Of all the underground European thrash outfits who helped pioneer death metal during the '80s – bands like Hellhammer, Sodom, Destruction, and Bathory – Kreator arguably holds up the best over time (with the possible exception of Celtic Frost). Where many of their peers made an impression solely through manic intensity, Kreator became increasingly able to bolster their harsh fury with progressive compositions and tight, technically accomplished musicianship….

There's a lot of pressure involved with being the rulers of the underworld, and nobody knows it better than Black Sabbath in 2013. Inarguable legends and at least partially responsible for creating heavy metal as we know it with their classic '70s material, Sabbath have spawned generations of followers and become one of the final words of the genre…

This superb live recording, taken from an FM radio broadcast of The Band playing at the Mandel Hall - a seated concert venue holding 750 situated within the University of Chicago - during their first re-union tour following the group s split in 1976, subsequent to their Last Waltz concert - was nothing short of a roaring success. Despite the absence of Robbie Robertson who, following some perhaps unfortunate remarks made by Rick Danko after the initial split, had declined to take part , which some critics saw as blasphemous. Robbie had also, by this juncture, all but turned his back on the worlds of pop and rock music and was concentrating largely on movies, in which he would sometimes feature in an acting role, sometimes provide some or all of the soundtrack for, and sometimes do both. The other four however were hungry to get back on the road and did just that in July 1983; this CD is an excellent illustration of what went down during these initial re-union gigs.

Trio Sonnerie have chosen five of the 14 sonatas by Buxtehude from the 1690s to demonstrate their considerable fluency and rapport. These are witty and elegant works, finely crafted and requiring the skills of virtuoso players. Monica Huggett and Sarah Cunningham capture their essence with happily chosen and neatly articulated tempos—the vivace movements are effortlessly played—and beautifully transparent textures. Mitzi Meyerson provides a stylish and secure accompaniment, particularly in the G major Largo and the B flat major Vivace (which is, in fact, a chaconne).

John Hammond has dealt with issues of authenticity and origin, both musical and personal, and moved beyond them. This 18-song session, recorded live in 1983 and recently reissued on CD, may have been his definitive session. It was certainly a masterpiece, with Hammond doing confident, thoroughly distinctive versions of signature Delta and Chicago blues classics by Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, Son House and others. While "Dust My Broom," "Drop Down Mama," "Wang Dang Doodle" and all the rest have certainly been done to death, Hammond's spirited vocals, riveting guitar work on acoustic or bottleneck and his overall charismatic performances made them seem like fresh discoveries.

On this, their second album for A&M, Humble Pie proved that they were not the "minor league Rolling Stones" as people often described them. Led by the soulful Steve Marriot, the Pie was a great band in every sense of the word. Although Peter Frampton elevated himself to superstar status in just a few years, this album proves what an excellent lead guitarist he was. The record has an undeniable live feel to it, due in part to Glyn Johns' humble yet precise recording, framing the group as if they were a boogie version of the Band. When all of these elements come together on songs such as "Sour Grain" and "Stone Cold Fever," it's an unbeatable combination.

Tadeáš Salva was one of the foremost Slovakian composers of his generation. His studies equipped him with a thorough awareness of the new Polish School, and his temperament inclined him toward a synthesis between contemporary technique and the inspiration of folklore. The cello was his favourite instrument. The Concerto is vibrantly orchestrated, absorbingly contoured and shares something of Penderecki’s aesthetic. The Slovak Concerto Grosso marries Stravinskian virtuosity with folk impressions, the Three Arias and Little Suite are touching, inspired miniatures whilst the unfinished Preludes illustrate Salva’s richness of originality and imagination.

"Dusty in Memphis" is the fifth studio album by English singer Dusty Springfield. She recorded the album at American Sound Studio in Memphis with a team of musicians and producers that included Jerry Wexler, Arif Mardin, Tom Dowd, conductor Gene Orloff, backing vocalists The Sweet Inspirations, bassist Tommy Cogbill, and guitarist Reggie Young. It featured one of her top-10 UK hits, "Son of a Preacher Man". Although Dusty in Memphis sold poorly when it was first released by Atlantic Records in 1969, the album has since been acclaimed by critics as one of the greatest records of all time and Springfield's best work. The album received a Grammy award in 2001.

Ukrainian composer Silvestrov is known for his "metaphorical" style of music, which sounds transparent, but is technically and emotionally complex. "Music should be so transparent that one can see the bottom and that poetry shimmers through this transparency." (Valentin Silvestrov)

[A legend in his lifetime for his interpretations of Beethoven, Herbert von Karajan recorded a large swathe of the composer’s oeuvre. On this specially priced 13-CD box set, Karajan's complete Beethoven repertoire recorded by Deutsche Grammophon is presented for the first time – comprising his final, digital recordings of the Symphonies, the Piano Concertos (with Christoph Eschenbach and Alexis Weissenberg), Violin Concerto (Anne-Sophie Mutter) and Triple Concerto (with Mutter, Yo Yo Ma and Mark Zeltser), the Missa Solemnis, Overtures, Egmont Music, Wellington’s Victory, and a host of rarities, including the Grosse Fuge (arranged for orchestra), restored to the catalog. /quote]

Recorded in Budapest between 1993 and 2006, this complete set of the Haydn String Quartets performed by the Festetics Quartet represents the most challenging project accomplished by Michel Bernstein, the mythical founder of Arcana who died a few months after the recording of the very last volume. For the first time in a boxed set, this monumental achievement is the first and only complete on period instruments and features the complete 58 string quartets authenticated by the composer for the great Artaria edition, making a total of 19 CDs put in chronological order. A reference edition, enriched by the detailed essay signed by the Hungarian musicologist László Somfai, one of the most eminent Haydn scholars. The Festetics have extensively studied Haydn’s original quartet manuscripts, and have relied heavily on László Somfai.

Zack Logan comes from a long tradition of American singer songwriters mining a seam of blue collar, working man’s hopes and dreams. Opening with the subtle finger-picked delight ‘Annalee’ with its gorgeous string backing is reminiscent of early John Prine or perhaps a less care worn Kristofferson. So this is good stuff. It is in many ways a simple album, effective narratives driven by simple guitar lines and fiddle accompaniment, lyrically straightforward but affecting with some gorgeous warm production and a voice built for weaving acoustic stories.

As interesting and fun as the Daevid Allen period was, the name Gong became more meaningful in the context of the music as percussionist Pierre Moerlen assumed the role of bandleader. An emphasis on percussives of all sorts became clear on Gazeuse!, the band's first completely instrumental album, and the music became much jazzier, though never considered jazz. Expresso II finds Pierre Moerlen's Gong at their peak. Like their previous studio release, Gazeuse!, the album is instrumental, the music is very polished, the sound very clean. Vibes and xylophone dominate on this album, somewhat reminiscent of the sound Zappa achieved through Ruth Underwood on One Size Fits All just three years earlier. The first two tracks, "Heavy Tune" and "Golden Dilemma," are the highlights here, partially due to the fact that the rest of the cuts all blend together and sound quite similar.

1993 trat Falco mit seiner Band am legendären Donauinselfest vor über 100.000 Menschen auf. Ein erinnerungswürdiges Konzert, welches infolge eines Blitzeinschlags vorzeitig beendet werden musste. Das Konzert blieb unvollendet, denn seinen größten Hit konnte der Falke nicht mehr darbieten. Am 24. Juni 2017 holte die Original Falco Band unter der musikalischen und organisatorischen Leitung von Falcos letztem Bandleader Thomas Rabitsch dies nach und kehrte mit dem Falken zurück auf die Hauptbühne des Donauinselfests. Gemeinsam mit nationalen und internationalen Stars wie Gianna Nannini, Fettes Brot, Julian le Play, Johannes Krisch und vielen weiteren sang Falco von der Leinwand im virtuellen Duett seine größten Hits – diesmal vor 140.000 Menschen bei herrlichstem Sommerwetter.

"Sing It Loud" is the thirteenth studio album by k.d. lang and was released on April 1, 2011. It is her first collection of original material since 2008's "Watershed".