Dutch neo-prog band Marathon (not to be confused with Italian and German bands with the same name) were formed in Enschede in the early 90's. They recorded two albums and then followed up with a live CD just before breaking up. As far as influences go, Saga definitely comes to mind; add a few touches of Rush for the muscle and some AOR-like ballads à la Wings Of Steel, and you'll have a good idea of what they sound like. Guitarist Erik Ten Bos clearly dominates the first album with his Ian Crichton-like power chords, ringing arpeggios and jerky riffs; on slow numbers, he can get pretty emotional with some melodic solos à la Steve Rothery. As for compositional contents, both albums are a little uneven but still make for an enjoyable ride overall. Impeccable production (lush, polished, pristine sound), good vocals and choruses as well as solid musicianship.

Roland Kent LaVoie (born July 31, 1943), better known by his stage name Lobo (which is a Spanish word for wolf), is an American singer-songwriter who was successful in the 1970s, scoring several U.S. Top 10 hits including "Me and You and a Dog Named Boo", "I'd Love You to Want Me", and "Don't Expect Me to Be Your Friend"…

The Searchers were an English Merseybeat group who emerged during the British Invasion of the 1960s along with the Beatles, the Hollies, the Fourmost, the Merseybeats, the Swinging Blue Jeans, and Gerry and the Pacemakers…

In 1987, John Hiatt, clean and sober and looking for an American record deal, was asked by an A&R man at a British label to name his dream band. After a little thought, Hiatt replied that if he had his druthers, he'd cut a record with Ry Cooder on guitar, Nick Lowe on bass, and Jim Keltner on drums…

While Bon Jovi managed to stick a couple of killer album tracks onto all of their records, their main strength had always been writing singles. Released in 1994, Cross Road collects all of their biggest hits, adding a couple of new songs (including the international smash "Always," which helped the album go platinum in multiple countries) and Jon Bon Jovi's solo hit, "Blaze of Glory," for good measure…

A spotty but basically worthwhile three-disc set, Collectables' 1966-1967 Unreleased Masters Collection scours the International Artists vault for previously unreleased songs, alternate takes, rehearsals, and demos of songs that appeared on The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators and Easter Everywhere, and a couple of live cuts for good measure…

The Bee Gees' second R&B album, Children of the World, had the advantage of being written and recorded while the group was riding a string of Top Ten singles and the biggest wave of public adulation in their history off of the Main Course album…

The Tides Return Forever was Eloy's comeback and partial return to their progressive roots. Although firmly rooted in the AOR that was so dominant on preceding albums, one can really sense a remarkable improvement in the Eloy sound…

Lady In Black is the compilation album by British rock band Uriah Heep released in 1994. The CD gives a good overview of the songs of the band from 1971 to 1983. Titles like Lady in Black, Easy Livin ', Gypsy with the first singer David Byron are certainly part of the history of music. For people who like to hear great music from the seventies, this collection is highly recommended.