One of the great bands of the rock & roll era, the Kinks pioneered hard rock with such wild early ravers as "You Really Got Me" and "All Day and All of the Night," singles that inspired such peers as the Who and David Bowie while also pointing the way forward for punk and metal. That turned out to be the first act in a career that ran into the 1990s, making them the only British Invasion band outside of the Rolling Stones to last that long. Where the Stones always occupied center stage, the Kinks operated on the margins, both by accident and design. Lead singer/songwriter Ray Davies fashioned himself as an observer of human behavior, developing a gift for character and commentary that flourished on such mid-'60s singles as "Dedicated Follower of Fashion" and "Sunny Afternoon."

Recorded live at Civic Auditorium, Santa Monica, CA, USA, May 1, 1970
(soundboard recording of very good to excellent quality)

SUPERB TRIPLE DISC SET OF LIVE BROADCAST RECORDINGS FROM THE 1970s Formed in 1967 as Chicago Transit Authority, Chicago shorted their name in 1969, and throughout the 1970s and 80s were a regular fixture on both single and album charts universally. One of the world's best-selling groups of all time, having sold more than 100 million records, in 1971, Chicago was the first rock act to sell out Carnegie Hall for a week. To date, Chicago has sold over 40 million units in the U.S., with 23 gold, 18 platinum, and eight multi-platinum albums. They have had five consecutive number-one LPs on the Billboard 200 and 20 top-ten singles on the Billboard Hot 100. In 1974 the group had seven albums, its entire catalogue at the time, on the US albums list simultaneously.

On Saturday May 26th, 1973 before 100,000 plus fans on the Great Lawn of Central Park in New York City, a generational talent singer-songwriter at the undeniable top of her game enjoyed a humbling homecoming a mere 14 miles from the house in Brooklyn where she grew up. The historic event highlighted the earth-moving power she’d unleashed with her watershed Tapestry (already being touted as one of the highest selling albums in history a mere two years after its release), all the way through her soon-to-be released song-cycle album Fantasy, (her fourth consecutive Lou Adler-produced album to land in Billboard’s Top Ten), Carole King’s performance that day was, according to Jack Nicholson, one of only two current events “proper” to be seen at in public.

Rock's longest, strangest trip, the Grateful Dead were the psychedelic era's most beloved musical ambassadors as well as its most enduring survivors, spreading their message of peace, love, and mind expansion across the globe throughout the better part of three decades. The object of adoration for popular music's most fervent and celebrated fan following – the Deadheads, their numbers and devotion legendary in their own right – they were the ultimate cult band, creating a self-styled universe all their own; for the better part of their career orbiting well outside of the mainstream, the Dead became superstars solely on their own terms, tie-dyed pied pipers whose epic, free-form live shows were rites of passage for an extended family of listeners who knew no cultural boundaries. The roots of the Grateful Dead lie with singer/songwriter Jerry Garcia, a longtime bluegrass enthusiast who began playing the guitar at age 15. Upon relocating to Palo Alto, California, in 1960, he befriended Robert Hunter, whose lyrics later graced many of Garcia's most famous melodies; in time, he also came into contact with aspiring electronic music composer Phil Lesh.

MESMERISING SECOND\-ALBUM\-TOUR BROADCAST FROM PETER GABRIEL\nThe Lamb Lies Down on Broadway was Peter Gabriel final album with Genesis, but tensions increased during this period as Gabriel wanted to write all of the lyrics himself, and he split with the band after director William Friedkin had invited him to work on a screenplay. The project dissolved, and Gabriel returned to work with Genesis, but was late to deliver the lyrics and relied on contributions from Banks and Rutherford.\nDuring a stop in Cleveland, while on the Lamb Lies Down tour, Gabriel informed the band of his intention to leave at its conclusion.

It all happened on July 18, 2011 when Deep Purple entered the Arena di Verona, one of Europe's most spectacular concert locations, through the same entrance that was once used by the gladiators. Talk about being thrown to the lions!, jokes Don Airey, who has nothing but fond recollections of this memorable night. Live In Verona is an exceptional recording of the complete show, featuring the Hard-Rock veterans together with a full orchestra. The Neue Philharmonie, a 38-piece orchestra from Frankfurt, accompanied them for the whole European leg of the tour. Deep Purple connected with the orchestra instantaneously, which led to some unique, outstanding moments during the tour, when orchestra members surprised the band with original arrangements. It created the sort of environment that we could all equally enjoy., says Airey. Both eventually came together as one, creating an electrifying night.

Tom Petty straddled the divide separating classic rock and new wave, revitalizing and reinvigorating the big jangle of the Byrds and the garage rock roar of the Rolling Stones with his earliest records with the Heartbreakers in the late 1970s. Over the next decades, Petty expanded and refined this blend, almost always with guitarist Mike Campbell and keyboardist Benmont Tench – the musicians who had played with him since the early '70s, when they all were in the rambling country-rock outfit Mudcrutch – by his side.

Tom Petty straddled the divide separating classic rock and new wave, revitalizing and reinvigorating the big jangle of the Byrds and the garage rock roar of the Rolling Stones with his earliest records with the Heartbreakers in the late 1970s.

Almost from the start of their career, Deep Purple played sessions for the newly formed Radio 1, where they were championed by DJs such as John Peel, Tommy Vance and Pete Drummond, late night and weekend jocks who would feature underground music from the UK and overseas. Disc One here contains a number of sessions Purple recorded for the BBC between 1968 and 1970, during this era. Between ’70 and ’72, the band released three of their most renowned and heavy albums, Deep Purple In Rock, Fireball and Machine Head, all of which were huge successes in both the UK, and in the USA where they had now attracted a major following. On March 9th 1972 however, they were back in London, recording a final concert for Radio 1, at the Paris Theatre which was subsequently broadcast on the station, and now features in its entirety on the second disc of this new 2CD collection.

PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED RADIO SESSIONS 1966 - 1972 While David Bowie s early career was somewhat fragmented, a little disjointed and often sporadic, he was rarely off the wireless. And the sessions he recorded for radio across this period, makes for a fascinating body of work. This 2 x CD collection features nearly 2 hours of such FM sessions, previously unreleased on CD and in near perfect quality. Including cuts originally recorded for shows such as Top Gear, Sounds Of The Seventies, The Sunday Show and a number of other programmes, this set will delight Bowie fans as it completes the availability of material originally intended to be heard only via the airwaves.

Bruce Springsteen, Greatest Hits Broadcast Collection. Since the age of 15, Springsteen's life has been focused on rock 'n' roll. He's always been a leader, and it was during his teens he headed a series of bands such as Child and Dr. Zoom and the Sonic Boom. Springsteen soon became a local bar favourite, and even played as far afield as the Fillmore in San Francisco. He was also making regular runs into Manhattan, appearing as both a bandleader and soloist in Greenwich Village clubs, learning his craft in the most basic and diverse way possible. Although the more intimate surroundings of New York's Bottom Line was a sanctuary for the singer/songwriter.

Emerson, Lake & Palmer were progressive rock's first supergroup. Greeted by the rock press and the public as something akin to conquering heroes, they succeeded in broadening the audience for progressive rock from hundreds of thousands into tens of millions of listeners. They created a major radio phenomenon as well, penning classic rock radio staples like "Lucky Man," Still…You Turn Me On," and "Karn Evil 9 1st Impression, Pt. 2," and issuing hugely influential albums like Tarkus and Brain Salad Surgery.

Before they'd become one of the biggest success stories of the '80s with such chart-topping albums as Ghost in the Machine and Synchronicity, the Police toured continuously and extensively. In 1980-1981, the trio performed in India and Egypt (one of the first bands to play there), plus Japan, Australia, Latin America, and the U.S.A., which is captured on the 1983 home video Around the World. The 77-minute vid is a candid glimpse of the Police on tour, featuring potent renditions of the early favs "De Do Do Do," "Don't Stand So Close to Me," "When the World Is Running Down," "Truth Hits Everybody," "Next to You," "Roxanne," and "Shadows in the Rain," among others. Featured throughout are amusing skits (such as pint-sized guitarist Andy Summers attempting to wrestle an enormous sumo wrestler in Japan), and behind-the-scenes going-ons. Besides the music, there's plenty of sightseeing and samples of exotic lands – highly recommended.

The format details for the previously advised The Police Around The World documentary reissue can now be confirmed. The film, previously only available on VHS and Laserdisc, follows the band on their first world tour in 1979 & 1980 offers a jovial glimpse of the band as they travel around the world and spotlights their visits to local sights between performances.