Frank Zappa loved '50s doo wop music. He grew up with it, collected it, and it was the first kind of pop music he wrote ("Memories of El Monte," recorded by the Penguins in 1962). Cruising with Ruben & the Jets, the Mothers of Invention's fourth LP, is a collection of such music, all Zappa originals (some co-written with MOI singer Ray Collins). To the unexperienced, songs like "Cheap Thrills," "Deseri," and "Jelly Roll Gum Drop" may sound like an average doo wop song. A closer look reveals unusual chord sequences, Stravinsky quotes, and hilariously moronic lyrics - all wrapped in four-way harmony vocals and linear piano triplets. A handful of songs from the group's 1966 debut, Freak Out, were rearranged ("How Could I Be Such a Fool" and "Anyway the Wind Blows" give the weirdest results), and old material predating the Mothers was recycled ("Fountain of Love"). "Love of My Life" and "You Didn't Try to Call Me" became live staples.

Billy Idol was still a rock & roll bad boy despite being over the hill by the start of the new millennium. Billy Idol: VH1 Storytellers captures that typical snarl without the bombast and returns to basics. The real rawness behind such classics as "Flesh for Fantasy," "Cradle of Love," and "To Be a Lover" is stripped, and the acoustic mix found on this album showcases Idol's appeal on a different level. The sexiness is still there, and Idol and guitarist Steve Stevens compose a magic as well. Fans should be pleased, for the tantalizing swagger of "Rebel Yell" is ageless. Renditions of Generation X's "Kiss Me Deadly" and "Dancing With Myself" are just as exciting, however it's the intensity of the punk anthem "Ready Steady Go" that brings everything together. While Billy Idol was issuing smash singles during a decade criticized for being unoriginal, Billy Idol: VH1 Storytellers suggests otherwise.

Steve Howe's solo albums seem to hold a wide variety of music within. Generally, this disc presents the listener with acoustic guitar solos, progressive rock compositions, country-tinged songs, and more. Historically, the more complex music of Yes has consisted of smaller pieces brought in by the individual members and assembled almost piecemeal into complex song structures. An interesting aspect of Howe albums is the opportunity to hear works that could easily have been such segments and get a glimpse into where the band could have gone. This album is true to that format. Steve Howe performs nearly completely solo on this release, accompanied only on percussion by his son Dylan Howe. When looking over the liner notes on this one, be sure to check out the list of guitars used on the album. For guitar heads, that is always a welcome portion of any Howe solo album.

Though they came out of the same East L.A. scene as Los Lobos and El Chicano, the Delgado Brothers – frontman Joe, bassist Bob, and drummer Steve with keyboard player Billy Steinway – forsake Hispanic inspiration for the most part, relying instead on blues/R&B and sweet vocal harmonies. Signed to the Hightone label, the group worked with producers Bruce Bromberg and Dennis Walker (Robert Cray), and released The Delgado Brothers in 1987. After laying low in the first part of the '90s, the Delgado Brothers re-formed at the urging of John "Juke" Logan. Percussionist Ray Solis was added to round out their Latin beat and R&B mix. "Let's Get Back" on the Mocombo label brought the Delgados back to the fold, where they continue to play up and down the West Coast.

High Times – The Best of Fools Garden is a best-of compilation album by German pop band Fools Garden, released on October 2, 2009. It features 14 tracks taken from the band's back catalogue, plus one new recording. Ten of the tracks were released in the past as singles (eleven if counting the new track and single, "High Time"). The compilation doesn't include any song from band's first two albums and omits eight of their later singles, such as "Pieces", "It Can Happen", "Happy", "In the Name", "Closer", "Man of Devotion", "Does Anybody Know?" and "Cold". The songs "Lemon Tree", "Wild Days" and "Suzy" have been rerecorded for this compilation.

In September 2009, Lisa Gerrard and Klaus Schulze performed another tour in six European cities - Warsaw, Berlin, Amsterdam, Essen, Paris, and Brussels. This tour coincided with the release of Come Quietly, a joint project between Gerrard and Schulze that was released during the tour.

Years of apprenticeship with Albert Collins and John Mayall paid off handsomely for Montoya on this debut effort. Even with help from some famous friends (Debbie Davies, Al Kooper, Richie Hayward [Little Feat], and both former employers), Montoya asserts himself as the focal point. Sadly, this was one of Collins' last studio appearances before his death, playing on the Lowell Fulson-penned "Talking Woman Blues" (commonly known as "Honey Hush"). Although Montoya showcases his massive guitar muscle, it is merely a fraction of the power of his live performances.

Johnny Shines was far from predictable. Though he recorded his share of inspired electric dates, he had no problem turning around and delivering a stripped-down, all-acoustic Delta blues session like Too Wet to Plow. Recorded in Edmonton, Canada in 1975, Too Wet to Plow finds Shines in excellent form. His solid accompaniment includes harmonica player Sugar Blue and bassist Ron Rault, as well as guitarist/singer Louisiana Red (a superb bluesman who isn't nearly as well known as he should be), and Shines clearly has a strong rapport with them on "Red Sun," "Traveling Back Home," and other highly personal originals. Although Shines' own songs are dominant, one of the album's high points is an interpretation of Robert Johnson's "Hot Tamale."

Orchestral and choral arrangements of rock songs have been a curious subgenre ever since the mid-'60s when Andrew Loog Oldham arranged The Rolling Stones Songbook for syrupy strings, but The Kinks Choral Collection stands apart from the pack for the simple reason that it's not the project of some associate or admirer, but rather chief Kink Ray Davies. His very presence as arranger and lead vocal means The Kinks Choral Collection isn't nearly as stuffy and middlebrow as so many of these orchestral rock albums; he manages to inject some semblance of rock & roll by pushing the songs forward with guitar, and letting the rhythms swing instead of plod.

Their previous album Arrival of The New Elders presented a more varied and reflective trio, still as groovy as ever, but more structured and less jam oriented, earning them a 9/10 review in Uncut and a spot in their albums of the year list, noting their telepathic communion and concluding with “this is an Elephant9 you´ll never forget”. Reviews in Jazzwise, Shindig, Prog, Electronic Sound, The Quietus and several others followed in the same fashion. We´re delighted to confirm that Mythical River is moulded much in the same way and a natural follow-up, with six stellar new compositions by keyboard maestro Ståle Storløkken, bookended by two cosmic snippets. From the hypnotic and magical to the razor sharp and polyrhythmic, this is yet another very strong group effort from a trio on top of their game. Comparisons have been made with bands dating as far back as the sixties, but with Arrival of The New Elders and Mythical River Elephant9 appear as a thoroughly contemporary, timeless and even futuristic sounding band.

As a specialist of Baroque and classical eras, the albums Neville Marriner dedicated to modern music are quite rare among his discography, making them all the more interesting! This 1978 recording highlights two Genevan composers, the greatest Swiss figures of their generation. Ernest Bloch (famous for his hit for cello and orchestra Schelomo) composed a beautiful and lively neo-classical Concerto grosso for piano and strings, as for Frank Martin, one of his most celebrated compositions is the Petite Symphonie concertante and its unusual distribution – a double string orchestra accompanied by a piano, a harp and a harpsichord. Featuring Osian Ellis, Francis Grier, Philip Ledger, and Simon Preston.

Hans, le joueur de flûte is a ravishing opera, loosely based on the legend of Hamelin’s pied piper popularized notably by the Grimm Brothers, composed by Louis Ganne and premiered in Monte-Carlo in 1906. Rarely recorded, its best rendition is undoubtedly this beautiful 1967 performance with the best French singers of their time, including Liliane Berton and the amazing baritone Michel Dens in the title-role.

Schubert: "Wanderer" Fantasy (2019 edition, 1989 edition), Impromptu Op. 90, Mozart: Piano Sonata No. 11, No. 18, Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition, Chopin: Piano Sonata No. 3, Others recorded from 1988-2021.