Guy Clark didn't just write songs, he crafted them, with the kind of hands-on care and respect that a master carpenter (a favorite image of his) would when faced with a stack of rare hardwood. Clark worked slowly and with strict attention to detail – he released only 13 studio albums in his 40-year career – but he produced an impressive collection of timeless gems, leaving very little waste behind. His albums never met much commercial success, but the emotional level of his work consistently transcended sales figures and musical genres.

There is a transcendental place that musicians can reach during performance. A space where they get lost in the music, letting the years honed skills and natural inclination take control. Many of the exhilarating moments in improvised music come from the sudden shift, the accentuation of razor sharp focus, to get back on course.

Though it appears in the aftermath of their dissolution in 2014, and the deaths of both actual Allman brothers, Duane and Gregg, this 50th anniversary retrospective box set is arguably the only career overview of the band one can call representative. Arranged over ten LPs or five compact discs, Trouble No More examines in depth each incarnation and stage of the pioneering rockers. It convincingly formulates the argument that no other American band accomplished more musically (especially live) by seamlessly marrying rock, blues, jazz, and R&B to each other and to extended improvisation. This set compiles 61 Allman Brothers Band classics, live performances, and rarities – including seven previously unreleased tracks – all painstakingly remastered, with and a hefty 88-page book full of photos and a lengthy historical essay by ABB historian John Lynskey that recaps all 13 incarnations of the band's lineup.

After ushering in the era of pop-metal with their 1986 blockbuster Slippery When Wet and its hit singles "You Give Love a Bad Name," "Wanted Dead or Alive," and "Living on a Prayer," Bon Jovi wound up transcending the big-haired '80s, withstanding changes in style and sound to become one of the biggest American rock bands of their time. Unlike a lot of their big-haired pop-metal peers, Bon Jovi's appeal wasn't limited to the States. Slippery When Wet, its 1988 sequel New Jersey, and 1992's Keep the Faith were all international smashes, each selling over ten million copies worldwide.

Though Emmy-nominated composer Kevin Kiner is best known for his suspenseful, rousing orchestral scores for several Star Wars animated spin-off series, his franchise contributions range from Star Trek (Enterprise, Deep Space Nine) to Tremors (TV's Tremors, Tremors 3: Back to Perfection), and James Bond (video games GoldenEye 007, 007 Legends).

One of the most celebrated singer/songwriters of her generation, Lucinda Williams is also a fiercely independent artist who had to fight for the creative freedom that allowed her to do her best work. The daughter of a well-respected poet, Williams brought a literacy and sense of detail to her music that was unpretentious but powerfully evocative and emotional, and a number of major artists covered her tunes while she was still establishing herself as a performer. As a vocalist, Williams used the rough edges of her instrument to her advantage, allowing the grit to heighten the authenticity of her performance.

The "Historiques" collection of Musique en Wallonie honors the Verviers violinist Alfred Dubois. As a soloist Dubois performed under prestigious conductors such as Michael Bowles, Charles Munch, Rhene-Baton, Nino Sanzogno, Hermann Scherchen and Felix Weingartner.

This album presents the songs from The Threepenny Opera in a new French translation by Alexandre Pateau. The recording was made at the 2023 Festival d'Aix-en-Provence during the run of the new production of the legendary work by Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill in collaboration with Elisabeth Hauptmann, which features the troupe of the Comedie-Francaise and the musicians of Le Balcon, conducted by Maxime Pascal with Thomas Ostermeier as stage director. In this parody of an opera, the songs are the driving force behind the action and the characters ape the bourgeois lifestyle of the audience, the better to denounce the period of moral confusion they are going through. With Maxime Pascal at the helm of a dozen multi-instrumentalists from Le Balcon, we hear a version based on that of the first performance - hard-hitting and as close as possible to the tremendous creative energy deployed by the two creators of the work in the summer of 1928 - acted and sung by the troupe of the Comedie-Francaise, who rise to all its challenges with brio. Other special features of this album are a previously unrecorded song on a text by Yvette Guilbert and the linking texts between the songs read in French by Ostermeier himself. As Diapason wrote of this production, 'Almost a century after its premiere, The Threepenny Opera has lost none of its subversive power.'

In many ways, Jackson Browne is the quintessential sensitive California singer/songwriter of the early '70s. Only Joni Mitchell and James Taylor rank alongside him in terms of influence, but neither artist tapped into the post-'60s Zeitgeist quite like Browne. While the majority of his classic '70s work was unflinchingly personal, it nevertheless provided a touchstone for a generation of maturing baby boomers coming to terms with adulthood. Not only did his introspective, literate lyrics strike a nerve, but his laid-back folk-rock set the template for much of the music to come out of California during the 1970s.

Holger Falk and Steffen Schleiermacher once again prove to be the ideal interpreters of this multi-faceted music: from the smoky nightclub of the "Rue Chagrin", past the synagogue, left at the children's playground and over the cotton fields of America with hints of the blues - this is great art in a small form. In their touching simplicity, some of Germaine Tailleferre's pieces are reminiscent of nursery rhymes.

The most beautiful lounge & jazz songs by Roger Beck, Rever Sound, Nova Bossa Ltd. and many more on one compilation!

MESMERISING SECOND\-ALBUM\-TOUR BROADCAST FROM PETER GABRIEL\nThe Lamb Lies Down on Broadway was Peter Gabriel final album with Genesis, but tensions increased during this period as Gabriel wanted to write all of the lyrics himself, and he split with the band after director William Friedkin had invited him to work on a screenplay. The project dissolved, and Gabriel returned to work with Genesis, but was late to deliver the lyrics and relied on contributions from Banks and Rutherford.\nDuring a stop in Cleveland, while on the Lamb Lies Down tour, Gabriel informed the band of his intention to leave at its conclusion.

FINALLY, ALL THE UNRELEASED RARITIES IN ONE PLACE Following the experimental and challenging Trout Mask Replica in 1969, and its 1970 follow-up Lick My Decals Off, Baby , Captain Beefheart released The Spotlight Kid, the first album credited solely to himself with no mention of his Magic Band - despite the core members being equally involved as on previous records .

With his lush and sophisticated instrumental approach to pop music, Richard Clayderman (born Philippe Pagès) is, according to The Guinness Book of World Records, "the most successful pianist in the world." Clayderman's albums routinely sell millions of copies and his concerts are quickly sold out. In a review of his 1985 Carnegie Hall concert, Variety wrote, "(Clayderman's) main appeal lies in his youth and boyish good looks…coupled with his gentlemanly charm and his thick French accent, they promise to rope in the romantically inclined middle-aged Yank ladies who cotton to this ilk of soothing entertainment." Nancy Reagan referred to Clayderman as "the prince of romance." Instructed in classical piano by his father, Clayderman enrolled in the Paris Conservatory of Music at the age of 12. Four years later, he placed first in a piano competition at the school. Despite his classical background, Clayderman opted for popular music when he launched his professional career.

Piano Trio No. 4, “Dumky”, ranking among Antonín Dvorák’s most celebrated works, is one of the most frequently recorded chamber pieces there is. After attending a performance, with the composer on the piano, Leoš Janácek summed up his impressions succinctly: “A new source of light has flashed.” When it comes to Piano Trio No. 3, the renowned Vienna-based critic Eduard Hanslick called it a gem, demonstrating that Dvorák was “one of the best modern masters”. Piano Trios No. 1 and 2, however, have been scarcely performed. In this light, the complete recording of Dvorák’s piano trios is a project richly deserving attention. All the more so due to the artists who have made it: Boris Giltburg, winner of the Queen Elisabeth Competition and one of the world’s most distinguished contemporary pianists, alongside Veronika Jarušková and Peter Jarušek, members of the globally celebrated Pavel Haas Quartet, who have earned great recognition for performing Dvorák’s music – Gramophone Recording of the Year (quartets) and Gramophone Chamber Award (quintets, together with Giltburg). The three musicians featured on the album manifest an incredible chime. Possessing the uttermost technical brilliance, they breathe as one. The album was made at the studios in the picturesque Wye Valley, straddling the border between England and Wales, under the supervision of the legendary producer Andrew Keener while London was celebrating the coronation of Charles III. Exceptional moments for Dvorák’s exceptional music …