Pop Music: The Golden Era 1951-1975
Home of the Columbia and Epic labels, CBS Records (now Sony Music) was late getting into the rock & roll game, despite issuing some classic '50s R&B; singles on the subsidiaryOKeh. Corporate aversion to the music was largely due to Mitch "Sing Along with Mitch" Miller, the A&R; head whose philistine bent helped runFrank Sinatrafrom the company in 1952, shortly before he revived his career at Capitol with some of the greatest American music ever recorded. Not surprisingly, theThe Golden Eravolume of Sony's massiveSoundtrack for a Centuryproject is a mixed bag. Pre-Elvisgems such as Sinatra's "Birth of the Blues" sit alongside unforgivable schlock by Miller and theFour Ladsbefore rock & roll-based pop finally shakes things up. With everyone fromDylanand theYardbirdsto theCyrkle("Red Rubber Ball") and theLooking Glass("Brandy [You're a Fine Girl]") on hand, these two CDs are a mishmash, but highly representative of what CBS had to offer Top 40 once it realizedBuddy Greco(not included) wasn't the future.--Rickey Wright