Esoteric Recordings are delighted to announce the first ever release of a new 2 CD remastered set of both albums recorded by HEADSTONE in 1974 and 1975. Headstone was formed in 1974 by former Rare Bird member Mark Ashton and Atomic Rooster guitarist Steve Bolton. Their debut album ‘Bad Habits’ was recorded at Rockfield Studios in Monmouthshire and Trident Studios and was produced by Anthony who had worked with Genesis, Van der Graaf Generator, Al Stewart and Queen. The band was augmented by Phil Chen (bass) and “Chili” Charles (drums) and also featured a guest appearance by Rare Bird keyboard player Dave Kaffinetti. Upon the release of ‘Bad Habits’ the demand for the band to play live led to a formation of a new line-up of the band with Phil Chen and “Chili” Charles being replaced by Jerome Rimson (bass) and Peter Van Hooke (drums). The album ‘Headstone’ was released in 1975 adorned in a striking sleeve designed by Hipgnosis and Colin Elgie. The band toured as opening acts for artists as diverse as Roy Harper, John Cale and Rory Gallagher, but Headstone sadly failed to make a wider commercial impression despite receiving good reviews and disbanded by the end of 1976.

Among the names that no Italian prog enthusiast can do without we undoubtedly have the legendary Dalton, a band that in the early ’70s left an indelible mark with the LP’s “Riflessioni: Idea d’Infinito” and “Argitari”. Their voice, guitar and one of the main composers was – and still is – Aronne Cereda, author of the recent “Memories” published by AMS Records in September 2017. In “Eden”, alongside the songwriting, folk and Celtic sides already present in “Memories”, echoes of ’70s progressive rock come back, unmistakably: an indelible sign of an era, that only those who have lived those years in first person can faithfully bring back to life; in particular, the songs “Giardino dell’Eden” and “La forza di Dio” will delight those who never forgot about Dalton, and still listen to their first two LP’s regularly.

Excellent debut studio disc by this awesome, way-kool, top-shelf, blues-based, retro, hard rock band featuring the outstanding vocal talents of Jimmy Kunes (Cactus/American Mafia) and Bill Leverty (Firehouse) on guitar along with Keith Horne on bass & Andre LaBelle on drums. F.T.E. have landed and are on a mission to Keep the Rock alive. Kunes is a legitimate musical disciple of the 70s rock vocal god along with guitar man Leverty laying down the killer riffage/mojo complete with the rhythm section of Horne & LaBelle laying down a serious rock solid groove. The Flood The Engine disc is a prime slice of vintage rock n' roll for your soul that is Highly recommended to fans of classic rock mojo.

Past to Present 1977–1990 is the first compilation album by Toto, released in 1990. It contains nine hit songs from the band's first seven albums, and four new songs recorded with new singer Jean-Michel Byron. According to the band, it was Toto's record label Columbia who proposed the band work with Byron. Ultimately the band was not happy with his onstage antics and was asked to leave the band. Steve Lukather became Toto's lead vocalist in 1991.

On To the Hilt, Golden Earring fully gives themselves over to the prog rock tendencies that they had toyed with throughout the 1970s. The resulting album has a strong prog feel but lacks the characteristic sound and the solid material that defined the group's best efforts to that point. The band puts in a typically energetic and thunderous performance, but their strong instrumental chops can't overcome the self-indulgent nature of much of the album's material: "Why Me?" and "Latin Lightning" are a few of the potentially interesting songs on To the Hilt that are undercut by dull, overlong sections of jamming. Said songs also lack the tight arrangements and the sudden, surprising instrumental twists that made the group's past epics so interesting.

Christophe Maé est de retour avec "C'est drôle la vie", son nouvel album événement. Porté par le single "Pays des merveilles" en duo avec la chanteuse capverdienne Ceuzany, on y retrouve également des duos avec Amadou & Mariam ou encore Angélique Kidjo. Véritable invitation au voyage, cet album s'inspire de sonorités du Cap-Vert, du Bénin ou encore du Mali. Christophe Maé nous offre ici un album solaire, aux textes ciselés et aux mélodies entêtantes.

Box Set with 8 CDs of exciting and adventurous New Jazz recorded live at the Altena New Jazz Meetings from 1972 and 1973. More than 8 hours of music recorded live at the Altena Castle, West Germany. Two 28-page booklets with concert pictures, flyers and newspaper clippings (in German and English). Includes complete performances and improvisations by Chris McGregor’s Brotherhood Of Breath, Michal Urbaniak Group, Phil Woods, Wolfgang Dauner’s Et Cetera and many more!

The fifth volume of our complete recording of Bach’s cantatas completes the series of secular cantatas from the composer’s years in Leipzig. Seven works are involved here, spanning a period from 1725 to 1742, the year of Bach’s final secular cantata, BWV 212. Of Bach’s occasional compositions, some fifty secular pieces have survived, yet these represent no more than a fraction of what must once have existed. Indeed, there is no other group of works by the composer that has suffered such great – and regrettable – losses. In the case of more than half of the works that are known to have existed, only the words, but not the music, survived. Quite how many pieces may have disappeared without leaving any trace whatsoever is impossible to say.

Christoph Eschenbach conducts this generous survey of the sumptuous, hyper-Romantic music of Austrian composer Franz Schreker. Not only was he the pre-eminent opera composer of his generation, he also, says Eschenbach, “took Mahler’s symphonic writing to a whole new level”. The album includes the ecstatic “Nachtstück” from Der ferne Klang, the exquisite Chamber Symphony and some ravishing orchestral songs, featuring Chen Reiss and Matthias Goerne.

Known for his considerable contribution to orchestral music in the late 18th century, Carl Stamitz wrote nearly as much chamber music as symphonies and concertos. The six quartets of Op. 14 are unusual in that only two of the works, Nos. 1 and 4 are specifically designated ‘orchestral’ quartets, while Nos. 2 and 5 are described as ‘concertante’ works, to be performed either by a quartet or, as heard on this recording, by a small chamber orchestra. These charming works abound in energetic, driving themes, sparkling string writing and, in their slow movements, the grace and elegance that are the hallmark of Stamitz’s compositions.

grown in the shade of the glacier. killer whale atmospheres is a future-memory affair of sub bass propulsive drones, rhythms, chords and dorsal scars building to a forbidding sense of cold echolocations yet to come through the violent procession of darkening rains.

The three-time GRAMMY® Award-winning violinist Hilary Hahn presents her new recording of Eugène Ysaÿe’s Six Sonatas for Violin Solo, op. 27. Inspired by the example set by J.S. Bach two centuries earlier, legendary Belgian violinist and composer Eugène Ysaÿe wrote the first work in what turned out to be a six-sonata cycle in June 1923. One hundred years later, Hilary Hahn “one of the essential violinists of our time” (The New York Times), has recorded the set on her own wave of inspiration – driven by the impetus of the upcoming centenary to realize one of her dream projects.

What happens when you wish upon a star? You get new music from Herb Alpert, of course! The prolific trumpet player returns at age 88 with his new studio album (his 49th!) Wish Upon A Star. Filled to the brim with new takes on classic songs we've known and loved for decades, this set of music continues to serve up the unmistakable trumpet playing of the Tijuana Brass master. Herb covers everything from Jerry Reed's "East Bound And Down" to Elvis' "(Marie's The Name) His Latest Flame" and the Beatles' "And I Love Her". Other hits include "Father And Son", "We've Only Just Begun" and the titular song "When You Wish Upon A Star". Let Herb be your Jiminy Cricket through the magical, musical journey of Wish Upon A Star.

2012 two CD collection from the British R&B band. Led by charismatic singer/songwriter, Errol Brown, Hot Chocolate are without doubt one of the UK s most successful and popular singles bands. The hits started in 1970 and continued right up until 1984 in a remarkable fourteen-year run that witnessed the chart-topping So You Win Again, and such memorable songs as You Sexy Thing (which was a Top 10 smash in three separate decades), Disco Queen, Emma, No Doubt About It and Every 1 s A Winner. This stunning 38-track retrospective features 29 chart hits, including 12 Top 10s!

The Best Of Madrugada is a compilation album by the Norwegian rock band Madrugada. It was released on EMI Records in November 2010, and contains 27 Madrugada classics – including a previously unreleased track called All This Wanting To Be Free.