Kiss -- Gold (Mercury/UMe Chronicles)

These forty rock solid songs perfectly capture the band's proto-metallic mayhem-meets-glam greasepaint. As the KISS legacy sprawls over three decades, it would be literally impossible to capture all the highlights on just two CDs. That said, this initial volume covers the original line-up of Peter Criss (drums/vocals), Ace Frehley (guitar/vocals), Gene Simmons (bass/vocals) and Paul Stanley (guitar/vocals). The contents are drawn from the long players Kiss (1974), Hotter Than Hell (1974), Dressed To Kill (1975), Alive! (1975), Destroyer (1976), Rock 'N' Roll Over (1976), Love Gun (1977) and Alive II (1977). Plus there is one, dare I say, sacrifice from each of the quartet's self-titled solo albums.

The KISS saga took a turn in the late '70s when Criss departed. His temporary replacement was session skinsman Anton Fig (drums). Fig's stint was short-lived as he only stayed through the Dynasty (1979) and Unmasked (1980) era before being permanently replaced by Eric Carr (drums). The digital remastering brings out the best of the studio cuts "Deuce," "Hotter Than Hell," "Beth," "Detroit Rock City," "Shout It Out Loud," "I Want You," "Calling Dr. Love," "Christine Sixteen," "I Was Made For Loving You," and "Talk To Me," among others. The live sides "Rock Bottom," "Cold Gin," "Rock and Roll All Nite," "Let Me Go Rock 'N' Roll," from Alive! as well as "Makin' Love" and "God Of Thunder" off of the sequel Alive II sound as energetic as the real thing and better than ever before. Concluding the set are "Nowhere To Run" and "I'm A Legend Tonight" from Kiss Killers (1982), an odd collection that pitted a handful of old favorites with a smattering of newer recordings.

Mamas & The Papas -- Gold (Geffen/UMe Chronicles)

Until very recently, the Mamas & The Papas catalogue had been uniformly marred by poor audio and skimpy (at best)artwork. Earlier this year, the all-encompassing Complete Anthology (2005) was issued to critical and enthusiast acclaim. Gold is a slimmed down and tightly packed edition with highlights chosen from If You Can Believe Your Eyes And Ears (1966), The Mamas & The Papas (1966), Deliver (1967), The Papas & The Mamas (1968) and the lackluster recorded-under-threat-of-lawsuit "reunion" People Like Us (1971).

Immediately evident is that the audio quality has been discernibly upgraded. In fact, a quick A/B comparison between Gold and Creeque Alley (1991) proved a difference that was uniformly better. One of the more stunning examples is the instrumental bass line on "I Saw Her Again (Last Night)," as it has never been presented with such clarity. Their angelic vocals blend with a presence that can be likened to lifting a blanket off of one's speakers. Among the classics are the chart entries "Monday, Monday," "Go Where You Wanna Go," "California Dreaming," "Dedicated To The One I Love," "Look Through My Window," and "Twelve-Thirty (Young Girls Are Coming To The Canyon)." They are presented along with hidden gems "Free Advice," "Step Out," and John Phillips inimitable rearrangements of the Richard Rodgers/Lorenz Hart pop staples "My Heart Stood Still," "Sing For Your Supper," and "Glad To Be Unhappy." A good essay from Billy Altman and scarcely published photos of the combo's ever-striking visual composition make up the 20-page liner booklet.

Bob Marley & The Wailers -- Gold (Island/Tuff Gong/UMe Chronicles)

Average consumers might find themselves stymied by choices when trying to decide on a decent Bob Marley & The Wailers compilation. You'll strike it rich here if you happen to fall in that category and likewise seek a one-stop gathering with no less than 34 of Marley and Co.'s creative zeniths. Gold is a worthy representation spanning their international debut Catch A Fire (1973) through to the fascinating posthumous collections Confrontation (1983) and Natural Mystic: The Legend Lives On (1995).

Each track has been lifted from their respective long players with the notable exception of the non-LP "Jah Live," and "Punky Reggae Party." Concert entries include "Trenchtown Rock," "No Woman No Cry," from the definitive Live! (1975), as well as "Kinky Reggae," and the "War/No More Trouble" medley off of Babylon By Bus (1978). Compared to One Love: The Very Best Of …(2001) there are over a dozen additional songs, none of which have been edited.

The two discrepancies not on Gold when sized-up against Legend: The Best Of …(1984) are "Easy Skanking," circa Kaya (1978) and "Three Little Birds," from Exodus (1977). Otherwise, Gold far outweighs them both with the essentials "Slave Driver," "Concrete Jungle," "Burnin' And Lootin'," "Lively Up Yourself," "Rebel Music," "Trenchtown Rock," "Positive Vibration," "Roots, Rock, Reggae," "Crazy Baldhead," "Natural Mystic," "Sun Is Shining," "So Much Trouble In The World," "Africa Unite," "One Drop," "Coming In From The Cold," "Rastaman Live Up!," and "Iron Lion Zion".

Donna Summer -- Gold (Mercury/Hip-O/UMe Chronicles)

Donna Summer's Gold is a complete career retrospective boasting nearly three dozen of her seminal selections. Many feature the difficult-to-locate single edits and mixes that could be heard blasting in roller rinks and boom boxes from sea to shining sea during the late '70s and early '80s. All of her best selling disco numbers are here, including "Love To Love You Baby," "I Feel Love," Summer's remake of "MacArthur Park," "Hot Stuff," "Bad Girls," her duet with Barbra Streisand on "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)," and "On The Radio," just to name a few.

Summer was among the first acts signed by music mogul David Geffen for his own Geffen Records label. While there, she tried her hand at new wave on the 1980 release "The Wanderer." Although the change was commercially and critically acclaimed, she eventually returned to her R&B roots for the funky "Love Is In Control (Finger On The Trigger)," "State Of Independence," and the pop smash "She Works Hard For The Money." Summer hit the Top 40 two more times in the '80s with a cover of the Platters' "There Goes My Baby," and "This Time I Know It's For Real." She reunited briefly with her former producer Georgio Moroder for "Carry On," and one ofthe special treats on Gold is his "Dream-A-Lot's Theme (I Will Live For Love)" that could previously only be found on The Journey: The Very Best Of … (2003).

The Temptations -- Gold (Motown/UMe Chronicles)

The Tempts are unquestionably one of Motown's, if not the world's, most venerable vocal combos. Gold -- which was previously available as My Girl: The Very Best Of … (2002) -- doesn't contain every one of their 38 Top 40 pop entries. However, even seasoned listeners should be impressed with the thorough representation of the Temptations' upper echelon hits. A pair of rarities opens the set with remixes of "Dream Come True" (1962) and "I Want A Love I Can See" (1963). Both were initially issued as singles and then as part of the Meet The Temptations (1964) debut LP.

A partial list of the remaining set reads like a fantastic R&B oldies compilation on its own. "The Way You Do The Things You Do," "My Girl," "Since I Lost My Baby," "Get Ready," "Ain't Too Proud To Beg," "Beauty Is Only Skin Deep," "(I Know) I'm Losing You," "All I Need," "You're My Everything," "I Wish It Would Rain, " "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me" (featuring the Supremes), "Cloud Nine," "Runaway Child, Running Wild," "I Can't Get Next To You," "Psychedelic Shack," "Ball Of Confusion," Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)," and "Papa Was A Rollin' Stone," are but a few. Plus, there are mid '70s classics that are no less indispensable such as "Masterpiece," Power," "Shaky Ground," and the Urban AC survey-topper "Stay" from 1998.

The two discrepancies not on Gold when sized-up against Legend: The Best Of …(1984) are "Easy Skanking," circa Kaya (1978) and "Three Little Birds," from Exodus (1977). Otherwise, Gold far outweighs them both with the essentials "Slave Driver," "Concrete Jungle," "Burnin' And Lootin'," "Lively Up Yourself," "Rebel Music," "Trenchtown Rock," "Positive Vibration," "Roots, Rock, Reggae," "Crazy Baldhead," "Natural Mystic," "Sun Is Shining," "So Much Trouble In The World," "Africa Unite," "One Drop," "Coming In From The Cold," "Rastaman Live Up!," and "Iron Lion Zion".