Calling Claudia Lennear's appearance in 20 Feet from Stardom, the documentary about the great unsung backup singers in rock 'n' roll, a "star turn" may be a contradiction in terms, but if you find her riveting on screen you're in good company not only did she inspire Mick Jagger to write "Brown Sugar" (and David Bowie to write "Lady Grinning Soul'), but Jagger calls her "very hot" and a "beautiful girl" in the film! Claudia made her reputation singing as one of the "Shelter People" that Leon Russell used as session musicians on his Shelter label; she also sang on Joe Cocker's Mad Dogs and Englishmen tour and at George Harrison's Concert for Bangla Desh among many other projects (there was also that, ahem, photo spread in Playboy). But for those seeking a pure taste of her singular talent, this 1973 album, her only solo release, is the place to be; side one features her with members of Jim Dickinson's Dixie Flyers and Ry Cooder, side two finds her singing songs written and arranged by the great Allen Toussaint, with such legends as Jim Keltner and Spooner Oldham along for the funky ride. Our Real Gone reissue features a non-LP bonus track, notes by Pat Thomas featuring quotes from Claudia herself and, yes, photos from her private archive. CD debut and an extremely timely one

Transversales Disques proudly presents PANORAMA, an excursion through rare French soundtracks & other rarities mostly never reissued or compiled. 11 forgotten nuggets recorded between 1969 and 1980 by famous masters like Francis Lai, Alain Goraguer and Michel Magne alongside underrated composers like Jean Schwarz, Christian Gaubert or Maurice Lecoeur. A cinematic journey overflowing with moody strings arrangements, funky drum breaks, typical French basslines and psyched atmospheres.

In a musical life that spans close to three decades, Chuck Ragan has consistently worn his heart on his sleeve, and carved out a musical niche in the process. First with post-hardcore trailblazers Hot Water Music and subsequently on his own, he's built a large and singularly powerful body of work whose honesty, immediacy and warmth have won the loyalty of a fiercely devoted international fan base that's supported him through his various musical incarnations. CD Softpak.

This is the first Mosaic set to be pressed at Chad Kassem’s Quality Record Pressings in Salina, Kansas. About the pressings coming out of QRP, Michael Fremer wrote on TrackingAngle.com,” all I can say is THIS IS INCREDIBLE!!!!!! The sonics are spectacular and the pressing quality is as good as has ever been pressed in my opinion. The backgrounds are dead, black, silent the way Japanese pressings used to come on JVC ‘Supervinyl!’ and believe me it doesn’t get any better than that, though this may even be richer, darker and blacker.”

Christmas is constant,” says Ben Folds. “Allowing you to take stock of what’s different, to understand who you are and all the ways you’ve grown and changed.” That notion lies at the heart of Folds’ brilliantly titled new holiday collection, Sleigher. Built on an eclectic mix of originals and reimagined classics, the album examines the passage of time through the lens of Christmas, reflecting on memory, loss, and longing as it explores the variety of ways the yuletide season marks the chapters of our lives. The songs are playful here, full of humor and cheer, but they’re also laced with an inescapable sense of melancholy, a looming darkness that always seems to hover around the periphery of those late December nights.

Soundway Records delivers an exciting new compilation, diving ever deeper into South-East Asia. Ayo Ke Disco celebrates the musical identities emerging during the 1970s and 80s from the newly independent countries nestled around the South China Sea.
This time, Soundway’s long-time general manager Alice Whittington (aka DJ Norsicaa) steps into the limelight, embracing her Malaysian heritage and selecting music from her heavy collection of Asian records. Aside from steering the label, she is often found on international stages and radio stations playing an eclectic array of music. For Ayo Ke Disco (meaning ‘Let’s go to the disco’ in Indonesian), 10 rare tracks of disco-funk, psychedelic funk, synth, city pop, and Hindustani-Arabic rhythms were painstakingly licensed from local labels – forming a snapshot of the vibrant discotheques and live scenes across Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Hong Kong and the Philippines.

2008 collection that compiles the best of BB King's BBC recordings onto one CD for the very first time and includes some of his biggest hits such as 'Paying the Cost to Be the Boss' and 'The Thrill Is Gone' as well as 'When Love Comes To Town'. Featuring highlights from his three finest UK performances alongside a session recording made in the BBC's studios, this CD offer an incredible snapshot of an artist at the peak of his career performing some of his greatest material.

2007 digitally remastered and expanded two CD Deluxe Edition of the band's 1985 commercial breakthrough features a bonus disc. Level 42, led by bassist Mark King, began as a Jazz/Fusion/Pop band in the late '70s and slowly evolved into a Pop/Jazz band with shorter, catchier songs. They scored numerous hit singles in the UK and Europe during the early part of the '80s, but it wasn't until World Machine that they became chart-toppers and began to gain recognition in the U.S. Disc One contains the original album's 10 tracks which includes the band's worldwide hit 'Something About You'. Disc Two features an additional 11 tracks including three BBC recordings, five live performances and three remixes. 21 tracks total.

This beautifully programmed CD presents three settings for viola and orchestra and a more eloquent statement about the beauty of the viola as an instrument would be hard to imagine (except for perhaps including Vaughan Williams' 'Flos Campi'). The viola finds that middle voice between violin and cello, a rich tone with a built in quality of mournfulness. That quality has inspired the works on this recording and the result is some of the more wistful music ever written. Dennis Russell Davies conducts the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra with the superb violist Kim Kashkashian.

From the first track "Keep On Rockin'" which sounds alot like Ten Years After's "Choo Choo Mama" you know this cd is gonna cook. You've got the hilarious song "Long Legs" which could have been sung by ZZ Top (Its that kind of song), "Boogie All Day" which is very swing oriented, and you even have Alvin doing some cover versions. One being the Dave Edmunds hit "I Hear You Knockin'" which is as good if not better than the original. And Alvin even does a superb job of covering The Beatles tune "I Want You (She's so Heavy)".

“Before the tragedy, no one ever thought this band was going to exist without Trevor.”
That’s The Black Dahlia Murder‘s co-founder Brian Eschbach telling it like it is. With the tragic passing of the band’s frontman and co-founder Trevor Strnad in 2022, Eschbach, bassist Max Lavelle, drummer Alan Cassidy, and producer/guitarist Brandon Ellis were faced with a decision: Close the door on one of the most beloved death metal bands of the last twenty years, or carry on in their fallen brother’s charismatic spirit?
“Everyone that’s in the band now is someone that Trevor and I searched for,” Eschbach says. “We spent so much time on the road together that everyone understands the mission statement. We don’t really need to talk about it. We just need to make great music and try to make people happy playing it”…

For anyone but die-hard fans, Private Life: The Compass Point Sessions will simply be too much Grace Jones in one place. Comprised entirely of recordings she made at Compass Point Studios during the early '80s, the double-disc set features 26 tracks, including two unreleased cuts and four previously unreleased mixes of hit songs. These are unquestionably Jones' best material, mainly because she was supported by a top-notch studio band and produced by Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare. Given that talent, it's hard to go wrong, but Jones' arch, detached persona hasn't aged well. Several of these cuts work well, several seem hampered by Jones, but there's no denying that any serious fans of her work will find this necessary. Less-dedicated listeners, however, are advised to stick with Nightclubbing, which is the best album to be culled from these sessions. It's much more palatable for casual listeners.

The Cult Fronted by vocalist Ian Astbury and featuring guitarist Billy Duffy, the Cult evolved from a Gothic post-punk outfit in 1984, transforming themselves into England's leading hard rock revivalist act. Their image combined the pseudo-mysticism and Native American cultural obsessions of the Doors with the guitar orchestrations of Led Zeppelin, and the three-chord crunch of AC/DC, with blended traces of post-punk goth rock.

This set includes the never before released Original Odeon Mono German Single (0 22 671), also the duophonic and mono soundtracks, and many more rare treats! All other tracks have been carefully restored and remastered from the best possible sources - each track pitch, level, phase and drop out repaired.

This music, originally issued in Italy as Chet Sextet & Quartet and in the USA as Chet Baker in Milan, was recorded by the great trumpeter/vocalist backed by a small group of Italian players in Milan, Italy, in 1959. A complete session - also recorded in Italy - presenting Baker mostly on vocals with an orchestra conducted by Ennio Morricone (celebrated for his soundtracks to the films of Sergio Leone), and two tracks recorded in Baden Baden, Germany, have been added as a bonus.