Exactly ten years after Dire Straits' first compilation, Money for Nothing, appeared in the stores, their second, Sultans of Swing: The Very Best of Dire Straits, was released. A decade is a significant span of time, and the average band would have produced enough material for an entirely different collection, one that shared no similarities with its predecessor. Dire Straits is not the average band, however, and during those ten years, they released exactly two albums – 1991's On Every Street, their first studio album since Brothers in Arms in 1985, and 1993's On the Night, a live album culled from tapes of the record's supporting tour. Not quite enough new material for a new greatest-hits album, but it had been years since Dire Straits had released an album of any sort (a compilation of BBC sessions snuck into the stores in 1995) – hence the birth of Sultans of Swing.

Jimi Hendrix's headlining appearance at the Atlanta Pop Festival would be the largest U.S. audience he would ever play to. Most people assume it was Woodstock, which was a larger festival, but by the time Jimi took the stage at around 9 a.m. on Monday morning, the Woodstock crowd was down to about 25,000 stragglers. Estimated between 300,000 and 400,000, the actual crowd at Hendrix's Atlanta Pop performance was hard to pin down due to the fact that many of the festivalgoers turned up after dark, in an effort to stay out of the stifling heat of Atlanta in the summertime. The trio of Jimi, Mitch, and Billy Cox had been touring for about two and a half months solid when July 4 rolled around, and they sound really tight kicking off the show. "Fire" starts the set, and one immediately notices how differently Billy Cox plays it versus Noel Redding. "Spanish Castle Magic" has Jimi trying out some new solo ideas and he really starts feeling it on a very improvisational, extended "Red House." A rare live performance of "Room Full of Mirrors" is followed by an absolutely incredible version of "Hear My Train A Comin'".

It's difficult to call a guitarist who routinely shows up in the upper reaches of "100 Greatest Guitarists Ever" lists underappreciated, and yet the first impression the towering seven-disc box set Skydog: The Duane Allman Retrospective makes is that Duane Allman does not receive his proper due…

Reflection is also-ran late-'60s British blues-rock, with more rock-oriented takes on the kind of approach used by heroes Freddie King and B.B. King. B.B. King's "You'll Never Know," in fact, is covered here, though most of the material was penned by the band. Steamhammer doesn't put much of an original spin on its sources, or on the British blues-rock form, though this is competent and does generally have a moodier, more downbeat feel than most of the band's competition in the genre. The expressive qualities of Kieran White's voice, though, are limited, as though he's being pinched by something that keeps him from letting go too much…

Championship Wrestling started life as an attempt at another "super session"-type production, with more of a focus on R&B than blues, to have featured Al Kooper and Jeff "Skunk" Baxter as equal partners with dual credit. Midway through what took a third of a year to get down on tape, Baxter withdrew from collaboration, and Championship Wrestling turned into a Kooper album featuring Baxter. It wasn't what Columbia Records expected, and it was dumped on the market – based on the paucity of reviews, it's doubtful that promo copies or even a press release went out to A- or B-list critics – and forgotten. Despite the fact that it's sort of "off-brand" (or "off-game") Kooper, Championship Wrestling has more than a few good, even exciting and bracing moments.

Japanese original release. Special box set release from The Doors contains 28 tracks total, including 17 ones available as CD format for the first time. EP covers faithfully replicate the ones released from Victor from 1967 to 1972.

Awesome debut studio disc by this killer retro rock band from the deep woods of West Virgina featuring bad-ass, blues-based, "old-school" heavy guitar riffage and outstanding soul-powered vox that land down hard @ the 70s Classic Rock jam:house. Includes 12 tracks of straight up, authentic, bluesy hard rock that is highly recommended to fans of Bad Company, Free, Humble Pie, Led Zeppelin, Montrose, James Gang, Foreigner, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Badlands & Cry Of Love. Grooveyard Records Re-issue of this way-kool essential guitar rock disc complete with an excellent unreleased, epic 8 minute bonus track. Dig deep and smell the awesome Stone Machine rock mojo.

Smith/Kotzen is the name of a musical collaboration between musicians Adrian Smith of Iron Maiden and Richie Kotzen of The Winery Dogs. Their self-titled debut album, released on March 26, 2021, was described by the Ultimate Classic Rock as a mix of «blues, hard rock, traditional R&B and more.» Kotzen also added jazz fusion elements to some sections. Smith/Kotzen was supported by a first single released in January 2021, titled «Taking My Chances». Both musicians share guitar, bass, vocal, composing and production duties on the album. Kotzen also plays drums on five tracks and Tal Bergman, Richie’s longstanding friend and touring partner, replaces him on songs «You Don’t Know Me», «I Wanna Stay» and «‘Til Tomorrow». The album also features special guest performance from Iron Maiden drummer Nicko McBrain on «Solar Fire».

If Al Kooper isn't a living American musical legend, no one is. Who else has performed with Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, Jimmy Hendrix and countless others? And not just performed but been an important component of legendary songs (how about the Hammond organ on both Dylans' Like a Rolling Stone and The Stones' You Can't Always Get What You Want)? As a solo artist he is best known for his work as a founding member of both the Blues Project and Blood Sweat and Tears. Many more famous recordings have followed and lead us to this great selection - a CD that is, in my opinion, a classic: a two-CD Al-fest. Recorded live at NYC's Bottom Line, Al performs his great tunes from the Blues Project and Blood Sweat and Tears, as well as his solo recordings such as I Stand Alone. The excitement from the packed audience is only rivaled by the intensity Al and the band bring to such classics as I Can't Quit Her, Somethin' Goin' On and New York City (You're a Woman). It's Blues, Jazz, Rock and Roll and a great time, as only Al Kooper can bring.

Live Aid was a benefit concert held on Saturday 13 July 1985, as well as a music-based fundraising initiative. The original event was organised by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise funds for relief of the 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia. Billed as the "global jukebox", the event was held simultaneously at Wembley Stadium in London, UK, attended by about 72,000 people and John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, US, attended by 89,484 people.

After touring in support of Gregg Allman, only Scott Boyer and Tommy Talton remained of the original band. The release of Boyer & Talton, still using the Cowboy moniker, proves justified, as this record is a natural progression from 5'll Getcha Ten. Utilizing a crack support band made up of musicians in the Capricorn corral, Boyer & Talton deliver the goods and then some. From the opening "Patch & Pain Killer" right on through to the close, "Houston," this Cowboy outfit rock and soul with just the right amount of smooth Southern charm to grab hold of and keep your listening attention. Probably this band's finest hour.

The Black Crowes' debut album, Shake Your Money Maker, may borrow heavily from the bluesy hard rock grooves of the Rolling Stones and Faces (plus a bit of classic soul), but the band gets away with it due to sharp songwriting and an ear for strong riffs and chorus melodies, not to mention the gritty, muscular rhythm guitar of Rich Robinson and brother Chris' appropriate vocal swagger. Unlike their later records, the Crowes don't really stretch out and jam that much on Money Maker, but that helps distill their virtues into a handful of memorable singles ("Jealous Again," "She Talks to Angels," a cover of Otis Redding's "Hard to Handle"), and most of the album tracks maintain an equally high standard. Shake Your Money Maker may not be stunningly original, but it doesn't need to be; it's the most concise demonstration of the fact that the Black Crowes are a great, classic rock & roll band.

2009 two CD live set from the Classic Rock guitar great, recorded in 2008. Following on from the successful Seven Moons (a collaboration with Cream's Jack Bruce) Trower presents this double disc dose of live recordings capturing Robin in action last year in America…

Guitar Rock: Classic '70s is a compilation of original classic rock hits released by the Flashback label (a "budget" subsidiary of Rhino) in 2002. The version of Foghat's "Slowride" is in the single edit while the mix of Alice Cooper's "School's Out" features an ending that is different from other versions.

This set of Edgar Winter's jazzy remakes of older tunes and some new ones is all over the place. With a cast that includes guitarists Robben Ford and Hiram Bullock, Steve Lukather, and Michael Hakes, and bassists like Will Lee, Mark Meadows, and Tom Lilly, as well as trumpeter Lee Thornburg, one gets exactly what one expects: a slick, groove-infested ride through Winter's past and present.