"If the voice don't say it, the guitar will play it," raps Saffron on "Pork-U-Pine," the third track on Jeff Beck's minimally titled Jeff. And he does. Beck teams with producer Andy Wright, the man responsible for his more complete immersion into electronic backdrops on his last outing, You Had It Coming. This time the transition is complete. Beck used electronica first on Who Else!, moved a little more into the fire on You Had It Coming, and here merges his full-on Beck-Ola guitar heaviness with the sounds of contemporary spazz-out big beats and noise. Beck and Wright employ Apollo 440 on "Grease Monkey" and "Hot Rod Honeymoon," and use a number of vocalists, including the wondrously gifted Nancy Sorrell, on a host of tracks, as well as the London Session Orchestra on others (such as "Seasons," where hip-hop, breakbeats, and old-school Tangerine Dream sequencing meet the guitarist's deep blues and funk-drenched guitar stylings)…

Billy Talent (2003). Billy Talent takes its curious handle from a character name in the 1996 mock rockumentary Hard Core Logo, which traced the continuing adventures of an aging Vancouver punk band. The reference is probably more resonant in the Talent's home base of Toronto; everywhere else, it's a little awkward. Fortunately, the quartet's eponymous Atlantic release struggles mightily to make music matter more than moniker or stylized genre revivalism. Over a muscular, relentless, and viciously catchy 40 minutes, the band checks the wiry, melodic punk of the Buzzcocks while working Fugazi's dueling vocalist dynamic and searingly precise guitar breaks into its own three-minute anthems. The Buzzcocks' influence is immediate and easy; indeed, Billy Talent conveniently opened a clutch of dates on the reunited veterans' 2003 tour. Likewise, Talent benefits from production that tweaks its hooks for maximum sonic pugilism…

Dianne Reeves represents a multitude of styles and approaches, ranging from pop to R&B to straight jazz. The Best of Dianne Reeves provides the listener with a generous collection that emphasizes these opposites. "Better Days" from Dianne Reeves, along with "You Taught My Heart to Sing" and the title cut from I Remember, are light and pretty, emphasizing her ability as a ballad singer. Much more interesting are "Endangered Species" and "Old Souls" from Art & Survival. Backed by infectious rhythms, textured arrangements, and heavy grooves, Reeves unleashes her dynamic vocals bolstered by chants, outbursts, and hymns. Two cuts allow the listener to compare Reeves to other notable singers. "River" from In the Moment offers a soulful, quiet take on Joni Mitchell's classic, while "Lullaby of Birdland," complete with big band backing, succeeds in offering a likable rendition of a Sarah Vaughan favorite…

Van der Graaf Generator's fourth album, Pawn Hearts was also their second most popular; at one time this record was a major King Crimson cult item due to the presence of Robert Fripp on guitar, but Pawn Hearts has more to offer than that. The opening track, "Lemmings," calls to mind early Gentle Giant, with its eerie vocal passages (including harmonies) set up against extended sax, keyboard, and guitar-driven instrumental passages, and also with its weird keyboard and percussion interlude, though this band is also much more contemporary in their focus than Gentle Giant. Peter Hammill vocalizes in a more traditional way on "Man-Erg," against shimmering organ swells and Guy Evans' very expressive drumming, before the song goes off on a tangent by way of David Jackson's saxes and some really weird time signatures - plus some very pretty acoustic and electric guitar work by Hammill himself and Fripp…

2 x CD in deluxe casebound packaging with 16 page booklet containing Eno writing and images from the period.
Reissue of Brian Eno’s critically acclaimed 1993 single-track album. Named after the precious sensual oil derived from the flowers of the Seville orange, Neroli is more than any other Eno work intrinsically linked with the idea of perfume and fragrance. The piece is formed from a single Phrygian mode melody which Eno constructs and deconstructs throughout the work with the subtle flair that has become his trademark.
A piece of pure atmosphere that is considered by many to be the ultimate realisation of Eno’s ‘mood music’, Neroli has been played in maternity wards for its soothing effect and organic, natural feel…

It's a delightfully weird-ass stream-of-consciousness creation, as much influenced by James Brown as Arthur Brown, with elements of Duncan Brown as well and the presence of longtime Bunn associate Pete Brown too, mixing soul horns, acid rock, freakbeat spaciness, jazz, and folk-pop (with elements of country and bluegrass showing up); or, sort of like Van Dyke Parks-meets-Donovan with a side-trip to the Kinks' Muswell Hillbillies sessions - it's not always easy to make out what he's singing, but it all sounds cool and so magnificently laid-back that it seems too easy, low-wattage psychedelia with folk and jazz strains flowing through it where the soul horns aren't honking away; in hindsight, it makes one think of what the Small Faces might've done had they ever finished an LP follow-up to their final completed single, "The Universal," and that's definitely a compliment for those unaware…

Steady Rollin' Bob Margolin really comes into his own with My Blues and My Guitar, his second album for Alligator Records. He still pays homage to his mentor, Muddy Waters, not only through covers but simply through his driving musical style. He blends the familiar ("Rip It Up," "Going Home," "The Same Thing") with unpredictable ("See Me in the Evening," "Drip Drop," "Peace of Mind") in his choice of covers, and he has written a set of originals that are sturdy and memorable. Furthermore, he has loosened up a little bit, bringing some jazzy flourishes to his solos and nuance to his vocals. The result is one of his strongest albums, one that is exciting upon the first listen and rewarding upon repeated plays.

Milt Jackson made a number of solo albums during his long tenure with the Modern Jazz Quartet, but this release is one of his best as a leader. With young pianist McCoy Tyner and tenor saxophonist Jimmy Heath, Jackson puts together a great session, kicking off with his hard driving "Sonny's Blues." The leader's percussive but swinging style, plus the potent solos by Tyner and Heath, are all appealing. The only reservation about this CD is the deteriorated condition of the master tape from which it was made; it is rather noticeable on several tracks, though finding a mint copy of the original record is not a viable option for most collectors.

As interesting and fun as the Daevid Allen period was, the name Gong became more meaningful in the context of the music as percussionist Pierre Moerlen assumed the role of bandleader. An emphasis on percussives of all sorts became clear on Gazeuse!, the band's first completely instrumental album, and the music became much jazzier, though never considered jazz. Expresso II finds Pierre Moerlen's Gong at their peak. Like their previous studio release, Gazeuse!, the album is instrumental, the music is very polished, the sound very clean. Vibes and xylophone dominate on this album, somewhat reminiscent of the sound Zappa achieved through Ruth Underwood on One Size Fits All just three years earlier. The first two tracks, "Heavy Tune" and "Golden Dilemma," are the highlights here, partially due to the fact that the rest of the cuts all blend together and sound quite similar…

2009 three CD set, the first volume in the So80s series. The finest collection of original classic 12" club & extended mixes. So80s was mixed by German DJ duo Blank & Jones and features non-stop mixes of great '80s tracks from legendary bands like by Yazoo, O.M.D., Ultravox, Simple Minds, Pet Shop Boys, Talk Talk, Erasure, Bryan Ferry, Duran Duran and many others.

Pianist McCoy Tyner's first full-length trio album since 1964 was one of his most popular. Accompanied by bassist Ron Carter and Elvin Jones, Tyner (who uses harpsichord and/or celeste for flavoring on three of the six pieces) shows why he was considered the most influential acoustic pianist of the era (before Bill Evans began to surpass him in that category). Whether it be Jobim's "Once I Loved," "Impressions," "Ruby, My Dear" or Tyner's three powerful originals, this set finds Tyner in peak form.

If Hits seems a little inadequate, even though it weighs in at 16 tracks, that's because Phil Collins had such a long, productive run. Also, to casual listeners (and possibly even some fans), it's hard to tell which singles are by Genesis and which ones are solo cuts. So, it's almost a certainty that listeners will find something missing from this disc – and not just because Genesis cuts are absent, but because there's not enough space to fit all of Collins' solo hits, especially since the compilers decided to include a couple of lesser, latter-day hits at the expense of some earlier, bigger ones, while adding his non-LP cover of Cyndi Lauper's "True Colors" to entice hardcore fans. Thus, there are only 13 hits, which means some other big hits and good songs are absent - "I Missed Again," "I Don't Care Anymore," "Don't Lose My Number," "Do You Remember?" are all MIA…

Killer Swedish progressive rock with loads of wonderful instrumentation and bushels of mellotron. Sinkadus in many ways actually remind us of Anglagard at times with uniquely shaped song structures and outbursts of deep melodies. This is rich music with some grand song writing and nice deep harmonic structures throughout. Sinkadus are highly talented musicians who deliver some great emotion in thier music. Vocals are rather sparse, but are well done (sung in Swedish) and explore some great vocal harmonies.

The trio made up of Steve Dinsdale, Duncan Goddard and Gary Houghton play various sequencers, mellotrones, guitars, Fender Squires, Moogs and samplers all to good effect. Radio Massacre International has been playing together since 1979, first as a band called DAS, which released 12 albums between 1980-87, and have recorded together as RMI since 1993. Emissaries is a 2-CD set, the first being a studio set of 6 tracks that make up the hour long Emissaries Suite, and the second documents a live radio performance from 2004.

The cliché about singer/songwriters is that they sing confessionals direct from their heart, but John Lennon exploded the myth behind that cliché, as well as many others, on his first official solo record, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band. Inspired by his primal scream therapy with Dr. Arthur Janov, Lennon created a harrowing set of unflinchingly personal songs, laying out all of his fears and angers for everyone to hear. It was a revolutionary record - never before had a record been so explicitly introspective, and very few records made absolutely no concession to the audience's expectations, daring the listeners to meet all the artist's demands. Which isn't to say that the record is unlistenable. Lennon's songs range from tough rock & rollers to piano-based ballads and spare folk songs, and his melodies remain strong and memorable, which actually intensifies the pain and rage of the songs…