MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: SAM COOKE - PORTRAIT OF A LEGEND 1951-1964

One of the frustrating points of trying to get a full collection of Sam Cooke's key songs has been label rights. In his 13 years of recording, he bounced from Specialty to Keen to RCA, and set up his own label, SAR. Plus, he became entangled with the notorious Allen Klein at the end of things, and that always spelled trouble. For instance, the long-serving, big-selling Best of Sam Cooke, still in print after decades, has never included the important A Change Is Gonna Come, thanks to ABKCO's ownership.


So Hallelujah, here's a set that does cover all periods, from his first gospel recordings to Shake, made a month before his death in 1964. It's far from the complete picture, but at 30 tracks it's got all the biggies and lots of variety. And here's the big news: the scintillating audio. This is a Blu-ray, using the Pure Audio system. So not only do we get the best available hits package, but it's in the best-ever sound. And for your car or headphone listening, there's a coupon for a free download of the Pure Audio as well.