The Works is the eleventh studio album by the British rock band Queen, released on 27 February 1984 by EMI Records in the United Kingdom and by Capitol Records in the United States. After the synth-heavy Hot Space (1982), the album saw the re-emergence of Brian May and Roger Taylor's rock sound, while still incorporating the early 80s retro futuristic electronic music (Freddie Mercury) and New York funk scenes (John Deacon). Recorded at the Record Plant Studios in Los Angeles, California and Musicland Studios in Munich, Germany from August 1983 to January 1984, the album's title comes from a comment Taylor made as recording began – "Let's give them the works!" During the decade, after a conservative reaction against and ban of the music video for "I Want to Break Free" in the United States, the band decided not to tour in North America and lost the top spot in U.S. sales, but sales around the world (especially Europe) would be even better. The Works has sold over 5 million copies worldwide.

Things To Come (1974). Esoteric Recordings are pleased to announce the release of a new re-mastered and expanded edition of the album Things To Come by Seventh Wave. Released in 1974 by Gull Records, Things To Come was the brainchild of musicians Ken Elliott and Kieran O'Connor (previously with the pioneering group Second Hand).
The conceptual album was recorded at Chalk Farm Studios in London and was the result of many hours of meticulous overdubbing, with Ken Elliott playing an arsenal of keyboards and utilising the latest synthesiser technology of the day (in addition to providing vocals), whilst Kieran O’Connor played a multitude of percussion.
The finished work was truly ground-breaking and in hindsight was very much ahead of its time, proving inspirational to a new generation of musicians…

Featuring compositions and arrangements by film composer and jazz buff Michel Legrand, Stan Getz's Communications '72 is one in a long line of strings-and-voices albums the tenor saxophonist recorded. Starting with a Gunther Schuller-arranged session from 1955, Getz produced some impressive work in this context, with the incredible Eddie Sauter collaboration Focus standing out in particular. And even in the midst of some not-so-incredible backing on a few sets, Getz always comes up with impeccable solo statements. For his part, Legrand strikes an expert balance here among jazz combo, strings, and chorus, but the frenetic Swingle Singers-style choral parts don't always come off. While overpowering Getz on the otherwise lovely "Redemption," the vocal interjections sound too overarching in their mix of avant-garde and straightforward phrasing on "Outhouse Blues" and "Bonjour Tristesse"…

Low Budget doesn't have a narrative like Preservation or Soap Opera, but Ray Davies cleverly designed the album as a sly satire of the recession and oil crisis that gripped America in the late '70s - thereby satisfying his need to be a wry social commentator while giving American audiences a hook to identify with. It was a clever move that worked; not only did Low Budget become their highest-charting American album (not counting the 1966 Greatest Hits compilation), but it was also a fine set of arena rock, one of the better mainstream hard rock albums of its time. And it certainly was of its time - so much so that many of the concerns and production techniques have dated quite a bit in the decades since its initial release. Nevertheless, that gives the album a certain charm, since it now plays like a time capsule, a snapshot of what hard rock sounded like at the close of the '70s…

Bruce Springsteen's make-or-break third album represented a sonic leap from his first two, which had been made for modest sums at a suburban studio; Born to Run was cut on a superstar budget, mostly at the Record Plant in New York. Springsteen's backup band had changed, with his two virtuoso players, keyboardist David Sancious and drummer Vini Lopez, replaced by the professional but less flashy Roy Bittan and Max Weinberg. The result was a full, highly produced sound that contained elements of Phil Spector's melodramatic work of the 1960s. Layers of guitar, layers of echo on the vocals, lots of keyboards, thunderous drums – Born to Run had a big sound, and Springsteen wrote big songs to match it.

This sophomore disc from the Chicago multi-instrumentalist (but mainly harpist/vocalist) Lester Davenport follows his solo debut by a whopping 11 years. Although it's impossible to justify the wait, this is a terrific West Side Chicago blues album, confirming he's an under-recognized and way under-recorded musician. Guitarist Jimmy Dawkins (who also produced) adds more authenticity to this rugged album, one that could have been recorded for Chess in the '60s. Well, except for a rollicking instrumental entitled "To Our Lost Ones 9/11/01," and even that ignores its contemporary title, capturing the spirit of Little Walter's glory days. Piano duties are shared equally by Detroit Junior (on tracks 1-7) and Allen Batts (on 8-13). Both play with remarkable restraint, as does the entire band…

The City of Derby is inextricably rich in railway history - it was Midland Railway's headquarters after all. Not exactly 'Grand Music Central', yet Saturday, 8 April 1995 saw 29 year-old Andy Pickford launching his new 'contemporary instrumental electronic music' album, "Maelstrom", with an ambitious concert at Derby Cathedral. This event was well attended by over 400 people.
Pickford himself cites as artistic influences artists such as Tangerine Dream, Jean-Michel Jarre, Vangelis, The Orb, Boards of Canada, and various progressive rock bands. Pickford's compositions do have inspirational, passionate chord progressions that are reminiscent of the Greek musician Vangelis, who is best known for "Chariots of Fire." "Maelstrom"'s tracks also share much with the dreamy, early ambient work of The Orb…