually double CDs priced about £10 or more. 

But there are other artists who don't sell in such numbers but still have catalogues that can often stretch back to the Fifties and Sixties (Johnny Cash, Eartha Kitt, Roy Orbison, Nilsson, John Barry) and those from the Seventies like say Earth, Wind and Fire, Bill Withers or Carole King and on into the 80s and 90s with Clannad and the Gipsy Kings. 

For these, Sony/BMG has put out 3CD digipaks called "The Real John Barry - The Ultimate John Barry Collection" (see my review), "The Real Carole King", "The Real Dean Martin", "The Real Doris Day" and some genre compilations on "Folk, "Country" and "Blues". 

They are cheap and cheerful, usually pitched at six quid or less, but quietly feature those Legacy remaster engineers I've mentioned and a hugely generous 40 to 60 tracks. The 3-way flaps barely credit the release date so don't expect a booklet in any, but with this much quality music on display in pretty packs and at such a low price - these "Real" 3-disc sets offer a chance to explore artists you know by name but probably don't know the hidden gems in their back catalogue. 

They even have one for Bob Dylan, the Johnny Cash title offers an astonishing 88 Columbia songs for four quid, Bacharach and David lift up the Dionne Warwick entry, stunning mixture of legends on the multi-artist "Blues" mannish boy set, can't get over the songwriting talent of Carole King, the Miles Davis triple currently gives you 30 for three pounds and Philly's Teddy Pendergrass has cuts for when he was one of the lead vocalist with Harold Melvin and The Blue Notes. And the Bill Withers/Isley Brothers sets are wall-to-wall Soul-Funk class. All Tasty! 

Here are the bulk of the SONY titles in "The Real..." Series. Simply click the logo below for today's price and in some cases, you'll notice some are even cheaper on site...