Florence, 1600: Giulio Caccini and Jacopo Peri, two virtuoso singers and rival composers. Striving to rediscover the expressive powers of ancient Greek tragedy, they revolutionized the art of singing and created a new style, which eventually would give birth to opera. In reaction to Renaissance polyphony, these monodies were intended to be sung with the simple accompaniment of a plucked intsrument in order to express the full range of human passions. Peri and Caccini would often accompany themselves but they would also perform with certain family members. Thus brother and sister in this duo follow most naurally a tradition passed on by those great musicians.

As part of Decca's acclaimed Entartete (German for Degenerate) series devoted to either suppressed or forbidden music during the first half of the 20th century, Franz Schreker's opera Die Gezeichneten (The Branded) is a period masterpiece. This story of a dying woman painter Carlotta betraying here longstanding faithful lover Alviano for a newer more physically attractive Tamare and the consequences that ensue is certainly intriguing. Lovers of expertly-crafted, infectiously beautiful orchestration however will simply rejoice in the massive 120+ member ensemble Schreker requires assembled here. All of the vocalists deliver energetic, passionate performances throughout and Decca's sound is state of the art. All in all a remarkable achievement!

Released as part of the ongoing 7T's series on RPM, 10cc's The UK Records Singles Collection is a tight, 14-track collection of the band's earliest recordings – those for UK Recordings, naturally. This was before the big crossover hits started coming – in other words, don't look for "The Things We Do for Love" or "I'm Not in Love" here – and it's a document of when they were the weirdest band in the world…or, "The Worst Band in the World," to use their own words. That tongue-in-cheek classic is here, along with "Johnny Don't Do It," "Wall Street Shuffle," and "Donna," among other highlights that showcase 10cc at their oddest and fizziest and poppiest, if not quite always their strangest. For that, turn to more complete anthologies of UK Records, but this hits a sweet spot for those that want a sampler or those non-10cc listeners looking for some glammy (but not strictly glam) '70s nuggets.

If one had to point to a single initial salvo that launched the garage rock revival movement in the 1970s and ‘80s, it would have to be the release of Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era 1965-1968 in 1972. Elektra Records had approached rock critic Lenny Kaye (not yet the guitarist with the Patti Smith Group) with the notion of compiling an album of great, overlooked rock tunes, but what Kaye came up with was something significantly different - an overview of the great, wild era when American bands, goaded by the British Invasion, began honing in on a tougher and more eclectic rock & roll sound, and kids were reawakened to the possibilities of two guitars, bass, and drums. Coming up with a simple definition of this period and its sound proved daunting - the word "garage" appears nowhere in the liner notes to Nuggets, and his notion of "the first psychedelic era" quickly fell by the wayside…

This 1991 release, along with Years Of Tears from 1993, amply demonstrate the enduring power of Bobby Bland, a most singular blues singer. Justly hailed for his '50s records on the Duke label, Bland remained a powerful presence over the ensuing decades. As with all of his recordings for the Jackson, Mississippi-based Malaco label, the bulk of the songs were penned by Malaco's in-house writers. One of the set's only numbers from an outside source is the opening "Ain't No Love For Sale" by John Barranco.
With his characteristic snorts and growls, it's clear from the outset that Bobby "Blue" Bland is in command. Portrait is his usual mix of bluesy shuffles, ballads, and soulful stomps. And any album that's got a song called "She's Puttin' Something In My Food" has got a leg up on the competition…

Also made available domestically at one time by the defunct Black Hawk label, this superior Abdullah Ibrahim recording features the pianist/composer with a very strong septet. Such superior musicians as tenor saxophonist Ricky Ford, altoist Carlos Ward, baritonist Charles Davis, and trombonist Dick Griffin are heard at their most creative and emotional on these eight Ibrahim originals. Many of the melodies (particularly "Mandela," "Song for Sathima," "Water From an Ancient Well," and the beautiful "The Wedding") are among Ibrahim's finest compositions.

Esoteric Recordings is proud to announce the release of a new re-mastered four disc deluxe expanded boxed set limited edition (comprising 3 CDs and a DVD) of the legendary self-titled debut album by Barclay James Harvest.
In April 1968 Barclay James Harvest released their first single, Early Morning, on EMI’s Parlophone label and became the first signing to EMI’s progressive label Harvest Records (named after them) the following year. Their self-titled debut album was released in June 1970, and saw BJH successfully fuse an orchestra with rock to create a unique, sometimes pastoral, form of symphonic progressive rock. Produced by Norman Smith (also famed for his work with Pink Floyd and the Pretty Things), Barclay James Harvest was dominated by the twelve-minute epic Dark Now My Sky and also featured such wonderful material as The Iron Maiden, Mother Dear, When the World Was Woken…

“Chiasmata” was recorded during Boddy’s concert at the planetarium of the National Space Centre, Leicester, UK on 1st November 2003. Boddy has, in the past, often used concert appearances as a testing ground for material that would then see a full studio re-working before release.
Indeed this was the original intention with this concert but on listening to the tapes in the post-concert calm of his studio it became apparent that this material had really worked well in the concert environment. There was passion and delicacy in equal measure and a sonic construction to the semi-improvised set that would be next to impossible to recreate in the hard, cold glare of the studio spot-lights…