Girl exploded into the UK scene in the early ’80s, a scene that was almost exclusively primed for down and dirty hard rock, but these guys were a completely different beast.
Hard rock bands during the very early ’80s complied with a strict in-vogue youth uniform of denim, leather and greasy long hair. The NWOBHM, as it was labelled, may have been a force for good but it certainly wasn’t tolerant of aesthetic deviation… something that Girl found to be a major stumbling block.

Opening with Mike Hugg's title track, which builds on Mick Rogers' intense riffing and the killer vocals of Vicki Brown, Judith Powell, Liza Strike, and Ruby James, Messin' is pretty intense and involving from its very first bars. It's also damned topical and serious, for all of the free-wheeling rock & roll spirits and the progressive rock complexities that go into the playing. And the result is a spellbinding whole, featuring some astonishing keyboard flourishes by Manfred Mann himself (who ventures into Rick Wakeman and Keith Emerson territory on "Buddah," even as the rest of the band seems to be emulating Deep Purple) and killer guitar from Mick Rogers, while Colin Pattenden and Chris Slade lay down the rhythm section like a pair of articulate pile-drivers.

Touted as a personally curated compilation by Paul McCartney, Pure McCartney is the first McCartney compilation since 2001's Wingspan: Hits and History. A full 15 years separated this and Wingspan, longer than the span between that double-disc set and 1987's All the Best, but the 2001 set also stopped cold in 1984, leaving over 30 years of solo McCartney recordings uncompiled on hits collections. In both its standard two-CD and deluxe four-disc incarnations, Pure McCartney attempts to rectify this, going so far as to include "Hope for the Future," his song for the 2014 video game Destiny. A fair chunk of the compilation rests upon songs heard on Wings Greatest, All the Best, and Wingspan – "Jet," "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey," "Another Day," "Mull of Kintyre," "Let Em In," "Band on the Run," "No More Lonely Nights," "Live and Let Die," "Say Say Say," "Listen to What the Man Said," and "Silly Love Songs" are all de rigueur – so the interesting things lie in the margins, or in the music made since 1984.

2014 twelve CD set. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Simon & Garfunkel's first release on Columbia Records in 1964, THE COMPLETE ALBUMS COLLECTION provides a fascinating career-spanning overview of the iconic folk-rock duo. Here for the first time in one package is Simon & Garfunkel's complete discography: their five studio albums for Columbia released between 1964 and 1970; the multiplatinum albums THE GRADUATE (the soundtrack to the 1967 film of the same name which first featured the duo's classic 'Mrs. Robinson') and Simon & Garfunkel's GREATEST HITS (the 1972 compilation that, with 14 million albums shipped, remains the duo's most popular); and four live albums recorded between 1967 and 2004, including 1982's THE CONCERT IN CENTRAL PARK (the group's first activity since their dissolution in 1970), OLD FRIENDS: LIVE ON STAGE, a double-disc account of their acclaimed 2003-2004 reunion tour, and two archival live sets: LIVE FROM NEW YORK CITY, 1967 (recorded at Lincoln Center and featuring the duo performing an intimate acoustic set) and LIVE 1969 (featuring recordings from Simon & Garfunkel's final tour).

October 16th sees the release of an expanded version of Tom Petty’s seminal album Wildflowers. The 4 CD deluxe edition of Wildflowers contains 54 tracks, 8 unreleased songs, and 24 unreleased alternate versions. In addition to the 15 track original album (remastered), the deluxe edition contains the album All The Rest (10 songs from the original Wildflowers sessions), a full CD of 15 solo demos recorded by Petty at his home studio, and a disc of 14 live versions of Wildflowers songs recorded from 1995 – 2017.

In the ever-evolving landscape of progressive music, certain artists stand out for their rare ability to transcend genre boundaries while maintaining a distinctive sonic identity. Shmulikraut is one such artistic force, crafting music that seamlessly intertwines the Experimental strands of Avant-Garde Jazz and Progressive Rock influences into a cohesive and captivating narrative. “Guts Voyage” stands as a testament to their creative vision—a meticulously constructed journey through intricate musical territories that rewards both casual listeners and seasoned Progressive purists alike.

Gary Moore might just be the greatest guitar hero America's never heard of, probably because only his recent blues recordings have benefited from proper distribution stateside. In fact, Moore has worn so many hats during his near 30-year career that the words eclectic and unfocused immediately come to mind. Victims of the Future arrived in the middle of the most consistent phase of his career – that of a heavy metal guitar slinger. Between the epic cold war-inspired title track and the massive riffing of "Murder in the Skies" (written about the Korean airliner shot own by Russian fighter jets), Moore assaults the listener with more guitar notes than appear in most careers. These are great songs though, and his powerful vocals are also very effective, especially on the hit ballad "Empty Rooms." None of Moore's recordings are very easy to find in America, but make sure this is the first one you look for.

After having its share of R&B and funk triumphs in the 1980s, the SOS Band hit a creative low point with 1991's One of Many Nights. The departure of Mary Davis (whose robust lead vocals enriched "Take the Time (Do It Right)," "Just Be Good to Me" and other major hits) had been quite a loss, and while her successor, Chandra Currey, was far from a bad singer, she wasn't in a class with the great Davis. Nights does have a few strong points, including the silky "How Can We Ever Get Back Together," the driving "Get Hyped On This" and the melancholy "Broken Promises." But on the whole, the songs are mediocre, pedestrian and not very memorable. Only SOS' more devoted fans should obtain this CD; those who don't have any SOS albums in their collection would be better off starting out with a compilation of the Atlanta band's 1980s output with Davis.

On October 19, 1999, Nonesuch Records released The John Adams Earbox, a 10-CD box set retrospective, representing nearly all of John Adams’s recorded output for the label. The set includes all of the composer’s major works with which Adams has redefined contemporary classical music over the previous two decades. All recordings on The John Adams Earbox were supervised by the composer, and many were conducted or performed by Adams as well. All but four works on the Earbox were originally released on Nonesuch as first recordings. The John Adams Earbox includes examples from every phase of Adams’s career, from his earliest orchestral pieces such as Grand Pianola Music (1982), Harmonielehre (1985), and Harmonium (1980), to the widely hailed operas Nixon in China (1985-86) and The Death of Klinghoffer (1990-91), to works of this decade including Chamber Symphony (1992), Violin Concerto (1993), John’s Book of Alleged Dances (written for Kronos Quartet in 1994), Gnarly Buttons (1995) and the 1995 stagework I Was Looking at the Ceiling and Then I Saw The Sky.

Collection includes: Left of the Middle (1997); White Lilies Island (2001); Counting Down the Days (2005); Glorious: The Singles 97–07 (2007); Come to Life (2009). By mixing Lisa Loeb/Alanis Morissette-like singing with music that sounds similar to a more mainstream Portishead at times, Natalie Imbruglia became one of the biggest pop sensations in Europe.

This vocal quartet originally started life as an extension of jazz band the Hi-Lo’s. From that prominent '50s band came Don Shelton, who decided to form Singers Unlimited after the Hi-Lo’s broke up in 1964. After retreating to Chicago, Illinois, where he worked on a series of television commercials, he enlisted fellow Hi-Lo’s veteran Gene Puerling of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to join him in the city in 1967. The group was formed along with Len Dresslar and Bonnie Herman, with the express intention of recording commercials in the doo wop/vocal group idiom. Shelton’s connections in the industry ensured the group was able to exploit the market successfully, and lucrative work rolled in. However, the 30-second snatches of songs hardly satisfied their artistic ambitions, and when they found themselves with studio time left over after one session, they recorded a take on the Beatles' "The Fool on the Hill." Through visiting jazz pianist Oscar Peterson, the demo of the a cappella recording was passed to MPS Records in Germany.

Pioneering Brit-pop band known both for its stylish sound and vocalist Jarvis Cocker's lyrical obsessions (sexual foibles, working-class misfits). Collection includes: His 'N' Hers (1994); Different Class (1995); This Is Hardcore (1998); We Love Life (2001).

Beastie Boys Anthology: The Sounds of Science is the first Beastie Boys anthology composed of greatest hits, B-sides, and previously unreleased tracks. The retail release comes with a tri-fold sleeve that displays the majority of the band's album covers, as well as a booklet of liner notes. The title of the anthology is from the song of the same name, featured on their second album, Paul's Boutique.

New Gold Dream (81–82–83–84) is the fifth studio album by Scottish rock band Simple Minds. The album was released in September 1982 by record label Virgin, and was a turning point for the band as they gained critical and commercial success in the UK and Europe. When creating their 1984 album The Unforgettable Fire, the Irish rock band U2 saw New Gold Dream as an influence. The album was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

Roots 'N Blues: The Retrospective 1925-1950 is a four-CD box set released on Columbia Records in June 1992. The set features five hours worth of early blues, folk/country and gospel recordings from a variety of American artists. Many of these recordings had never previously been issued in any medium.