Opus was formed in 1973 and the original line-up included the founder and organist Miodrag Okrugic, guitar player Miodrag Kostic and bassist Dusan Cucuz (later in Tako), but soon they split. They were named after Okrugic's composition "Opus No. 1" which he scored during his tenure with the band Yu Grupa. Okrugic re-formed Opus in 1975 with bassist Slobodan Orlic, drummer Ljubomir Jerkovic and singer Dusan Prelevic (ex Korni Grupa/Kornelyans) and soon they recorded their debut "Opus 1", done in the symphonic rock style. It failed to draw attention of the public and the band split again. In various incarnations guitar players in this period were Ljubo Sedlar, Zoran Dasic and Vidoja Bozinovic. The final line-up from 1977 re-formation included Okrugic, Orlic, drummer Zelimir Vasic and guitar player Milan Matic, but after fruitless attempts they finally disbanded for good. In addition to their only LP album, they recorded three singles from 1974-77.

Though it appears in the aftermath of their dissolution in 2014, and the deaths of both actual Allman brothers, Duane and Gregg, this 50th anniversary retrospective box set is arguably the only career overview of the band one can call representative. Arranged over ten LPs or five compact discs, Trouble No More examines in depth each incarnation and stage of the pioneering rockers. It convincingly formulates the argument that no other American band accomplished more musically (especially live) by seamlessly marrying rock, blues, jazz, and R&B to each other and to extended improvisation. This set compiles 61 Allman Brothers Band classics, live performances, and rarities – including seven previously unreleased tracks – all painstakingly remastered, with and a hefty 88-page book full of photos and a lengthy historical essay by ABB historian John Lynskey that recaps all 13 incarnations of the band's lineup.

Two years in the making, Santana IV marks the reunion of nearly all members of the 1971-1972 band, arguably its greatest lineup. Carlos Santana, conguero Michael Carabello, organist/lead vocalist Gregg Rolie, drummer Michael Shrieve, and guitarist Neal Schon cut the landmark Santana III in 1971. It was a short-lived group as Schon and Rolie would depart in early 1973 to form Journey. Filling out the lineup are Carlos' longtime bassist Benny Rietveld and second percussionist Karl Perazza. Unlike the reunions of most classic rockers, this one proves its musical mettle, even when the album gives in to excess. The interplay between the guitarists is fiery, while Rolie and Shrieve have never been less than inspiring. The former is a far better (more expressive) vocalist than he was in his youth…

Led by John Kay, Steppenwolf's blazing biker anthem "Born to Be Wild" roared out of speakers everywhere in the fiery summer of 1968, John Kay's threatening rasp sounding a mesmerizing call to arms to the counterculture movement rapidly sprouting up nationwide. German immigrant Kay got his professional start in a bluesy Toronto band called Sparrow, recording for Columbia in 1966. After Sparrow disbanded, Kay relocated to the West Coast and formed Steppenwolf, named after the Herman Hesse novel. "Born to Be Wild," their third single on ABC-Dunhill, was immortalized on the soundtrack of Dennis Hopper's underground film classic Easy Rider. The song's reference to "heavy metal thunder" finally gave an assignable name to an emerging genre. Steppenwolf's second monster hit that year, the psychedelic "Magic Carpet Ride," and the follow-ups "Rock Me," "Move Over," and "Hey Lawdy Mama" further established the band's credibility on the hard rock circuit.

Once regarded as Verdi's lost opera because of early censorship and controversy, Stiffelio has now established its rightful place in Verdi's canon. In this 1993 recording from the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, José Carreras, as the Protestant minister whose faith is shattered when he discovers his wife's adulterous liaison with a family friend, leads a fine cast that includes Catherine Malfitano, Gregory Yurisich, Gwynne Howell and Robin Leggate under the baton of Edward Downes.

Listen to this collection, put together to capitalize on the explosive growth in the group's audience after Aqualung, and it's easy to understand just how fine a group Jethro Tull was in the early '70s. Most of the songs, apart from a few heavily played album tracks ("Song for Jeffrey," etc.) and a pair of live tracks from a 1970 Carnegie Hall show, came off of singles and EPs that, apart from the title song, were scarcely known in America, and it's all so solid that it needs no apology or explanation. Not only was Ian Anderson writing solid songs every time out, but the group's rhythm section was about the best in progressive rock's pop division. Along with any of the group's first five albums, this collection is seminal and essential to any Tull collection, and the only compilation by the group that is a must-own disc.

Adelaide di Borgogna es uno de los títulos más infrecuentes en la producción operística de Rossini, siendo ésta la número 23 de las 39 que el compositor llegó a escribir. Se trata de una composición de escritura musical no muy habitual en el pesarés, resultando bastante sobria y austera en lo que a canto canoro se refiere, haciendo primar sobre ello un equilibrio vocal, sobre todo en lo tocante a los roles de Adelaide y Ottone.

Acclaimed by the New York Times as "an alluring, mystical new work" when it premiered outdoors at the city's Lincoln Center in July 2014, John Luther Adams' Sila: the Breath of the World is so carefully orchestrated that the recording itself pushes the limits of how to capture multiple ensembles of musicians in one setting. Thanks to modern technology and the magic of multi-tracking (with producers Doug Perkins and Nathaniel Reichman at the controls), Sila maintains the composer's vision as a grand invitation to the listener "to stop and listen more deeply." Put simply, like Inuksuit (2009), widely known as Adams' large ensemble piece for percussion, no two performances of Sila are ever the same, due in part to the freedom that is given to the musicians, each of whom plays or sings a unique part at his or her own pace.

After trying her hand at writing her own vintage-inspired material with 2014's Into Colour, singer Rumer returns to her core inspiration of covering classic '60s and '70s pop with 2016's sophisticated This Girl's in Love (A Bacharach & David Songbook). Produced by her husband and longtime collaborator Rob Shirakbari at Capitol Studios, This Girl's in Love finds Rumer applying her supple vocals and soft-focus aesthetic to songs written by the legendary team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David. While Rumer has most certainly sung many of these songs in live settings, it's surprising, given her association with the time period, that she's never actually recorded any of this material in the past.

Christopher Hogwood, gifted and energetic in so many musical spheres, brings his considerable experience and intelligence to bear on Bach's 'French Suites'. To the usual six he adds two, BWV818a in A minor and BWV819 (plus 819a) in E flat, which appear with the six in a number of contemporary manuscripts.

The new album by Soen has a potent drive and sees the band channel the ills of current society with a crisp, riff heavy ferocity but at the same time still showcasing Soen’s unique blend of progression, aggression, and beauty. Memorial is drenched in melody with face-crushing guitars and rhythms from start to finish. Album opener ‘Sincere’ starts off with relentless propulsion, whilst the sheer power of the title track is enriched with a solid groove, underlying the weighty tones and evocative vocals of Joel Ekelöf. Finishing with the beautiful, tragic, Pink Floyd-esque ballad ‘Vitals’, Memorial is arguably the band finding their best stride yet.