SANTA MONICA, CA. (Top40 Charts/ Universal
Music Enterprises) - Boxes wrapped in brightly colored paper waiting to be opened is a holiday tradition. Thanks to Universal
Music Enterprises (UMe), those gift-wrapped items might contain spectacular new box sets - ranging from a 10-CD collection of classic Motown No. 1 hits; a nine-CD package featuring all the albums from pop music favorites ABBA; country superstar Reba McEntire's first boxed compilation, and a four-CD/one-DVD offering a comprehensive history of rock monster White Zombie to a four-CD box set from KISS that showcases the lead vocal work of the original members on separate discs.
Celebrating Motown's forthcoming 50th anniversary early in 2009, MOTOWN: THE COMPLETE NO. 1'S (Motown/UMe), to be released December 9, 2008, brings together every Motown No. 1 hit from every U.S. and international chart and every genre - a staggering 192 tracks, plus 10 bonus tracks whose cover versions were also No. 1. Housed in a jaw-dropping package - a replica of the original Motown headquarters, "Hitsville U.S.A." - are five digipaks, each containing two CDs, and a mini-photo book including rare and classic images, track annotations and an essay by Motown's first No. 1 hit-maker, the legendary Smokey Robinson.
Every No. 1 Motown recording from the Supremes, the Temptations, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, The Marvelettes, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Four Tops, Martha & the Vandellas, Mary Wells, Gladys Knight & the Pips, the Jackson 5, Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, the Commodores, Rick James, Lionel Richie, Johnny Gill, Boyz II Men, Erykah Badu and more is contained here.
The nine-CD set ABBA - THE ALBUMS (Polydor/Polar/UMe), released October 28, 2008, contains all eight of the group's original studio albums plus a bonus disc of B-sides, rarities and other hits. As newer fans discover ABBA, thanks to the phenomenal success of the film and stage productions of Mamma Mia!, here is the first unprecedented box set to have all of the albums' tracks available in one package.
Honoring the most commercially successful pop group of the '70s (and more than 400 million records sold worldwide overall), ABBA - THE ALBUMS collects the quartet's RING RING debut, WATERLOO, ABBA ("S.O.S.," "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do," "Mamma Mia"), ARRIVAL ("Dancing Queen," "Knowing Me, Knowing You"), ABBA - THE ALBUM ("The Name Of The Game," "Take A Chance On Me"), VOULEZ-VOUS ("Chiquitita"), SUPER TROUPER ("The Winner Takes It All") and THE VISITORS ("When All Is Said And Done").
One of the most beloved singers in country music history claims her first box set with the three-disc REBA MCENTIRE - 50 GREATEST HITS (MCA Nashville/UMe), released October 14, 2008. Beginning in 1984 and concluding with "Because Of You," her recent No. 2 duet with Kelly Clarkson, 50 GREATEST HITS features 46 of her 55 country Top 10s, including 20 of her 22 No. 1s.
From the up-tempo sassy to the heartbreaking sad, 50 GREATEST HITS spotlights her No. 1s from "How Blue," "Somebody Should Leave," "Whoever's In New England," "Little Rock" and "What Am I Gonna Do About You" to "The Last One To Know," "I Know How He Feels," "For My Broken Heart," "Is There Life Out There," "The Heart Won't Lie" with Vince Gill, "If You See Him, If You See Her" with Brooks & Dunn, and "Somebody."
White Zombie, the musical horror show that mixed dark pop culture with metallic hard rock, has been resurrected on the 4-CD/1-DVD box set LET SLEEPING CORPSES LIE (Geffen/UMe), released November 25, 2008. The CDs bring together for the first time 64 original studio recordings released by the band led by Rob Zombie during their 1985-1996 career. The DVD offers nine music videos (including MTV Award winner "More Human Than Human"), 10 live performances, and more.
LET SLEEPING CORPSES LIE includes every track from every single and EP release and the albums SOUL-CRUSHER, MAKE THEM DIE SLOWLY, LA SEXORCISTO: DEVIL MUSIC Vol. 1 ("Thunder Kiss '65") and ASTRO-CREEP: 2000, SONGS OF LOVE, DESTRUCTION AND OTHER SYNTHETIC DELUSIONS OF THE ELECTRIC HEAD ("More Human Than Human"). Among the other recordings are band contributions to the flicks Beavis & Butt-head, Airheads, Escape From L.A. and The Crow: City Of Angels.
IKONS (Mercury/UMe) spotlights each "ikonic" founding member of KISS - Gene Simmons (the Demon), Paul Stanley (the Star Child), Ace Frehley (Space Ace), and Peter Criss (the Cat Man) - on one of the box set's four discs. With IKONS, their four separate characters allow listeners a choice of favorites and a choice of attitude.
IKONS brings together almost four hours of rockin' KISS music with 14 songs per disc. Included are the original recordings of the band's biggest hits and fan favorites spanning their career from "Strutter," "Deuce" and "C'mon And Love Me" to "Rock And Roll All Nite," "Beth," "Detroit Rock City" and "I Was Made For Lovin' You." Of the 56 songs included, 28 debut on a KISS collection.
