Neil Diamond - 50th Anniversary Collector's Edition - (6-CDs)

Diamond is one of those artists who has had so many hit records that it kind of boggles your mind to have them all in front of you at once. And the voluminous number of hits are part of what you get with this anniversary collection. From early mono takes on "Cherry Cherry," "Kentucky Woman," "Red, Red Wine" and "I'm a Believer" through "Sweet Caroline," "Shiloh," "Song Sung Blue" and "I Am � I Said" to "Heartlight," "America," "The Story of My Life" and "Pretty Amazing Grace," the hits and favorites are stacked among the set's 115 songs. A bunch of Neil's duets are here, including "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" with Barbra Streisand, "One Good Love" with Waylon Jennings, "Everybody" with Mark O'Connor and "Another Day (That Time Forgot) with Dixie Chick Natalie Maines. Longtime fans will really appreciate the 15 songs here that have never been released before, like "Sunflower," which Glen Campbell had a hit with, the delicate "C'est La Vie," the cornpone country pop of "Girls Go Fishin'," the Jimmy Buffett-like "Caribbean Cruise" and the semi-autobiographical "Before I Had a Dime." The retrospective comes packaged in a hard cover book with notes on the songs and lots of photos. Diamond has had 11 multi-Platinum albums, 21 Platinum albums and 40 Gold albums totaling more than 130 million albums sold. Order here

The Kinks - The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society 50th Anniversary Super Deluxe Box Set - (2-LP, 5-CD, 3-7"45 RPM singles, book, memorabilia)

The Kinks have always been thought of as one of the quintessentially English bands, mostly thanks to the keen observations found in the lyrics of songwriter and group front man Ray Davies. The band's earlier albums spotlight this quality the most, and there is probably no better example of this than The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society, a sleeper that earned serious gravitas as it aged. Davies voice, both in his lyrics and the way he sings them, is here full of wonderment, hope and regret as he assesses the world he sees changing around him in songs like the Beatles-esque "Do You Remember Walter?," the bluesy "Last of the Steam-Powered Trains," the relaxed respite of "Sitting by the Riverside" and "All of My Friends Were There." Now considered essential listening, fans can own a newly-remastered version of just the album or go for the box set, a monster of a collection on vinyl and CD that includes tons of extras and rarities. Order here.

The Complete Cuban Jam Sessions - (Various artists) - (5-LP or 5-CD)