Ackles' self-titled debut LP introduced a singer/songwriter quirky even by the standards of Elektra records, possibly the most adventurous independent label of the 1960s. Ackles was a pretty anomalous artist of his time, with a low, grumbling voice that was uncommercial but expressive, and similar to Randy Newman's. As a composer, Ackles bore some similarities to Newman, as well in his downbeat eccentricity and mixture of elements from pop, folk, and theatrical music. All the same, this impressive maiden outing stands on its own, though comparisons to Brecht/Weill (in the songwriting and occasional circus-like tunes) and Tim Buckley (in the arrangements and phrasing) hold to some degree too. This is certainly his most rock-oriented record, courtesy of the typically tasteful, imaginative Elektra arrangements, particularly with Michael Fonfara's celestial organ and the ethereal guitar riffs (which, again, recall those heard on Buckley's early albums).

The Herd were an English pop rock, band, founded in 1965 in the UK. In 1966 a 16-year-old Peter Frampton joined as lead singer and guitarist. The band had three UK top twenty hits in the late 1960s, including "From the Underworld" and "I Don't Want Our Loving to Die", before Frampton left in 1968 to form Humble Pie with Steve Marriott. The band broke up shortly after, reforming briefly and unsuccessfully in 1971.

UK collection. Students at a teacher training college in the King's Road, Chelsea, Five's Company found themselves at the very epicenter of the mid-'60s pop revolution. Signing to Pye, they released a trio of 1966 singles that defined the concept of Swinging London as succinctly as any of the band's higher-profile competitors. Having completed their studies, Five's Company broke up the following year, with bassist Bob Brunning joining the nascent Fleetwood Mac - although the nexus of the band did briefly reconvene in 1968 to cut one of the earliest concept albums, The Ballad Of Fred The Pixie. That LP and those three singles are now joined by a clutch of fascinating demo recordings and the group's cancelled fourth single, the psych-pop nugget 'Friends And Mirrors', as Grapefruit Records proudly presents the first-ever Five's Company anthology. The release features a 16 page booklet with some priceless period photos and memorabilia as well as the band's story, with reminiscences from chief member Edward Broadbridge as well as the late Bob Brunning.

Two CD collection. Despite the best efforts of RCA to promote them as the British Monkees, a tie-in with Gerry Anderson's cult TV show Captain Scarlet and numerous high-quality singles, somehow London band The Spectrum failed to achieve the same level of success in the UK as they did in mainland Europe. This first-ever official anthology of their career features all of their singles, the 1970 UK LP The Light Is Dark Enough, their contribution to the soundtrack of the little-known 1968 film The Bliss Of Mrs. Blossom, their unissued-at-the-time theme tune for Captain Scarlet and, perhaps most notably of all, recordings that have only previously been released on their insanely rare and largely-unknown 1969 Venezuelan-only album. With the addition of their obscure 1965 debut single for EMI and a 1964 album that they cut (as Group Five) for the French market, All The Colours Of The Spectrum is the definitive document of a fascinating but hitherto little-documented band. It features a 16 page booklet with some priceless period photos and memorabilia as well as the Spectrum story from the cradle to the grave, with reminiscences from founder member Tony Atkins.

This four-disc collection contains all of the recordings of one of the most interesting jazz groups from the late ‘50s, the Jazz Lab, compiled here for the first time ever on one release. Co-led by Gigi Gryce and Donald Byrd, this set comprises the group’s five original studio albums (including all existing supplementary tunes and alternate takes from the sessions), presented here in their entirety and in chronological order. This edition also includes the Jazz Lab’s only known live performance, taped at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1957. As a bonus, a complete Oscar Pettiford LP, which constitutes the only other small group collaboration of Gryce and Byrd, and is a precursor to the Jazz Lab sound, as well as a rare 1955 Gigi Gryce quartet session (with Pettiford on bass) in its entirety, which despite having no real relation to the later Gryce-Byrd formation, was issued under the title of Jazz Laboratory Series (probably Gryce chose the group’s name based on that previous release!).

Herbert von Karajan made Anton Bruckner’s mammoth 8th Symphony a center of his large repertory, recording it for release four times, in 1944, 1957, 1975 and finally in 1988, shortly before the maestro’s death. Karajan’ s emotional connection with the 8th is obvious and, in comparing the last two of these releases, I’ve been very impressed with how an aging conductor could re-invent his interpretations. As one can tell from these two Karajan performances and those from other musicians, the 8th can support many different approaches, with an almost kaleidoscopic array of musical and emotional elements revealing different colors as its components are played in different ways.

EXTRAORDINARY MID-90s BROADCAST RECORDING FROM STEPHEN STILLS Recorded for live FM broadcast at the 4,000 seater Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, this mid 1990s performance by Stephen Stills came four years after his last solo album, 1991 s Stills Alone. The instrument he played on that stripped down album, a metal-top acoustic resonating guitar fitted with electric pick-ups, was out again for the initial acoustic set at this 95 performance, following which his electric set featured Gerald Johnson on bass, Mike Finnigan on keyboards and vocals, and Joe Vitale on drums An enthusiastic 'Midnight Rider' opens the acoustic set, and Stills sounds in improved voice over the raw, gravely sound that surprised many fans on Stills Alone. Two medleys are featured; 'So Begins the Task' coupled with 'Johnny's Garden', and the 'Daylight Again/Find the Cost of Freedom' suite, close the unplugged part of the show. The electric set finds Stills still on the metal-top acoustic for the first three numbers. 'Love the One You're With' ignites the crowd, following which 'Change Partners' features some superb harmonies with Finnigan. Finnigan cuts loose next on the vocals for the blues standard 'Born Under a Bad Sign'. For the remaining five electric numbers, Stills dips into the CSNY catalogue for 'Long Time Gone', 'Dark Star' and 'Woodstock', and throws in his biggest hit with The Buffalo Springfield, 'For What It's Worth', delivered as an audience sing-along. The concert closer is a ramped up version of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band's minor hit from 1965, 'Born In Chicago .

The Nocturne is one of the most popular and beloved forms of music. Yet, many of us today do not know the name of its creator: John Field. Born in Ireland, Field lived during the same period as Beethoven, and his musical legacy has influenced not only Chopin but also generations of composers up to the present day. “By recording this album, I hope to share the story of this historically important composer and to encourage listeners to discover the origins of the Nocturne.” Alice Sara Ott

Long-awaited reissue of an ultra-rare surf music item! SURF MUSIC PREMIUM COLLECTION〉Miracle reissue of the original soundtrack album of "Surf Party" (1964), a beach movie produced by 20th Century Fox, which is known as an extremely rare item among the surf music related albums. ! The album features rare songs by Jackie DeShannon, Astronauts, and The Routers, and Astronauts' "Surf Party" was a hit in Japan at the time. In addition, as a bonus track, the entire soundtrack album of the second beach movie "Wild on the Beach" (1965) is included!

These strong, stylish, intelligently mapped-out, and excellently engineered interpretations of Brahms' complete solo-piano variation sets find pianist Garrick Ohlsson on peak technical and musical form. The impetuous fervor and tempo extremes that characterized his 1977 EMI release of the Handel and Paganini variation sets have given way to steadier, better integrated tempos and an altogether stronger linear awareness that yields greater textural diversity and color without sacrificing power and mass. What is more, ear-catching rubatos, voicings, and articulations are borne out of what's in the score.

On the occasion of the Bruckner bicentenary, the Vienna Philharmonic recorded its first ever complete Bruckner cycle under the baton of Christian Thielemann. In addition to the well-known canon of nine symphonies, the two earliest Bruckner symphonies in F minor and D minor, which are a world premiere on DVD and Blu-ray, were also recorded for the first time in the orchestra's history. This uniquely complete edition from the Musikverein and Salzburg Festival, featuring 11 symphonies, also includes extensive conversations with Christian Thielemann about each symphony and insights into his rehearsal work.

This release collects two of Toots & the Maytals' finest releases of the mid-'70s: Funky Kingston, generally viewed as their finest album, and its follow-up, In the Dark. This is some of the finest music of the rocksteady era, and with improved sound over the individual album releases, a great place to start for Toots & the Maytals or the rocksteady movement in general.

Jazzaggression is happy to present another album by this unique instrumental/avant-jazz ensemble from Leeds, UK. After their first album was picked up by renowned radio DJ Gilles Peterson, the band’s success was secured, and the group spent the first half of 2024 working on their second album, ENOS. Known for their dynamic compositions, exciting improvisations, and intricate melodies, the group continues to push the boundaries of small-ensemble jazz. The captivating melodic structures that defined their debut remain front and center, now enriched by the maturity and artistic depth of a band confidently hitting its stride.

Second album by the Cologne drummer and composer in his quartet line-up with Tony Lakatos (tenor saxophone), Billy Test (piano) and Doug Weiss (bass) as a CD in a beautifully designed three-part digipack on JazzJazz. After »Choose Loose« (2022), »Mocambo Affair« is the second album that Dominik Raab has recorded together with Tony Lakatos, Billy Test and Doug Weiss. Like the quartet's debut, it consists exclusively of Raab's own compositions, with the nine new pieces sounding even more gripping and passionate. With dreamlike certainty, Lakatos, Test, Weiss and Raab complement each other to form a virtuoso team that lets Raab's visions shine. »Mocambo Affair« is a work of one piece and offers pure listening pleasure.

Mamãe Eu Quero is a famous Carnival marchinha from 1937, composed by Vicente Paiva and Jararaca. The original recording was made by Jararaca himself in 1937, on the Odeon label, and to this day it is one of the most famous Brazilian songs of all time. According to ECAD, the office responsible for collecting and distributing royalties, it is the third most played recording in Carmen Miranda's voice in the last five years (from July 2010 to March 2015), in segments such as radio, live music, party houses, entertainment centres and environmental sound systems.