Playlist, Legacy Recordings’ series of single-disc anthologies spotlighting “The Hits plus the Fan Favorites,” keeps on rollin’ with a new, typically eclectic group of artists covering a wide swath of genres and styles.  Today, May 21, Legacy releases volumes in the series dedicated to the best of R&B (Diana Ross, Donna Summer), pop (Billy Ocean), country-and-western (Chet Atkins, Patty Loveless, Restless Heart, Mindy McCready), Latin jazz (Tito Puente) and the many strains of rock (Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, Warrant, Jeff Buckley, Switchfoot, Iggy Pop).  All Playlist titles are now housed in traditional jewel cases, and each title includes a booklet with a historical essay and discographical annotation.  Some of the titles even include new-to-CD and previously unissued rarities.

Playlist: The Very Best of Diana Ross kicks off with three seminal tracks from Miss Ross’ late period at Motown: “Love Hangover” from her second eponymous album in 1976, and “Upside Down” and “I’m Coming Out” from 1980’s CHIC-helmed smash diana.  (Don’t miss a loving and truly comprehensive tribute to diana from one of our favorite scribes, Christian John Wikane, over at Popmatters.)  Following that Motor City appetizer, the set kicks into high gear with eleven tracks from the legendary singer’s oft-overlooked tenure at RCA, released between 1981 and 1985.  Highlights such as “Chain Reaction” and “Eaten Alive” are derived from the Barry Gibb production Eaten Alive, with the latter track providing a reunion between Ross and Michael Jackson.  Four songs have been taken from 1981’s Why Do Fools Fall in Love, including Ross’ solo version of “Endless Love.”  Silk Electric, Ross and Swept Away are also represented, with every track in pristinely remastered sound from Mark Wilder.  The No. 2 AC hit “All of You” with Julio Iglesias is among the Swept Away tracks you’ll find in this tasty survey of Ross at RCA.

The late Donna Summer gets feted with Playlist: The Very Best of Donna Summer.  Unlike most entries in Legacy’s series, this Playlist volume isn’t derived from the superstar diva’s original recordings but rather from a concert performance.  Summer’s blazing 1999 show at New York City’s Hammerstein Ballroom was previously captured on disc as VH1 Presents Donna Summer Live and More Encore, but Playlist premieres four previously unissued tracks from that concert (“Is There Music There,” “Riding Through the Storm,” “Don’t Wanna Work” and “Nobody”).  It adds up to a live summary of the legendary vocalist's hit-filled career, with “MacArthur Park,” “On the Radio,” “No More Tears (Enough is Enough)” (with Tina Arena filling in for Barbra Streisand), “She Works Hard for the Money,” “Bad Girls,” “Hot Stuff” and the inevitable “Last Dance” all making appearances.  Vlado Mellor has remastered at Sony Studios New York.  Those who already own Live and More will likely wish to grab this for the four newly-released songs and the remastered sound, but both discs are essential for the full program.  "My Life," "Love is the Healer" and "I Will Go with You (Con te partirò)" are absent from the new Playlist.  The latter two songs were studio recordings added to the Live and More CD; Grammy nominee "I Will Go with You" was a No. 79 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and fared even better in the U.K., with a No. 44 chart berth.  In addition, both of the studio tracks reached the top spot on the U.S. dance chart.

Though he’d been charting hits in the U.K. for nearly a decade prior, the Trinidad-born singer made his first major splash on the U.S. Hot 100 when “Caribbean Queen (No More Love on the Run)” shot to No. 1, the same berth it occupied on the R&B chart.  The song began a hot streak for Ocean, the results of which are captured on Playlist: The Very Best of Billy Ocean.    The non-chronologically-sequenced 14-track set kicks off with “Caribbean Queen,” and also finds room for “When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going” (No. 2 Pop/No. 6 R&B), “Loverboy” (No. 2 Pop/No. 20 R&B), “Suddenly” (No. 4 Pop/No. 5 R&B) and “Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car” (No. 1 Pop/No. 1 R&B).  In all, six albums are represented, and every track has been remastered by Tom Ruff.

After the jump: details on Jeff Buckley, Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, Chet Atkins, Iggy Pop and the rest - plus full track listings with discography and order links for each and every title!

Though Jeff Buckley tragically followed in the footsteps of his folk hero father Tim Buckley in perishing at a far too young age, his small body of work has never ceased resonating to new audiences.  Playlist: The Very Best of Jeff Buckley features twelve tracks, six of which hail from Grace, his sole finished album at the time of his death.  Yet these songs are presented in various versions that have been released over the years; Buckley’s towering rendition of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallejulah,” for one, is heard in an alternate take previously only available as a digital single.  It makes its CD debut here, and “Lover, You Should Have Come Over” is presented in an acoustic version previously unreleased in the U.S.  (It appeared on a U.K. CD single).  Buckley’s best-loved songs are here, including “Last Goodbye,” as are a choice sampling of his singular cover versions.  Bob Dylan’s “I Shall Be Released” and Van Morrison’s “The Way Young Lovers Do,” both from Live at Sin-e, take their place in the Buckley canon alongside “Hallejulah.”    Vic Anesini has remastered, and Alan Light – author of the acclaimed The Holy or the Broken: Leonard Cohen, Jeff Buckley and the Unlikely Ascent of ‘Hallejulah’ – sums up the young troubadour’s career in his new liner notes.

It’s no exaggeration to say that Chet Atkins helped shape the sound of country music itself.  At RCA Victor between 1947 and 1982, as a performer, producer and executive, he was a key player in the creation of the “Nashville Sound” which made country palatable to crossover audiences.  Indeed, though the style has changed, the pop influence on the country genre certainly hasn’t, and fans of Taylor Swift, Keith Urban, Blake Shelton and Carrie Underwood all owe something to Chet Atkins.  His work as one of Nashville’s most pioneering and virtuosic guitarists, though, is the focus of Playlist: The Very Best of Chet Atkins.  Atkins (1924-2001) notched a number of hit singles while at RCA, many of which are included on the new compilation.  In addition to “Mister Sandman” and reinventions of Scott Joplin’s “The Entertainer” (best known in Marvin Hamlisch’s adaptation), Paul Desmond’s “Take Five” and John Lennon and Paul McCartney’s “Yesterday,” Playlist also showcases highlights from his Columbia years such as “Poor Boy Blues” with Mark Knopfler and a guitar reading of Don McLean’s “Vincent.”  Chester and Lester, Atkins’ first collaborative album with fellow legend Les Paul, is also represented.  Vic Anesini has handled the remastering.

Also hailing from Nashville is Playlist: The Very Best of Mindy McCready.  This 12-track title is a repackaging of 2003's Platinum and Gold Collection, with highlights from the late country chanteuse's three BNA Records albums released between 1996 and 1999. and one track from 1997's Country Cares for Kids: A Holiday Album.  Kentucky native and Grand Ole Opry member Patty Loveless, acclaimed for her blend of country-rock and traditional honky-tonk, gets a deeper look with Playlist: The Very Best of Patty Loveless.  This entry primarily concentrates on Loveless' Epic years, with every track dating between 1993 and 2005.  Travis Tritt, Dwight Yoakam and The Chieftains all make appearances.  Restless Heart signed to RCA in 1984, notching success on both the Country and Adult Contemporary charts.  Playlist: The Very Best of Restless Heart includes a sampling of the band's RCA work from 1986-1992 as well as two brand new tracks, "Memphis Rain" and "Home."

Southside Johnny Lyon and his Asbury Jukes have been bringing the sound of the Jersey shore to international audiences since 1976’s Epic debut I Don’t Want to Go Home.  Produced by Steven Van Zandt and bearing the name of his title track, the album set the template of soulful rock-and-roll to which the band still adheres today.  Playlist: The Very Best of Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, with new track-by-track notes by Johnny himself, chronicles his tenure at Epic Records (10 tracks) along with three songs licensed from Universal and a recent live performance.  Six songs were written or co-written by Bruce Springsteen and brought to life by The Jukes (“The Fever,” “I Don’t Want to Go Home,”  “Love on the Wrong Side of Town,” “Trapped Again,” “Talk to Me” and “Hearts of Stone”) and a full eleven songs were produced by Van Zandt, a.k.a. Miami Steve and later, Little Steven.  Southside Johnny’s Jukes still throw quite a party onstage today, and Playlist is a reminder of their real “glory days.”  These tracks have been remastered from the original master tapes for the very first time.

Iggy Pop’s latest album with The Stooges, released just weeks ago, is entitled Ready to Die.  But thankfully that doesn’t seem to be the case with the restless rocker.  Playlist: The Very Best of Iggy Pop doesn’t reach as far back as the first two Stooges albums but begins its story of the man born James Newell Osterberg, Jr. with 1973’s Raw Power.  (That would have been a fitting moniker for any of the Stooges’ primal and powerful proto-punk explosions.)  It then ticks off many of the boxes in a career filled with outrageous highs – in every sense of the word – including songs from Iggy’s stints at Columbia, RCA, Arista and Virgin.  All told, Playlist covers the period between 1973 and 1980, and as such, contains a sampling of his landmark collaborations with David Bowie on Raw Power, The Idiot and Lust for Life alongside other strong solo efforts.  Its fourteen tracks of wild, biting, aggressive, energetic and utterly influential rock have been remastered by Vic Anesini.

Playlist: The Very Best of Warrant are drawn solely from the Hollywood hard rockers' first three albums for Columbia Records: Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich (1989, No. 10 on the Billboard 200), Cherry Pie (1990, No. 7), and Dog Eat Dog (1992, No. 25).  San Diego's Switchfoot also had a successful tenure at Columbia reflected on Playlist: The Very Best of Switchfoot.  Its 14 tracks come from an eclectic group of three albums, one EP, one digital EP (Walmart Soundcheck) and one single.

On the other end of spectrum is Playlist: The Very Best of Tito Puente and His Orchestra.  The New York-born legend of Latin music and true-life mambo king made his first big splash as a leader at the RCA Victor label.  The 14-track volume draws on those classic RCA platters released between 1949 and 1957 when Puente helped introduce authentic Latin, Afro-Cuban and Caribbean sounds into the popular music vernacular.  Three tracks hail from 1956's Dance Mania and two more from the same year's Cuban Carnival, with the remaining tracks derived from singles and other LPs for the RCA label.

All Playlist titles are available in stores today and can be ordered at the links below!

Billy Ocean, Playlist: The Very Best of Billy Ocean (Jive/Legacy 88883 71916 2, 2013)

1. Caribbean Queen (No More Love on the Run)
2. Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car
3. When the Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going
4. There'll Be Sad Songs (to Make You Cry)
5. Loverboy
6. Suddenly
7. Love Really Hurts Without You
8. Love is Forever
9. Love Zone
10. The Color of Love
11. Mystery Lady
12. Tear Down These Walls
13. Nights (Feel Like Getting Down)
14. I Sleep Much Better (in Someone Else's Bed)

Tracks 1, 5-6 and 11 from Suddenly (Jive, 1984)
Tracks 2, 10 and 12 from Tear Down These Walls (Jive, 1988)
Tracks 3-4 and 8-9 fro Love Zone (Jive, 1986)
Track 7 from Billy Ocean (GTO, 1976)
Track 13 from Nights (Feel Like Getting Down) (Epic, 1982)
Track 14 from Greatest Hits (Jive, 1989)

Mindy McCready, Playlist: The Very Best of Mindy McCready (originally released as The Platinum & Gold Collection (RCA Nashville 82876 54210 2, 2003) - reissued RCA Nashville/Legacy 88883 71896 2, 2013)

1. Guys Do It All the Time
2. A Girl's Gotta Do (What a Girl's Gotta Do)
3. Ten Thousand Angels
4. Maybe He'll Notice Her Now (feat. Richie McDonald)
5. You'll Never Know
6. All I Want is Everything
7. Let's Talk About Love
8. If I Don't Stay the Night
9. For a Good Time Call
10. This is Me
11. Tumble and Roll
12. It Ain't a Party

Tracks 1-4 and 12 from Ten Thousand Angels (BNA, 1996)
Tracks 5 and 8-10 from If I Don't Stay the Night (BNA, 1998)
Tracks 6 and 11 from I'm Not So Tough (BNA, 1999)
Track 7 from Country Cares for Kids: A Holiday Album (BNA, 1997)

Diana Ross, Playlist: The Very Best of Diana Ross (RCA/Legacy 88883 71891 2, 2013)

1. Love Hangover
2. Upside Down
3. I'm Coming Out
4. Endless Love
5. Why Do Fools Fall in Love
6. Mirror, Mirror
7. Work That Body
8. Muscles
9. Pieces of Ice
10. All of You (with Julio Iglesias)
11. Swept Away
12. Missing You
13. Chain Reaction
14. Eaten Alive

Track 1 from Diana Ross (Motown, 1976)
Tracks 2-3 from diana (Motown, 1980)
Tracks 4-7 from Why Do Fools Fall in Love (RCA, 1981)
Track 8 from Silk Electric (RCA, 1982)
Track 9 from Ross (RCA, 1983)
Track 10 from 1100 Bel Air Place (Columbia, 1984)/Swept Away (RCA, 1984)
Tracks 11-12 from Swept Away (RCA, 1984)
Tracks 13-14 from Eaten Alive (RCA, 1985)

Donna Summer, Playlist: The Very Best of Donna Summer (Epic/Legacy 88883 71084 2, 2013)

1. MacArthur Park
2. This Time I Know It's for Real
3. I Feel Love
4. On the Radio
5. No More Tears (Enough is Enough) (Duet with Tina Arena)
6. If There is Music There *
7. Riding Through the Storm *
8. Don't Wanna Work *
9. Nobody *
10. Dim All the Lights
11. She Works Hard for the Money
12. Bad Girls
13. Hot Stuff
14. Last Dance

All tracks recorded live at the Hammerstein Ballroom, New York City - 2/28/1999
Tracks 1-5 and 10-14 released on VH-1 Presents Donna Summer Live and More Encore (Epic, 1999). All other tracks previously unreleased.

Jeff Buckley, Playlist: The Very Best of Jeff Buckley (Columbia/Legacy 88883 71896 2, 2013)

1. Last Goodbye
2. Grace
3. I Shall Be Released (Live @ Sin-é, New York City - August 1993)
4. So Real
5. Everybody Here Wants You
6. I Want Someone Badly (with Shudder to Think)
7. What Will You Say (Live @ Theatre de Fourviere, Lyons, France - 7/4/1995)
8. The Way Young Lovers Do (Live @ Sin-é, New York City - August 1993)
9. Hallelujah (Live at Bearsville)
10. The Sky is a Landfill
11. Lover, You Should Have Come Over (Live Acoustic in Japan)
12. Dream Brother (Live @ Club Logo, Hamburg - 2/22/1995)

Tracks 1-2 and 4 from Grace (Columbia, 1994)
Track 3 from Live At Sin-é: Legacy Edition (Columbia/Legacy, 2003)
Tracks 5 and 10 from Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk (Columbia, 1998)
Track 6 from First Love, Last Rites: Music from the Motion Picture (Epic/Sony Music Soundtrax, 1998)
Tracks 7 and 12 from Mystery White Boy: Live '95-'96 (Columbia, 2000)
Track 8 from Live At Sin-é (Columbia, 1993)
Track 9 from digital single (Columbia/Legacy, 2007)
Track 11 from "Last Goodbye" U.K. CD single (Columbia, 1995)

Chet Atkins, Playlist: The Very Best of Chet Atkins (RCA Nashville/Legacy 88883 71869 2, 2013)

1. The World is Waiting for the Sunrise (with Les Paul)
2. Mister Sandman
3. Freight Train
4. Rocky Top
5. Yakety Axe
6. The Entertainer
7. Take Five
8. Walk, Don't Run
9. One Mint Julep
10. Yesterday
11. Why Worry
12. Poor Boy Blues (with Mark Knopfler)
13. Vincent
14. Ave Maria

Track 1 from Chester & Lester: Expanded Edition (RCA/Legacy, 2007)
Track 2 from RCA Victor single, 1954
Track 3 from Guitar Country (RCA Victor, 1964)
Track 4 from Yestergroovin' (RCA Victor, 1970)
Track 5 from More of That Guitar Country (RCA Victor, 1965)
Track 6 from Chet Atkins Goes to the Movies (RCA Victor, 1975)
Track 7 from Alone (RCA Victor, 1973)
Track 8 from Hi-Fi in Focus (RCA Victor, 1957)
Track 9 from Chet Atkins' Teensville (RCA Victor, 1960)
Track 10 from Chet Atkins Picks on The Beatles (RCA Victor, 1966)
Track 11 from Sails (Columbia, 1987)
Track 12 from Neck and Neck (Columbia, 1990)
Track 13 from Read My Licks (Columbia, 1994)
Track 14 from Almost Alone (Columbia, 1996)

Patty Loveless, Playlist: The Very Best of Patty Loveless (Epic Nashville/Legacy 88883 71867 2, 2013)

1. Blame It on Your Heart
2. Nothin' But the Wheel
3. I Try to Think About Elvis
4. You Can Feel Bad
5. Lonely Too Long
6. Like Water Into Wine
7. Wine, Women and Song
8. Can't Get Enough
9. I Know You're Married (But I Love You Still) (with Travis Tritt)
10. Lovin' All Night
11. Draggin' My Heart Around
12. Never Ending Song of Love (with Dwight Yoakam)
13. Keep Your Distance
14. Three Little Babes (with The Chieftains)

Tracks 1-2 from Only What I Feel (Epic, 1993)
Track 3 from When Fallen Angels Fly (Epic, 1994)
Tracks 4-5 from The Trouble with the Truth (Epic, 1996)
Track 6 from Long Stretch of Lonesome (Epic, 1997)
Track 7 from Tribute to Tradition (Epic, 1998)
Track 8 from Classics (Epic, 1999)
Track 9 from Mountain Soul (Epic, 2001)
Tracks 10-11 from On Your Way Home (Epic, 2003)
Tracks 12-13 from Dreamin' My Dreams (Epic, 2005)
Track 14 from Further Down the Old Plank Road (Victor, 2003)

Tito Puente and His Orchestra, Playlist: The Very Best of Tito Puente and His Orchestra (RCA/Legacy 88883 71095 2, 2013)

1. Ran Kan Kan
2. Four Beat Cha Cha
3. Cuando Te Vea
4. Mambo Gozon
5. Picadillo
6. Oye Como Va
7. Mambo Beat
8. Lotus Land
9. Pa' Los Rumberos
10. Hong Kong Mambo
11. Oye Mi Guanguanco
12. Dance Mania
13. Cao Cao Mani Picao
14. Havana After Dark

Track 1 from RCA Victor single, 1949
Track 2 from RCA Victor single, 1956
Tracks 3, 10 and 12 from Dance Mania (RCA Victor, 1956)
Track 4 from RCA Victor single, 1951
Tracks 5 and 7 from Night Beat (RCA Victor, 1957)
Track 6 from El Rey Bravo (Tico, 1962)
Track 8 from Puente Goes Jazz (RCA Victor, 1958)
Tracks 9 and 11 from Cuban Carnival (RCA Victor, 1956)
Track 13 from RCA Victor single, 1951
Track 14 from The Wide Wide World of Jazz (RCA Victor, 1957)

Restless Heart, Playlist: The Very Best of Restless Heart (RCA Nashville/Legacy 88883 70071 2, 2013)

1. Memphis Rain
2. Fast Movin' Train
3. A Tender Lie
4. When She Cries
5. Home
6. Big Dreams in a Small Town
7. The Bluest Eyes in Texas
8. Big Iron Horses
9. Why Does It Have to Be (Wrong or Right)
10. I'll Still Be Loving You
11. That Rock Won't Roll
12. Wheels
13. Say What's in Your Heart
14. Long Lost Friend

Tracks 1 and 5 are new tracks
Tracks 2 and 14 from Fast Movin' Train (RCA, 1990)
Tracks 3, 6-7 and 13 from Big Dreams in a Small Town (RCA, 1988)
Track 4 from The Best of Restless Heart (RCA, 1991)
Track 8 from Big Iron Horses (RCA, 1992)
Tracks 9-12 from Wheels (RCA, 1986)

Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes, Playlist: The Very Best of Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes (Epic/Legacy 88765 48611 2, 2013)

1. The Fever
2. I Don't Want to Go Home
3. This Time It's for Real
4. Got to Get You Off My Mind (Live @ The Bottom Line)
5. Broke Down Piece of Man
6. Without Love
7. Love on the Wrong Side of Town (Live @ The Roxy)
8. Trapped Again
9. I'm So Anxious (Live)
10. Talk to Me
11. All I Want is Everything
12. Why is Love Such a Sacrifice
13. Hearts of Stone
14. Havin' a Party (Live @ The Bottom Line)

Tracks 1-2 and 5 from I Don't Want to Go Home (Epic, 1976)
Tracks 3 and 6 from This Time It's for Real (Epic, 1977)
Tracks 4 and 14 from Jukes Live (promo - Epic, 1976)
Track 7 from Jukebox (Leroy, 2007)
Tracks 8, 10 and 13 from Hearts of Stone (Epic, 1978)
Track 9 from Reach Up and Touch the Sky - Live (Mercury, 1981)
Track 11 from The Jukes (Mercury, 1979)
Track 12 from Love is a Sacrifice (Mercury, 1980)

Iggy Pop, Playlist: The Very Best of Iggy Pop (Columbia/Legacy 88697 60055 2, 2013)

1. Gimme Danger (with The Stooges)
2. Lust for Life
3. Raw Power (with The Stooges)
4. Five Foot One
5. Knocking 'Em Down (in the City)
6. Your Pretty Face is Going to Hell (with The Stooges)
7. Dog Food
8. I'm Bored
9. Loco Mosquito
10. The Passenger
11. Nightclubbing
12. Girls
13. Search & Destroy (with The Stooges)
14. Play It Safe

Tracks 1, 3, 6 and 13 from Raw Power (Columbia, 1973)
Tracks 2 and 10 from Lust for Life (RCA, 1977)
Tracks 4, 8 and 12 from New Values (Arista, 1979)
Tracks 5, 7, 9 and 14 from Soldier (Arista, 1980)
Track 11 from The Idiot (RCA, 1977)

Warrant, Playlist: The Very Best of Warrant (Columbia/Legacy 88697 56713 2, 2013)

1. Cherry Pie
2. Heaven
3. 32 Pennies
4. Down Boys
5. Big Talk
6. Sometimes She Cries
7. Uncle Tom's Cabin
8. I Saw Hell
9. You're the Only Hell Your Mama Ever Raised
10. Blind Faith
11. Machine Gun
12. The Bitter Pill
13. The Hole in My Wall
14. Train, Train

Tracks 1, 7-10 and 14 from Cherry Pie (Columbia, 1990)
Tracks 2-6 from Dirty Rotten Stinking Filthy Rich (Columbia, 1988)
Tracks 11-13 from Dog Eat Dog (Columbia, 1992)

Switchfoot, Playlist: The Very Best of Switchfoot (Columbia/Legacy 88697 30258 2, 2013)

1. Oh! Gravity.
2. Meant to Live
3. Stars
4. Dare You to Move
5. Dirty Second Hands
6. More Than Fine
7. Awakening
8. Gone
9. Head Over Heels (In This Life)
10. We Are One Tonight
11. This is Your Life
12. American Dream (Soundcheck Version)
13. Revenge
14. Stars (Acoustic)

Tracks 1, 5, 7 and 9 from Oh! Gravity. (Columbia, 2007)
Tracks 2, 4, 6, 8 and 11 from The Beautiful Letdown (Red Ink/Columbia, 2003)
Tracks 3 and 10 from Nothing is Sound (Columbia, 2005)
Track 12 from Walmart Soundcheck digital EP (Columbia, 2007)
Track 13 from American Dreams EP (Columbia, 2007)
Track 14 from "Stars" CD single (Columbia, 2005)