Rick Wakeman spent much of the '80s and '90s recording instrumental albums that veered toward either classical or ambient, so 2003's Out There comes as a bit of a shock: it's an honest to goodness revival of the full-throttle prog rock Wakeman pursued on his solo albums in the '70s. A large part of this is due to his decision to form a full-fledged supporting rock band. Called the New English Rock Ensemble, they're a quintet led by Wakeman and featuring Damian Wilson on vocals, Ant Glynne on guitar, Lee Pomeroy on bass, and Tony Fernandez on drums and percussion. They're a powerful and skilled outfit, able to follow Wakeman's shifting tempos and moods with dexterity without ever losing sight of their forceful rhythmic core, which keeps this rock, not new age.

UK four CD set containing digitally remastered editions of the first four legendary albums by Tangerine Dream, originally released on the Ohr label in Germany between 1970 and 1973. These albums are known by fans as The Pink Years albums. Electronic Meditation was recorded in Berlin in October 1969 and featured the first Tangerine Dream line-up of Edgar Froese (guitars, organ, tapes, sound effects), Klaus Schulze (drums, percussion) and Conrad Schnitzler (cello, violin, typewriter). Upon it's release in 1970, the album would define a genre of music and herald the massive creative musical explosion that would emerge in Germany in the early 1970s.

Sam Brown first shot to fame with the massive UK No. 4 hit "Stop" in 1989. The album of the same name went on to sell over 2.5 million copies worldwide. It also spawned the UK Top 15 hit "Can I Get A Witness?". Her follow-up album "April Moon" yielded the single "Kissing Gate", charting at No. 23. Above all, Brown is an outstanding musician with a voice so distinct and powerful that it didn't take long for fellow musicians to recognize. She was a backing singer on Pink Floyd's "The Division Bell" album and worked with David Gilmour on his 2003 acoustic concert tour throughout the UK & Europe. In 1994, she was a guest with future husband Jools Holland's Rhythm & Blues Orchestra and became their vocalist in 2000. The Very Best of Sam Brown is the compilation album from the UK singer-songwriter, Sam Brown. It was released worldwide in 2005. Includes the previously unreleased demo version of ‘Stop!’

Richard Perry's 1978 production of the self-titled Leo Sayer album is one of the artist's most serious and heartfelt, though it only generated a minor hit in the cover of the Boudleau Bryant/Felice Bryant tune "Raining in My Heart." With Fleetwood Mac's Lindsey Buckingham on electric guitar, Waddy Wachtel on slide guitar, and Ben Benay on acoustic, the performance and production of that particular song offers much on an album that is equally impressive. James Brown/Russell Smith's "Dancing the Night Away," with David Lindley's important and unobtrusive fiddle and steel guitar, and "Stormy Weather," the Tom Snow/Leo Sayer collaboration which opens the album, all work in unison, providing evidence that Sayer had superstardom just within his grasp.

Timeless collection featuring the most beloved songs sung by legendary artists. 100 songs on 5 CDs.
The Great American Songbook is the canon of the most important and influential American popular songs & Jazz standards from the early 20th century. This 100 song collection presented on 5 CDs contains the most beloved songs sung by legendary artists. Includes standards recorded by Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett, Billie Holiday, Nat King Cole, Shirley Bassey, Sammy Davis Jr, and more.

Teenage Depression is the debut studio album by English rock band Eddie and the Hot Rods. It reached number 43 on the UK Albums Chart. The album's title track reached number 35 on the UK Singles Chart and was featured in the 1979 film Rock 'n' Roll High School. Teenage Depression has been cited as a "missing link" between pub rock and punk rock, owing to its fast and hard-hitting R&B sound showing the attitude of a punk band. In 2000, a reissue was released with 12 additional tracks.

Memorial Beach is the fifth album by the Norwegian band A-ha, released in 1993. The album was recorded primarily at Prince's Paisley Park studios outside Minneapolis in the U.S. Memorial Beach featured three UK Top 50 singles for the band, "Move to Memphis" (released as a single in 1991, almost two years before the album), "Dark is the Night" and "Angel in the Snow". While the album did not chart on the U.S. Billboard 200 and would be the band's last to be released there, the single "Dark Is the Night" peaked at #11 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart, their last U.S. charting to date. Q magazine listed the album as one of the 50 best albums of 1993: "If ever a band deserved reappraisal on the back of an album then it was a-ha!"

The Complete Hits of Linda Scott contains all 12 of her Billboard chart hits in addition to ten other recordings from her early-'60s heyday. Mastered from the original tapes and with all but one of the tracks presented in true stereo, no illegitimate import can approach the sound quality and presentation of this package. "I Told Ev'ry Little Star" is Scott's biggest and best-known hit (and one of only three that cracked the Top 20), but her other efforts boast inventive arrangements, a greater measure of vocal talent than the average teenage thrush, and a handful of songs written by Scott herself. With a photo-filled booklet and informative liner notes, The Complete Hits of Linda Scott is the ultimate tribute to a minor but worthy star.

As part of The Stranglers' celebration of their Ruby Anniversary, the definitive collection of the B-side recordings they made whilst signed to Epic is released for the first time, via their own label. Appropriately, as befits a band marking forty years together, Here & There: The Epic B-sides Collection 1983-1991 gathers 40 tracks across 2 CDs and is also released as a 40 track digital package. The Stranglers released no less than 13 singles in the UK during this period, which saw them produce five albums: four studio and one live. The Stranglers signed to Epic Records in 1982 having been with United Artists / Liberty since 1977. The change of label coincided with changes in marketing policy across the UK industry - often dubbed "the Frankie Goes to Hollywood effect". Previously, The Stranglers' had released only one 12" single - an extended version of Bear Cage in 1980 - but from 2nd Epic single, Midnight Summer Dream until 1990, each release had a 12" version which required extra studio or, increasingly, live tracks to "add value" to the package.

The first album by the Jazz Crusaders (which started an extensive series for Pacific Jazz) introduced the colorful quintet. With trombonist Wayne Henderson and tenor saxophonist Wilton Felder giving the ensembles a unique sound, the group (also featuring regular members pianist Joe Sample and drummer Stix Hooper along with guests Jimmy Bond on bass and guitarist Roy Gaines) managed to strike a balance between creative hard bop and accessible soul-jazz. In addition to their version of "Theme From Exodus" (hoping to jump on the bandwagon created by Eddie Harris' hit rendition), the Jazz Crusaders perform originals by Felder, Henderson, and Sample ("Freedom Sound").

2012 collection from the Easy Listening/Pop crooner. Spanish Eyes features the original versions of his biggest selling singles alongside unique renditions of some of the most loved songs of the 20th century. The singer started his recording career way back in 1958 and has remained at the top of his profession for over 45 years selling over 130 million units. This collection features 11 UK Top 20 hits including no less than seven UK Top 5s. Spectrum.

While there was certainly little to complain about on the original issue of the soundtrack for Standing in the Shadows of Motown, for those who truly sought the magic of the Funk Brothers, this deluxe edition is what they longed for all along. This two-disc collection contains the soundtrack of the Allan Slutsky/Harry Weinger film – plus three bonus tracks – from that historic night at the Royal Oak Music Theater just outside of Detroit. It pairs what was left of the original Motown session gang and their heirs with a host of vocalists, including Joan Osborne, Chaka Khan, Bootsy Collins, Montell Jordan, Me'Shell NdegéOcello, Ben Harper, and Gerald LeVert interpreting the classics. The extra soundtrack cuts feature John Lee Hooker, Jackie Wilson, and Dennis Coffey with the Detroit Guitar Band. But on disc two, the entire grail becomes attainable. Here are 15 musical tracks, the original instrumental sides from "the Snakepit" of the Motown studios, with little or no vocal accompaniment, remixed from the ground up. The producers broke down and mapped out each verse, bridge, chorus, and vamp on paper first. Phone calls were made to the living members and then each tune was knotted together from the recorded evidence, using the input of the Funks and the added guitars of Dennis Coffey and Wah Wah Watson.

Features 39 tracks on 2 CDs and includes 2 booklets that contain extensive notes celebrating 50 years of singing and songwriting by one of the truly great artists of the 20th century. This collection includes a new song by Seeger, as well as rare appearances by artists like: Bruce Springsteen, Ani DiFranco, Bonnie Raitt, the Indigo Girls, Peter, Paul & Mary, Judy Collins, Tim Robbins (yup, the actor) and more! A pretty stunning group of socially conscious performers (from Bonnie Raitt to Billy Bragg) join in tribute to the inspirational music and life of Pete Seeger on this expansive 2 CD set. The grand selection of songs is well-annotated with notes from the artists and Seeger himself about each piece and its place in the pantheon. Among the many highlights are Bruce Springsteen's heartfelt "We Shall Overcome," John Trudell's tense "Torn Flag," actor Tim Robbins's rap-like "All My Children of the Sun," and Ani DiFranco's quiet, brooding "My Name Is Lisa Kalvelage." Further listening: the Smithsonian/Folkways release of If I Had a Hammer, a remarkable collection of Seeger singing his own songs. –Michael Ruby

Grover Washington, Jr., has long been one of the leaders in what could be called rhythm & jazz, essentially R&B-influenced jazz. Winelight is one of his finest albums, and not primarily because of the Bill Withers hit "Just the Two of Us." It is the five instrumentals that find Washington (on soprano, alto, and tenor) really stretching out. If he had been only interested in sales, Washington's solos could have been half as long and he would have stuck closely to the melody. Instead he really pushes himself on some of these selections, particularly the title cut. A memorable set of high-quality and danceable soul-jazz.

If you’re a Neil Diamond fan, the latest entry in our songwriter series is a no-brainer must-have. For starters, it collects 11 of the songs Neil wrote during the 1963-1969 timeframe that is its purview, but has never himself recorded. Among the numbers he gave away are the Monkees’ ‘Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)’ (heard here in the unique mix used on the original television broadcast) and Jay & the Americans’ ‘Sunday And Me’.