Notable CDs

Forty-one years ago, Randy Bachman borrowed the chord changes of The Who’s “Baba O’Reilly” to create “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet.” That he’s still borrowing from The Who (and almost as impressively) with the “Won’t Get Fooled Again” homage “The Edge” is just one reason that Heavy Blues is his finest solo hour (well, 45 minutes and 12 seconds anyway). The special guests matter too, at least insofar as they inspire such significant juxtapositions as “Oh My Lord” (Robert Randolph) and “Confessin’ to the Devil” (Jeff Healey).

Looking for You: The Complete United Artists & Veep Singles

This 28-track compilation deletes “Until You Were Gone” and “I Keep Wanting You” from Mimms’ 1993, 25-track compilation, replacing them with “One Woman Man,” “So Close,” “That Goes to Show You,” “More Than a Miracle,” and “All About Love.” Both compilations lead with the glorious “Cry Baby” and include Mimms’ three other Top-40 hits. In short, if you own the older disc, you probably don’t need this one. But if you don’t own either, you’re missing one of the most magnificent soul voices of the ’60s.

Wilder Mind

“Some are born great,” quoth Malvolio in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, “some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon ’em.” Mumford & Sons belong in the third category. To their credit, they seem to know that they do. How else to explain the electrification of their popular acoustic sound except as a bid to establish their ability to grow and thus actually to earn their acclaim? As for the confusion that their lyrics explore and embody, they might be more interesting if Marcus Mumford were a more interesting singer.

A Fool To Care

Even with the accompaniment of Steve Jordan and Ray Parker Jr., Boz Scaggs can get pretty subtle. Not everyone is as familiar with these well-chosen soul, blues, and R&B hits and misses as he is. But what’s going on beneath the surface is worth discovering: relative obscurities by The Band, Bobby Charles, and—on the “deluxe edition”—Womack & Womack; the cooling of Al Green’s “Full of Fire” by several silk degrees; and a cynical original called “Hell to Pay” that’s perfect for the upcoming election year.

Spotlight

I’ll Be Me (Big Machine) is the eponymous soundtrack to the 2014 documentary chronicling Glen Campbell’s final tour. And, like the film, it faces up to Campbell’s struggles with Alzheimer’s, even going so far as to convey what losing the ability to remember must be like by including the Campbell-sung “I’m Not Gonna Miss You” and the Band Perry-sung “Gentle on My Mind” twice (albeit in different versions).

Lest anyone miss the point, a live “Wichita Lineman” (in which the teleprompted Campbell flubs a line) and a song sung by his daughter Ashley (in which she promises to “do the remembering” for both of them) are also included. Redemptive context is provided by another live cut, the heaven-anticipating “A Better Place.” But about “I’m Not Gonna Miss You”—it means what it says. And a more heartbreaking attempt to find the silver lining limning the dark cloud of one’s diminishing awareness it would be hard to imagine.