Borodin’s First Symphony isn’t especially interesting, but his Second is a masterpiece, tightly constructed, brilliantly orchestrated, and tunefully delightful. It’s really the only work of its period to rank with the symphonies of Tchaikovsky (along with, possibly, Balakirev’s First), and Tjeknavorian’s performance of it, indeed of all three works, is outstanding. He doesn’t fuss with or manipulate tempos or textures, preferring instead to keep the music moving energetically and allowing the musicians of the National Philharmonic to inject as much color and vitality as possible. The scherzo flashes by like lightning, the slow movement is aptly seductive, and the finale dazzles. As I suggested, the other two works are less obviously successful, but the performances are no less adept. Produced by Charles Gerhardt, we can expect fine sonics, and that’s just what RCA delivers. In this music, you won’t find better.

The blues had long been a potent undercurrent in the Birthday Party's music, so it wasn't all that surprising that Nick Cave embraced the sound and feeling of rural blues on his second album with the Bad Seeds, The Firstborn Is Dead. What was startling was how well Cave and his bandmates – Barry Adamson, Mick Harvey, and Blixa Bargeld – were able to absorb and honor the influences of artists like Skip James and Charley Patton while creating a sound that was unmistakably their own. The moody obsessions of rural blues – trains, floods, imprisonment, sin, fear, and death – seemed made to order for Cave, and he was able to tap into the doomy iconography of this music with potent emotional force; on "Tupelo," he makes a sweeping and disturbing epic of the rain-swept night when Elvis Presley was born, and "Knocking on Joe" is a tale of life on the work gang that communicates the pain of the spirit as clearly as the ache of the body.

3 CD set that encapsulates the European chart toppers hits thru the decades. Like Milli Vannilli after them, producer Frank Farian supplied the male voice while DJ/ dancer Bobby Farrell provided the face. CD1 features their 70's hits including 'Ma Baker', 'Rivers of Babylon' and more. CD2 has their 80s hits like 'Boonoonoonoos', 'We Kill the World' and others. CD3 features a selection of great 12 remixes.

The pairing of electric guitarists Bill Frisell and John Scofield had to be one of the most auspicious since John McLaughlin and Carlos Santana. Acoustic bassist Marc Johnson's stroke of genius in bringing the two together on Bass Desires resulted in a sound that demonstrated both compatibility between the guitarists and the distinctiveness of the two when heard in combination. Add drummer Peter Erskine and you had a bona fide supergroup, albeit in retrospect a short-lived one, before Frisell and Scofield would establish their own substantial careers as leaders. The guitarists revealed symmetry, spaciousness, and a soaring stance, buoyed by the simplicity of their rhythm mates. This is immediately achieved on the introductory track, "Samurai Hee-Haw," as hummable, head-swimming, and memorable a melody as there ever has been, and a definite signature sound.

Following the dissolution of his successful dance-pop duo Modern Talking, composer and producer Dieter Bohlen turned his attention to a new solo project which he dubbed Blue System; also assuming vocal chores, he debuted in 1987 with the single "Sorry Little Sarah," soon followed by the full-length Walking on a Rainbow. While early Blue System efforts like 1989's Body Heat, 1990's Obsession, 1991's Seeds of Heaven and 1992's Deja Vu were all produced with the aid of longtime collaborator Luis Rodriguez, beginning with 1994's X-Ten Bohlen took total creative control, heralding a shift away from the Eurodisco of past records to move into techno and house. Forever Blue followed a year later, but after 1996's Body to Body Bohlen officially reunited with former partner Thomas Anders to reform Modern Talking, with the duo issuing Back for Good two years later.

The Getaway gave Chris de Burgh his first charted single with "Don't Pay the Ferryman," which peaked at number 34 in 1983. A feverishly fast-paced tune, it contained vibrant keyboards and had de Burgh powerfully barking out the chorus in one of his most intense offerings. As his most spirited single up to that point, it proved that he could easily dish out a charging rock song that still harbored his enchanting brand of lyrics and mystery. Other songs carry this surging flow as well, like the flighty tempo of "The Getaway," kept together by its pop/rock stride, or the determination aching from de Burgh's voice throughout "Ship to Shore," which proves he can muster up some energy with barely any effort.

Jerzy Antczak (as Georgius) made his career with Polish prog group Albion and kicked it up a notch with his first solo album "Ego, Georgius" released in 2014. This stellar opus was unanimously well received by the prog community, earning very high marks indeed and should have been album of the year in 2014. The critical praise was well deserved as the album was a total gem of atmospheric and modern prog, expertly created and performed by a tight crew of friends and colleagues. Jerzy's guitar mastery is never in doubt, a fluid and inspired conveyance of axe magic, but his use of synthesizers for maximum effect needs also to be admired.