With the platinum triumph of Infinity still ringing in their ears like coins in a slot machine, Journey was now committed to completing their transformation from jazz fusion/prog rock mavens into arena rock superstars with their fifth album, 1979's Evolution. This transition (also clearly illustrated by the futuristic insect gracing each album cover henceforth) would not come without its growing pains, however, and while producer Roy Thomas Baker was back for a second go-round, original drummer Aynsley Dunbar would be the first casualty of the band's new direction. Thankfully, former Ronnie Montrose skin-beater Steve Smith soon brought his college-trained jazz fusion background to the table, and the band was ready to get back to work…

Christoph Graupner was born Kirchberg, Saxony. Due to an unfortunate combination of circumstances his work has fallen into almost total oblivion, yet he was one of the most important composers of his time. He spent nearly 50 years of his life at the Court of Darmstadt, as Hoffkapellmeister. Among his friends and admirers were the composers Georg Philipp Telemann, Johann Mattheson, and Johann Friedrich Fasch, who was also his pupil. Thanks to his studies in Leipzig, from childhood on Graupner was in contact with musical contemporaries, including Johann Schelle and Johann Kuhnau, predecessors of Johann Sebastian Bach at the Thomaskirche (St. Thomas church).

Death metal legends Deicide mark their devilish return with their new album, Banished by Sin, through Reigning Phoenix Music. Provacateurs by trade and dominant by nature, the Floridians, featuring founders Glen Benton (bass/lead vocals) and Steve Asheim (drums), as well as notables Kevin Quirion (guitars) and Taylor Nordberg (guitars), have yet again uncompromisingly splayed and slayed the genre's holy trinity of brutality, intensity, and aggression for the world to witness. Just as classic cuts like "Sacrificial Suicide" (Deicide), "Once Upon the Cross" (Once Upon the Cross), and "Homage for Satan" (The Stench of Redemption) elevated the firebrands to death's metal's apex, new songs "Bury The Cross…With Your Christ," "From Unknown Heights You Shall Fall," and "Sever the Tongue" usher in a new chapter in Deicide's storied, 35-year legacy.

Released in 1998, Time Capsule: Songs for a Future Generation is the essential B-52's greatest-hits collection. A chronologically assembled highlight reel of the group's first two decades, it contains all of their singles and a number of album favorites, along with two exclusive then-newly written tracks. When they first arrived on the scene in 1979, their kitschy thrift-store image and weirdly spartan sound immediately set them apart from others in the new wave scene to which they were loosely attached. Three guys, two girls, arcane hairdos, no bassist, and a sound that was equal parts spy music and good-time dance party, the B-52's were always fascinatingly loveable outsiders and remained so throughout their years of success. Beginning with "Planet Claire," "52 Girls," and the immortal "Rock Lobster," Time Capsule winds its way through their early and mid-'80s hits like "Quiche Lorraine" and the charming "Song for a Future Generation." As they continued to grow and evolve, their sound expanded, becoming both more nostalgic and more light-hearted, leading into their commercial peak in the early '90s with the excellent "Channel Z," "Roam," and of course "Love Shack".

An original and prestigious concept: the harpsichord music by the 4 prominent members of the Couperin Dynasty! The Couperin Dynasty, a renowned family of French composers, spanned several generations and played a pivotal role in the development of Baroque music during the 17th and 18th centuries. This musical lineage, centered around the Parisian court, produced a remarkable array of composers, the most prominent of whom were François Couperin, his nephew Armand-Louis Couperin, Louis Couperin and Gervais-François Couperin.

Baker began his comeback after five years of musical inactivity with this excellent CTI date. Highlights include "Autumn Leaves," "Tangerine," and "With a Song in My Heart." Altoist Paul Desmond is a major asset on two songs and the occasional strings give variety to this fine session.

Alessandro Pizzin (a.k.a Alieno deBootes) continues his unconventional reinterpretation of The Residents' music with this third volume of mutated well-known themes of the legendary American art combo. The usual international guest list featured on this Unconventional Residents III CD is even more interesting this time with the inclusion of Brian Poole/Renaldo M (Renaldo & The Loaf), Amy Denio (Tone Dogs, Pale Nudes, Tiptons) and William D Drake (Cardiacs) featured here together with the usual musical friends like Ken Field (Birdsongs of the Mesozoic/Revolutionary Snake Ensemble), Christophe Godin (Morglbl), James Larcombe (Stars in Battledress), Luis Gonzalez (Caballero Reynaldo), Masha Galvan & Spike Delgado (The Bootes Trio).

Alessandro Pizzin (a.k.a Alieno deBootes) continues his unconventional reinterpretation of The Residents' music by proposing 18 new variations on well-known themes of the legendary american art combo. Assisted once again by brilliant international musicians such as Ken Field (Birdsongs of the mesozoic/Revolutionary Snake Ensemble), Christophe Godin (Morglbl), Dave Newhouse (The Muffins), James Larcombe (Stars in Battledress), Luis Gonzalez (Caballero Reynaldo) and with the invaluable help of long-time collaborators such as Alessandro Monti, Roberto Marchetto and Franco Moruzzi, Alieno perseveres in the attempt to carefully recombine the DNA elements of the Residents' music he actually perceived back in the late seventies in such a way as to obtain something that is not that far from their primitive origins.