After releasing a pair of fine albums for Arista, Willie Nile signed a deal with Geffen Records in 1982, but a dispute with the label put Nile's recording career in limbo, and he ended up not making an album until he struck a deal with Columbia and released Places I Have Never Been in 1991. While in many respects Nile's debut was the purest expression of his music, Places I Have Never Been is where he really nailed the elements of record making; unlike the lean, stark textures of Willie Nile or the overcooked bombast of Golden Down, Places I Have Never Been boasts a sound and an approach that really flatter Nile's songs, and it's certainly his most eclectic and musically adventurous major-label set. T-Bone Wolk and Stewart Lerman produced the album with Nile, and though there's a bit more polish on these tracks than they really need, the team also matched up Nile with some stellar studio players (as well as some Grade-A guest stars, among them Roger McGuinn and Richard Thompson), and they fill out Nile's arrangements with a lot more finesse than on his previous sets.

Rare Recordings From The Dawn Of Cream s Short But Dynamic Career A vital power trio and probably the first ever supergroup, in a career lasting little more than two years Cream sold over 15 million albums and had a number of Top 20 singles to boot. This compilation features the recordings that have come to be known as the lost BBC Sessions - sessions recorded for and broadcast by the Beeb, but not previously released - alongside a broadcast recording made in Stockholm in 1967, as the band performed at the Swedish capital s Konserthusert (Stockholm Concert Hall). Certain to prove a delight for fans of Cream, this release is the holy grail for collectors of this timeless act.

When South Africa was still suffering under the apartheid system in the 1980s, Johnny Clegg & Savuka was the last thing apartheid supporters wanted in a pop group. Their lyrics were often vehemently anti-apartheid, and apartheid supporters hated the fact that a half-black, half-white outfit out of South Africa was integrated and proud of it. Released in the U.S. at the end of the 1980s, Cruel, Crazy, Beautiful World is among the many rewarding albums the band has recorded. Sting and the Police are a definite influence on Clegg & Savuka, who have absorbed everything from various African pop styles to Western pop, funk, rock, and reggae. The lyrics are consistently substantial and frequently sociopolitical – "Bombs Away" addresses the violence of the apartheid regime, while "Warsaw 1943" reflects on the horrors Eastern Europe experienced at the hands of both communists and fascists during World War II. Clegg and company enjoyed a passionate following at the time, and this fine CD proves that it was well deserved.

STUNNING 1984 BROADCAST BY LINDA RONSTADT WITH THE NELSON RIDDLE ORCHESTRA Having released over 30 studio albums and 15 compilations to date, and charted 38 Billboard Hot 100 singles, with 21 reaching the top 40, 10 in the top 10, three at number 2, and one chart topper, Linda Ronstadt remains among the most successful American performers of all time, having sold over 100 million records in her lengthy career. In 1983, wishing to diversify, Ronstadt had enlisted the help of 62-year-old orchestral band-leader and conductor, Nelson Riddle. The two embarked on an unorthodox and original approach to rehabilitating the Great American Songbook , recording a trilogy of traditional pop albums: What's New (1983) Lush Life (1984) and For Sentimental Reasons (1986), cumulatively sold almost seven million copies in the US alone. Following the release of What s New, Linda, with Riddle and his band in tow, put on a number of concerts in the US, showcasing the first two albums of the trilogy, and on March 9th 1984, at Santa Barbara s Arlington Theater, they performed a stunning set which was broadcast across FM radio along the West Coast. One of the finest performances of the short tour, this previously unreleased recording is now available in its entirety on this CD for the first time.

On the morning of April 25 1962, directly after the conclusion of his final Freewheelin' Bob Dylan album session, Bob journeyed to Chicago for a live club appearance and a radio interview. The gig, on the evening of the same day, was at a newly opened club called The Bear, in which manager Albert Grossman was a partner. But the primary reason for the 700-mile excursion west was for Dylan to appear on a radio show the following evening, hosted by the extraordinary Studs Terkel. Capturing the entire broadcast, during which Dylan is questioned and discusses with Studs his thoughts and ideas behind both the songs he performs and others he had written by this juncture, this CD contains a legendary event during which a 21 year old Bob Dylan also performs full acoustic versions of 7 self penned numbers. Across just over an hour of airtime, Studs and Bob chat like old friends as Dylan is prompted towards playing certain tracks from his then fairly slim body of work, but comes up trumps by pulling songs not just from his imminent second record, but including one from the album after that and showcasing 3 songs that wouldn't see the light of day on record until the 1990s. Serving both as a historic document of a little known event in the career of a true musical icon, but also as a wholly enjoyable listening experience that stands up to numerous repeat listens.

Early Broadcast From A Newly Formed ELP In 1971 Keith Emerson and Greg Lake first met in December 1969 when Emerson's band, The Nice, and Lake's band, King Crimson, were billed together for a series of concerts at the Fillmore West in San Francisco. Emerson was looking to form a new group, and Lake wanted to leave King Crimson. During a sound check before one of the shows, Emerson described the first time he and Lake played together: "Greg was moving a bass line and I played the piano behind, and Zap! It was there. Auditions for a drummer led to the inclusion of former Atomic Rooster and Crazy World Of Arthur Brown sticks-man Carl Palmer, following which the new group settled on Emerson, Lake & Palmer or ELP as their moniker. ELP s debut album, recorded in 1970 with Lake producing, was issued in November the same year in the UK, and in January 1971 in the US. From September 1970 to June 1971, the band completed their first concert tour with shows across the UK, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. On 3rd June, the group performed an extraordinary show at Dusseldorf s Philipshalle, which was recorded for live radio and TV transmission. Concentrating largely on their debut (despite their sophomore album having already been released by this time) alongside a few choice rarities and some superb classical interpretations. Available here on CD for the first time, this superb concert illustrates just how fully formed ELP were, even at this early stage in their illustrious career.

What the world needs more of is intelligently planned, stupendously played, and brilliantly recorded collections like this one. These two discs contain all the piano works of Michael Tippett, works that come from every period of the composer's very long life except his very last. It includes the youthful, tuneful Piano Sonata No. 1 written between 1936 and 1938 and revised in 1941, the massive Fantasia on a Theme of Handel from 1941, the exuberant Piano Concerto from 1955, the experimental Piano Sonata No. 2, the gnomic almost Beethovenian Piano Sonata No. 3 from 1973, and the gnarly post-Beethovenian Piano Sonata No. 4. It features a bravura performance by pianist Steven Osborne that makes the best case for all the music, no matter how outré or recherché its harmonic proclivities or rhythmic audacities.

Steeltown is the second studio album by Scottish band Big Country. The album was recorded at ABBA's Polar Studios in Stockholm with Steve Lillywhite producing. It was released on 19 October 1984, in the UK and 29 October 1984, in the United States. Steeltown is the band's only UK number 1 album, topping the chart for 1 week in October 1984. The title track Steeltown was written about the town of Corby, telling how many Scots went to work at the Stewarts & Lloyds steelworks when it opened in 1935, at the height of the Great Depression, but later found themselves unemployed when the steelworks declined in the early 1980s. The 1996 reissue contains all of the B-sides from the album's single releases as well as the extended version of "Wonderland".

Among his contemporary countrymen, the Russian Alexander Mosolov certainly underwent one of the most individual developments. However unknown most of his compositions have remained both in the Soviet Union and abroad, a single piece has ensured that his name has stayed lastingly present the Iron Foundry from the ballet 'Steel' (1926/27). It clearly ran contrary to the demands of 'Socialist Realism' gradually becoming established in the post-revolutionary Soviet Union and finally declared the official dogma by the authorities in 1932. Whereas the state demanded a kind of music that was easy to receive and could be directly accepted by broad sections of the population, some young composers saw themselves facing the challenge of keeping pace with the international avant-garde and adding a separate Russian and Soviet form.

By now, It's pretty safe to say that Karen Souza is the great new voice of today's Jazz. After the success of her previous albums "Essentials" and "Hotel Souza", Karen presents now "Essentials II", a carefully selected collection of hit songs from all eras; in exquisite Jazz versions where her unique voice draws us into her intimate and sensual world. This time, the album's production has been helmed by legendary producer and entrepreneur Richard Gottehrer, famous for his work (and guiding the careers) with artists such as Blondie, The Go-Go's, Dr. Feelgood, Richard Hell and The Bongos to name just a few. Recorded at the The Orchard Studios in NYC, 'Essentials II' will allow you to hear Karen's voice like never before.

2010 Grammy Finalist: New Age Category. "Sacred Journey of Ku-Kai Vol. 4" is the fourth in a series of a collection of works and peace-themed albums inspired by the classic Buddhist pilgrimage to the 88 sacred temples on Japan's remote Shikoku Island. A journey taken by the beloved Buddist monk Ku-Kai over a millennium ago, via the music contained in "Sacred Journey of Ku-Kai Volume 4", Kitaro continues to explore uncharted waters with his magnificently expansive vision and ever-questing spirit. Through his ongoing inspirational musical message of Peace and Love Kitaro enjoys transporting his fans to the four corners of the globe, shining the spotlight of his musical message on audiences as he inspires fans from around the globe to unite as one.

Who's Next is the fifth studio album by English rock band The Who, released on 14 August 1971. Its origins lie in an abortive multi-media rock opera written by chief songwriter Pete Townshend called Lifehouse. The album was commercially and critically successful, and became the only one by the group to top the UK charts. The album was an immediate success when it was released, and has been certified 3× platinum by the RIAA. It continues to be critically acclaimed, including being cited by Time magazine as one of the best 100 albums of all time, and has been reissued on CD several times with additional material intended for Lifehouse. The cover artwork, featuring the group members having urinated against a monolith found on a slag heap, has also achieved critical recognition and was listed as one of VH1's greatest album covers of all time.

Gaerea are no longer strictly black metal. Though once again produced by their trusted confidant Miguel Tereso, their fourth album broadens their signature sound by taking it in two seemingly opposed directions. There are more moments of intense beauty on Coma, but they only heighten the ensuing blows. “Hope Shatters” collapses under its blistering heaviness, the melody hangs perilously in the air, like a swaying chandelier, before it’s smashed to piece by hammering bass and concussive beats. "Welcome to the urban abyss", their unnamed vocalist pronounces. "Where dreams turn to rust". With Coma, Gaerea surface to the top of extreme metal.

Record Store Day Black Friday 2024 release. Recorded live in Los Angeles, CA, August 14 2000 outside the Democratic National Convention.

A Woman a Man Walked By arrived just a year and a half after PJ Harvey's equally difficult and brilliant White Chalk. That alone makes it notable, since the last time she released albums in such quick succession was the early to mid-'90s, around the same time of her last songwriting collaboration with John Parish, Dance Hall at Louse Point. That album's unbridled experiments provided a sharp contrast to the subversive polish of its predecessor, To Bring You My Love; while A Woman a Man Walked By isn't quite as overt an about-face from White Chalk, the difference is still distinct. Here, Harvey and Parish (who played on and co-produced White Chalk) trade sublime, sustained eeriness for freewheeling vignettes that cover a wider range of sounds and moods than her music has in years.