Though Status Quo is best known for fast and undistinguished boogie rock, they were quite capable of subtlety when it suited them. Despite the name, most of the music on Piledriver is varied and subtle enough to be interesting. The power boogie is indeed there, as represented by crowd-pleasers like "Don't Waste My Time" and "Paper Plane," but so also are quieter, softer pieces with acoustic textures and progressive structures. The melancholy "A Year" is a standout track, a stark, melancholy song about carrying on after a loved one has died.

Without the drumming of Phil Collins, who does appear on some of Brand X's albums, Masques still maintains a snug, jazzy-prog milieu and comes off clean and tight. Each song has a different beat, speed, and tempo with a satisfying assortment of keyboards and percussion instruments to keep the entire album afloat. Resounding xylophone and chimes outline the music on the seven tracks, with "Earth Dance" and "The Poke" coming up a little bit stronger than the rest. Most notably is the superb musical interplay of all the instruments used, and the way in which they enhance and benefit one another.

Esoteric Recordings are proud to announce the release of an official limited edition super deluxe boxed set celebrating fifty years of the legendary Procol Harum; Still There’ll Be More. This eight disc set comprises five CDs and three DVDs, of which the first three discs draw upon the key tracks from Procol Harum’s illustrious career. Disc four features the band’s legendary concert at the Hollywood Bowl on 21 September 1973 (with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra and the Roger Wagner Chorale), whilst disc five features a previously unreleased concert at the Bournemouth Winter Gardens on 17 March 1976.
This lavish re-mastered set also features a sixty-eight page hard backed book with an essay by Patrick Humphries and a lengthy in depth commentary on the performances featured by respected Procol Harum authority Roland Clare…

In the mid- '60s, Big Mama Thornton was a relatively obscure blues singer known mainly for her original recording of "Hound Dog" in 1953, three years before Elvis had a monster hit with it. Due to a lack of gigs, Thornton had a tough time keeping a steady band on the road and would scramble to gather consistently decent musicians. Fortunately, Arhoolie Records' founder and president Chris Strachwitz had witnessed an amazing performance of the era which had Thornton backed by a group of Chicago musicians who included Buddy Guy on guitar. With that performance in mind, Strachwitz was determined to capture that excellence in the studio. He offered the gig to Muddy Waters, whom he met in San Francisco a few days prior to this session. Muddy accepted and brought with him James Cotton (harmonica), Otis Spann (piano), Sammy Lawhorn (guitar), Luther "Guitar Junior" Johnson (bass), and Francis Clay (drums)…

The second of flugelhornist Art Farmer's two Concord albums is the equal of his first. For this Concord outing, the mellow-toned brassman performs four standards (including "Moose the Mooche," "Three Little Words" and the title cut) along with selections from Fred Hersch (who plays piano on this quartet outing), Tommy Flanagan and Benny Golson. With fine support from bassist Ray Drummond and drummer Akira Tana, Art Farmer is heard in prime form, playing in his appealing lyrical bop style.

This is an extraordinary compilation of the progressive and psychedelic music sub-genre known as "Krautrock". On six CDs, consisting of nearly 480 minutes of music, you will find an overview of some of the most creative styles of music from the "Deutschrock"-phase. This is the second time that such a huge spectrum of bands and artists of so many varying styles within this genre is found on one compilation. Accordingly, it is an absolute highlight for veteran fans as well as newcomers. Scorpions, Eloy, Guru Guru, Embryo, Kraan, Amon Düül II, Popul Vuh, Grobschnitt, Os Mundi and many more.

The Software "team" is merely an extension of Michael Weisser and Peter Mergener. Syn-Code: Symphony for Computer and DNA Molecules, Life-in-Concept is based on a science-fiction novel by Weisser. It is a set of Berlin school electronica with samples and atmospheres.

Tallis Scholars are among the world's preeminent choral ensembles. Cultivating a distinctive vocal sound backed by impeccable scholarship, the group has helped raise the general level of interest in Renaissance choral music in Britain and beyond through a large catalog of recordings and numerous international tours.

The performance given on 21 March 1967 at Carnegie Hall in New York stems from the now outmoded tradition of casting baritones and basses in the castrato roles, and uses a special concert arrangement. Not only are several cuts made to the score, but the order of the arias is changed and the recitatives are heavily truncated and provided with new English texts, and given not to one of the characters but to a 'narrator'.

With this new recording, the madly epic and romantic opera, Il Giustino, finally receives its place in the spotlight, something that the history of music has denied it up until now. The fifty-eighth recording and eighteenth opera in the Vivaldi Edition, which began in 2000, solidifies the status of Vivaldi as the greatest of opera composers - and of composers full stop. It needed the talent, charisma and poetic energy of a great conductor to bring back to life this gem, and it is Ottavio Dantone who assumes this mantle.

In commemoration with her concert in Japan in July, Sarah Brightman brought a new greatest hits album exclusively released in Japan. The album includes leading songs in her career such as "Time to Say Goodbye (solo version)," "Nessun Dorma," "Canto Della Terra," "Stranger In Paradise," and "Pie Jesu." Features the high-fidelity SHM-CD format. Japanese original release. Tracks 16-18 are bonus tracks.