Like most compilations from his old group the Stranglers, Hugh Cornwell's first solo collection subscribes to the "leave them wanting more" theory, as it whets the appetite instead of fully satisfying. If this was the be-all, end-all when it comes to Hugh's first six solo albums, then cuts like "Picked Up by the Wind" and "Black Hair Black Eyes Black Suit" would be included, but brevity is the thing here, and this tight, no-filler track list packs quite the punch, and that's hard to argue against. New song "Live It and Breathe It" lives up to the other numbers here – as opposed to when the Stranglers would screw up comps with throwaways like a cover of "96 Tears" – and the black humor of the old days is back with the cover art that features Hugh's well-done plus well-revered solo albums, along with a sledgehammer that says "F*ck it all!"

Les Illuminations was premiered by Sophie Wyss in 1939, but, as with much of Britten's work, has been colonised since by tenors. Here, it is a joy to hear Felicity Lott singing a soprano version. Her voice is in the full bloom of youth, and she sings with a thrilling freshness and verve, entirely in keeping with the mood of excitement. There are many delicious moments – how wittily she confides "Des drôles trés solides" in Parade, and explodes with an ecstatic "J'ai seul la clef de cette parade sauvage !" echoing the sole phrase in the opening fanfare, but with a completely different tone. When the same phrase appears again, in Interlude, she sings it in yet another way, echoing the instrumental colouring around it.

Kilroy Was Here is the eleventh studio album by the rock band Styx, released on February 22, 1983. The album is named after a famous World War II graffito, 'Kilroy was here'. It was the final album of original material to be released by the "classic" lineup of Dennis DeYoung, Tommy Shaw, James "J.Y." Young, John Panozzo, and Chuck Panozzo. The album is certified platinum. As of 2018, it is the last studio album by the band to be certified platinum.

For its fourth album, Big Country made two changes seemingly intended to bolster its fortunes in America – switching from Mercury Records to Reprise and enlisting hot producer Peter Wolf. The bagpipe guitar sound was de-emphasized, along with the political lyrics, and Wolf treated singer Stuart Adamson as he had Starship singer Mickey Thomas, adding echo and backup harmonies to beef him up. On songs like the lead-off single "King Of Emotion" (Top 20 in Britain, non-charting in the U.S.), Wolf sought to retain Big Country's heroic quality while adding the widescreen dramatic style and cheerleader choral approach of Starship's "We Built This City." It was a brave try, but didn't really suit the group, making Peace In Our Time Big Country's least representative and least interesting album. (Nevertheless, the title track made the U.K. Top 40, and "Broken Heart [Thirteen Valleys]" also charted.)

Classic Varids album - Vigilante - now available on CD ! Following their third album - Quo Varids - the band returned in 1986 with the stripped down, balls to the wall, Vigilante. Before this album Alan Selway left the group and was replaced by Terry Horbury, who after playing with Dirty Tricks, Ozzy Osbourne and McKitty in the 70's, had short stints with Winner and Strategy before joining Vardis. "Vigilante" was a vicious indictment of industry use and abuse of original artists. This album highlights the fantastic guitar work of Steve Zodiac, who in 1982 was placed in the top 15 Rock guitarists by Sounds Magazine.

Nö Sleep at All is the third live album by the band Motörhead, released 15 October 1988, on the GWR label, their only live album and last release with the label as legal matters continued between the parties…

Besides having a flourishing career as a composer, Steffen Schleiermacher has made a name for himself as a pianist and conductor, focusing on new music. This MDG release features three very early works by Philip Glass from 1968 and 1969, Music in Similar Motion, How Now, and Music in Fifths. The works are stylistically closely related and come from a point in the composer's career when he was exploring the use of repetitive structures varied through additive and subtractive processes. Their tonality, limited pitch material, and constant rhythmic patterns gave rise to the popular misconception that Glass' music is about nothing but repetition. Attentive listening (or any real listening at all) reveals that there is a great deal more going on, and that in spite of the simplicity of the material, Glass' radical techniques could produce music of considerable subtlety and seriousness of intent, as well as having a surface that, for certain audiences, was compelling and immensely appealing.

The departure of Ronnie James Dio gave Ritchie Blackmore a chance to reinvent Rainbow, which he does to a certain extent on Down to Earth. Adding former Deep Purple colleague Roger Glover as bassist and Graham Bonnet as vocalist, Blackmore tones down some of the excess of the Dio years, particularly in terms of fantastical lyrics, and turns to straight-ahead hard rock, only occasionally adorned by prominent synthesizers. In general, their material is fairly solid, and "Since You Been Gone" easily ranks among the band's best songs, but overall the record is a little generic and sounds very much of its time – namely, the late '70s, when album rock still ruled the arenas.

Twenty-eight years after the band's inception, Deep Purple venture into the most adventurous album of their storied career. With guitar virtuoso Steve Morse, of ex-Dixie Dregs and Kansas fame, replacing the legendary Ritchie Blackmore (his second departure from the band), fans get the breadth of Morse's influences…