Simply the Best Classical Passion: Music for Classic Lovers Review by James Manheim
The Shacking Up CD series is apparently doing well, for other discs purporting to double your pleasure have begun to appear. Warner UK's Classical Passion: Simply the Best Music for Classic Lovers doesn't give you detailed step-by-step instructions like some of the other releases in this category; the album just compiles, on two discs, a group of classical favorites, many of which have been considered sexy for a long time. Disc one, "Stimulate Your Senses," includes pieces in a variety of tempos and moods, while disc two, "For Those Tender Moments," stays on the mellow side. To be sure, there are some problems. Those who, to quote the Pointer Sisters, "come and go in a heated rush" won't be helped by the truncated (five minutes!!) version of Ravel's Boléro included here. And that flower vase on the cover would seem to be in some danger (except in the release's home country, of course). Despite these minor faux pas de coit, buyers of Classical Passion should make out just fine. And the music is well enough made that it might inspire some to rub up against these compositions once more for a more extended session.

Limited Edition. Special Edition. 3 CDs packaged in a cardboard box. Disc 1 (SP 70 - original album with restored version of track 1-1) packaged in blister pack. 2 discs of additional unreleased material (SP 50 and SP 60) presented in a paper folder. Discs are black. Includes "Patient Product Information" leaflet with credits - presented in the style of medicinal packaging. SP 50 and SP 60 mastered at Metropolis.

"After completing our first tour as a four-piece band in late 1966, Nez perceptively remarked that, 'Pinocchio had become a real little boy.' By the end of March 1967, Pinocchio had actually become quite a cool little dude (if I do say so myself) with the completion of Headquarters, the first studio album that we had been allowed to create entirely amongst ourselves. Monkee music was great music. Terrific songs crafted by gifted writers and produced by skilled producers. But Headquarters will always hold a special place in my heart. I remember the camaraderie, the collaboration, the enthusiasm and the occasional creative angst. And I particularly remember lying on the floor behind my drumkit between takes eating sunflower seeds.” - Micky Dolenz

6 CD + 1 Blu-ray box set comprised of the audio from four of the shows (and two rehearsals) that were part of Elvis' 1972 North American tour. Originally recorded for the Elvis On Tour concert film that was released later that year, the set features a total of 145 tracks, including 91 tracks that have been previously unreleased, as well as the award-winning concert film on Blu-ray.

Containing the band's first 5 classic albums, this collection serves as the ideal extended introduction for new fans, while offering an easy way to bolster or complete collections for existing fans. Starting with 1979's ‘Three Imaginary Boys’, it continues through to ‘Seventeen Seconds’, ‘Faith’, ‘Pornography’ & concluding with 1984's ‘The Top’.

Music Brokers presents a new volume in the series that has revolutionized the music industry: The Many Faces. A collection of albums that delve into the depths of many of the most important artists in pop music’s history. This time it’s The Beatles’ turn, the greatest band of all time. CD 1 is dedicated completely to the years were Pete Best was The Beatles drummer (before Ringo Starr). CD 2 is a tribute to their songs, and includes versions by stars such as Ike & Tina Turner, John Denver and Marmalade (who reached at # 1 in the UK with their version of Ob-La-Di, Ob -La-Da and that is included in The Many Faces). CD 3 is a fascinating tour through the originals versions of songs that The Beatles covered on their early Eps and the albums Please Please Me, With The Beatles, For Sale. Includes songs like Anna, Twist And Shout and Money (That’s What I Want). The Many Faces Of The Beatles is a wonderful trip through the world of The Beatles, an album to collect and to treasure.

'Memphis Recording Service' (MRS) will release a Deluxe CD titled 'From Elvis At Christmas' on October 18th, 2024.

John Fogerty is many things, but predictable is not one of them. His solo career has proceeded in fits and starts, with waits as long as a decade separating solo albums, and when the records did arrive, they could be as brilliant as Centerfield or as bewilderingly misdirected as Eye of the Zombie. There was no telling what a new Fogerty record would bring, but perhaps the strangest thing about his sixth studio album, 2004's Deja Vu All Over Again, is that it's the closest thing to an average, by-the-books John Fogerty album that he's released in his solo career. Unlike its immediate predecessor, the Southern-obsessed Blue Moon Swamp, there is no unifying lyrical or musical theme, nor was it released with the comeback fanfare of that 1997 affair.

Keb' Mo' and Taj Mahal have been friends and colleagues for years but 2017's TajMo is the first time the pair have recorded an album. It also marks the first time Taj Mahal has entered a studio since 2008 – Keb' Mo' last released an album in 2014 – and if this seems like it should be a momentous occasion, what's striking about TajMo is how casual the whole affair is. The duo designed TajMo to be an upbeat, life-affirming listen, something that emphasizes how the blues can also offer a good time. If the album can occasionally seem a little too crisp and polished – it's bright and shiny without a hint of grit – it's also true that this reflects the lightness at the heart of TajMo.

At the end of the 18th century, when Mozart went to Paris to develop, his biggest rival was Giuseppe Maria Cambini (1746-1825). The full extent of his musical charm can be seen through these elegant pieces in the album. Not only are symphonic concertos with oboe and bassoon as the main instruments very rare, but the music in the album are all recorded for the first time in the world, adding to the rarity and preciousness of the album.

Ultra-rare 1969 album (only 10 copies are known to exist today) from California hard rock band (they sound like a mix between the Who & Big Brother & the Holding Co.) was recorded in the same studios where Cream & Jimi Hendrix were putting down their final tracks, inc. 12 pg. booklet w. photos, interviews & posters.

Fully integrated with the musical line, the singers avoid melodrama through intimate, small gestures as if acting for screen, not stage.’ Gramophone Critics' Choice 2021 Paul Agnew and Les Arts Florissants conclude their exploration of this fascinating corpus. Even more than in his first books, Gesualdo here displays incredible modernity, playing in inimitable fashion on dissonances and chromaticisms. Love and death, joys and sorrows embrace and clash amid ever bolder harmonies.

Let Me Get By is the third studio album from Tedeschi Trucks Band, featuring ten new, original songs that stand together as a testament to the spirit and commitment of the tightly-knit 12-member ensemble. Driven by Susan's soaring, spiritually charged vocals and Derek's masterfully lyrical slide-guitar, the band's musical talents are on display in full force. From 'Anyhow' - a declaration of devotion highlighting the album's theme of breaking away - to the funky and uplifting title track, Let Me Get By delivers a sonic journey filled with the barnstorming energy, soulful vibes and roots-based rock that no band delivers better. Deluxe version includes 8-track bonus disc that features live recordings from the legendary Beacon Theatre in New York as well as alternate mixes, early song takes and additional studio material, an expanded booklet with exclusive studio and live photos, and a custom-designed vintage amp box.

This second release of music by Georg Schumann features symphonic works. Schumann, who was the director of the Sing-Akademie in Berlin for many years and a professor of composition at the Prussian Academy of the Arts, is currently being rediscovered as a late romanticist, but during his lifetime he was regarded as a neoromanticist. The Symphony in F minor is his most monumental instrumental work. What one critic wrote of the symphony of his youth also is above all true here: ‘… how one idea logically develops from the other’. The recording also includes two of Georg Schumann’s overtures. He was able to express all the moods in music – and this is his claim to greatness. After the weighty Prelude to a Drama he wrote a joyous celebration of life in the Lebensfreude overture, a work overflowing with delight in musical performance.

Luck and Strange is David Gilmour's fifth solo record and only his third of the 21st century. The Pink Floyd guitarist clearly understands his life's privilege; he has made some of rock's most memorable music, toured its biggest stages, and been named a Commander of the Order of the British Empire. He could easily coast along for the duration of his career. Instead, he has continued to tour, collaborated widely, advocated for numerous just causes, and donated the money from selling his home and guitars to charity. If he wants to make just one album per decade, he's earned the right.