Rockin' '70S (Columbia Special Products) CD

Available in a collectable pop tin.
Rock 'n 70s is a cheap looking, seemingly randomly selected ten-song collection that actually manages to defy the odds and be a nice little disc. It isn't a definitive look at the world of '70s rock but it does stray outside the usual choices and bring in tunes as interesting as Nick Lowe's "Cruel to Be Kind," Billy Swan's "I Can Help" and Redbone's "Come On and Get My Love." Alongside these picks are AOR staples like Boston's "More Than a Feeling," Santana's "Black Magic Woman" and Eddie Money's "Baby Hold On." It is too bad there are only ten tracks, if there were seven to ten more Rock 'n 70s would definitely be recommendable. As it stands the disc is just too brief to be anything but frustrating unless you are looking for just a tiny little slice of the '70s. ~ Tim Sendra
Sony Special Products' Rockin' 70s is a collection of ten pop/rock and album rock hits culled from the Columbia and Epic vaults. Really, the only things the featured songs have in common is their shared label and decade, but that turns out to be enough for an entertaining compilation. After all, it's hard to go wrong with a budget-line disc that contains "Black Magic Woman," "I Want You to Want Me," "Frankenstein," "Long Cool Woman (In a Black Dress)," "I Can Help," "More Than a Feeling," "(Don't Fear) the Reaper," "Come and Get Your Love," "Cruel to Be Kind" and "Baby Hold On." That lineup ensures that any budget-minded fan of '70s pop will likely go home fairly happy. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Edgar Winter/Blue Oyster Cult/ Eddie Money/Redbone/Boston