Michael Jackson's double-disc HIStory: Past, Present, and Future, Book I is a monumental achievement of ego. Titled "HIStory Begins," the first disc is a collection of his post-Motown hits, featuring some of the greatest music in pop history, including "Billie Jean," "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough," "Beat It," and "Rock with You." It leaves some hits out – including the number ones "Say Say Say" and "Dirty Diana" – yet it's filled with enough prime material to be thoroughly intoxicating. That can't be said for the second disc, called "HIStory Continues" and consisting entirely of new material – which also happens to be the first material he released since being accused of child molestation. "HIStory Continues" is easily the most personal album Jackson has recorded.

The Faces' third album, A Nod Is as Good as a Wink…to a Blind Horse, finally gave the group their long-awaited hit single in "Stay with Me," helping send the album into the Billboard Top Ten, which is certainly a testament to both the song and the album, but it's hard to separate its success from that of Rod Stewart's sudden solo stardom. In the mere months that separated Long Player and A Nod, Rod had a phenomenal hit with "Maggie May" and Every Picture Tells a Story, his third solo album, something that would soon irreparably damage the band, but at the time it was mere good fortune, helping bring them some collateral success that they deserved.

Shamus O’Brien is set against the Irish rebellion of 1798, and tells the story of the charismatic Shamus O’Brien, hunted by the English so he can be brought to justice – but will he manage to escape? The opera was so successful that Stanford feared it would incite anti-English sentiment and he withdrew it, but, revived after his death, its mix of pathos, drama, and melodies proved irresistible. Sir Charles Villiers Stanford was a prolific composer, and his church music, in particular, is regularly played and sung.

Johann Melchior Molter is a composer well-known among enthusiasts of music for winds, but generally his output is performed on modern instruments. Extensive research in the field of historically informed performance practice theoretically allows for the faithful reconstruction of the original sound of this music, but there exist only very few trumpetists today who are able to play on the required natural, valveless instruments. Jean-François Madeuf is one of these, extracting a warm, noble sound which make these concertos a very pleasurable listening experience.

To call the Comte de St Germain (ca 1710-1784) - by the way only one of his numerous names - a "dazzling character" does not even begin to capture the life, work and barely comprehensible person! The recording on COVIELLO deals here with the violinist and composer (undoubtedly one of his more serious biographical facets) and combines his violin sonatas published by John Walsh in London in 1750 and 1758 respectively with music by another composing violinist, Giuseppe Tartini (1692-1770), whose life is also shrouded in legend.

The recording sessions for the Byrds' fifth album, The Notorious Byrd Brothers, were conducted in the midst of internal turmoil that found them reduced to a duo by the time the record was completed. That wasn't evident from listening to the results, which showed the group continuing to expand the parameters of their eclecticism while retaining their hallmark guitar jangle and harmonies. With assistance from producer Gary Usher, they took more chances in the studio, enhancing the spacy quality of tracks like "Natural Harmony" and Goffin & King's "Wasn't Born to Follow" with electronic phasing. Washes of Moog synthesizer formed the eerie backdrop for "Space Odyssey," and the songs were craftily and unobtrusively linked with segues and fades…

After they went “Inside The Machine”, reaped the “Dead Harvest”, survived the “Garden Of Death”, and got injected with “Needles Of Rust”, This Ending are ready to become “Crowned In Blood”. Three years have passed, since the band released their album “Needles Of Rust” and the world is a different one now. In these days, people might scream even more for a strong dose of (melodic) death metal to channel all the negativity out there. This Ending took their time to write a strong album that combines all strengths of the Swedish five piece that arose from the ashes of A Canorous Quintet in 2006. The title track starts with a somewhat unsettling intro before the guitars take the listener into a thrashy verse that leads into an anthemic chorus…