If anything, Pearl Jam was even more in the wilderness – at least as far as the mainstream was concerned – at the beginning of 2000 than they were in the second half of the '90s. Even with "Last Kiss," their first big hit single since Ten, under their belts, they were an anomaly on the pop and rock scenes.

Helen Shapiro is remembered today by younger pop culture buffs as the slightly awkward actress/singer in Richard Lester's 1962 debut feature film, It's Trad, Dad. From 1961 until 1963, however, Shapiro was England's teenage pop music queen, at one point selling 40,000 copies daily of her biggest single, "Walking Back to Happiness," during a 19-week chart run. A deceptively young 14 when she was discovered, Shapiro had a rich, expressive voice properly sounding like the property of someone twice as old, and she matured into a seasoned professional very quickly. She grew up in London's East End and was performing with a ukulele at age nine as part of a school group – supposedly called Susie & the Hula Hoops, whose members included a young Mark Feld (aka Marc Bolan) – that used to sing their own versions of Elvis Presley and Buddy Holly songs. She subsequently sang with her brother Ron Shapiro's trad jazz turned skiffle outfit at local clubs before enrolling in classes at Maurice Burman's music school in London. Burman was so taken with Helen Shapiro's voice that he waived the tuition to keep her as a student. He later brought her to the attention of Norrie Paramor, then one of EMI's top pop producers (responsible for signing Cliff Richard & the Shadows).

Pavillon de Paris, Paris, France 6 July, 1978

Nat King Cole, a man too great to be forgotten, has been loved by many great artists. Four famous albums dedicated to him are thoroughly dissected. Two sets of the best songs that could be called selected from the artist's side. Nat King Cole, a man too great to be forgotten, has been loved by many great artists. Among the countless artists who have covered him, the spotlight is on four who have released tribute albums. Gregory Porter, George Benson, Marvin Gaye, Hibari Misora, and others. This is the ultimate best of the best, which could be called a selection of songs from the artist side.

Brenda Lee One of the biggest pop stars of the early '60s, Brenda Lee hasn't attracted as much critical respect as she deserves. She is sometimes inaccurately characterized as one of the few female teen idols. More crucially, the credit for achieving success with pop-country crossovers usually goes to Patsy Cline, although Lee's efforts in this era were arguably of equal importance. The best of her first decade is fine indeed, encompassing not just the pop ballads that were her biggest hits, but straight country and some surprisingly fierce rockabilly. Lee was a child prodigy, appearing on national television by the age of ten, and making her first recordings for Decca the following year (1956).

B.B. King Universally hailed as the king of the blues, the legendary B.B. King was without a doubt the single most important electric guitarist of the last half of the 20th century. His bent notes and staccato picking style influenced legions of contemporary bluesmen, while his gritty and confident voice – capable of wringing every nuance from any lyric – provided a worthy match for his passionate playing. Between 1951 and 1985, King notched an impressive 74 entries on Billboard's R&B charts, and he was one of the few full-fledged blues artists to score a major pop hit when his 1970 smash "The Thrill Is Gone" crossed over to mainstream success (engendering memorable appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show and American Bandstand).

The Cure Out of all the bands that emerged in the immediate aftermath of punk rock in the late '70s, few are as enduring and popular as the Cure. Led through numerous incarnations by guitarist/vocalist Robert Smith, the band initially became well-known for its slow, gloomy dirges and Smith's exaggeratedly gothic look, a public image that often hid the diversity of the Cure's music. At the outset, they played jagged, edgy pop songs before slowly evolving into a more textured outfit. They were one of the bands that built the foundation for goth rock, but by the time goth caught on in the mid-'80s, the Cure had moved toward a more polished and thoughtful (if still often depressing) sound.

Father John Misty is a stage name adopted by American singer and songwriter Joshua Michael Tillman, whose music paints languid, sadly beautiful portraits of love and life on the margins with the moody depth of Nick Drake and the country-influenced textures of Will Oldham. Tillman adds a touch of dark humor to his Father John Misty persona, especially in his observations of his characters, though it tends to flow with the contemplative, world-weary tone of his songs rather than disturbing it. He also favors rich, expansive arrangements that complement the sweep of his melodies and the expressive reach of his voice.

Elton John One of the greatest stars of the rock & roll era, Elton John exploded like a supernova in the early 1970s and sustained a career that kept him at the top of the charts for the next five decades. He had a Billboard Top 40 hit single every year between 1970 and 1996, a sign that he knew how to both change with the times and mold the times to fit him. John's earliest records were part of the moody, introspective post-'60s singer/songwriter movement, but once he had a hit with "Your Song," the pianist revealed he could also craft Beatles-like pop and pound out rockers with equal aplomb. As "Rocket Man," "Crocodile Rock," "Daniel," "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road," and "Bennie and the Jets" – songs John wrote with his lifelong collaborator Bernie Taupin – climbed into the Top Ten on either side of the Atlantic, John was inescapable during the first half of the '70s. His versatility, combined with his effortless melodic skills, and flamboyant stage shows, became his calling cards, sustaining him through shifts in fame and fortune.

The Encore Series consists of Official “Bootleg” style recordings from Peter Gabriel shows, recorded directly from the soundboard (with added ambient microphones) by Ben Findlay (Real World staff engineer) and released as a professionally mastered and manufactured 2 CD set (no CD-R's). They come in a gatefold package with artwork designed for the Encore Series by Real World and are unique for each concert and city.

Bruce Springsteen - Lead vocal, electric and acoustic guitars, harmonica; Roy Bittan - Piano, keyboards, accordion; Clarence Clemons - Tenor and baritone saxophones, percussion, backing vocal; Danny Federici - Organ, keyboards, accordion; Nils Lofgren - Electric and acoustic guitars, backing vocal; Garry Tallent - Bass; Stevie Van Zandt - Electric and acoustic guitars, mandolin, backing vocal; Max Weinberg: Drums; Charlie Giordano - Organ, keyboards, accordion; Soozie Tyrell - Violin, acoustic guitar, percussion, backing vocal

Bon Jovi 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 transcended the big-haired '80s, withstanding changes in style and sound to become – and stay – one of the biggest American rock bands. Unlike a lot of their peers, Bon Jovi's appeal isn'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. Another way they have differed from other MTV favorites of the late '80s lies in how Bon Jovi has cannily and subtly changed their sound to fit the time. First, the group slowly lessened their reliance on arena rock guitars, emphasizing melody and ballads without rejecting hard rock.

John Bryden plays Schubert is a 109 minute Franz Schubert piano music recital performed by John Bryden at an historical 1899 Bechstein piano.The album includes the famous “Moments musicaux”, two collections of German Dances and the amazing “4 Improumts D.935”. A deep moving performance of one of the greatest ever romantic piano composers.

Agustín Maruri comenzó su carrera musical internacional el 28 de Marzo de 1987 en Munich ofreciendo su primer recital de guitarra fuera de España. En estos 30 años de andadura profesional sus actividades han cubierto varios campos en los que la guitarra ha sido la protagonista absoluta.En jiras de conciertos, tanto como solista como en formaciones de música de cámara, Agustín Maruri ha ofrecido recitales en los cinco continentes.Ha realizado importantes trabajos de exploración del repertorio del instrumento redescubriendo para el público guitarrístico la obra de compositores injustamente olvidados como Adam Falckenhagen, (1697-1754), Wenzeslaus Thomas Matiegka, (1773-1830), Leonhard Von Call, (1779-1815), etc. Asimismo, Agustín Maruri, ha sido el destinatario de obras de compositores contemporáneos, estrenando numerosas composiciones de autores vivos.

Next month, Now That’s What I Call Music will release a genre-spanning ‘Era’ release called The Sound of the Suburbs 1977-1980. In 4CD form, this set offers 80 tracks encompassing punk, new wave, reggae, ska, mod, post-punk and electronic. They were all initially released between 1977 and the end of 1980, and artists include The Undertones, The Clash, Elvis Costello, The Boomtown Rats, The Jam, The Cure, The Police, The Specials, The Beat, Japan, Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers, PIL, Devo, Skids, The Vibrators, XTC, John Foxx, The B-52s and many more. Full tracklistings for the formats are listed below. Whether this ‘Era’ release is the start of a new series or a one-off remains to be seen.