This 2-CD set features brand new recordings by the Hollywood Blue Flames featuring 2005-06 Blues Music Award Nominee Kirk "Eli" Fletcher on guitar, a special guest appearance by Kim Wilson (Fabulous Thunderbirds) on harp, plus 3 bonus tracks with West Coast guitarist Junior Watson. The 2nd disc includes never before issued live recordings of the original Hollywood Fats Band from '79-'80 featuring blues legends Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson and Roy Brown, plus a rare vocal performance by the one and only Michael "Hollywood Fats" Mann on the song "Nasty Boogie Woogie"! The Blue Flames' previous recording was nominated in the 2006 Blues Music Awards (formerly the W.C. Handy's) for "Comeback Album of the Year."

Their Warner Classics debut makes clear that Christina & Michelle Naughton show great imagination in their programming: Messiaen's mystical and epic Visions de l'Amen, composed during World War II, appears alongside John Adams' boisterous and percussive Hallelujah Junction, inspired by a truck stop on the border of Nevada and California. The CD is completed with J.S. Bach's serenely moving Gotttes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit, BWV 106, in an arrangement by the contemporary Hungarian composer Gyorgy Kurtag.

After creating a marvelous electronic debut, Glenn Gregory, Ian Marsh, and Martyn Ware decided to tamper with their winning formula a bit on Heaven 17's 1983 follow-up to Penthouse and Pavement. The result, which added piano, strings, and Earth, Wind, & Fire's horn section to the band's cool synthesizer pulse, was even better, and The Luxury Gap became one of the seminal albums of the British new wave. The best-known track remains "Let Me Go," a club hit that features Gregory's moody, dramatic lead above a percolating vocal and synth arrangement. But even better is the mechanized Motown of "Temptation," a deservedly huge British smash that got a shot of genuine soul from R&B singer Carol Kenyon.

Vincebus Eruptum (Latin: Blue Cheer) is the debut studio album by American rock band Blue Cheer. Released on January 16, 1968, the album features a heavy-thunderous blues sound, which would later be known as heavy metal. It also contains elements of acid rock, grunge, experimental rock, blues rock, stoner rock, and garage rock. A commercial and critical success, Vincebus Eruptum peaked at number 11 on the Billboard 200 albums chart and spawned the top-20 hit cover of Eddie Cochran's "Summertime Blues". Being an example of hard rock, it is also lauded as one of the first heavy metal albums.

In September 2022 Willie Nile and his band played a concert at Daryl's House Club in Upstate NY. They had just completed a multi-city tour with a dozen shows under their belts, so the band was well-oiled, in the groove, and on fire that night. Recorded by the venues head engineer Peter Moshay, upon playback Willie looked for another pair of socks because his were blown off. That said, "Live At Daryl's House Club" shows the band in all it's power, ragged beauty and glory. This album captures them at their very best, and covers a wide range of songs from Nile's career. Johnny Pisano, bass/backing vocals; Jimi K. Bones, lead guitar/ backing vocals; Jon Weber, drums; and Willie plays guitar, piano and sings. The recordings were mixed and mastered by Dave Darlington at Bass Hit Recordings in NYC.

Alan Curtis continues his exemplary series of Handel operas for Archiv with Ezio, a 1732 work that has received few modern productions. Its initial limited success and failure to generate much interest until the late twentieth century may have to do with its length (over three hours), its preponderance of recitatives, and the composer's reluctance to use the voices together in ensembles, so that the entire opera, until the final chorus, consists of solo singing. Handel's gift for astute psychological insight and distinctive musical characterization is evident throughout the score, and the recitatives, which are necessary for explicating Metastasio's convoluted plot, are not a problem when they are performed with as much vivid dramatic realism as they are here.

There are signs of a much overdue, and very welcome, Parry revival. Apart from Blest Pair of Sirens, little of Parry's choral music has been performed—or recorded—in recent years. His star was to a large degree eclipsed by that of his slightly younger contemporary Elgar at the end of his lifetime, but there's no doubt that the latter was strongly influenced by Parry's music, especially when it came to writing his oratorios, as this recording well shows. Parry's Job, written in 1892, pre-dates all of Elgar's oratorios and it is easy to detect its influence in, for instance, The Dream of Gerontius, written ten years later.

The Concerti Grossi Opus 3 by George Frideric Handel are probably the most famous and most frequently performed work of the composer. And although these pieces are so often presented, the ensemble Silete Venti! conducted by Corrado Rovaris, develope from the six Concerti something unique thanx to their Italian heritage.

While there are many excellent things in Pieter Dirksen's performance of J.S. Bach's Goldberg Variations, BWV 988, listeners need to accept one characteristic that is apparent from the beginning of this recording: Dirksen takes the Goldbergs at a steady and deliberate pace. This is not to say he doesn't play some of the variations at a moderately fast tempo, but it's difficult to call his playing quick, and it is never virtuosic or showy. A Bach scholar with deep insights, he takes his time to address every possibility for ornamentation, observe every repeat, give every phrase its full length, and make the music reveal as much as possible.

During her years with Fleetwood Mac, Christine McVie only recorded one album. It was released in 1984, after Mirage had run its course and the band was taking an extended break. Given its release date, it's not surprising that Christine McVie sounds like it could have been recorded during the Mirage sessions – it's a collection of soft rock/pop and ballads that are pleasantly melodic and ingratiating. Only a handful of cuts, such as the wonderfully catchy, lightly bouncy hit single "Got a Hold on Me," work their way into the memory, but nothing on Christine McVie is anything less than agreeable. The record simply suffers from a rather predictable fate – it's a little too sweet and laid-back to be consumed in one sitting, and its best songs would have sounded even better if they were balanced by Lindsey Buckingham's insular, paranoid pop genius and Stevie Nicks' hippie-folk mysticism.

UK two CD set that tells a twin story of Tango. On the one hand, performers of the classic form including Carlos Gardél who died in 1935 but is still "singing better every day"; and on the other, those of the radical Astor Piazzolla, the rebel who returned. But even rebels can become regents and today it is all Tango: passionate, proud, elegant and magnificently seductive. Welcome to it's world. Metro Select. 2011.

Suss'd's overhaul of the Salsoul catalog results in another necessary release. Here, First Choice gets double-disc treatment that provides both the single edits and well-known extended mixes of the biggest hits, including "Doctor Love" (present on the second disc in the form of a Tom Moulton mix), "Let No Man Put Asunder" (the Shep Pettibone mix is included), and "Love Thang" (overhauled by the late, great Tee Scott). It wouldn't be possible to release a better compilation of the group's Salsoul years, though the set has the disadvantage of not being able to cover their earlier years, when they were releasing gorgeous singles like "Armed and Extremely Dangerous," "Smarty Pants," "The Player," and "Guilty."

Danish roots-rock sensation Thorbjorn Risager & The Black Tornado are back with their brand new album of high energy swamp rock, smouldering ballads and cinematic blues-rock on House of Sticks, which will be released via Provogue / Mascot Label Group. Their much-anticipated new album offers a fresh, modern take on the blues, channelling the vibes of contemporary giants like The Black Keys and My Baby or a modern JJ Cale take while staying true to the band's deep blues roots. The award winning Danes have already released the pulsating groove of "Long Time Ago," which sees Risager's soulful vocals swoon around the swampy, raw energy that has become synonymous with The Black Tornado's sound.

Reissue of original 1979 Album with Track 8: Bonus track (Previously Unreleased). Recorded and Mixed at A&M Recording Studios, Hollywood. All tracks (P) 1979 A&M Records. Special "Show Business" thanks to: Herb Alpert, Randy Badazz & Andy Armer. Paulinho Da Costa appears courtesy of Pablo Records. Stephanie Spruill appears courtesy of Arista Records. Photos by Photofest.

"A selection of rare, classic and collectable Funk, Latin, Disco and Jazz that filled the floor of this legendary Soho nightspot, defined a generation and influenced the world." "The Wag is the dog's bow-wow. Back in the 80's when I toured the UK I was introduced to the Wag and it became my fave hang. The joint had style and substance." - David Bowie "I brought my new wife Patty to London to see the sights. Number one was The Houses of Parliament, number two was Westminster Cathedral and number three was the Wag Club." - Keith Richards "I love The Wag. Why aren't there more clubs like it? Always cutting edge." - Joe Strummer For the first time ever, the musical legacy of feted London nightclub and 'haven for misfits' The Wag is explored over 4 discs with a selection of remastered rare, classic and collectible funk, Latin, disco, hip hop and jazz that filled the floor. Released on via Harmless records and curated by Chris Sullivan - a musician, journalist and most importantly, the Wag's founder, director, promoter, designer and booker for its entire run of 18 years. Music explored on this box set covers a period from the Wag's inception in 1983 to 1987, and although the club was an integral early proponent in the acid house explosion and continued to support electronic music until its close in 2001. Featuring sleeve notes from Chris Sullivan, this is a must have set for fans of the scene.