Strictly speaking, Phil Spector wasn't even a performer – he was a musician, but he very rarely released records under his name. As a producer, however – and, to a significant extent, songwriter, label owner, and session player – he influenced the course of rock & roll more than all but a handful of performers. The Wall of Sound that he perfected in the early '60s led to unlimited possibilities for arrangements and sound construction in rock and pop, and his brilliant talents imprinted the discs that he produced with an artistic vision that was much more attributable to him than to the talented performers with whom he worked.

The Yardbirds' second American album, and a fundamental one at that. Although the original version includes four of the ten tracks already featured on Five Live Yardbirds, released less than a year earlier in Great Britain, it confirms the talent of the two guitar monsters, Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck, which had been sketched out on the previous compilation album, For Your Love, and was to be decisive in the musicians' continued notoriety across the Atlantic.

The legends of blues rock are here, in the best possible sound quality, to be savored in this playlist of featuring all the biggest names: Rory Gallagher, John Mayall, Gary Moore, Susan Tedeschi, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Santana, ZZ Top, Beth Hart, Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Winter, Joanne Shaw Taylor, The Rolling Stones, Joe Bonamassa, Ana Popovic, Popa Chubby, Slash, Gary Clark Jr., Jack White and more.

Funk/modern soul group from central Los Angeles, California, USA in the early 1980s.

Discover the best of today's electropop and some 80s classics in this 100% Hi-Res playlist. Featuring M83, CHVRCHES, Caroline Polachek, Everything But The Girl, Depeche Mode, Aurora, Metronomy, Hot Chip, Cut Copy, Lorde, PVA, Chromeo, Alison Goldfrapp, Soft Cell, Eurythmics, Pet Shop Boys, Yello, OMD, Fever ray, Georgia, Empress Of, Little Dragon, Jamie xx, Blackpink…

The Bee Gees may have been the undisputed disco kings of the late '70s, but KC & the Sunshine Band weren't far behind. During the mid- to late '70s, the multi-member and racially integrated group – led by bandleaders Harry Wayne "KC" Casey and Richard Finch – racked up some of the era's biggest, most recognized dance hits. Casey and Finch first met in 1972 while both were employed by TK Records in Miami, where among other chores, Casey served as a personal secretary and booking agent for artist Timmy Thomas. KC & the Sunshine Band officially formed in 1973, but a debut single, "Blow Your Whistle," sunk from sight upon release. It was another Casey/Finch original, 1974's "Rock Your Baby," that R&B artist George McCrae scored a hit with as KC & the Sunshine Band began issuing further albums and singles, quickly scoring big hits on their own.