VA - Island Life 50 Years of Island Records [2009] (3 x CDs)

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VA - Island Life 50 Years of Island Records [2009] (3 x CDs)

Following its great DVD video collection in 2007, Universal issues this ambitious compilation of singles originally issued on Chris Blackwell's Island Records. Of all the record labels out there, Island was the truly maverick one. Beginning in 1959 as a tiny indie imprint in Jamaica, Blackwell began by issuing calypso and other forms of Caribbean music -- and would eventually issue groundbreaking sets by Bob Marley, Desmond Dekker, Junior Murvin, Jimmy Cliff, Gregory Isaacs, Burning Spear, Black Uhuru, Linton Kwesi Johnson, and dozens of others. But as this triple-disc collection suggests, reggae, ska, and calypso were far from the only styles of music Island issued. Here are tracks from the careers of U2, Traffic, Cat Stevens, Bad Company, Robert Palmer, the B-52's, Pulp, Nick Drake, Jethro Tull, John Martyn, Sandy Denny, Sparks, Tom Tom Club, Slits, Amy Winehouse, in addition to others from the Caribbean artists above. Here are 39 singles from Island's catalog, along with a third bonus disc of contemporary artists covering classic ones on the label. Examples range from Winehouse covering Toots & the Maytals' "Monkey Man," Paul Weller re-versioning Drake's "River Man," Joe Cocker covering Cliff, and Keane paying tribute to Pulp on "Disco 2000," to name a few. There are 14 tracks on the bonus disc. This is an excellent introduction to Island, though of course it is wildly incomplete, and an undeniably great mix of music for the money. (AllMusic review by Thom Jurek)

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Track lists

CD1

01 U2 - Pride (In the Name of Love) 3:50

02 Amy Winehouse - Rehab 3:34

03 Pulp - Common People (Island 50 Version) 4:04

04 Frankie Goes to Hollywood - Relax 3:54

05 Grace Jones - Pull Up to the Bumper 3:39

06 Robert Palmer - Addicted to Love (Island 50 Version) 4:15

07 Bob Marley & The Wailers - Jamming 3:35

08 Stereo MC's - Connected 3:46

09 Christians - Harvest for the World 3:55

10 Will Powers - Kissing With Confidence 3:56

11 Sparks - This Town Ain't Big Enough for the Both of Us 3:03

12 B-52's - Rock Lobster 6:49

13 Kid Creole & The Coconuts - I'm a Wonderful Thing, Baby 3:51

14 Buggles - Video Killed the Radio Star (Single Version) 3:17

15 Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warnes - Up Where We Belong 3:49

16 Mika - Grace Kelly 3:08

17 Feeling - Never Be Lonely 3:32

18 Keane - Somewhere Only We Know 3:56

19 Sugababes - Push the Button 3:38

20 Fratellis - Chelsea Dagger (Radio Edit) 3:23

CD2

01 Cat Stevens - Moonshadow 2:50

02 Bryan Ferry & Roxy Music - Love is the Drug 3:57

03 Bryan Ferry - Let's Stick Together 2:56

04 Bob & Earl - Harlem Shuffle 2:48

05 Jimmy Cliff - Wild World 3:51

06 Millie - My Boy Lollipop 2:00

07 Junior Murvin - Police & Thieves 3:52

08 Gregory Isaacs - Night Nurse 4:07

09 Aswad - Don't Turn Around 3:16

10 Third World - Now That We've Found Love (Single Version) 3:51

11 Desmond Dekker & The Aces - Israelites 2:32

12 Jethro Tull - Living in the Past 3:20

13 Free - All Right Now 5:32

14 Pete Wingfield - Eighteen With a Bullet 3:29

15 Spencer Davis Group - Keep on Running 2:43

16 Traffic - Hole in My Shoe (Stereo Version) 2:49

17 Steve Winwood - Valerie 4:05

18 Bad Company - Feel Like Makin' Love 5:12

19 Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Lucky Man 4:38

CD3

01 Amy Winehouse - Monkey Man 2:53

02 Keane - Disco 2000 4:34

03 Paul Weller - River Man 3:45

04 Joe Cocker - Many Rivers to Cross 3:43

05 Grace Jones - Love is the Drug 7:09

06 Scott Matthews - Is This Love 4:40

07 Gabriella Cilmi - How Can I Tell You 4:02

08 Sugababes - Teardrops 3:54

09 Taio Cruz - Everybody's Changing 3:34

10 Remi Nicole - Keep on Running 3:13

11 Feeling - This is Love 3:49

12 I Blame Coco - 18 With a Bullet 3:17

13 Fratellis - Stir it Up (Island 50 Cover) 6:20

14 Jonathan Jeremiah - With Or Without You 4:00

15 Frankmusik - Rehab 3:34

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Music weaves itself into the fabric of our emotions, dances through the corridors of memory, and whispers to the soul of who we are. Sharing these stories deepens the connection, turning the experience into something timeless and profound.

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