Black Sabbath's debut album is the birth of heavy metal as we now know it. Compatriots like Blue Cheer, Led Zeppelin, and Deep Purple were already setting new standards for volume and heaviness in the realms of psychedelia, blues-rock, and prog rock. Yet of these metal pioneers, Sabbath are the only one whose sound today remains instantly recognizable as heavy metal, even after decades of evolution in the genre…

While Fleetwood Mac didn't invent "the British blues," they were certainly one of the early bands to master the form. This 30-track, double-disc anthology contains everything one would expect from the Peter Green and Jeremy Spencer-fronted blues-rock juggernaut…

Not long after You're Gonna Get It, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers' label, Shelter, was sold to MCA Records. Petty struggled to free himself from the major label, eventually sending himself into bankruptcy. He settled with MCA and set to work on his third album, digging out some old Mudcrutch numbers and quickly writing new songs. Amazingly, through all the frustration and anguish, Petty & the Heartbreakers delivered their breakthrough and arguably their masterpiece with Damn the Torpedoes…

One of the most enriching contemporary items in Rogers's growing album catalog. Combining studio tracks with live performances, the set trods heavily on the past with loving renditions of "Rock This House," "Ludella," "Sloppy Drunk," and "Chicago Bound." Kim Wilson proves a worthy harp disciple of Little Walter, while bassist Bob Stroger and drummer Ted Harvey lay down supple grooves behind the blues great.

Darwin's Radio is a four piece progressive-rock outfit from the south of England. Their music is described as powerful melodic rock, with thoughtful lyrics, dynamics and excellent tempo changes. The band released their debut album "Eyes of the World" in April 2006. This is Neo-Prog with a hard edge and the recipe for the whole album can be found in the album opener Erase… Rewind a rather grandiose song that sails through time changes, and light and dark passages with deft aplomb. The edgy vocals add just the right amount of drama and one instantly believes this album may be a classic. The next album ("Template For A Generation") has only 3 tracks and 44 minutes of music, but it´s pretty strong work, with some great guitar work from Bruke, fine keyboards and a strong rhythm section…

This unique double album presents recordings of Chris Norman’s greatest hits from the last 30 years of his musical career. Disc one contains no less than 16 Smokie tracks, whereas the 19 tracks on disc two deliver an exciting mix of solo hits and five as yet unreleased songs and demonstrates the impressive artistic development of Chris Norman over the last three decades.