2007 compilation of 'mash ups' from some of the biggest (and coolest) names in Rock and Dance music. Two of the most popular would be 'Rapture Riders'(which mashed Blondie's 'Rapture' with The Doors' 'Riders On The Storm') and 'Proper Education' (DJ Eric Prydz meets Pink Floyd's 'Another Brick In The Wall'). There are others here that have been filling dancefloors recently including 'Franz Buffalo' (Malcolm McLarenn meets Franz Ferdinand), 'Passenger Fever' (Peggy Lee meets Iggy Pop), 'Flashing For Money' (Deep Dish and Dire Straits) and 'Horny As A Dandy' (Mousse T Vs. The Dandy Warhols). A brilliant collection that will surprise, shock and get you groovin'!

Buddha's Greatest Hits is the first definitive collection of the Austrian new wave dance-popster's hits, containing his two great singles – "Rock Me Amadeus" and "Der Kommissar" – plus such other hits as "Jeanny" and "Vienna Calling," album tracks, and Jason Nevins' bonus remix of "Der Kommissar." Of course, Falco's music hasn't dated particularly well and was always lightweight Euro-dance, but it can be a guilty pleasure, and this is the best place to find out why.

Jethro Tull was very much a blues band on their debut album, vaguely reminiscent of the Graham Bond Organization only more cohesive, and with greater commercial sense. The revelations about the group's roots on This Was – which was recorded during the summer of 1968 – can be astonishing, even 30 years after the fact. Original lead guitarist Mick Abrahams contributed to the songwriting and the singing, and his presence as a serious bluesman is felt throughout, often for the better: "Some Day the Sun Won't Shine for You," an Ian Anderson original that could just as easily be credited to Big Bill Broonzy or Robert Johnson; "Cat's Squirrel," Abrahams' big showcase, where he ventures into Eric Clapton territory; and "It's Breaking Me Up," which also features some pretty hot guitar from Abrahams.

Rounding up all the B-sides, demos and rarities Ocean Colour Scene released over the course of 1996, when the band was riding the crest of their popularity, B-Sides: Seasides & Freerides, for all its inconsistency, illustrates the depth of their ambition, as well as their flaws. Primarily comprised of acoustic material, including a demo of "The Circle" and a fine, stripped-down version of "The Day We Caught the Train," the 16 tracks on B-Sides can tend to sound a little samey, but when the group branches out to the neo-prog-rock of the very English "Huckleberry Grove" or to the funky instrumental "Chicken Bones and Stones," they sound better than ever, and a couple of early songs by the pre-Ocean Colour Scene band the Fanatics are interesting.

Part of the problem of being a traditionalist band is that you emerge with a sound that sounds fairly mature from the outset – by emulating classic bands at their peak, you wind up sounding older than your years and, no matter how hard you fight it, a little bit stodgy. Then, because you hold the classic rock tradition so dear, you wind up becoming bound to it, rarely exploring new territory and, even then, it's usually just new tonal, textural, and emotional ground, which is so subtle that only dedicated fans will notice – which, of course, is the only kind of fan that will pay attention through several similar-sounding records. This fate has befallen many bands, both British and American, many lesser than Ocean Colour Scene, who at least were fortunate enough to ride the post-Oasis zeitgeist in the mid-'90s, which meant they not only had some hits, but that they could cultivate a reasonably large fan base and that the best of their songs – "The Riverboat Song," "The Day We Caught the Train," "Hundred Mile High City," "Travellers Tune" – became part of the pop culture of the time.

After 2 album releases, Methexis, a "loose ends" band formed around prog-rock mogul Nikitas Kissonas (ex-Verbal Delirium, ex-Yianneis), have done it again. 'Topos', their third studio album, is going to make any serious art-rock lover melt with joy. Two side-long tracks that recall the finest from the past, still carrying some timeless quality that make Methexis one of the finest exponents of the art of progressive rock.

Touch is the third studio album by the British new wave duo Eurythmics, released on 26 November 1983. The album was the duo's first UK number-one album, and also reached the top 10 in the US. It has since been certified Platinum in the US and Silver in the UK. It was rated #500 on Rolling Stone's The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. In 2012, the album jumped to #492 on a revised list.

Eurythmics' breakthrough album is a deft mix of electronic thrills, new wave chills, and sultry R&B, the latter supplied by Annie Lennox's warm tenor. Pretty much relying on themselves, Lennox and Dave Stewart slip past the music's usual coldness and into a territory all their own. It can be smug (the new wave here is served with a side of irony) and a tad dull (the long, operatic pieces serve little purpose), but the payoffs – "Love Is a Stranger" and, especially, the magnificent title tune – are among the finest the genre has to offer.

The Tangent's 10th studio album will be released by Insideout in November this year. Entitled "Proxy", it's a riot of juxtopposing styles, presented in a really direct manner and despite being firmly rooted in the stylistic traits of the Progressive Rock Genre takes some unexpected turnoffs and a major swerve. Recorded during the band's tour with Karmakanic in 2017/18 - there were more chances than normal to work together on the record - hotel writing sessions, van discussions, soundcheck ideas - all of which have allowed the band to make an album that is organic and as close to being that band, as has happened to the group of far flung members since they began their career 15 years ago.

Nine albums into a remarkably consistent post-Dire Straits solo career, Mark Knopfler has little to prove aside from living up to his own high standards. That's not to say he's incapable of surprises or the occasional left turn, but the general trajectory of his non-soundtrack output as far back as 2004's Shangri-La has continued to cut a pleasingly familiar groove that fuses his myriad preferences (country, jazz, blues, pub rock, folk, Celtic) into the distinctive brand of understated English roots rock that has become his bailiwick. A single elegantly muted guitar squall or dry vocal phrase is usually all it takes to recognize the author and yet, Knopfler has never been one to coast on his reputation, diligently putting in the work and honing each of his songs into their essential form.

Mark Knopfler’s ninth solo studio album ‘Down The Road Wherever’ features unhurriedly elegant new songs inspired by a wide range of subjects, including his early days in Deptford with Dire Straits, a stray football fan lost in a strange town, and the compulsion of a musician hitching home through the snow. Mark has a poet’s eye for telling details that infuse his songs with his unique psychogeography – ‘where the Delta meets the Tyne’ as he describes it – and his warm Geordie vocal tone and his deft, richly melodic guitar playing are as breathtaking and thrilling as ever.

Cardboard sleeve box set release from Bruce Springsteen contains five albums released from "Tunnel of Love" (1987) through "The Ghost of Tom Joad" (1995) as well as two EP works "Chimes Of Freedom" & "Blood Brothers." All albums are remastered for this release by Bob Ludwig and Toby Scott. Comes with a deluxe booklet. Each mini LP faithfully replicates it's original vinyl design. Contains 60-page booklet with rare photos, memorabilia and newspaper clippings from the years 1987-1996.

The Moody Blues' first real attempt at a harder rock sound still has some psychedelic elements, but they're achieved with an overall leaner studio sound. The group was trying to take stock of itself at this time, and came up with some surprisingly strong, lean numbers (Michael Pinder's Mellotron is surprisingly restrained until the final number, "The Balance"), which also embraced politics for the first time ("Question" seemed to display the dislocation that a lot of younger listeners were feeling during Vietnam)…

As the spirit of the beehive front man Zack Schwartz puts it, Hypnic Jerks sounds like the state between wakefulness and sleep. The Philly quintet's third full length is named after the involuntary muscle spasms that can happen right as someone begins dozing off … a perfect feeling to compare the album's drowsy-yet- restless character to. Unlike the spiraling momentum of the band's sophomore LP, pleasure suck, the spirit of the beehive takes a more grounded approach here, though the ground it's standing on is equally otherworldly. Dreamy is a fitting adjective, but the ten tracks on Hypnic Jerks never fully slip into the peaceful character of dream-pop.

Confusion Species is the new album from Oxygen Thief, the first album from the Bristol trio in 4 years.
A blast of heavy riffs, syncopated time signatures and clever lyrics ? Confusion Species is a welcome return after songwriter and frontman Barry Dolan's solo acoustic side project Non Canon.