Ex-The Band drummer/vocalist Levon Helm could not have surrounded himself with a more talented group of musicians for his first solo outing - Booker T. and the MGs and Dr. John anchor the RCO All-Stars. But while there is no question that the band can really cook, Levon's homey Arkansas twang gets a little lost in the mix. In general, though, the songs are buoyed by Paul Butterfield's blues harp and the crack horn section, especially on the soulful "Rain Down Tears."

Recorded over two nights at the Wuhleide Venue, Live Aus Berlin demonstrates that Rammstein actually benefits from being heard in a live setting - it recovers the immediacy and raw metallic bite that were somewhat toned down in the studio. Thus, the group sounds even more vicious, and the guttural German chanting that's one of the cornerstones of their sound takes on a more threatening aura. Even if fans are already familiar with this material, Live Aus Berlin still prove a necessary purchase.

Cookin' is the first of four albums derived from the Miles Davis Quintet's fabled extended recording session on October 26, 1956; the concept being that the band would document its vast live-performance catalog in a studio environment, rather than preparing all new tracks for its upcoming long-player. The bounty of material in the band's live sets - as well as the overwhelming conviction in the quintet's studio sides - would produce the lion's share of the Cookin', Relaxin', Workin', and Steamin' albums. As these recordings demonstrate, there is an undeniable telepathic cohesion that allows this band - consisting of Miles Davis (trumpet), John Coltrane (tenor sax), Red Garland (piano), Paul Chambers (bass), and Philly Joe Jones (drums) - to work so efficiently both on the stage and the studio…

2009 four CD antology from the British Jazz/Prog/Art Rock band. Pieced together with the active assistance of band leader Jon Hiseman, Morituri Te Salutant features extended highlights from Colosseum's original albums as well as numerous previously-unissued studio and live outtakes, including BBC session material, the aborted late '60s single `Tell Me Now' and a host of alternative recordings from the tour that was immortalised on what many admirers believe to be the band's definitive work, Colosseum Live. Lavishly packaged with hitherto unpublished photos and a 10,000 word essay, Morituri Te Salutant is the final word on one of the most individual and iconoclastic British bands to emerge from the musical and cultural revolution of the '60s.

"Springtime in Nagasaki" is the opening chapter of Tangerine Dream's five-CD project entitled "The Five Atomic Seasons". which were commissioned by a Japanese survivor of the 1945 dropping of the first atomic bomb. The six tracks which feature on this release emerge from two larger works - ‘Navel Of Light’ and ‘Persistence Of Memory,’ which are both divided into separate parts.

Musically, there is little to delineate the fifth long-player from Quicksilver Messenger Service, What About Me, from their previous effort, Just for Love. Not surprisingly, material for both was initiated during a prolific two-month retreat to the Opaelua Lodge in Haleiwa, HI, during May and June of 1970. The quartet version of Quicksilver Messenger Service - which had yielded the band's first two LPs - expanded once again to include Dino Valenti (aka Chester A. Powers, Chet Powers, and most notably on this album, Jesse Oris Farrow) as well as British session keyboardist Nicky Hopkins. The additional talents of Mark Naftalin (keyboards) were incorporated when Hopkins was unavailable. This began his short stint with Quicksilver Messenger Service, which lasted through their sixth LP, Quicksilver (1972). The most apparent change in Quicksilver Messenger Service's sound can be directly attributed to the return of Valenti…

Jimmy Dawkins is the lead singer and blues guitar extraordinaire on 5 of these 10 blues songs recorded in Reykjavik, Iceland! The 10 songs were chosen from 3 performances recorded April 18-20 1991 with all songs including backup band of Icelandic blues musicians that includes an 18 year old prodigy named Gudmunder Petursson.
All three guitarists ("Blue Ice" Bragason the other) get a chance to solo and shine as does Chicago Beau who is lead singer on 4 songs while adding harmonica, also! Chicago Beau is very good!
There is good version of Tin Pan Alley (Steve Ray Vaughn version probably better…), a Sonny Boy Williamson tune, and an 8 minute blues version of Willie Nelson’s Nightlife. Two songs (Welfare Line; Feel So Bad) Dawkins performed previously on his own Blisterstring album with his early Delmark label (Chicago)…

Sublimely spiritual work from the great John Coltrane - a live album, but one that's easily one of his most important contributions to music in the early 60s - and a set that we'd rank right up there with his best studio sides for Impulse or Atlantic Records at the time! The group here features McCoy Tyner on piano, Reggie Workman on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums - plus the very important addition of Eric Dolphy on the leadoff tune "Spiritual" - a number that features Dolphy on bass clarinet alongside Coltrane's tremendous tenor, as both players open up on extended solos that take the tune to nearly 14 minutes in length! Other numbers omit Dolphy, but are still totally great - and Coltrane picks up the soprano sax for a classic reading of "Softly As In A Morning Sunrise" - and the group shifts slightly for the freer "Chasin The Trane", a 16 minute romp done with only tenor sax, drums, and bass - the latter of which is handled here by Jimmy Garrison instead of Workman.

Ruphus is probably one of the most important 70's Norwegian heavy prog rock band (there were a few of those back then: Aunt Mary, Titanic, Popol Vuh/Ace etc.) but their music evolution would differ greatly from those groups. Their debut "A New Born Day" is certainly one of the best Norwegian albums with a very exciting sound and its extraordinarily communicative enthusiasm, even if a bit dated. But three members left after the album release and a new singer was found for their second album "Ranshart", a more progressive record looking towards Yes and Focus, but it was not quite as exciting as the debut. Future jazz-rock legend Terje Rypdal produced their third album "Let Your Light Shine", a jazz-rock album that had much success in Germany, but again, personnel change struck at the worst of times, but their fourth album "Inner Voice" continued the formula…

"My name is Christopher von Deylen - and I am Schiller." At some point during every Schiller concert, von Deylen speaks these ten words and the crowd goes wild. Schiller’s ethereal “global pop”, as his fans and the press have coined the style, gives the listener a feeling of floating in a dream world. Inspired by electronic classics such as Tangerine Dream, Kraftwerk, and Jean-Michel Jarre, von Deylen is known for creating visionary sounds that are way ahead of their time.

Melodic synth-metal masters Delain are set to break new ground with their upcoming EP, Dance with the Devil, set to be released on November 8, 2024 via Napalm Records! Following the success of their latest full-length opus, Dark Waters (2023) - which debuted at #9 on both the US Hard Music Albums chart and the Official German Album Charts - this EP promises to showcase the best of Delain’s discography while striding ahead into a future that promises to explore new, more synth-driven soundscapes than ever before. As their second release with a revitalized lineup anchored by founding member and band mastermind Martijn Westerholt, Dance with the Devil features a thrilling collection of two brand new tracks, two newly-presented favorites, nine electrifying live performances, and two instrumental bonus tracks…

Alice Cooper's third album, Love It to Death, can be pinpointed as the release when everything began to come together for the band. Their first couple of albums (Pretties for You and Easy Action) were both largely psychedelic/acid rock affairs and bore little comparison to the band's eventual rip-roaring, teenage-anthem direction. The main reason for the quintet's change was that the eventually legendary producer Bob Ezrin was on board for the first time and helped the Coopers focus their songwriting and sound, while they also perfected their trashy, violent, and theatrical stage show and image. One of the band's most instantly identifiable anthems, "I'm Eighteen," was what made the album a hit, as well as another classic, "Is It My Body." But like Alice Cooper's other albums from the early '70s, it was an incredibly consistent listen from beginning to end…

Recorded during the period of time when Ella Fitzgerald cut her famous series of "songbooks," this set (which in 1998 was reissued on CD) is a bit of a hodge-podge, drawing its 14 selections from six different dates which find Ella backed by orchestras led by either Nelson Riddle, Frank DeVol, Russ Garcia or Paul Weston. "A-Tisket, A-Tasket" was previously available as just a single while "Swingin' Shepherd Blues" (an alternate take) was previously unreleased. As usual, Ella uplifts all of the material and her best moments come on "Somebody Loves Me," a heartfelt "Moonlight Becomes You," a scat-filled "Blue Skies" and (somewhat surprisingly) "St. Louis Blues." Although this was not her most essential release, the formerly obscure Get Happy finds Ella Fitzgerald at the peak of her powers.

Stick Men is an Eclectic Prog supergroup founded in 2007 by Pat Mastelotto (King Crimson), Tony Levin (King Crimson, Peter Gabriel) and Michael Bernier. Since 2010, the lineup stabilized around Mastelotto, Levin, and Markus Reuter. The band was formed as a vehicle for progressive rock music performed almost exclusively with Chapman Sticks and drums. Needles to say, the fans of crimsonian prog will love it; there's also a lot of jazz and heavy chugging bursts, as well as avant moments and African soundscapes.

In May 1996 Radio Massacre International were the first group to play an electronic concert at Jodrell Bank space research centre in Cheshire, in the shadow of the biggest satellite dish in the world. It was a location buzzing with inspiration and ideal for creating improvised music. Knutsford In May is a complete direct to DAT recording of the music played that evening. The pristine digital sound quality is matched by some inspirational musical twists and turns. From the first notes of 'Under the Dish' the atmosphere is one of unashamed glorification of the surroundings and its relationship with space and time. R.M.I. are always a group to thrive in a special environment. The album's centrepiece is a long dynamic improvisation named 'Skeletope' which includes samples of Jodrell Bank scientists bouncing the first signals off the surface of the moon…