Gallagher's second album for Chrysalis – and last with his longstanding trio of Lou Martin (keyboards), Rod De'Ath (drums) and Gerry McAvoy (bass) – was a milestone in his career. Although Calling Card was produced by Deep Purple bassist Roger Glover and not surprisingly contained some of his most powerfully driving rockers, tracks like the acoustic "Barley & Grape Rag" and the jazzy, soulful, finger snapping title cut – a perennial concert favorite – found the Irish rocker not only exploring other musical paths, but also caught him on one of his most consistent songwriting streaks ever. Even "Do You Read Me," the muscular opening track, is a remarkably stripped-down affair that adds subtle synths to the rugged blues rock that was Gallagher's claim to fame.

Allan Taylor is one of England's most-respected singer/songwriters. His songs have been covered by artists on both sides of the Atlantic, including Don Williams, Frankie Miller, Fairport Convention, Dick Gaughan, the McCalmans, the Fureys, the Clancy Brothers, and De Dannan. Folk Roots praised him for his "ability to crystallize a mood and evoke an era with the ease of a computer memory access, crafting perfect songs with dramatic changes in the spirit of Brecht, Bikel, and Brel." The Oxford Book of Traditional Verse felt as strongly, writing that Taylor was "one of the most literate and sensitive of contemporary songwriters in terms of words and music and one who is capable of exploring more complex subjects than most of his contemporaries."

Wild Life, the debut album from Wings was originally released December 1971 and is the eleventh release in the Paul McCartney Archive Collection, personally supervised by Paul McCartney. Written by Paul and Linda McCartney (with the exception of a cover of Mickey & Sylvia's Love Is Strange ), Wild Life is beloved by fans for its raw and direct vibe - having been recorded in just over a week with the majority of tracks laid down in a single take. The 2CD digipack features the original album remastered at Abbey Road Studios on CD1 and bonus audio of singles B-sides, and previously unreleased tracks on CD2.

Chemistry. You either got it, or you don’t. When the five members of Royal Southern Brotherhood convened in February 2016 at Dockside Studios, Louisiana, there was magic in the air. Just seven days later, the acclaimed U.S. soul-blues collective emerged triumphant with The Royal Gospel: the fourth album in their rocket-heeled rise and further proof of a lineup born to play together. Enough has been said about Royal Southern Brotherhood’s illustrious backstory. Enough has been written about the critical acclaim and sell-out crowds that greeted the original lineup’s 2012 breakout. Right now, fans would rather hear about the questing new material and finger-on-pulse worldview of The Royal Gospel, released 2016 on Ruf Records.

A pupil of William Byrd, Thomas Tomkins' technique as a contrapuntalist was second to none, as can be heard in the Great Service or the anthem O God, the proud are risen against me. In this respect alone he was the composer who most obviously continued Byrd's achievement.

Mozart did not know how quickly to get out of Salzburg once he developed his own ambitions, but Johann Michael Haydn (1737-1806) apparently had a great time there. Joseph Haydn's little brother learned music as a choirboy in Vienna, worked for several years in Großwarden and Bratislava before settling in Salzburg in 1762. He stayed there until his death. In the correspondence of the Mozart family, Michael Haydn does not come off well; he is portrayed as a lazy figure who regularly looks too deep into the glass. However, excessive alcohol consumption has not stopped him from writing an extensive oeuvre of church music, operas and instrumental music in all genres.

This compilation includes selected works by the noted Renaissance composer Ludwig Senfl, who was an important student of Heinrich Isaac. In 1523 Senfl joined the Munich court orchestra at the court of Maximilian I, where he worked until his death.

No matter the title of this Ruf Records outing, Kim Simmonds, founder, guitarist, and eternal frontman for Savoy Brown, is going straight for its Chicago mojo to deliver this set of scorching electric blues. Aided and abetted by his now longstanding road band – comprising bassist Pat DeSalvo and drummer Garnet Grimm – Simmonds' Savoy Brown comes full circle from its 1965 roots as a British band won over to the loud, gritty sounds coming across the ocean from Chess Records. Opener "Laura Lee," is in the classic Windy City tradition, as inspired by Hound Dog Taylor's house rockin' style as they are Muddy Waters', while "Just a Dream" recalls the moody, slow burning attack of Son Seals.

Though they began as a hard-driving funk outfit, Lionel Ritchie's Commodores soon became Premier League purveyors of super soulful ballads. Songs like 'Easy' and 'Three Times A Lady' were instant hits and remain classics. Those songs lead off this brand new collection which also includes lots of lesser known ballads and rare romantic gems. Together with the hits, they prove that the Commodores love catalogue is second to none.

Made in U.S.A. is a 1986 double vinyl album (or one-CD) compilation of some of The Beach Boys' biggest successes. Released by their original record label, Capitol Records, it marked a brief return to the label, with whom The Beach Boys released one further album, 1989's Still Cruisin'. Featuring a number of their 1960s' classics, in addition to a sampling of their later hits, Made in U.S.A. also contains two new recordings, both produced by Terry Melcher. "Rock 'n' Roll to the Rescue" is a Mike Love/Melcher collaboration, and "California Dreamin'" is a cover of The Mamas & the Papas' late 1965 debut single. Both were released as singles and made the U.S. pop singles chart. A slow seller, Made in U.S.A. reached No. 96 in the U.S. and ultimately went double platinum there, though with other compilations now available, Made in U.S.A. has since gone out of print.

Following their critically acclaimed albums of Schubert (BIS-2597), Mozart and Birchall (BIS-2647), works for clarinet trio (BIS-2535) and, more recently, Beethoven and Berwald (BIS-2707), the Wigmore Soloists now turn their attention to twentieth-century English chamber works which, while eschewing some of the continent’s modernist tendencies, are both deeply personal and supremely written, highlighting the specific colours of each of the instruments.

"A collection of Ukrainian Christmas and winter compositions that create a magical atmosphere."

The name 'Chandos anthems' is most frequently associated with Handel, but he was not the first, nor the last, composer in the extravagant household of James Brydges, the Duke of Chandos from 1719. Working concurrently with Handel at Cannons was the Berlin native, Johann Christoph Pepusch'snearly 20 years Handel's seniora who took over as Director of Music by early 1719 whereupon he adopted a distinctly Venetian approach to sacred music, in the manner of Lotti and Vivaldi.

With its Chief Conductor Toshiyuki Kamioka at the helm, the Copenhagen Philharmonic performs three of Richard Strauss’s most sparkling scores: the Oboe Concerto, with soloist Andreas Fosdal, the First Horn Concerto, played by Jakob Keiding, and the suite from Der Bürger als Edelmann. Strauss’s Oboe Concerto is in three seamless movements: a pastoral opening with ornate oboe lines leads into a radiant slow movement and virtuoso finale. Strauss’s famous horn-playing father inspired his First Horn Concerto, which reveals his evident relish for the horn’s uninhibited, bucolic character as it cuts through the orchestral colours. Strauss’s music for Der Bürger als Edelmann (based on the 17th-century Molière-Lully collaboration Le bourgeois gentilhomme) is an early instance of neoclassicism, originally composed to be performed immediately before his opera Ariadne auf Naxos. The result is a quintessentially Straussian confection, combining lyricism and good humour.

The Cincinnati Pops announced the release of its newest recording, JOY!, led by Cincinnati Pops Conductor John Morris Russell. JOY! will feature recordings of live performances from the Orchestra’s popular Holiday Pops programs, including a diverse and eclectic collection of favorite holiday classics in new arrangements. The latest release will include a new recording of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s “Christmas Overture,” which is complemented with creative new takes on traditional melodies like “Silent Night” and “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” folk tunes like “Mis zeh Hidlik” and “The Ukrainian Bell Carol,” as well as contemporary songs like “Blue Christmas” featuring singer and trombonist Aubrey Logan.