This gargantuan 35-disc set of Alfred Brendel's complete Vox, Turnabout, and Vanguard recordings released in late 2008, concurrent with his retirement from concert life, will be mandatory listening for anyone who reveres the Austrian virtuoso. When these recordings were made between 1955 and 1975, Brendel was at the start of his international career, and his performances here have a fire, energy, and a drama that his later recordings sometimes lack. Brendel devotees, however, may also find his performances lack the intellectual rigor of his middle period recordings and the poetic depths of his later recordings. Compare his demonic account of Mozart's Twentieth Concerto here, for instance, with his more elegant later account. The difference is clear.

Now, here's a star-crossed album. Polydor rejected the first version of it, produced by Glyn Johns, and Eric Clapton was forced to cut it all over again with Tom Dowd. Then, a few dates into a U.S. promotional tour coinciding with its release, Clapton collapsed and was found to be near death from ulcers due to his alcoholism. Finally, it turned out to be the final record of his 15-year association with Polydor, which therefore had no reason to promote it. Nevertheless, the album made the Top Ten, went gold, and spawned a Top Ten single in "I Can't Stand It." And the rest of it wasn't too shabby, either.

When he gave a speech inducting the Band into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Eric Clapton said that after he heard their debut album, Music from Big Pink, he wanted to join the group, the fact that they already had a guitarist in Robbie Robertson notwithstanding. In the winter of 1975-1976, when he cut No Reason to Cry at the Band's Shangri-La Studio in Malibu, California, he came as close as he ever would to realizing that desire. Clapton is a musical chameleon; though some of No Reason to Cry is identifiable as the kind of pop/rock Clapton had been making since the start of his solo career (the best of it being "Hello Old Friend," which became his first Top 40 single in two years), the most memorable music on the album occurs when Clapton is collaborating with members of the Band and other guests.

This mammoth three-disc U.K. compilation features 50 tracks from "classic rock" staples Creedence Clearwater Revival, including "Long as I Can See the Light," "Have You Ever Seen the Rain," "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," "Lodi," "Lookin' out My Back Door," and "Proud Mary." Listeners would be hard-pressed to find anything resembling a glaring omission here, as the compilers have done a fine job including every high point from the band's short but incredibly bountiful run, making this an excellent choice for the Creedence newbie.

Having made his best album since 461 Ocean Boulevard with Slowhand, Eric Clapton followed with Backless, which took the same authoritative, no-nonsense approach. If it wasn't quite the masterpiece, or the sales monster, that Slowhand had been, this was probably because of that usual Clapton problem: material. Once again, he returned to those Oklahoma hills for another song from J.J. Cale, but "I'll Make Love to You Anytime" wasn't quite up to "Cocaine" or "After Midnight." Bob Dylan contributed two songs, but you could see why he hadn't saved them for his own album, and Clapton's own writing contributions were mediocre.

Glyndebourne’s intimate opera house provides the perfect setting for Rossini’s third French opera, a sparkling medieval comedy of lust and chastity. Jérôme Savary brings out all the verve and excitement of this rarely heard score.

This Glyndebourne Festival Opera production of Rossini's version of the story of Cinderella is an exciting mixture of comedy, pathos, coloratura fireworks and masquerade. Starring Kathleen Kuhlmann, Laurence Dale, Marta Taddei, and Laura Zannini.

Eric Clapton's eponymous solo debut was recorded after he completed a tour with Delaney & Bonnie. Clapton used the core of the duo's backing band and co-wrote the majority of the songs with Delaney Bramlett – accordingly, Eric Clapton sounds more laid-back and straightforward than any of the guitarist's previous recordings. There are still elements of blues and rock & roll, but they're hidden beneath layers of gospel, R&B, country, and pop flourishes. And the pop element of the record is the strongest of the album's many elements – "Blues Power" isn't a blues song and only "Let It Rain," the album's closer, features extended solos. Throughout the album, Clapton turns out concise solos that de-emphasize his status as guitar god, even when they display astonishing musicality and technique.

Look no further than the title to summarize this New Orleans veteran's music on his first studio set in nearly a decade. Bookending the album with the two-part "Shake Your Booty/Funky Thing" ensures that the proceedings start and end with the rump-shaking, horn-propelled R&B that, along with jazz, soul, and blues, makes Walter "Wolfman" Washington's music so much a part of his Crescent City home. He's never been particularly prolific, but after the long span between releases - partially due to the effects and aftereffects of Hurricane Katrina - the Wolf sounds electrified and inspired here. The second track, "I'm Back," tells that story against an urgent groove that keeps the party atmosphere while recounting the hurricane's devastation and his attempts to get the city and its people to return to a place that will never be the same…

Somnia is proud to present an album of delicate sensibilities, and subtle heart filled vistas. Written as a dedication to his two daughters, this Motionfield's album captures something wistful and nostalgic, like conversations from old friends overheard in dreams. Reminiscent of Casino vs. Japan, Ulrich Schnauss, and Boards of Canada, this album still describes a unique and personal stroll through misty locales. Fragments of a memory painted in fading light, places you recognize but cant place, a subtle embrace. Limited to 777 copies worldwide, soy inks on recycled paper, sewn and sealed in wax with incredible cover art by Ray Massini.

Go (1976) is a concept album in the truest sense of the term, fusing pop/rock with tinges of jazz and elements of classical all connected by a central motif of space travel. More specifically, according to Robin Denselow's liner essay, the theme deals with "change and polarity-fantasy and reality, death and re-birth, things changing to their opposites." Stomu Yamashta, Steve Winwood and Michael Shrieve lead an impressive ensemble through soundscapes, unveiled in a variety of perspectives. Perhaps it is the international cast of performers that allows for such an unfettered consortium of ideas that brought together former Spencer Davis Group, Traffic and Blind Faith member Steve Winwood, as well as Santana co-founder Michael Shrieve and mid-'70s era Santana percussionist Yamashta – the latter of whom were key benefactors to the criminally underrated Santana long-player Borboletta (1974).

The Silver Collection Review by Tomas Mureika
Men Without Hats were one of Canada's best – and quirkiest – new wave bands. Under the guidance of mysterious frontman Ivan and his brother Stefan Doroschuk, the Hats delivered some of the best synth pop of the early '80s. And much of that is on display in this collection – the hits from their Folk of the '80s EP, their smash Rhythm of Youth album and their enigmatic Folk of the '80s, Pt. 3 record. This includes unforgettable songs like "Living in China," "I Got the Message," "Antarctica," "I Like," "Ban the Game," and "Where Do the Boys Go?" This is a career retrospective, so it also features later hits, such as "Pop Goes the World," "Freeways," and a cover of Bryan Ferry's "Editions of You." Though the original albums are well worth seeking out to hear in their entirety, this is a strong collection, definitely weighted towards the beginning of the Hats' career, when they were at their most powerful and profound. Don't let "The Safety Dance" fool you – Ivan was writing about some pretty heavy stuff a lot of the time and the nifty little new wave dance nuggets in which he encapsulated his weighty lyrics just made the band's subversion all the more eloquent. This is the next best thing to the original albums. A formidable collection.

Diving deep with hypnotic rhythms, sub-aquatic bass pulsations and reverberant melodies. Evan Marc explores varying states of non-waking life on this full-length outing. His sensitive approach to sound design is woven perfectly with atmospheric guitar tones supplied by System 7's Steve Hillage, crafting a unique and cinematic take on the dub techno paradigm. Adding an organic and otherworldly current to the journey with his signature underwater guitar tones, Steve's contribution helps to create an ambient techno submersible for deep dreaming. Continuously mixed, this album is limited to 777 copies, printed with soy inks on recycled paper, sewn closed, sealed in wax, and signed and numbered.

Pink Floyd first performed in Australia on Friday 13th August 1971, at Melbourne Festival Hall, and on Sunday 15th August at Randwick Racecourse in Sydney. Pink Floyd, Melbourne 1971 concert flyerThey arrived in Australia on 11th August 1971, and at Melbourne Airport they were interviewed by Gary Mac for Go-Set (a 24 page music newspaper). Australian journalists, not realising that the Floyd disliked talking about the music, actually received a couple of decent interviews with all the members of the band. Mac's interview plus a review of the Melbourne concert appeared in the Saturday, 28th August 1971 edition of Go-Set (volume 6, number 35).

The Supremes got off to a slow start in the early 1960s, but their name soon became a self-fulfilling prophecy. Synonymous with virtually every term with which they're classified – Motown act, girl group, pop-soul, and soul, absolutely soul – their unparalleled legacy was built by Florence Ballard, Mary Wilson, and Diana Ross, the most successful of the group's many lineups. Partnered with the songwriting/production team Holland-Dozier-Holland, these three women topped the Billboard pop chart ten times from 1964 through 1967 with eternal classics such as "Where Did Our Love Go," "Baby Love," "Stop! In the Name of Love," and "You Keep Me Hanging On," and in the process set a new standard for glamour.