| One CD for each decade -- from the '40s to the present -- chronicle the defining artists of popular music over the past 60 years.
Capitol Record's inaugural batch of 78 rpm shellac records was released by its founding partners Johnny Mercer, Glenn Wallichs and Buddy DeSylva in the summer of 1942. This exquisitely designed, digitally-remastered 96-track, 6-CD boxed set pays tribute to the defining artists of popular music history - from Stan Kenton, Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra to Peggy Lee, the Kingston Trio and the Beach Boys; from the Beatles (the first time their music has ever been included on a multi-artist compilation), the solo careers of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, the Band and Pink Floyd to Merle Haggard and Duran Duran; from Bonnie Raitt, Everclear and Garth Brooks to Kylie Minogue, Radiohead, Coldplay and The Vines.
CAPITOL RECORDS: 1942-2002 is released in two versions: the Deluxe version is packaged in a 10x10" box, with a full-size 144-page clothbound "coffee table" collector's volume of classic artist photographs by the world's greatest photographers. The Special version is packaged in a "brick" format, with a smaller 72-page photograph booklet. Both boxed set versions will contain the same CDs, along with booklets containing extensive discography information, including many track annotations that have been compiled for the very first time.
Each of the six CDs cover a decade's worth of landmark performances - starting with Ella Mae Morse with Freddie Slack's Orchestra's "Cow-Cow Boogie," Capitol's top 10 pop/R&B crossover hit from the summer of 1942 - to current Capitol hits from Coldplay, Kylie Minogue and The Vines. The massive compendium of hits features dozens of RIAA gold, platinum, multi-platinum, Grammy, Down Beat, Billboard, CMA, Juno, and Brit award-winning recordings.
Capitol Records President and CEO Andrew Slater served as compilation producer for CAPITOL RECORDS: 1942-2002 and authored the project's introductory essay. "In some ways, this collection is the story of three generations of American music," says Slater. "It pays homage to the artists who make up the legacy of Capitol Records, and for anyone who has ever been touched by them."
CAPITOL RECORDS: 1942-2002 also includes newly-commissioned liner note essays recalling each decade, written by a specially chosen team of respected music journalists and critics including Nat Hentoff (the '40s); Alan Light (the '50s); Anthony DeCurtis (the '60s); Ashley Kahn (the '70s); Charles M. Young (the '80s); and David Fricke (the '90s).
Capitol Records was born of the friendship between hit songwriter Johnny Mercer and renowned record and electronics store owner Glenn Wallichs. Their desire to create an artist-friendly West Coast-based record company to rival the New York-based major labels came to fruition when Buddy DeSylva, the head of Paramount Pictures, agreed to finance the venture. Named Capitol Records, its sales grew steadily during the war years and exploded in the post-war prosperity, laying the foundation for Capitol's great future successes.
The three partners' legacy is embodied in the storied Capitol Records "Tower," an American landmark completed in 1956 at the intersection of Hollywood and Vine. Capitol remains the only major record company whose original building still houses a working studio, where many of its legendary hits were (and are) recorded. The timeless artists who defined the past 60 years of popular music are the heart and soul of CAPITOL RECORDS: 1942-2002.
THE FORTIES
1. Freddie Slack & His Orchestra (with Ella Mae Morse) - Cow-Cow Boogie (1942) 2. Paul Whiteman & His Orchestra (with Billie Holiday) - Trav'lin' Light (1942) 3. Jo Stafford - Long Ago (And Far Away) (1944) 4. King Cole Trio - Straighten Up And Fly Right (1944) 5. Stan Kenton & His Orchestra - Artistry In Rhythm (1944) 6. Billy Butterfield & His Orchestra (with Margaret Whiting) - Moonlight In Vermont (1945) 7. Andy Russell - I Dream Of You (More Than You Dream I Do) (1944) 8. Martha Tilton - I'll Walk Alone (1944) 9. Johnny Mercer - Ac-cent-tchu-ate The Positive (1945) 10. Betty Hutton - Doctor, Lawyer, Indian Chief (1946) 11. Pied Pipers - Dream (1945) 12. Nellie Lutcher & Her Rhythm - Fine Brown Frame (1948) 13. Peggy Lee - It's A Good Day (1947) 14. The Dinning Sisters - Buttons And Bows (1948) 15. Mel Torme - Careless Hands (1949) 16. King Cole Trio - Nature Boy (1948).
THE FIFTIES
1. Frank Sinatra - Young-At-Heart (1954) 2. Dean Martin - Memories Are Made Of This (1956) 3. Duke Ellington & His Famous Orchestra - Satin Doll (1953) 4. Nat King Cole - Unforgettable (1952) 5. The Four Preps - 26 Miles (Santa Catalina) (1958) 6. Kay Starr - Wheel Of Fortune (1952) 7. Les Paul & Mary Ford - How High The Moon (1951) 8. Faron Young - Alone With You (1958) 9. Gene Vincent & His Blue Caps - Be-Bop-A-Lula (1956) 10. The Kingston Trio - Tom Dooley (1958) 11. Tennessee Ernie Ford - Sixteen Tons (1955) 12. Peggy Lee - Fever (1958) 13. Ray Anthony & His Orchestra - Peter Gunn (1959) 14. Louis Prima & Keely Smith - That Old Black Magic (1958) 15. Miles Davis - Budo (1950) 16. Frank Sinatra - One For My Baby (And One More For the Road) (1955).
THE SIXTIES
1. The Beatles - A Hard Day's Night (1964) 2. The Beach Boys - Wouldn't It Be Nice (1966) 3. Lou Rawls - Love Is A Hurtin' Thing (1966) 4. The Beach Boys - Good Vibrations (1966) 5. The Human Beinz - Nobody But Me (1968) 6. The Outsiders - Time Won't Let Me (1966) 7. Stone Poneys featuring Linda Ronstadt - Different Drum (1968) 8. Nancy Wilson - (You Don't Know) How Glad I Am (1964) 9. Merle Haggard & the Strangers - Okie From Muskogee (1969) 10. Quicksilver Messenger Service - Fresh Air (1970) 11. Bobbie Gentry - Ode To Billie Joe (1967) 12. Glen Campbell - Wichita Lineman (1969) 13. James Taylor - Carolina In My Mind (1969) 14. The Band - The Weight (1968) 15. The Beatles - Hey Jude (1968) 16. Jimi Hendrix - Machine Gun (1970).
THE SEVENTIES
1. John Lennon & the Plastic Ono Band - Imagine (1971) 2. George Harrison - My Sweet Lord (1970) 3. Ringo Starr - It Don't Come Easy (1971) 4. Badfinger - Day After Day (1972) 5. Paul McCartney & Wings - Band On the Run (1974) 6. Pink Floyd - Time (1973) 7. Pink Floyd - Money (1973) 8. Grand Funk - We're An American Band (1973) 9. Steve Miller Band - The Joker (1973) 10. Bob Seger & The Silver Bul | 
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