A Real Golden Age of Jazz
Mention of a so-called “golden age” is nothing new in the arts. As a creed it says, in brief, that at some time in the remembered recent past things seemed good, even better in every way than they are now. It satisfies the longing that seems to live in every breast, for a simpler time when basic rules were clear and everybody worked comfortably within them. Imagine, a Wednesday afternoon call at the 802 union floor, with Coleman Hawkins, Ben Webster or Illinois Jacquet among the available tenor players. No stars, these, at least not to bandleaders. Just guys available to do gigs, needing the money — some things, naturally, never change — and happy for the work. Now all three are gone. But that was New York in the late ’50s, in every important respect a golden age, when just about everyone was available, and could be hired with a phone call. Performers were at their best, audiences numerous and avid, for what they did, with money to be earned. Opportunities to record, additionally, came up frequently, with producers who invariably understood their music and allowed them lots of leeway, muscle room, for stretching

Burt Bacharach's soundtrack to the silly 1965 comedy was highlighted by three familiar songs, cut as singles by stars: Tom Jones' athletic attack on the theme (which was a big hit), Dionne Warwick's "Here I Am" (which was a small hit), and Manfred Mann's "My Little Red Book" (which was an even smaller hit, although Love had a bigger one with their cover). The rest of the album is occupied by instrumental background filler, and while this is much better than another Bacharach mid-'60s soundtrack (After the Fox) – "High Temperature, Low Resistance," "Downhill and Shady," and "Stripping Isn't Really Sexy, Is It?" have a swinging, bachelor-pad feel – it's not nearly as good as the actual tunes with vocals and lyrics. Most fans of Jones, Warwick, and Manfred Mann (and indeed most big '60s rock fans in general) will have the three best cuts on easily available reissue compilations, so this disc is only recommended to serious Bacharach/soundtrack collectors. (Some reissues add a neat bonus track: Manfred Mann's "film version" of "My Little Red Book," although this isn't hugely different from (or as good as) the familiar take used on their single.) – Richie Unterberger

Livetime is a live album from 1978 by musical group Hall & Oates. The concert was recorded in Hershey, Pennsylvania, on December 8, 1977 not far from Pottstown, Pennsylvania, where Hall lived during his teenage years. Former Elton John Band members Caleb Quaye, Kenny Passarelli and Roger Pope were band musicians on this tour.

Falling halfway between musical primitivism and art rock ambition, Roxy Music's eponymous debut remains a startling redefinition of rock's boundaries. Simultaneously embracing kitschy glamour and avant-pop, Roxy Music shimmers with seductive style and pulsates with disturbing synthetic textures. Although no musician demonstrates much technical skill at this point, they are driven by boundless imagination – Brian Eno's synthesized "treatments" exploit electronic instruments as electronics, instead of trying to shoehorn them into conventional acoustic patterns.

Matthew Fisher is a keyboard player, singer, and producer who is best known for his work as a founding member of Procol Harum - he was the group's organist, and later served as producer/arranger during that band's first three years. Along with Robin Trower and Gary Brooker, he was one of the stars to emerge from the ranks of the group, following the latter's sudden rise to fame in 1967.
Following his departure from Procol Harum, Matthew Fisher surfaced with his first solo effort, "Journey's End" (1973), which showed some promise. While his vocals are not up to par with his previous bandmate's, they are pleasant enough not to intrude upon the songs in a bad way. Highlights include "Suzanne" and the title cut, parts one and two. A bold, impressive solo outing…

Ein „Best-of Udo-Lindenberg“, kann es das überhaupt geben? Wie fasst man das epische Gesamtwerk dieses Mannes zusammen, Ikone des deutschen Rock, Verfechter der Bunten Republik Deutschland und eine Legende, wie es sie auf Generationen keine zweite geben wird? Die Antwort trägt den Namen „UDOPIUM". Erstmals hat man es geschafft eine komplette Werkschau aus 50 Jahren Udo zusammenzutragen. Das ist in dieser Form einzigartig. Und es wird gekrönt durch vier ganz neue Songs. Dass Udo Lindenberg eine Ikone und absolute Größe der deutschen Musiklandschaft ist, beweisen etliche Erfolge. Bereits 1992 wurde er mit dem ECHO für sein Lebenswerk ausgezeichnet. So landeten alle Alben seit 2008 auf Platz 1 der deutschen Albumcharts, sein Album „Stark wie Zwei“ aus 2008 erreichte bis heute 7-fach Gold und „MTV Unplugged 1“aus 2011 verkaufte bis heute über 1 Mio. Tonträger. Damit zählt es zu den meistverkauften Musikalben Deutschlands seit 1975. Udo Lindenberg ist noch lange nicht fertig. Schließlich gibt es ohne Udopie kein Morgen. Udo Lindenberg macht sich weiterhin für all jene Themen stark, die ihm am Herzen liegen – Klimaschutz, gesellschaftliche Gerechtigkeit und die Gleichheit der Geschlechter, eine offene, friedliche, bunte Republik.

Xandria define the essence of modern symphonic metal and return with refreshing intensity on Universal Tales. Universal Tales presents four brand new majestic songs, underlining the band’s new defined versatility and impressive intensity.
Each of the songs highlight a different facet of Xandria’s musical range, alongside a new recording and beautifully re-arranged version of the title track from their recent album, The Wonders Still Awaiting. From bombastic film score atmospheres, choir-and-orchestra-driven anthems to real Celtic atmospheres and instruments like fiddle and whistles, the songs blend both classic and modern metal influences. Universal Tales offers a wealth of discoveries, while singer Ambre Vourhavis explores new heights and depths in her voice, making her even stronger than on the last album…

Future Games is the fifth studio album by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released on 3 September 1971. It was recorded in the summer of 1971 at Advision Studios in London and was the first album to feature Christine McVie as a full member. This album was also the first of five albums to feature American guitarist Bob Welch. "He was totally different background – R&B, sort of jazzy. He brought his personality," Mick Fleetwood said of Welch in a 1995 BBC interview, "He was a member of Fleetwood Mac before we'd even played a note."

La-La Land Records, Warner Bros. and Sony Music Entertainment presents the remastered and expanded 2-CD reissue of renowned composer Thomas Newman’s (LESS THAN ZERO, AMERICAN BEAUTY, SKYFALL, BRIDGE OF SPIES) acclaimed original motion picture score from the beloved 1994 feature film THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman, and directed by Frank Darabont. Thomas Newman’s iconic score is pitch-perfect, expertly balancing sadness, despair, humor and exaltation as it nurtures and enrichens a film that is now considered to be an all-time dramatic masterpiece.

Japanese edition with bonus track and bonus disc and double sided OBI in cardboard sleeve with promo postcard.

Recorded in Performance at The "It" Club, Los Angeles, CA. on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1, 1964. Originally issued in July, 1982 on Columbia (C2 38030) as Live At The "It" Club.

At Your Birthday Party is the third studio album by Canadian-American rock band Steppenwolf. The album was released in March 1969, by ABC Dunhill Records. It was the first Steppenwolf album to feature bass player Nick St. Nicholas; and the last album to feature guitarist Michael Monarch, who left the band in August 1969. Although it was less critically acclaimed than their successful first two albums, Steppenwolf and The Second, it contains a few well-known hits, such as "It's Never Too Late" and "Jupiter's Child", as well as "Rock Me," which had been featured in the 1968 film Candy. Although the band would be very successful in the early 1970s, At Your Birthday Party would be their last top ten album and features their last top ten single. The album showcases Steppenwolf coming out of, but not yet completely abandoning, the psychedelia of The Second and stepping into the distinctive hard rock of their later releases.

After a remarkable string of hits through 1969, Three Dog Night released It Ain't Easy, its fourth album in less than 18 months. Once again, it was a hot seller, going to number eight. Once again, it consisted primarily of songs written by some of rock music's best, but as yet unheralded, composers. And this time, the group had its first number one hit, a memorable version of Randy Newman's fear-of-partying song "Mama Told Me (Not to Come)." Although much more melodramatic than Newman's own understated take on his 12 Songs album, Three Dog Night's rendering was cleverly orchestrated and impossible to escape.

Blonde on Blonde is the seventh studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released in mid 1966, on Columbia Records. Blonde on Blonde completed the trilogy of rock albums that Dylan recorded in 1965 and 1966, starting with Bringing It All Back Home and Highway 61 Revisited. Critics often rank Blonde on Blonde as one of the greatest albums of all time. Combining the expertise of Nashville session musicians with a modernist literary sensibility, the album's songs have been described as operating on a grand scale musically, while featuring lyrics one critic called "a unique mixture of the visionary and the colloquial". It was one of the first double albums in rock music. The album peaked at number nine on the Billboard 200 chart in the US, where it eventually was certified double platinum, and it reached number three in the UK. Blonde on Blonde spawned two singles that were top-twenty hits in the US: "Rainy Day Women #12 & 35" and "I Want You". Two additional songs—"Just Like a Woman" and "Visions of Johanna"—have been named as among Dylan's greatest compositions and were featured in Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list.

Horace Parlan on piano, Wilbur Little on bass, and Dannie Richmond on drums.
Horace Parlan overcame physical disability and thrived as a pianist despite it. His right hand was partially disabled by polio in his childhood, but Parlan made frenetic, highly rhythmic right-hand phrases part of his characteristic style, contrasting them with striking left-hand chords. He also infused blues and R&B influences into his style, playing in a stark, sometimes somber fashion. Parlan always cited Ahmad Jamal and Bud Powell as prime influences.