Silverhead's second record, 16 and Savaged, finds the unit much tighter, yet like any great rock & roll band, they maintained that all-important swagger. The addition of guitarist Robbie Blunt gives the group an added punch, and he and Rod Davies proved to be one of glam's best twin-guitar attacks. Vocalist Michael Des Barres steps up as well, and his Steve Marriott-bumping-into-Rod Stewart rasp never sounded better, before or since. The boys come out blazing on the groovy opener, "Hello New York," nailing the Bolan strut and swiping the "Get It On" licks, while the gleefully sleazy "More Than Your Mouth Can Hold" has a definite Faces vibe, an intro borrowed from "Street Fighting Man," and all the subtlety of a Gene Simmons lyric.

The highlight of the 2013 Salzburg Festival in Giuseppe Verdi’s bicentennial year, Don Carlo is conducted by Antonio Pappano and stars Jonas Kaufmann in the title role. “With Antonio Pappano in the pit, Jonas Kaufmann and Anja Harteros brought to their interpretations of the leading role rapturous arcs of phrasing and tone that we have not heard for a generation. Verdi's music can weather mediocrity and still provide audiences with enjoyment … but here he was truly honoured as he would have wished.” (The Telegraph)

This album is fantastic in its own way. Sure enough, Emerson's skill is shown remarkably in this large compilation of songs, even more so than with ELP (the piano improv)…

Seventh Son of a Seventh Son is the last great Iron Maiden album, reconnecting with the band's prog rock roots and reversing the signs of decline that had been evident on their previous record. By this point, Maiden had earned the respect of metalheads the world over with their steadfast adherence to unadulterated metal and their grandiose aesthetic…

The World Heritage is a Japanese supergroup gathered and guided by master drummer Yoshida Tatsuya. The group is Kido Natsuki (Bondage Fruit) and Yamamoto Seiichi (Boredoms) on guitar, Nasuno Mitsuri (Altered States) on bass, Katsui Yuji (Bondage Fruit, etc) on violin, and Yoshida Tatsuya (Ruins, Koenjihyakkei, Korekyojinn, etc) on drums. Tatsuya, Mitsuri and Natsuki had previously played together as Korekyojinn, the mammoth power trio. This group performs mostly high-energy improvised rock with some jazzy tinges, as well as some pieces composed by Tatsuya. All of the music is very energetic and often chaotic. Almost all of the band's material has been recorded live, with only a small handful of tracks being recorded in studio. The band would appeal to fans of other Tatsuya bands, in particular fans of Korekyojinn, Daimonji or Ruins.

Vibe’s Maestro Khan Jamal’s “Infinity” features a Stellar line up, a drums and percussion-rich sextet that features altoist Byard Lancaster and a Philadelphia-based rhythm section, Clifton Burton on harmonica and the legendary free drummer Sunny Murray. Khan Jamal contributed four of the five songs, while pianist Bernard Sammul brought in a cooking "The Angry Young Man."

It may be tempting to reduce Convocations into a longform ambient anomaly within Sufjan Stevens’ vast catalogue. It is, however, neither an anomaly nor entirely ambient. This is not a side project. From his numerous dance scores for New York City Ballet to instrumental albums such as Enjoy Your Rabbit, Aporia, and The BQE, Stevens spends at least half his working life making largely instrumental music, as he has for decades.

Grand Funk Railroad - Live Album (1970) {2CD Set, Capitol Japan CP19-6040-41 rel 1989}
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© 1970, 1989 Capitol Records / Toshiba-EMI Japan | CP19-6040-41
Rock / Hard Rock

Either you love or you hate it. Live Album by Grand Funk Railroad was a smash when released and those who loved it played it to death. A hard rock phenomenon of the waning days of the Sixties, Grand Funk proved over and over that they were the live performing act of the time, and this album is a testament to their in-concert power.

Stephane Grappelli - Afternoon In Paris (1971) {MPS 821 865-2 rel 1991}
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© 1971, 1991 MPS Records / PolyGram | 821 865-2
Jazz / Continental Jazz / Swing / Violin

This is a typically flawless swing set by violinist Stephane Grappelli. Joined by pianist Marc Hemmeler, bassist Eberhard Weber and drummer Kenny Clare for a session originally cut for MPS, Grappelli mixes together sophisticated ballads with hotter stomps and uplifts the somewhat modern rhythm section.

Stuart Sanders Smith - Wind In The Channel (1997) {OODiscs OO31}
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© 1997 OODiscs, Inc. | OO31
Classical / Modern Classical / Avant-Garde / Experimental / Minimal

American composer Stuart Saunders Smith is an enigma among late-20th century composers in that he has forsaken the notion of interiority in his music. This gorgeous sampling of his work, which is finally becoming known throughout the United States and in Europe, reveals the same kind of centrality of the external as that of Ralph Vaughan Williams. Truthfully, there is no similarity to Williams other than the tenderness he imbues his compositions with. For example, in a solo for the oboist called "Hawk," the performer is made keenly aware of the shimmering glissandi, which float through the piece as if they were written as a gift to him.

Cannonball Adderley - Takes Charge (1959) {Landmark LCD-1306-2 rel 1987}
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© 1959, 1987 Landmark Records | LCD-1306-2
Jazz / Hard Bop / Soul Jazz / Saxophone

A hardbop classic from Cannonball Adderley – and one of his harder to find albums from the Riverside days! The set has Cannon playing without his usual group, in the context of an all-star batch of players that includes Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers, and Jimmy Cobb – who he worked with in his time with Miles Davis – plus occasional guest rhythm work by Albert and Percy Heath. The set's strong and straight ahead – a good bridge between Cannon's early Mercury recordings, and his later albums for Riverside and Capitol – tightly crafted solos with a good deal of soul, Adderley holding down all the horn work on the record.