Soundcheck is the sixteenth solo album by legendary rock guitarist Leslie West. Leslie West first gained worldwide recognition in 1969 as the guitarist and singer in the groundbreaking rock band Mountain. West's wholly unique sound, distinguished by beautifully melodic phrasing, his slow, wide vibrato, and a crushing guitar tone set the standard in the late sixties and early seventies for blues-rock guitar playing of the highest order. Leslie lays down some of his most inspired musical magic to date with the assistance of true rock royalty: the renown British guitarist Peter Frampton and Brian may, ex-Jeff Beck keyboard virtuoso Max Middleton, vocalist extraordinaire Bonnie Bramlett and the late great Cream bassist and longtime friend of Leslie's, Jack Bruce. Soundcheck is co-produced and engineered by West's collaborator Mike 'Meta' Goldberg, who he shared 'helped me get my sound down on 'tape' as they use to say, and did an amazing job as he always does.'

Released in 1978, just as the hot streak starting with 1975's Fighting and running through 1977's Bad Reputation came to an end, Live and Dangerous was a glorious way to celebrate Thin Lizzy's glory days and one of the best double live LPs of the 70s. Of course, this, like a lot of double-lives of that decade – Kiss' Alive! immediately springs to mind – isn't strictly live; it was overdubbed and colored in the studio (the very presence of studio whiz Tony Visconti as producer should have been an indication that some corrective steering may have been afoot). But even if there was some tweaking in the studio, Live and Dangerous feels live, containing more energy and power than the original LPs, which were already dynamic in their own right. It's this energy, combined with the expert song selection, that makes Live and Dangerous a true live classic.

The Very Best of Chris Rea is the third compilation album by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released in 2001. The last track "Saudade" was originally written and recorded in 1994 as a tribute to the formula 1 racing driver Ayrton Senna who died in a crash at Imola on 1 May that year. The word Saudade in Portuguese language roughly means the feeling, emotions and euphoria of a certain moment in time. It reached #69 position in UK album charts, and was certified Gold in 2004.

Tyranny and Mutation was the second album by the American hard rock band Blue Öyster Cult, released on February 11, 1973. The album was recorded from songs written while touring in support of their eponymous debut album. Blue Öyster Cult continued to develop their style of "intelligent heavy metal" on this record. Tyranny and Mutation has been widely praised, and often considered as being one of the band's best albums. The Rolling Stone Album Guide has described the album as "one molten hook after another" and praised the four-song "opening suite" comprising the first side of the album.

A superb unreleased live concert performance from 1981 by hard rock legends, Rainbow featuring guitar god Ritchie Blackmore! Incredible audio quality captures the vibrant energy and emotion pouring through the band as they offer up scorching versions of Man On The Silver Mountain, Long Live Rock N Roll and the epic Smoke On The Water! Recorded Live At The Orpheum Theatre - Boston, MA On May 7, 1981.

Over the course of a decade, Bang on a Can founding composer Michael Gordon has collaborated with the world-renowned Kronos Quartet on a series of provocative works that have sought to stretch, bend and otherwise reshape the boundaries of modern classical music. Clouded Yellow assembles these works for the first time, perfectly encapsulating the breadth and complexity of this long-standing creative partnership. Clouded Yellow features four pieces written for Kronos by Gordon: the title track (composed in 2010), Exalted (2010), The Sad Park (2006) and Potassium (2000). The title of the first refers to the clouded yellow butterfly, which is known in England for its mass migrations; the word 'clouded' is also meant to describe the blurred harmonies and melodies of the piece. 'Potassium' is for amplified string quartet and electronics, with a fuzz box used throughout to lend a mysterious distortion to the sound. 'The Sad Park' is accompanied by recordings of children ages 3 to 4 and their responses to the tragic events of 9/11. 'Exalted', which also features the Young People's Chorus of New York City conducted by Francisco J. Núñez, sets the opening of the Jewish Kaddish in Aramaic, connecting the choral voices of mourning to those of the children in 'The Sad Park'.

Leopold Kozeluch enjoyed such an outstanding reputation already in 1781 that he received an offer from the Archbishop of Salzburg to succeed Mozart as court organist. Kozeluch's piano trios must have been very popular since more than sixty of them appeared in print from 1781 to 1810. The three trios presented here were published in 1798/99 and had been preceded by forty other such works by him. The special feature of these three piano trios lies in his use of melodies from Scottish folk songs in their middle and last movements. Toward the end of the eighteenth century the Edinburgh publisher George Thomson had the idea to have Viennese classical composers set Scottish, Irish, and Welsh folk songs to music with an accompaniment for piano, violin, and violoncello and contacted Haydn, Kozeluch, Pleyel, and (later) Beethoven in the hope of winning them for this project.

Clayton-Thomas’ new album, Mobius is an ambitious work that sees the former Blood, Sweet &Tears' frontman wearing a variety of musical hats. Co-produced with his long-time compadre and musical director George Koller, Mobius takes the listener on a stylistic journey, with Clayton-Thomas’ iconic voice serving as the star around which the songs revolve. Mobius is a stunning collection of songs, with Clayton-Thomas collaborating on writing with each of his four band members. With a lineup that includes drummer Larnell Lewis, keyboardist Lou Pomanti, guitarist Eric St-Laurent, and Koller on bass, the songs are well served by the incredible talent of these musicians.

Joanne Shaw Taylor is a British blues rock singer/guitarist who was discovered by Dave Stewart of The Eurythmics at the age of 16. She has released 7 albums. Her new album, The Blues Album, was recorded by Joe Bonamassa and Josh Smith for Keeping The Blues Alive Records. Born in the Black Country Joanne has spent a decade releasing increasingly successful albums and touring the world. Along the way, she has won over fans from Joe Bonamassa to Stevie Wonder to Annie Lennox. A decade ago, Joanne moved to Detroit as her career in the States was developing. Joanne has recorded for RUF, Sony and Silvertone with Reckless Heart and Wild both charting in the top 20 in the UK.

Patty Griffin has long been one of folk and Americana music’s most celebrated songwriters, with a multi-decade discography that has influenced artists like Linda Ronstadt, Bette Midler, and Solomon Burke. With Tape, she revisits what is surely a vast archive of demos and ideas, pulling together 10 rarities for a collection that adds depth and context to her already acclaimed catalog. The tracks appropriately feel raw and lo-fi, offering listeners a truly intimate experience with one of songwriting’s brightest minds. Highlights include the hopeful “Get Lucky” and “One Day We Could,” which pairs a delightfully jangly acoustic guitar with Griffin’s otherworldly voice.

The London Suede return with their ninth studio album Autofiction, set for release on 16th September 2022 via BMG. As The London Suede began work on the songs that would become Autofiction, they decided to go back to basics. In a move that recalled their most formative days, Brett Anderson, Mat Osman, Simon Gilbert, Richard Oakes and Neil Codling schlepped to a rehearsal studio in deserted Kings Cross to collect a key, hump their own gear, set up and start playing.

From December 3rd to 5th in 2003, indie rock collective Broken Social Scene performed the three sold out hometown shows at the Phoenix Concert Theatre in Toronto. The band had just returned from a tour that took them across the US, UK, and Europe in support of their sophomore album, You Forgot It In People.

Complete Collection is a six-disc, U.K.-only set celebrating the breadth and depth of Lisa Stansfield's extensive and impressive career. It includes her five studio albums – Affection; Real Love; So Natural; Lisa Stansfield; and Face Up – as well as an exclusive sixth disc, with recordings from a 1992 Wembley date, club mixes (including a great Massive Attack version of "Live Together"), B-sides, and three songs from Stansfield's Blue Zone days. Not enough? Each studio album is augmented with at least two bonus tracks. Complete Collection is definitely the most comprehensive Lisa Stansfield retrospective; it borders on overkill. But since it's only available in the U.K. – and is also quite pricey – the single-disc Biography is perfectly acceptable for the casual Stansfield fan.

It has taken eight years and over 130 CDs but FSM finally releases a score by the great Ennio Morricone: Guns for San Sebastian (1968), commonly known as a western but more accurately a historical adventure set in Mexico circa 1750. The film stars Anthony Quinn as an outlaw who is mistaken for a priest and protects a humble village against a violent tribe of Indians; Charles Bronson is the antagonist and Anjanette Comer the love interest. Filmed in Mexico, the international production is a sunburnt, action-packed look at a violent time in colonial Latin American history. The late 1960s were an especially fertile period for Ennio Morricone, whose prolific genius has enhanced hundreds of films for over 40 years. By 1968 Morricone had already scored the groundbreaking Dollars trilogy for Sergio Leone—establishing the revolutionary style for the "spaghetti" westerns—and Guns for San Sebastian preceded their western masterpiece, Once Upon a Time in the West.

Roll It Down begins with a funky, roots rock-based "Tomorrow's Yesterday,", a song that immediately brings to mind the super-group Little Village featuring John Hiatt. The bassline is also more prominent here. "Under The Bridge" is another slow blues-oriented song that could draw comparisons to Robert Cray without the great blues guitar solo but with a credible backing keyboard. The relaxing nature of most of Ray Bonneville's work is ever-present through the baker's dozen of offerings, especially the bounce emanating from "July Sun." "You might know the way to go/If you ask a passing crow," he sings as Colin Linden helps out on mandolin. Most of the time the arrangements work but the title of the album gets the tracks off on the wrong foot, and they can't quite right themselves. The shining moment comes during "Oxford Town," a heartfelt duet with Jonell Mosser on harmony vocals, bringing to mind a possible duet between Daniel Lanois and Emmylou Harris. Another very good effort comes from "Walk With Me," a toe-tapping melody straight from Waylon Jennings with some fine guitar picking.