Autumn In Hiroshima is the third part of 'The Five Atomic Seasons'. A musical journey accompanying Mr. H.T. to an old Zen Monastery where he is living for a short period of time and getting introduced to the secrets of life and death. Within this rather unemotional period he learns about the contemplative views which he has to develop within himself in contrast to the desastrous life out there everybody is confronted with in these days. Instead of giving up hope after the blasts he feels an enormous energy and change of consciousness which guides him directly to something very strange…

The Blues Magoos sound less like psychedelic visionaries than a solid garage band with a taste for the blues on their debut album, Psychedelic Lollipop, though the lysergic reference of the title certainly put them ahead of the curve in 1966, when LSD was still obscure enough to be legal in much of the United States. The album leads off with the group's first and only major hit single, "(We Ain't Got) Nothin' Yet," and unlike most albums released by one-hit wonders of the mid-'60s, the single isn't the most exciting song here. That honor goes to the Magoos' cover of J.D. Loudermilk's "Tobacco Road" (which Lenny Kaye selected for his iconic garage rock compilation Nuggets), featuring some gutsy guitar work from Mike Esposito and Emil "Peppy" Thielhelm and impressive organ swells from Ralph Scala as the tune leans into a major rave-up midway through…

In 1970, Willie Dixon released an album entitled I Am The Blues. It was a brash claim, but if anyone in blues history could stand up to this bit of bravura, Dixon was the man. Over the course of his career, he penned a suitcase full of tunes that defined Chicago blues - easily the most influential strand of the blues in the post-war era.
This 1991 live set - apparently recorded for a radio broadcast from a club in Long Beach California - finds him in fine form, backed by some younger Chicago musicians, including Carey Bell on harp and none other than Butch Dixon (a relation, of course) on piano. Dixon, who sounds like he's having a terrific time, lectures the highly appreciative crowd about the history of the blues and serves up fine versions of his classics "Built for Comfort" and "Rock Me."

Stan Getz plays with five different lineups on the recordings from 1954 and 1955 featured on Stan Getz and the Cool Sounds. The cool-toned, mellow tenor saxophonist starts off with four tracks accompanied by pianist Lou Levy, bassist Leroy Vinnegar, and drummer Shelly Manne, with the easygoing swinger "Our Love Is Here to Stay" taking top honors. Valve trombonist Bob Brookmeyer is added to the mix for two quintet selections, both of which feature pianist John Williams anchoring two different rhythm sections. The very hot "Flamingo" finds Getz and Brookmeyer alternating choruses and engaging in intricate counterpoint, while Brookmeyer's "Rustic Hop" cooks at an even higher temperature, with both players inspiring one another to the top of their respective games…

Il Balletto di Bronzo is an Italian prog band from Naples that was formed in the late sixties. The first line up featured Marco Cecioni (vocals, guitar), Michele Cupaiuolo (bass), Giancarlo Stinga (drums) and Lino Ajello (guitar). Their debut album was released in 1970 and sounds quite different from their best-known prog work "Ys", since keyboards wizard and vocalist Gianni Leone joined only in 1971 along with bassist Vito Manzari, leading the band in a completely new musical direction. On "Sirio 2222" you can find many "beat" and "psychedelic" influences while lyrics deal with the myth of "hippies way of life" on the road… The music is definitively "guitar driven" and you can listen to some "echoes" of Jimi Hendrix ("Un posto", "Girotondo"), Canned Heat ("Eh Eh Ah Ah"), Animals, Yardbirds or The Who ("Neve calda", "Ma ti aspetterò", "Ti risveglierai con me") mixed with a strong melodic flavour.

The debut international long-player by the Bee Gees may shock anyone who only remembers them for their mid- to late-'70s disco mega-hits, or their quirky early-'70s romantic balladry. Up until 1966, they'd shown a penchant for melodic songs and rich, high harmonies, in the process becoming Australia's answer to the Everly Brothers. When the Bee Gees arrived in London late in 1966, however, they proved quick studies in absorbing and assimilating the progressive pop and rock sounds around them. In one fell swoop, they became competitors with the likes of veteran rock bands such as the Hollies and the Tremeloes, and this long-player, Bee Gees' 1st, is more of a rock album than the group usually got credit for generating. Parts of it do sound very much like the Beatles circa Revolver, but there was far more to their sound than that.

Blank & Jones hit double figures with their long running SoEighties series, with the announcement of so80s 10, another three-disc compilation of extended versions of from the best decade in pop, the 1980s. The tenth edition in this series contains over 30 remixes including the near 12-minute long version of the Sisters Of Mercy This Corrosion, Pat Benatar’s Love Is A Battlefield, and Laura Branigan’s Self Control. Sade make a rare outing on a remix compilation with the extended version of Sweetest Taboo, and the Pet Shop Boys‘ Love Comes Quickly, which somehow peaked at a lowly number 19 in the UK back in the day, is included in full-length Shep Pettibone Mastermix guise.

The Blues originated in African-American communities of, primarily, the "Deep South" of the United States towards the end of the 19th century. This collection compiles 16 complete blues LPs, all of them classics, which serve as an easy introduction to the genre. Most of them were recorded between the mid-1950s and the early 1960s, when recording techniques had advanced significantly with respect to previous years. Represented here are some of the best figures of the blues world, heard on some of the finest LPs of the genre.