As good as it gets
This is as good as music gets. The first CD is an introductory one, with some dated material, but once you get beyond the 40's, every song is a winner. This contains several Greatest Hits sets all in one place. Just brilliant stuff, to which I'd give my highest recommendation.

Old Oldies
This is an excellent product for anyone who cherishes the
old times when you had to SING a SONG not just repeating
one verse over and over. There are some good hard to find
songs that many of us had probably forgotten until they
start to play and then they do bring back memories. An
excellent gift for anyone over 50 years of age. Old
enough to appreciate good music.

AMERICAN R & B SOUNDTRACK
As I have waited many years to purchase this set, I have sampled it from the LP version that it was molded from. First released on CD in the early 80's there were two prior version that were released on LP. The first was started in the mid 60's and was released in the original mono versions for the first few volumes. It was then re-released in the 70's as two volume gatefold albums, also grouped in the first box set that the 8 CD set is modled after. The tracks have remained basically the same over the several releases with the final 8 CD set incorporating all the revisions. The quality of the recordings have been maintained throughout the entire collection without the tinkering that sometimes happens in the process of re-mastering. As I own several of the original recordings from the early 50's, in both the 78 and 45 rpm pressings, along with various reel and cassette releases. The sessions are the correct versions, as were made famous from their era. The history of these selections have maintained their importance in the soundtrack of the American Entertainment with their inclusion in some of the greatest box office releases in the past 4 decades. A little of the Atlantic history can be seen in the movie "Ray", as it was included in the bio of the most well know R & B artist of our lifetime. In addition, the r & r movies made in the early fifties featured the music of the Atlantic Black artist as featured in the first several disc of the collection. Dirty Dancing featured Soloman Burkes "Cry to Me", and many other tracks have been included in major movies over the decades. Every where you turn these tracks are a part of your history. To have them all in this one collection to enjoy endlessly, anytime you wish is worth the cost, whatever price you have to pay. If you were to download each track at .99 each you would pay well over two hundred dollars to burn all of these to CD yourself and you would not have the history that is included in this package. Although I sound like one of the TV ads, I just enjoy this music, I have grown up with it over the last 50 years and I feel it should be a part of any music collection as a part of the American R & B section. Buy it, listen, listen again and you will be overcome with the music, history and all that it has become.

Held off buying this too long!
Looked at this CD for years without buying - When I finally did, well worth the purchase - The sound quality is great and the music is without peer - Don't wait, buy!!!

Wow! What a Collection
This is probably the most extensive collection ever of the Atlantic RNb/Soul sound. Many of these records are real old, almost Smithsonian old but great to relive the history of RnB. Of course the 50s, 60s, and 70s soul classics are all in there. One surprising note is the variance in sound quality. Some of the songs from the 50s are cleaner than the ones from the early 70s. Maybe some were mixed for AM radio while others were not. Some of the master tapes may have also deteriorated. This is a must have for the RnB collector.