The first Soft Machine LP usually got the attention, with its movable parts sleeve, as well as the presence of ultra-talented songwriter Kevin Ayers. But musically, Volume Two better conveys the Dada-ist whimsy and powerful avant rock leanings of the band. Hugh Hopper took over for Ayers on bass, and his fuzz tones and experimental leanings supplanted Ayers' pop emphasis. The creative nucleus behind this most progressive of progressive rock albums, however, is Robert Wyatt. He provides the musical arrangements to Hopper's quirky ideas on the stream-of-consciousness collection of tunes ("Rivmic Melodies") on side one. Unlike the first record, which sounded choppy and often somnolent, this one blends together better, and it has a livelier sound…

The Turtles' first album was recorded in a frantic hurry, in response to the hit status achieved by their debut single, "It Ain't Me Babe." At the time, the members were barely out of high school, a situation that might have caused a lot of other young musicians to fold up under the strain of the moment - there was no time to write (and barely time to find) the songs the members might have seemed worthy of so momentous an event (which it would have been) as a debut long-player. But the members were smart and they were also lucky - they reached out to more of Bob Dylan's songbag, and also back to their own high-school past in folk music as the Crosswind Singers. Thus, their debut album led with a chiming electric rendition of Howard Kaylan's 1963-vintage "Wanderin' Kind"…

On this Concord CD, pianist Monty Alexander performs religious hymns plus a few of his originals that also fit comfortably in that tradition. Accompanied by bassist John Clayton and drummer Ed Thigpen, Alexander's sensitive, but generally swinging, interpretations of these timeless melodies communicate very well.

From the spellbinding majesty of the Alhambra to the thunderous war machine called Conquistadores, Jon Mark has again captured the soul and spirit of a people in his music. The Alhambra was at one time the royal city/fortress of the Moors, looking down over Spanish Granada, with numerous and wonderful palaces, courtyards, fountains, and splenderous gardens. It was built over the course of centuries, and became the birthplace of countless legends of opulence, mighty rulers, intrigue, and romance. As in The Standing Stones of Callanish and Land of Merlin, Jon Mark weaves ancient melodies and rhythms into his electronic tapestry, this time portraying the elegance and grandeur of medieval Spain. With classical guitar accents, sounds of harp, trumpet, and the hot desert wind adding vivid colorings, Alhambra is yet another haunting soundtrack to give wings to ever-nomadic imaginations.