Stones, Temptations Among New Hall of Famers on Disc

Four of the five artists or groups who’ll be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Wednesday night in New York City are well represented in CD.

There are nearly three dozen Rolling Stones albums in CD, including numerous greatest hits packages, according to the January issue of the Schwann CD catalogue. Similarly, Schwann reports there are 17 CD albums by the Temptations and 19 by Stevie Wonder.

While Otis Redding fans have a right to bemoan the absence in CD of the late soul singer’s classic live albums (especially “Live in Europe”), there is an excellent 60-song Redding anthology on the shelves.

The artist who is most under-represented is Dion DiMucci, whose late ‘50s and early ‘60s hits were some of the most marvelously convincing expressions of youthful romanticism and desire ever recorded. According to Schwann, the only domestic CD is “Dion’s Greatest Hits” on Columbia--a 10-song package that includes only seven of the New Yorker’s 14 Top 20 singles. Among the ones missing: “Ruby Baby” (No. 2 in 1963) and “Abraham, Martin and John” (No. 4 in 1968).

Still, the situation is less of an embarrassment than last year when the only Atlantic Records CD devoted to the Drifters (one of the five 1988 inductees) featured only the post-1958 work of the outstanding R&B; vocal group. The irony was that Ahmet Ertegun, the guiding force behind the Hall of Fame, is the head of Atlantic Records.

Atlantic, incidentally, has just corrected that oversight by issuing two highly recommended Drifters albums in CD--one (“Let the Boogie Woogie Roll”) is devoted to the gritty 1953-58 works featuring singer Clyde McPhatter, the other to the lusher 1959-65 recordings. Both albums are two-disc, 40-song collections.

Here’s an introductory CD guide to the music of this year’s Hall of Fame crop:

Dion’s “Greatest Hits” (Columbia)--The hits in this budget package include “A Teen-Ager in Love,” “The Wanderer” and “Runaround Sue.” Minimal packaging. Approximate cost around town: $10.

Otis Redding’s “The Otis Redding Story” (Atlantic)--Besides the essential tunes (from “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long” to “The Dock of the Bay”), the three-disc set comes with an illustrated 24-page booklet that details the career of one of the giants of American soul music. About $38.

Rolling Stones’ “Hot Rocks 1964-71” (ABKCO)--While “Exile on Main Street” is the most compelling single album and a CD bargain (a double album on a single $16 disc), this two-disc set serves up the landmark tracks from the Stones’ most productive era. $26.

Temptations’ “Anthology” (Motown)--Forty songs in a two-disc box follow the vocal group through all its personnel changes and stylistic shifts. The hits range from 1964’s “The Way You Do the Things You Do” to 1984’s “Treat Her Like a Lady.” $32.

Stevie Wonder’s “Original Musiquarium” (Tamla)--With only 16 songs, this two-disc set is less comprehensive than the entries in the Motown “anthology” series. Still, the music--saluting Wonder’s adult years--contains some of the most finely crafted and appealing music of the ‘70s and ‘80s: “Higher Ground” and “Sir Duke” to “Living for the City” and “Superstition.” $27.