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Motown did so many things well in the '60s and early '70s that this overview of the label's smashes (and some lesser-known classics) practically demands four CDs. It gets them, too, filling them with single mixes of more than 100 tracks. That the running order begins with Barrett Strong's statement ...

It doesn't happen all the time, but occasionally kitsch burrows itself into the popular consciousness and stays put because it's timelessly, compellingly good. Such is the case with The Very Best of the Partridge Family, which at long last allows pop aficionados who have closeted their dirty-little-...

Unless you're a snob, a good Monkees collection belongs on your shelves, not too far from discs by the Turtles, the Lovin' Spoonful, and other avatars of clean, occasionally rocking '60s Top 40 pop. Greatest Hits is a more than generous stack, bringing together not only the obvious megahits ("I'm a ...

They were glam, they were hams, and they made great singles. From "Little Willy" on, they forged a pop sound, always with a sly wink at the audience, never taking themselves too seriously. But when you had songs like "Ballroom Blitz,""Blockbuster," and "Fox on the Run," who really cared if you wore ...

Snoopy vs. the Red Baron/Snoopy & His Friends...

That the most famous garage-rock record of all time, the Kingsmen's "Louie Louie," is buried on the last CD of this four-disc box is very much in keeping with the spirit of the (often) one-hit wonders that people Nuggets. Here, "Louie Louie" is just another great song. An elaboration on the 1972 dou...

One Hit Wonders...

In the late '60s, Tommy Roe's budding bubblegum bop was the kind of stuff aspiring smarties turned their nose up at. He was a "teenybopper" (albeit one who bravely forged a trail soon to be trod by the daintily dreamy likes of Bobby Sherman and the Cassidy Bros.) when many were into revolutionary ro...

It's hard to think of a more quintessential pre-disco-era supergroup, and this really is the ultimate collection of the Jackson 5's finest. From the super-sweet "I'll Be There" (which went on to become one of the most-covered songs in recent history) to the peppy pop of "I Want You Back," the period...

A Partridge Family Christmas Card...