Lightnin’ Hopkins is arguably the greatest Texas blues star of the 1960s era. A country bluesman of the highest caliber, his career began in the 1920s and stretched all the way into the 1980s. Along the way, Hopkins watched the genre change remarkably, but he never altered his mournful Lone Star sound, which translated onto both acoustic and electric guitar. His style, strong rhythms punctuated by his flowing but compact lead lines, created a stinging and heart-tearing evocative sound. This quintessential collector’s edition includes two of Hopkins’ finest albums: the long unavailable Lightnin’ Strikes, originally released in 1962 by Vee-Jay Records, and the self-titled Lightnin’ Hopkins, his1959 debut for the Folkways label. The two LPs are widely regarded as landmarks of the late-‘50s/early-‘60s blues revival. Both solid-blues masterpieces have been remastered and packaged together in this very special release, which also includes 5 bonus tracks from the same period.

If the heavy-hitters of outlaw country were acting like rock stars during their mid-'70s peak, then perhaps it was inevitable that the outlaws would start singing rock songs – which is precisely what Waylon Jennings did on 1976's Are You Ready for the Country. Although the title is taken from Neil Young's song – which provides an absolutely storming opener for this ten-song record – there is a bit of a jibe to its sentiment as well, since Waylon not only sings Young, but also the Marshall Tucker Band and Dr. Hook, along with reviving Jimmy Webb's "MacArthur Park." That selection of material indicates not just the increasing rock-isms of Waylon and the outlaws, it also indicates that Jennings' focus was beginning to blur slightly as he lost the sense of purpose that propelled his records of the first half the '70s, from The Taker/Tulsa to Dreaming My Dreams. Here, the music hasn't really changed, but the flow is no longer seamless and the shifting tones can be a little jarring.

Alvin Lee headed in a more soulful musical direction on this 1973 album, with Mylon LeFevre taking lead vocals on some of the tracks and writing fresh material. This album has a different, more relaxed feel, that coaxed new sounds out of guitar hero Alvin. The recording features a stellar line up of guest musicians - including Stevie Winwood, Jim Capaldi, Tim Hinkley, Ron Wood and a special guest appearance by ex-Beatle George Harrison.

The disc's subtitle is "13th-century Galician-Portuguese Songs & Dances of Love, Longing, & Devotion". My subtitle is, "this is one of the finest discs of its kind." It fully, often arrestingly captures the essential spirit of these lovely poetic texts and ancient melodies and virtually jumps and dances and vibrantly rings with the kind of life these songs' creators must have felt 800 years ago. If you're new to secular music of this period and place, you will be surprised at its incredible rhythmic energy, catchiness, and complexity. You'll also be captivated by the originality and variety of the melodies–sensuous, infectious, irresistible.

Today it is the Passions of J.S Bach which are most commonly known. The Passion Oratorio by J.S Bach’s nephew, godson and pupil Johann Ernst Bach is lesser known. On this Capriccio re-release his Passion Oratorio is performed alongside an Ode on the 77th Psalm for tenor, chorus and orchestra and a Motet for solo voices, four-part chorus, strings and continuo.

Tant au niveau des formes que des couleurs musicales, “L’Orchestre de Louis XIII” marque la transition entre deux grandes époques : la fin de la Renaissance et l’entrée dans le Baroque. Ces musiques de cour aux saveurs populaires, toujours imaginatives et colorées, sont à la recherche constante de souplesse et de grâce, de grandeur et d’élégance. Elles constituent les éléments caractéristiques du style typiquement français qui va rayonner à travers toute l’Europe jusqu’à la fin du XVIIIème siècle.

Tim Warfield, a big-toned, swaggering titan of the tenor saxophone, has decided to make his contribution to the jazz organ group tradition with One For Shirley. The lady of the title is Shirley Scott, the late queen of jazz organ, with whom Warfield often played in the 1990s, and this set pays tribute to her style of bop-laced soul-jazz. Warfield’s tenor (and soprano) is joined by Terrell Stafford’s trumpet and Pat Bianchi’s organ in a simmering, groove-heavy update of a Scott original as well as swing era and ‘60s pop classics-plus some nifty Warfield originals to put the icing on the cake.

2010 two CD anthology from underground Rock heroes Clark-Hutchinson. One of the first signings to Decca's underground imprint Nova, the duo of Andy Clark and Mick Hutchinson recorded the album A=MH2 in 1969, soon to become the biggest selling album on NOVA. Championed by John Peel, the duo's first album highlighted the extraordinary talent of guitarist Hutchinson. The 1970 follow up album Retribution saw the band augmented by Del Coverley and included the classic 'Free To Be Stoned' , earning the group numerous live spots alongside cohorts the Edgar Broughton Band and Hawkwind. Gestalt, the band s final album appeared in 1971 on the Deram label. This anthology has been remastered from the original master tapes and comprises all the recordings released by Decca Records between 1969 and 1971. It is an essential part of the story of British underground Rock at the turn of the 1970s.

The remarkable train of events set in motion by a catchy Seventies disco hit took even its composer by surprise. But a major part of the success was due to his own imagination, enthusiasm and perseverance. Didier, the composer and keyboard player who formed his group Space in 1977, was surprised when an experimental demo recording evolved into an international chart topper. He had grown up in a showbiz family, but even he wasn’t prepared for the dramatic events that followed in the wake of overnight stardom.
But it was a strange kind of celebrity, because the composer was hidden underneath a space helmet when the first promotional video was made and Space was really a studio concept rather than a touring band. Nevertheless, "Magic Fly" gave birth to the French synthesizer disco boom…