Tom Waits grew steadily less prolific after redefining himself as a junkyard noise poet with Swordfishtrombones, but the five-year wait between The Black Rider and 1999's Mule Variations was the longest yet. Given the fact that Waits decided to abandon major labels for the California indie Epitaph, Mule Variations would seem like a golden opportunity to redefine himself and begin a new phase of his career. However, it plays like a revue of highlights from every album he's made since Swordfishtrombones. Of course, that's hardly a criticism; the album uses the ragged cacophony of Bone Machine as a starting point, and proceeds to bring in the songwriterly aspects of Rain Dogs, along with its affection for backstreet and backwoods blues, plus a hint of the beatnik qualities of Swordfish. So Mule Variations delivers what fans want, in terms of both songs and sonics…

Two classic easy-listening albums by Paul Mauriat and His Orchestra, originally released in 1968 on the Philips label, together on one CD and remastered from the original analogue stereo tapes for Vocalion's trademark crystal-clear sound. French composer/conductor Paul Mauriat is a classically trained musician who decided to pursue a career in popular music. His first major success came in 1962, as a co-writer of the European hit "Chariot." In 1963, the song was given English lyrics, renamed "I Will Follow Him," and became a number one American hit for Little Peggy March. Mauriat is best remembered for his 1968 worldwide smash "Love Is Blue."

Along with Gene Ammons and Stanley Turrentine, Dexter Gordon was one of the top ballad players of the '60s. Having already made his name in the bebop era and as an expatriate in Europe, Gordon returned to the States to record a series of fine Blue Note discs during the first half of the decade. This edition of the label's Ballads series features Gordon at his peak and in the company of some of hard bop's best players. Whether melding nicely with trumpeter Donald Byrd from a Paris date in 1964 ("Darn That Dream") or locking in with the stellar rhythm section of Sonny Clark, Butch Warren, and Billy Higgins ("Don't Explain"), Gordon delivers his almost sleepy and smoke-filled solos with regal grace. The same can also be said of the rest of this incredible program, including a latter-day live cut from 1978.

One of England's prime jazz-rock - or, more accurately, rock-jazz - outfits, most of the members of Colosseum had apprenticed in blues bands, and it shows very strongly on some of the material here. Both "The Kettle" and "Butty's Blues" are essentially tarted-up 12-bar blues, although they work well in a grander context; in the latter case much grander, as a brass ensemble enters for the last part, drowning out everything but the guitar, an indication that this recording is in dire need of remastering. "Elegy" is a fast-paced, minor-key blues that stretches guitarist James Litherland's vocal abilities. Things do get far more interesting with "The Machine Demands a Sacrifice," which offers solo opportunities to organist Dave Greenslade and sax player Dick Heckstall-Smith before re-emerging in what can only be called a proto-industrial style, all heavily treated clattering percussion…

This seminal new age pianist has sold zillions of recordings with songs that reflect the quieter moments of the human spirit. It's clear from his phenomenal tribute to Vince Guaraldi and this irresistible tribute to the Doors that it takes the music of others to truly tap into a deeper place that gives variety, spunk, and magical energy to his playing. What makes this project so intense is the variety of moods he creates – the imaginative way he modulates from dark and haunting, lower-register chord poundings and upper-register whimsy. The most dramatic example of this contrast comes in the first few minutes of "Riders on the Storm," which begins building with ominous horror movie-type tones, then adds a swirling wind of high-toned harmony on top of the dark melody…

Arguably the world's oldest musical ensemble, the York Minster Choir continues to provide daily service music at England's York Minster Cathedral, one of the largest in Europe. In addition to its regular duties, the choir has toured widely and appeared on British radio and television.Among the ancestors of the present-day York Minster Choir (or Choir of York Minster) was a "song school" established in the year 627 by Paulinus of York, the first Archbishop of York. As the present-day cathedral took shape and was completed in 1472, the education, musical and otherwise, of young singers continued to be interwoven with the music made at the institution.

One of the 20th century's great conductors, Carlo Maria Giulini was known for his probing, self-effacing approach to orchestral and operatic scores. In addition to Italy, he was active for long periods of time in Britain and the U.S.Giulini was born on May 9, 1914, in Barletta in southeastern Italy, but when he was small, the family moved to Bolzano. In the far north of what is now Italy, the city was part of the Austrian Empire at the time. It reverted to Italy at the end of World War I, but the area remained German-speaking for decades, and Giulini grew up hearing German and Austrian music. He began violin lessons at five, and at 16, he was admitted to the Conservatorio Santa Cecilia in Rome as a violist and conducting student.

Live At University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Indiana, USA May 3rd 1972. Elton John’s fifth studio album was released in May 1972, and was titled after the 18th century French chateau where it was recorded, Château d'Hérouville. The album reached number one in the US, the first of John's seven consecutive US number one albums. In the UK, the record reached No.2 on the album charts. On April 26th ’72, Elton - and his band, featuring EJ regulars Dee Murray, Nigel Olsson and Davey Johnson - began their 1972 US Tour, performing in Dallas, TX to begin the jaunt. The tour spiralled across the US, and on May 3rd were in Indiana, where they performed at the University Of Notre Dame, in the charmingly named South Bend, IN. The quartet put on a stunning show at Notre Dame, and the entire proceedings were recorded for FM Radio Broadcast, and transmitted live across the mid-west. Featuring a handful of numbers from the new album, plus a fine selection of back catalogue tunes, this previously unreleased show is now available on this new CD for the first time.

Baroque ensemble Camerata Oresund and their musical director / violinist Peter Spissky explore the musical world of composer, instrumentalist, and patron of the arts, Wilhelmine von Bayreuth (1709-1758). The recording brings to light works by Wilhelmine herself and musicians from within her circle, as we rediscover several long-forgotten pieces. Wilhelmine's entrepreneurial spirit, intellect, talent, and deep love of music and the arts remain an enduring source of inspiration. This album is a tribute to the life and legacy of this remarkable woman of the arts, revealing vibrant musical colours and styles in these concertos, dances, and arias.

Mixing iconic choral works with music by some of today’s most exciting composers, this varied programme is centred around themes of rest. Joel Thompson’s virtuosic new work is a particular highlight: written in 15 parts, A Prayer for Deliverance perfectly showcases Tenebrae’s core values of passion and precision. The second half features Herbert Howells’ Requiem – surely one of the most moving works in the English choral repertoire. Associated with the untimely death of Howells’ young son Michael, the work remained unknown until it was finally published just three years before Howells’ own death in 1983.

On the occasion of Johann Strauss' 200th birthday, the Salzburg Wind Philharmonic with its chief conductor Hansjörg Angerer celebrates the Waltz King not only with incomparable waltzes that express his extraordinary genius, imagination and endless inspiration, but also with the whole variety of typical Viennese dance music from his pen. Of course, Johann Strauss' colleagues and admirers such as Johannes Brahms, Richard Wagner and Giuseppe Verdi, as well as his most important fellow traveller of the light muse, Jacques Offenbach, and the ‘Danish Strauss’ Hans-Christian Lumbye, should not be missing as ‘well-wishers’ on this occasion. With these wonderful and exhilarating melodies, a unique birthday roundelay is celebrated for Strauss' anniversary year!

Intrada announces an expanded edition of the 1993 Disney action-adventure film The Three Musketeers, for which composer Michael Kamen delivered a lengthy, epic score. In an unusual practice, Kamen was selected as the composer months before shooting began, a show of confidence after his work on a another, recent literary epic: Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. Kamen’s score for The Three Musketeers is a traditional symphonic work. In view of the Baroque era in which the story takes place, he researched and incorporated period instruments such as harpsichord, recorder and crumhorn (a double reed) into the ensemble; he also wove in ornamental trills and flourishes characteristic of the period. Many of his set pieces convey an almost classical sense of structure, with recurring devices such as the driving ostinato and associated heroic figures. Kamen’s intention was for specific instruments to be associated with each of the three Musketeers and their young protégé: trumpet, tuba, flute and French horn. Kamen also lavishes equal attention on the film’s villains—snarling, descending brass motif announces the presence of both Cardinal Richelieu and his Red Guards.

2CD set. Sealed out of print Rhino remastered 35-track compile spanning 1981 to 1995 w/a detailed booklet in slipcase. Barcode is marked. Incl O Superman, Language Is A Virus, , Sharkey's Day & more. Laurie Anderson is something of a missionary. Having endured the scorn of some influential avant-garde peers for "selling out" (by signing to a major label and taking her live shows to a relatively large, mainstream audience), Anderson instead chose to challenge their assumptions, proving by default that they were as ossified as anything in the so-called mainstream. Anderson also chose not to define herself strictly as an artist, but as a storyteller and de facto humorist–and one that dared point out that her chosen venue of "performance art" wasn't particularly avant at all. Or that the dreaded cliché was often merely the most efficient way to make a story point. This generous double-disc anthology charts the arc of Anderson's adventurous "mainstream" recording career, from the minimalist, unlikely Euro-hit "O Superman" through 15 years of ever more ambitious studio recordings and live shows.

Record Store Day 2025. Gilles Peterson presents International Anthem is a Deluxe Double LP compilation chronicling the infamous London-based radio host, DJ, label head, curator and cultural impresario's long-standing affinity for and interaction with artists and music from the Chicago-born record label International Anthem. The tracks on this compilation were chosen by Peterson via an extensive review of track lists from his broadcasts on BBC 6 Music, Worldwide FM, and various syndicated radio programs. The compilation also includes a previously unreleased track recorded live on the Peterson-founded online radio station Worldwide FM. The RSD exclusive 2LP is on "Frozen Lake Michigan" colored vinyl. This album is released via International Anthem as part of their "IA11" series of releases and events – where the label celebrates their eleventh year of existence by looking back on their first ten years while establishing new standards for the next ten years.

A child wonder who stirred the admiration of the court, Dandrieu was a virtuoso harpsichordist but above all, organist of the Royal Chapel of Versailles from 1721. He left a corpus of work of a rare inventiveness tracing out the chapel's most dazzling musical moments under the reign of Louis XV. Here are 'Magnificats', pieces for Christmas and some splendid hallmark scores that offer snapshots of the liturgical art of the king's organist at the height of the French Baroque. Dandrieu, writes for organ the equal of the harpsichord masterpieces of his time. Jean-Baptiste Robin, organist of the Royal Chapel of Versailles, makes the great organ ring with majesty, thanks to a decade of close familiarity with this historic instrument.