A jazz piano-bass-drums trio performing the songs of the rock group King Crimson? That's what the Crimson Jazz Trio accomplished on this intriguing CD, King Crimson Songbook, Vol. 1, the first of several. By re-harmonizing the music a bit, adding vamps, and digging into the grooves, the Crimson Jazz Trio transforms the pieces from rock anthems into viable devices for jazz improvisations. Electric bassist Tim Landers has nearly as much solo space as pianist Jody Nardone; the trio (which also includes drummer Ian Wallace) works together very closely and they not only create new versions of unexpected material, but show that they have developed their own group sound. Recommended, particularly to listeners who are familiar with King Crimson's recordings.

World Machine is the sixth studio album by the British band Level 42, released in 1985. It peaked at #3 on the UK album charts, and it stayed on the chart for 72 weeks. It was the band's first disc to enter the Billboard 200 (peaking at number 18), and it stayed on the chart for 36 weeks. This release marked a transition from their jazz-funk beginnings to the funky pop they are best known for - a transition which eventually resulted in the departure of drummer Phil Gould subsequent to the release of their follow up album Running in the Family. The cover photo is Hafnarfjall, mountain in West Iceland.

Faithfull was still known primarily as a pop singer when she put out North Country Maid, but this is in fact very close to a pure folk album, with a bit of influence from pop, rock, blues, and jazz. Largely overlooked even by Faithfull fans, it's actually a quite respectable effort, and probably her best LP (other than greatest-hits compilations) from the time when her voice was still on the high side. Ably backed by sessionmen including guitarists Jon Mark and Jim Sullivan, she interprets mostly traditional material on this record, including "She Moved Through the Fair," "Wild Mountain Thyme," "Sally Free and Easy," and "Scarborough Fair." There are some mid-'60s covers too, though, including Donovan's "Sunny Goodge Street" and Tom Paxton's "Last Thing on My Mind"…

The Grateful Dead bid adieu to their faithful fans with a series of concerts in 2015 called Fare Thee Well. The shows, held in Santa Clara and Chicago, were billed as the last time the Dead alumni would share the stage together but, in typical Dead fashion, several members reconsidered that notion upon the project's conclusion. Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzmann, and Mickey Hart harbored the desire to carry on, but Phil Lesh declined the opportunity to return to the road, leaving the trio with the task of replacing their bassist in addition to finding a substitute for Jerry Garcia (Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio filled that role for Fare Thee Well, but decided to return to his main gig). John Mayer – a newer convert to the Dead who struck up a friendship with Weir – was recruited to play guitar, bassist Oteil Burbridge was hired alongside keyboardist Jeff Chimenti, and this new incarnation of the Dead was dubbed Dead & Company. Following a Halloween unveiling in 2015, Dead & Company set out on the road in 2016. The tour went so well, the band headed back out on the road in the fall of 2017, followed by a summer tour in 2018.

My Romance is an album by the U.S. singer-songwriter Carly Simon, released in 1990. It is her fourteenth studio album, and her sixteenth album overall, as well as being her second album devoted to standards. The album peaked at No. 46 on the Billboard 200, and remained on the chart for 17 weeks. Simon's version of In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning from this album was featured in the hit 1993 film Sleepless in Seattle, as well as being included on the film's soundtrack album.

The best Beach Boys album, and one of the best of the 1960s. The group here reached a whole new level in terms of both composition and production, layering tracks upon tracks of vocals and instruments to create a richly symphonic sound. Conventional keyboards and guitars were combined with exotic touches of orchestrated strings, bicycle bells, buzzing organs, harpsichords, flutes, Theremin, Hawaiian-sounding string instruments, Coca-Cola cans, barking dogs, and more. It wouldn't have been a classic without great songs, and this has some of the group's most stunning melodies, as well as lyrical themes which evoke both the intensity of newly born love affairs and the disappointment of failed romance (add in some general statements about loss of innocence and modern-day confusion as well).

Robin Trower is an English rock guitarist and vocalist who achieved success with Procol Harum during the 1960s, and then again as the bandleader of his own power trio. In the Line of Fire is the fourteenth studio album by Robin Trower, and the third to feature Davey Pattison on lead vocals. The song "Isn't It Time" was originally recorded by the English group The Babys in 1977 and released on their album Broken Heart.

The Grateful Dead bid adieu to their faithful fans with a series of concerts in 2015 called Fare Thee Well. The shows, held in Santa Clara and Chicago, were billed as the last time the Dead alumni would share the stage together but, in typical Dead fashion, several members reconsidered that notion upon the project's conclusion. Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzmann, and Mickey Hart harbored the desire to carry on, but Phil Lesh declined the opportunity to return to the road, leaving the trio with the task of replacing their bassist in addition to finding a substitute for Jerry Garcia (Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio filled that role for Fare Thee Well, but decided to return to his main gig). John Mayer – a newer convert to the Dead who struck up a friendship with Weir – was recruited to play guitar, bassist Oteil Burbridge was hired alongside keyboardist Jeff Chimenti, and this new incarnation of the Dead was dubbed Dead & Company. Following a Halloween unveiling in 2015, Dead & Company set out on the road in 2016. The tour went so well, the band headed back out on the road in the fall of 2017, followed by a summer tour in 2018.

John Mayall has been doing this blues thing now for over five decades (he released his first single in 1964), exploring the form in all of its incarnations, from gutbucket country blues to the more urbane jazz side of things, and amazingly, he's always sounded pretty much like John Mayall, a blues everyman who has always surrounded himself with the best bands and players, a big part of the reason he is still a successful touring act in his eighties. Mayall's put out 60 some albums since 1964, and while he's slowed down a bit in recent years, he's still good for a new album or live set every couple of years or so.

Beautiful and haunting John Barry soundtrack score to the classic 1969 film starring Dustin Hoffman
Though perhaps overshadowed by the pop success of Harry Nilsson's rendition of Fred Neil's "Everybody's Talkin'" (and overwhelmed on the album by songs from B.J. Thomas, Elephant's Memory, and even early Warren Zevon), John Barry's elegant title track and handful of cues here still rate as some of his best. Their melodies frequently carried by a mournful solo harmonica, Barry's coolly detached music ironically undercuts the grit and grime of John Schlesinger's Oscar-winning classic. Melodically irresistible, Barry's Midnight Cowboy music further cemented Barry's reputation as one of modern film's greatest composers. –Jerry McCulley

After five decades of records made chiefly of original material, Deep Purple’s 22nd studio album consists solely of songs written and previously recorded by other artists: a criminal offense commonly described by the rock police and purists Grand Jury as “doing covers.” Studio recordings of songs previously released by Love, Huey “Piano” Smith, Fleetwood Mac, Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels, Bob Dylan, Ray Charles & Quincy Jones, Little Feat, The Yardbirds, Lonnie Donegan/ Johnny Horton, Bob Seger System, Cream, plus the “Caught In The Act” medley feat. songs by Freddie King, Booker T. and the M.G.’s, The Allman Brothers Band, Led Zeppelin and The Spencer Davis Group came to life with the band, for the first time in their career, recording them while not being in the same room. “Turning To Crime” is Deep Purple enjoying playing music without commercial plans nor losing their edge and drive. This is Deep Purple coming full circle. This is 100% Deep Purple.

The Grateful Dead bid adieu to their faithful fans with a series of concerts in 2015 called Fare Thee Well. The shows, held in Santa Clara and Chicago, were billed as the last time the Dead alumni would share the stage together but, in typical Dead fashion, several members reconsidered that notion upon the project's conclusion. Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzmann, and Mickey Hart harbored the desire to carry on, but Phil Lesh declined the opportunity to return to the road, leaving the trio with the task of replacing their bassist in addition to finding a substitute for Jerry Garcia (Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio filled that role for Fare Thee Well, but decided to return to his main gig). John Mayer – a newer convert to the Dead who struck up a friendship with Weir – was recruited to play guitar, bassist Oteil Burbridge was hired alongside keyboardist Jeff Chimenti, and this new incarnation of the Dead was dubbed Dead & Company. Following a Halloween unveiling in 2015, Dead & Company set out on the road in 2016. The tour went so well, the band headed back out on the road in the fall of 2017, followed by a summer tour in 2018.

On TIME TO LOVE AGAIN, vocalist NICOLE HENRY performs an eclectic mix of jazz standards and reimagined pop tunes with the sweet yet powerful voice that has made her a world-wide favorite with audiences and critics alike. This is Henry's eighth CD, following four of which charted on Billboard and HMV Japan's Top 10 jazz charts and earned her a Soul Train Award for "Best Traditional Jazz Performance" – including Embraceable (2011), The Very Thought of You (2008), Teach Me Tonight (2005), and The Nearness of You (2004).

‘Next Wave Acid Punx’ is a 38 track journey across nearly 40 years of dark club music compiled and curated by Berlin-based Musician and DJ, Luca Venezia aka Curses. Inviting friends with a like-minded affection for an 80s rooted sound, and diving deep into his record collection, Curses has put together a three CD/double vinyl set that takes us from music by Colourbox and Suicide to EBM pioneers, Front 242 through to recent club hits from Zombies in Miami, and 12 brand new, totally exclusive tracks from the likes of Shubostar, Chinaski, and Curses himself.

Although they only attained the huge success of the Beatles, Rolling Stones, and the Beach Boys for a short time in the mid-'60s, time has judged the Byrds to be nearly as influential as those groups in the long run. They were not solely responsible for devising folk-rock, but they were certainly more responsible than any other single act (Dylan included) for melding the innovations and energy of the British Invasion with the best lyrical and musical elements of contemporary folk music.