Nicholas Maw's Odyssey is a landmark in contemporary music; at approximately 90 minutes it is one of the longest continuous examples of music written for full-orchestra and received a first, truncated, performance at the 1987 BBC Proms. It took Maw many years to complete and was later recorded to great acclaim by Sir Simon Rattle and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.

This is the most complete of the Handel overture discs available. Includes many of the most important overtures from Handel operas. 9 Opera overtures are included- Lotario, Admeto,Alcina, Orlando, Poro, Partenope, Ottone, Aridante, Il Pastor Fido, and the oratorio Esther. Unfortunately however this recording does not include one of Handel's best overtures, that of Faramondo. This is an modern instrument performance by Leppard, a conductor very familar with HIP practices. The performances are exhuberant and vital. This compilation is far superior to the Pinnock performances on Archiv where only 3 opera overtures are performed (on authentic historical instruments) (Agrippina, Teseo, Il pastor Fido) + 2 oratorio overtures (Samson, Saul) and 1 theatrical drama overture (Alceste). A must recording for any Handel collection.

The Danish group Days was formed in Copenhagen in the winter 1967/1968 by Peter Lindhe (drums), John Kjaergaard (vocals/rhythm guitar), Ole Fester (vocals/bass) and Lars Reinau (vocals/lead guitar). The band's repertoire was mainly rock and blues oriented with cover versions of songs from John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, Cream, Jimi Hendrix and The Rolling Stones. During 1968/1969, Peter Lindhe and Lars Reinau started writing original material to the band and the repertoire started changing from rock/blues cover versions to self-composed, more lyrical songs with elements of The Beatles, Procol Harum and (early) Deep Purple. In 1969, Jorn Anker (Hammond organ) joined the band and he, too started contributing new original songs to the band. The Days LP was recorded in the early summer of 1970 and in 1971 the band split up…

From the rock n' roll revolutionary responsible for hits like "Great Balls of Fire" and "Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On" comes a collection of remastered rare stereo mixes from the Sun Records archive. Jerry Lee Lewis, considered one of the last standing original rock n' roll stars when he passed away in 2022, rocks and rolls his way through multi-track takes of songs like "Money" and "Ramblin' Rose," and features his versions of hits like "What'd I Say" and "Be-Bop-a-Lula."

Given all the extracurricular projects members of Los Lobos pursued during the three years separating Colossal Head and its followup, it's not surprising that they've decided to show off what they've learned on This Time, resulting in a record that vacillates between songcraft and sonic sculptures. It could be said that Kiko and Colassal Head were like this as well, but the difference is that This Time has the structure of a straight-ahead rock & roll record, clocking in at 38 minutes with 11 short tracks. While that conciseness is welcome, it also points out the flaws in the post-Latin Playboys Los Lobos – Cesar Rosas' fine rockers are obscured by a layer of studio gauze, and David Hidalgo's songs can seem like excuses to run wild in the studio…

This November 14, 1968, session was recorded in Chicago, co-produced by Chris Strachwitz of Arhoolie Records and Willie Dixon. It's decent, though journeyman, '60s electric Chicago blues augmented by a couple of tenor saxes. Littlejohn has a pleasant voice and is a skilled guitarist, but does not have the fire or individuality that leaps from some of the musicians to whom one might compare him. Those might include figures like Buddy Guy, say, or Elmore James' more fully produced sides, or on something like "Catfish Blues," the Muddy Waters approach. Littlejohn did write most of the dozen tunes, interspersed with covers of songs by James, Dixon, Brook Benton (a refreshingly unusual choice for a mainstream '60s Chicago bluesman), and J.B. Lenoir.

Rainer Bloss (1946-2015) was a German electronic musician. He collaborated with electronic composer Klaus Schulze in the 1980s to produce several albums, including Audentity (1981), Aphrica (1984), and Drive Inn (1984). Worked as co-writer for Alphaville since mid-90s.

Although it isn't as focused or direct as After the Storm, Better Days Ahead showcases Norman Brown's growth as a musician. Brown seamlessly fuses jazz, R&B, pop, and soul together, creating a distinctive hybrid that has the technique of an accomplished jazz musician and the accessibility of pop. The songs on Better Days Ahead aren't quite as memorable as those on After the Storm, but Brown's dazzling ability on the guitar makes it worthwhile listening.

Tritonus was founded in 1972 by keyboardist, composer and producer Peter Seiler. From the beginning the plan was to make orchestral rock music and classical music should serve as the foundation of the sound. The release of the self-produced single ('The Way of Spending Time') followed in 1975 the debut album 'Tritonus' (Bellaphon) which caused quite a stir. In September 1976, with the second album 'Between The Universes' (Bellaphon) the band had found its ultimate sound. Even more than before the synthesizers determined the sound of Tritonus, the album brought Peter Seiler also the reputation of being the best German synthesizer player of this genre. The album was presented live extensively and achieved great reviews in the press…