UME's 'ICON' Series Continues with 16 New Collections in Stores Today

Today, May 14, Universal Music Enterprises (UMe) releases 16 new single-disc collections in its acclaimed ICON series from some of music's most legendary artists. The newest batch includes Ashanti, Deana Carter, Jimmy Cliff, Culture Club, D'Angelo, Grand Funk Railroad, Merle Haggard, Heart, Chris LeDoux, Master P, Anne Murray, Queensryche, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Simple Minds, Billy Squier, and George Thorogood & The Destroyers, with each single-disc collection featuring their biggest hits, signature tunes and fan favorites.

Ashanti ICON
In 2002, Ashanti's self-titled Def Jam album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of more than 500,000 in the U.S. alone. The album's lead single, "Foolish," topped the Billboard Hot 100 and also reached the No. 1 spot on three other Billboard charts (Top 40 Tracks, Rhythmic Top 40, and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop). The album was certified triple-platinum by the RIAA and won the year's GRAMMY Award for Best Contemporary R&B Album.

Her next album, 2003's Chapter II, also topped the Billboard 200 and its lead single "Rock Wit U (Awww Baby)" went Top 5 across five Billboard charts, including the Hot 100 and Top 40 Mainstream. To date, the R&B diva has released four studio albums, all of which reached the Billboard 200's Top 5, 24 singles, several of which are featured on the new ICON collection, and 21 music videos.

1. Foolish
2. Happy
3. Baby
4. Rock Wit U (Awww Baby)
5. Rain On Me
6. Only U
7. Turn It Up (featuring Ja Rule)
8. Focus
9. The Way That I Love You
10. Body On Me (featuring Nelly & Akon)
11. In These Streets

Deana Carter ICON
Melding the popular appeal of country music with folksy singer/songwriters like Mary Chapin Carpenter and a more retro-rock edge like Sheryl Crow, Deana Carter achieved quintuple-platinum success with her 1996 debut album, Did I Shave My Legs For This?, which peaked at No. 2 on Billboard's Country Albums chart, No. 4 on the Heatseekers chart, and the Billboard 200's Top 10. The album rocketed Carter to stardom with three No. 1 Country singles, "Strawberry Wine," "We Danced Away," and "How Do I Get There," the Top 30 title track (all also Hot 100 chart singles), and the No. 5 Country hit "Count Me In," all of which are included on the new ICON collection.

The daughter of famed studio guitarist and producer Fred Carter Jr., Deana Carter grew up in a musical environment, and was exposed to a wide variety of music. Her father played guitar for a cross section of musicians, including Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, Waylon Jennings, and Simon & Garfunkel.

www.deana.com

1. Strawberry Wine
2. We Danced Anyway
3. Count Me In
4. How Do I Get There
5. Absence Of The Heart
6. Did I Shave My Legs For This?
7. Angels Working Overtime
8. You Still Shake Me
9. People Miss Planes
10. I've Loved Enough To Know
11. Angel Without A Prayer

Jimmy Cliff ICON
Jimmy Cliff is one of reggae's most celebrated legends, a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee with 30 albums released between his 1968 Island Records debut, Hard Road, and 2012's Rebirth, which topped Billboard's Reggae chart and won the GRAMMY Award for Best Reggae Album.

The new ICON collection gathers 11 of Cliff's most popular songs, including his 1970 debut single, "Wonderful World, Beautiful People," which went Top 25 on the Billboard Hot 100.

On June 25, Jimmy Cliff will release The KCRW Session, an acoustic performance recorded and broadcast live on June 28, 2012, for the Los Angeles public radio station's acclaimed music program "Morning Becomes Eclectic," hosted by Jason Bentley.

www.jimmycliff.com

1. You Can Get It If You Really Want
2. Vietnam
3. Wild World
4. Many Rivers To Cross
5. Wonderful World, Beautiful People
6. Give A Little Take A Little
7. Hello Sunshine
8. Sufferin' In The Land
9. Hard Road To Travel
10. Sooner Or Later
11. Time Will Tell

Culture Club ICON
One of the leading bands of the 1980s New Romantic pop / new wave movement, England's Culture Club struck multi-platinum success around the world with their sophomore album, 1983's Colour By Numbers.

Fueled by the international smash hit "Karma Chameleon," which reached No. 1 in 16 countries, and other major hits "Church of the Poison Mind," "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me," "Miss Me Blind," and "It's A Miracle" (all of which are featured on the new ICON collection), the album achieved quadruple-platinum sales status in the U.S. and went 10-times platinum in Canada. Culture Club won the Best New Artist GRAMMY Award in 1984.

1. Do You Really Want To Hurt Me
2. Karma Chameleon
3. Time (Clock Of The Heart)
4. Church Of The Poison Mind
5. I'll Tumble 4 Ya
6. Miss Me Blind
7. It's A Miracle
8. Move Away
9. The War Song
10. Mistake Number 3
11. Victims

D'Angelo ICON
By the age of 18, D'Angelo was a three-time Amateur Night at the Apollo winner. He established himself as a spectacular new solo talent at the age of 21 with the 1995 release of his debut album, Brown Sugar, carrying classic soul's torch into new musical ground as an innovative songwriter and vocalist.

Brown Sugar's double platinum success was followed by 2000's Voodoo, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and R&B/Rap Albums charts. Written and produced by D'Angelo and recorded live with no overdubs, the album won the year's GRAMMY Award for Best R&B Album, and D'Angelo also won a GRAMMY for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for "Untitled (How Does It Feel)."

1. Brown Sugar
2. Lady
3. Untitled (How Does It Feel)
4. Cruisin'
5. Left And Right (featuring Method Man & Redman)
6. Me And Those Dreamin' Eyes Of Mine
7. Send It On
8. Devil's Pie
9. Feel Like Makin' Love
10. She's Always In My Hair
11. Heaven Must Be Like This

Grand Funk Railroad ICON
A genre-bending blend of funk, boogie, heavy rock, and electrifying live shows led to Grand Funk Railroad's emergence as one of America's top iconic rock bands of the 1970s. Produced by Todd Rundgren, Grand Funk Railroad's platinum-certified 1973 album, We're An American Band, rose to No. 2 on Billboard's Pop Albums chart, propelled by its definitive title track, which became the band's first No. 1 single.

Grand Funk Railroad's success continued with the 1974 release of Shinin' On, which spawned the band's second No. 1 Pop single, "The Loco-Motion." Today, "We're An American Band," "The Loco-Motion," "Some Kind Of Wonderful" (No. 3 Pop), and "Bad Time" (No. 4 Pop), all of which are included on the new ICON collection, are popular staples of Classic Rock radio.

www.grandfunkrailroad.com

1. We're An American Band
2. Some Kind Of Wonderful
3. The Loco-Motion
4. Bad Time
5. Shinin' On
6. Walk Like A Man
7. Footstompin' Music
8. Mean Mistreater (Live)
9. Inside Looking Out
10. Rock & Roll Soul
11. Closer To Home (I'm Your Captain)

Merle Haggard ICON
Merle Haggard made his chart debut in 1963 and has enjoyed the longest span of any artist on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart. In addition to 38 No. 1 Country hits, Haggard has charted scores of Top 10 singles, several of which are featured on the newICON collection.

Merle Haggard has long been celebrated as one of country music's most vital performers and songwriters, with top honors and awards including the Kennedy Center Honors, the Country Music Hall of Fame, and the Recording Academy's Lifetime Achievement Award.

www.merlehaggard.com

1. I Think I'll Just Stay Here And Drink
2. Workin' Man Blues
3. Okie From Muskogee
4. Ramblin' Fever
5. The Bottle Let Me Down
6. Mama Tried
7. I Take A Lot Of Pride In What I Am
8. Sing Me Back Home
9. Misery And Gin
10. I'm A Lonesome Fugitive
11. Branded Man

Heart ICON
Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year, Heart first stormed the charts in the 1970s with hits including "Crazy On You," "Magic Man," "Barracuda," "Straight On," and others. They continued topping the charts throughout the 1980s and '90s with hits including "These Dreams," "Alone," "What About Love," "Never," and more, showcasing the talents of the "First Ladies of Rock," sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson.

One of rock's most influential and enduring bands, Heart has sold more than 35 million albums, traveled the world on sold-out arena tours, racked up 10 platinum and multi-platinum albums and collections, and charted 21 Top 40 Billboard singles, many of which are featured on the band's new ICON collection.

www.heart-music.com

1. Barracuda (Live)
2. Heartless
3. What About Love
4. Never
5. These Dreams
6. Alone
7. Nothin' At All
8. Straight On (Live)
9. All I Wanna Do
10. Magic Man
11. Crazy On You

Chris LeDoux ICON
The late American music legend Chris LeDoux was a steadfast westerner who sang firsthand of rodeo glory and pain while living the life of a bona fide modern day cowboy. With sales of his 36 albums totaling more than six million copies in the U.S., one platinum and two gold albums, a GRAMMY nomination and the Academy of Country Music's Pioneer Award, LeDoux's career flew high during his life and continues to resonate after his 2005 death from cancer at the age of 56.

The new ICONcollection features 11 standout tracks, including LeDoux's hit duet with Garth Brooks, "Whatcha Gonna Do With A Cowboy," which went Top 10 on Billboard's Country singles chart.

www.chrisledoux.com

1. Whatcha Gonna Do With A Cowboy (with Garth Brooks)
2. Cadillac Ranch
3. This Cowboy's Hat
4. Look At You Girl
5. Every Time I Roll The Dice
6. For Your Love
7. Under This Old Hat
8. Runaway Love
9. Life Is A Highway
10. Horsepower
11. Silence On The Line

Master P ICON
In the early '90s, Percy Miller, AKA Master P, tapped into a thriving but underdeveloped New Orleans hip-hop scene to create No Limit Records. With its solid gold military tank logo, No Limit deployed a fierce unit of rappers under Master P's command, storming hip-hop while the genre was locked in a protracted East-West battle.

Master P has sold more than 50 million albums around the world, and in the U.S. he has earned 12 multi-platinum, 10 platinum, and 12 gold albums. His triple platinum Ghetto D still stands as one of Southern hip-hop's defining albums. A true renaissance commander, Master P has also appeared in more than a dozen films.

1. Make 'Em Say Ugh (featuring Fiend, Silkk The Shocker, Mia X & Mystikal)
2. Bout It, Bout It II (featuring Mia X)
3. How Ya Do Dat (featuring Young Bleed & C-Loc)
4. Hot Boys And Girls (featuring Mystikal, Silkk The Shocker, Mia X, Kane & Abel)
5. I Miss My Homies (featuring Pimp C & Silkk The Shocker)
6. I Got The Hook Up! (featuring Sons Of Funk)
7. Mr. Ice Cream Man (featuring Silkk The Shocker)
8. Break 'Em Off Somethin' (featuring UGK)
9. Souljas
10. If I Could Change (featuring Steady Mobb'n)
11. Goodbye To My Homies

Anne Murray ICON
Anne Murray has sold more than 50 million albums in a distinguished career that has spanned four decades. Since releasing her debut album in 1967, Murray has been honored with four GRAMMY Awards, three American Music Awards, three Country Music Association Awards, three Canadian Country Music Association Awards, and twenty-four Juno Awards. She has also been honored with the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame's Legacy Award, and she has been inducted into Canada's Juno Hall of Fame and the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame.

The new ICON collection is stacked with Murray's top hits, including her No. 1s "Snowbird," "Danny's Song," "A Love Song," "You Needed Me," "You Won't See Me," "I Just Fall In Love Again," "Broken Hearted Me," "Daydream Believer," "Could I Have This Dance," "A Little Good News," and "Now And Forever (You And Me)."

1. Snowbird
2. Danny's Song
3. A Love Song
4. You Won't See Me
5. You Needed Me
6. I Just Fall In Love Again
7. Broken Hearted Me
8. Daydream Believer
9. Could I Have This Dance
10. A Little Good News
11. Now And Forever (You And Me)

Queensryche ICON
Since forming in Bellevue, Washington, in 1981, Queensryche has sold more than 20 million albums around the world. After building a devoted international fan base with album and EP releases throughout the 1980s, including 1988's critically acclaimed Operation: Mindcrime, Queensryche broke into the mainstream with the 1990 release of Empire. The triple-platinum album peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Top 200 and its hit ballad "Silent Lucidity" quickly became a heavy-rotation staple at rock radio and MTV, topping the Modern Rock singles chart and earning Queensryche the MTV Viewers Choice Award for the song's music video.

The new ICON collection features "Silent Lucidity" and Queensryche's other top Modern Rock singles, including the Top 5 "Sign Of The Times," Top 10 "Jet City Woman," "I Am I," "Bridge," and "Another Rainy Night," Top 20 "You," Top 30 "Best I Can" and "Empire," and Top 40 "Eyes Of A Stranger."

www.queensryche.com

1. Silent Lucidity
2. Jet City Woman
3. Another Rainy Night
4. Bridge
5. Sign Of The Times
6. I Am I
7. Empire
8. I Don't Believe In Love
9. Best I Can
10. You
11. Eyes Of A Stranger

Red Hot Chili Peppers What Hits!?/ ICON
In 1984, the Red Hot Chili Peppers released their self-titled debut, launching their enduring career as one of the world's most successful, top-selling bands.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers' popular What Hits!?! collection joins the ICON series with this release. The 18-track collection showcases the GRAMMY--winning band's singles from their first four albums - Red Hot Chili Peppers (1984), Freaky Styley (1985), The Uplift Mofo Party Plan (1987), and Mother's Milk (1989) - including "True Men Don't Kill Coyotes" "Higher Ground," "Fight Like A Brave," "Taste The Pain," "Knock Me Down," and "Under The Bridge."

www.redhotchilipeppers.com

1. Higher Ground
2. Fight Like a Brave
3. Behind the Sun
4. Me and My Friends
5. Backwoods
6. True Men Don't Kill Coyotes
7. Fire
8. Get Up and Jump
9. Knock Me Down
10. Under the Bridge
11. Show Me Your Soul
12. If You Want Me to Stay
13. Hollywood (Africa)
14. Jungle Man
15. Brothers Cup, The
16. Taste the Pain
17. Catholic School Girls Rule
18. Johnny, Kick a Hole in the Sky

Simple Minds ICON
Beginning with their 1979 Life In A Day album, Glasgow's Simple Minds recorded some of the most beguiling, inventive, adventurous music of the post-punk period and set the standard for the British alternative scene with the albums Real to Real Cacophony (also 1979), Empires and Dance (1980), and the pioneering 'twin' releases Sons and Fascination / Sister Feelings Call (1981). In 1982, they recorded the landmark New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84), which served as the template for U2's The Unforgettable Fire two years later.

In 1985, Simple Minds went stratospheric in the U.S. with their No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 and Mainstream Rock single "Don't You (Forget About Me)," memorably featured as the theme to the John Hughes film The Breakfast Club. Later that year, the band released its most successful album, Once Upon a Time, which reached the Billboard 200's Top 10 and went gold, fueled by Top 5 Modern Rock hits "Alive And Kicking" and "Sanctify Yourself," and the Top 10 "All The Things She Said," all of which are included on the new ICON collection, as well as a new song, "Broken Glass Park."

www.simpleminds.com

1. Don't You (Forget About Me)
2. Alive And Kicking
3. Sanctify Yourself
4. Promised You A Miracle
5. Stand By Love
6. All The Things She Said
7. She's A River
8. Glittering Prize
9. Belfast Child
10. See The Lights
11. Broken Glass Park [new song]

Billy Squier ICON
In 1981, when MTV was mastering the business of putting a face on music fame, Billy Squier was just the image they had in mind. When the video for "The Stroke" went into heavy rotation on MTV, the party anthem rocketed to No. 3 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart, launching Squier's career.

1982's "Everybody Wants You" shot to No. 1, followed by 1984's "Rock Me Tonite," Squier's first Billboard Hot 100 hit (No. 15) and "All Night Long," which reached the Mainstream Rock chart's Top 10 and also landed on the Billboard Hot 100. The new ICON collection includes all of these singles, as well as Squier's later Top 5 chart hits, "Don't Say You Love Me" (1989) and "She Goes Down" (1991).

www.billysquier.com

1. Lonely Is The Night
2. Emotions In Motion
3. The Stroke
4. Don't Say You Love Me
5. Learn How To Live
6. Rock Me Tonite
7. Everybody Wants You
8. My Kinda Lover
9. She Goes Down
10. In The Dark
11. All Night Long

George Thorogood & The Destroyers ICON
George Thorogood & The Destroyers' 16 studio albums have collectively sold more than 15 million copies around the world, racking up two platinum albums and six gold albums in the U.S. alone. ICON showcases Thorogood's acclaimed 40-year career with "Bad To The Bone," "I Drink Alone," "Who Do You Love," a live version of the rousing concert favorite "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer," an exclusive new recording of Howlin' Wolf's "Do The Do," and other popular songs from the band's catalog.

George Thorogood & The Destroyers blazed out of Delaware in the '70s as a jarringly high-energy group (also featuring drummer Jeff Simon and bassist Billy Blough) whose raucous, slide guitar-stoked, blues-rock originals and takes on classics by Chuck Berry, Elmore James, John Lee Hooker, Bo Diddley and others turned heads and put them center stage as one of rock's most popular, hardest-working and enduring bands.

www.georgethorogood.com

1. Bad To The Bone
2. I Drink Alone
3. Willie And The Hand Jive
4. Gear Jammer
5. If You Don't Start Drinkin' (I'm Gonna Leave)
6. Who Do You Love? (Live)
7. Treat Her Right
8. I'm A Steady Rollin' Man
9. One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer (Live)
10. Get A Haircut
11. Do The Do [exclusive new song]

With its history and vast catalog of artists, UMe's continuing ICON series showcases music from the most popular, iconic and influential artists of all time. ICON is a proven physical line, a true cross-genre success with more than six million copies sold in fewer than three years.

Photo Credit: www.ilovethatsong.com

To post a comment, you must register and login.